The gates will open at 8am tomorrow morning for the 58th Fieldays.
Fieldays chief executive Richard Lindroos was sleeping well on the eve of the country’s biggest agricultural event.
“Yeah, I am actually,” he said.
“We’ve done a lot of work post Fieldays last year on what sort of event we want and how we want to work.”
That preparation has paid off, with exhibitor sites selling out four weeks ago for the first time in recent years.
“It’s actually a testament to the team having good strategy, good structure and processes,” Lindroos said.
“We sold out … and we’ve also got waiting lists.”
New Zealand National Fieldays Society Chief Executive Richard Lindroos completed his first event, wet but pleased. Photo: Stephen Barker
It is a long way from Fieldays’ beginnings at Te Rapa Racecourse in 1969 when the two-day event ran on a budget of $10,500 and attracted about 18,000 people.
Nearly six decades on, it has grown into a major event at Mystery Creek, drawing crowds, exhibitors and business from around New Zealand and overseas.
Awards participants can exhibit in the Fieldays Innovation Hub, or on a site elsewhere.
International interest continues to grow.
“This year we’ve got 73 international exhibitors coming over,” Lindroos said.
“We have well over 1000 international visitors coming down to do business with New Zealanders.”
That success brings its own challenges.
“When you have success, how do you manage that success,” he said.
“You’ve got to keep doing new things and it’s not a rinse and repeat Fieldays.”
One of the changes he is pushing is to expand the focus beyond the traditional four days.
“We’ve got to take ownership of this whole Fieldays week,” Lindroos said.
“Make it a week, not just four days.”
Fieldays is already extending into that space, with events starting earlier in the week and continuing beyond the gates opening on Wednesday morning.
“We start having our first events on Tuesday,” he said.
“It is kind of extending into those five days now.”
Fieldays visitors are encouraged to catch a free bus or use Park & Ride options, to help reduce the event’s carbon footprint.
NZNFS Programme Manager, Steve Chappell, Central North Island Wood Council CEO, Damita Mita, NZNFS Chief Executive Officer, Richard Lindroos and Te Uru Rākau New Zealand Forest Service representatives, Senior Adviser Events & Visits Adele Maurice, Sector Engagement Lead David Pearce and Director Forestry Engagement & Advice Ray Hook.
Major events include a European Union function bringing together ambassadors and government representatives at Mystery Creek.
“It’s one of the biggest events happening outside Wellington for the EU,” he said.
There are also new additions this year, including Māori agribusiness events and a stronger programme of functions both on and off site.
“We’re adding more things that gives a different flavour to the event,” he said.
Accommodation continues to be a challenge as visitors spread across the region and beyond.
“To be honest with you, we need more accommodation, closer,” Lindroos said.
“But that’s also a wee bit about a growth story for the greater Waikato.”
Exhibitors are increasingly using a mix of hotels, short term rentals and accommodation as far afield as South Auckland.
“We have good occupancy across particularly Fieldays week,” he said.
More than 1,200 exhibitors will showcase their products and services, with sites sold out.
More than 1,115 exhibitors across 1,335 sites will showcase their products and services at the sold-out event.
58 individuals, companies, and start-ups will exhibit their ideas and cutting-edge solutions in the Fieldays Innovation Awards this year.
Despite the scale of the event, Lindroos believes there is still room to grow.
“I think we should go bigger,” he said.
“But we’ve got to do it properly.”
He sees Fieldays as more than a retail experience.
“If you’re coming to Fieldays, you’re thinking it’s retail exhibition, but really it is a trade business event,” he said.
“That is where deals are done, there’s negotiation, people are coming together.”
That connection remains central to its success.
“It connects people, and that’s really important,” he said.
Logistics are a major undertaking, from moving large machinery to transporting prefabricated buildings onto the site.
“We move tiny houses here,” Lindroos said.
Preparations are ramping up on-site at Mystery Creek, with the venue taking shape ahead of Fieldays.
Fieldays has also become a showcase for vehicles.
“We are the unofficial official motor show in New Zealand,” he said.
Behind the scenes, a large workforce and volunteers are critical to the event’s success.
“You can’t do it without volunteers,” he said.
For Lindroos, the days leading into Fieldays are long, with early starts and late nights.
“We start probably at 5.30 every morning,” he said.
But by the end of the week there is time to step back and take it in.
“Saturday is the day I can really walk with the crowds,” he said.
Nearly 60 years after its first event, Fieldays continues to evolve.
But its purpose remains the same, bringing people together to share ideas, build connections and do business.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society has officially partnered with Genesis Energy in a three-year deal focused on enhancing energy efficiencies across the Mystery Creek Events Centre site, which also serves as a critical infrastructure location for Civil Defence in the Waikato. Photo: Supplied.
From reconnecting with mates to discovering cutting-edge products, Fieldays returns with its “Your Place” theme, celebrating the unique Kiwi spirit that makes it a must-attend event each year.
The gates will open at 8am tomorrow morning for the 58th Fieldays.
