Exhibitors have been awarded for outstanding sites at the 2021 Fieldays event.

Having been two years since the last physical event, 2021 Fieldays exhibitors kicked it up a notch, creating world-class sites and visitor experiences.

Their efforts were recognised at the 2021 Fieldays Site Awards, which were presented on Wednesday June 16.

New Zealand National Fieldays Society President, James Allen, who presented the awards, says that the exceptional quality of Fieldays sites this year highlighted how excited exhibitors were to be back on site this year, reconnecting with visitors and customers in person.

'The quality of the sites this year were second to none, and the hard work, creativity and ingenuity of exhibitors adds immense value to the visitor experience. So, it's fantastic that we can recognise the efforts of Fieldays exhibitors with the Site Awards.”

Fieldays is based on a 114-hectare site at Mystery Creek, ten minutes from Hamilton and is the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere. The event draws people from around the globe – both as exhibitors and visitors. Fieldays Online, launched in 2020 as a world first during COVID-19, attracted 90,455 total visitors and viewership from more than 75 different countries. Fieldays 2019 saw 128,747 people visit the event, generating $549M in sales revenue for New Zealand businesses.

A team of volunteer judges at the 2021 event assessed the sites that put their names forward for consideration. Sites were judged based on the attractiveness of the site design, ability to engage and educate visitors, and an outstanding feature that sets it apart from the rest.

'I think many exhibitors felt privileged to be able to exhibit when many agribusiness organisations globally cannot, and they really made the most out of the opportunity,” says James.

Trevelyan's Sarah Lei receiving the 'Commitment to Sustainability' Award. Photo: Supplied.

The deserving winner of the Best Outdoor Site less than 200 square metres was Flexi Tanks NZ Ltd for their clever site design. Safari Tents NZ Ltd took home Best Outdoor Site 200 – 400 square metres for site. The Best Indoor Site went to Ministry for Primary Industries, Manatu Ahu Matua, for their fun, interactive site, complete with a detector dog to greet visitors.

Trevelyan's Pack and Cool Ltd were presented the Commitment to Sustainability Award by Instep, who support Fieldays' sustainability programme. They were praised for their strong sustainability focus and messaging, the minimal product waste at their site, and their take-home waste policy. The avocado trees on sale, a compost bin demonstration, and the manual kiwifruit packing line were just a few of the interactive features of Trevelyan's site.

Trevelyan's Marketing, Communications, and Sustainability Manager, Sarah Lei says it's awesome that the team's mission to live and breathe sustainability at Trevelyan's is being recognised.

'It was great to talk sustainability with the crowds at Fieldays, letting people know what we do, how we work, and the benefits for the environment,” says Sarah.

'Sustainability is hard work, and we don't always get it right, but it's about continuous improvement – you will get there if you just keep going.”

Fieldays Supreme Site - Te Pari Products Ltd. Photo: Supplied.

Oamaru based locals who are well-renowned for their livestock handling solutions, Te Pari, took home the Fieldays Supreme Site Award. This award recognises the overall winner across all categories and honours exhibitors that go above and beyond to give Fieldays visitors an exceptional experience.

Te Pari Marketing Coordinator, and third-generation member of the family business, Corban Blampied, notes that their Supreme Award win was a 'total surprise” to the team.

'Our focus for our Fieldays site was to build upon our previous design from 2019, and ensure our customers had the best experience possible, so winning the Supreme Site Award was a bonus for us. The team are pretty stoked,” says Corban.

Considering the months of hard work behind the scenes that went into Te Pari's site build, it's no surprise that their Fieldays site had award-winning qualities.

With the site design laid up three months prior, the site production and marketing arranged in-house, four truckloads all the way from Oamaru and two weeks setting up on-site – Te Pari's win was a true team effort by all. If you didn't get the chance to visit Te Pari's site at Fieldays, you can take a virtual Fieldays tour on their website.

'We put a lot of effort in to our Fieldays site and obviously not everyone can always make it for the show, so this is a little extra we do to help share the Fieldays vibe around the country and with our overseas customers,” says Corban.

Exhibitors like Te Pari have shown that through true Kiwi ingenuity, rural communities across borders didn't have to miss out on the Fieldays action. The virtual extension of the physical event, Fieldays Online, also addressed this by hosting over 800 exhibitors and hours of interactive content on Fieldays TV showcasing the innovation, provenance, and prosperity of New Zealand's primary sector.

FIELDAYS 2021 SITE AWARD WINNERS

Best Outdoor Site less than 200m²: Flexi Tanks NZ Ltd

Best Outdoor Site 200m² – 400m²: Safari Tents NZ Ltd

Best Outdoor Site over 400m²: Te Pari Products Ltd

Best Indoor Site: Ministry for Primary Industries, Manatu Ahu Matua (MPI)

Fieldays Supreme Site: Te Pari Products Ltd

Commitment to Sustainability Award: Trevelyan's Pack and Cool Ltd

Fieldays is run by New Zealand National Fieldays Society, a charitable organisation founded in 1968 for the purpose of advancing the primary industries.

For more information head to www.fieldays.co.nz