Annual Conference

The Annual General Meeting starts the Conference during the late afternoon on Sunday which is followed by a Paper with a general theme. In the past delegates have been addressed by the NFU, Food and Farming Education Service and computer programmers. Any partners attending are provided with information on the various places of local interest or attractions and with the help of the organisers, plan their own itinerary.

On Monday the programme of syndicate sessions gets underway. The syndicates are arranged in small groups, with a number of subjects available for discussion. In this way there is always something of interest to everyone in the group. In the past items such as catering concessions, admission prices, main ring events, police and security, and tickets have been covered. It is the aim that a report be produced after the Conference for distribution to all interested members. The culmination of the Conference is the Annual Dinner, a black tie affair, but a chance nevertheless to unwind after a fairly hectic weekend and show year.

Bursary

In an effort to ensure as many members as possible take part in the Annual Conference, the Association offers a bursary. Any member organisation which has not sent a delegate in the past can apply for the bursary, which is intended to go towards travelling or accommodation costs.

Conferences

In addition to the AGM , presentations are given on relevant subjects. Bi-annually in September the Association arranges a Veterinary Conference to enable Veterinary Officers and Livestock Officers of shows to meet with representatives of DEFRA and other agencies. Seminars are aimed at those topics uppermost in show organisers thoughts and have covered doping of horses and pones, equine passports, E-coli and the bio-security arrangements for livestock shows. Any requirement for other one day specialist conferences are reviewed by Council when they meet in February, July and November each year.