T’is the season to be… networked! 

With life on arable farms slowing for the winter, it’s time for the plethora of events, trade shows and exhibitions to take centre stage in the agricultural calendar.

As we reflect on REAP and rev up for our stand at CropTec (it’s #1.350!), we’ve put together some thoughts about how to make the best use of events – either as an exhibitor or a delegate.  

Over the last decade the events landscape in agriculture has changed. Some events have expanded, some have contracted, there have been some new entrants on the events scene and some challenges to the model and formats of existing ones. Increased costs have also made exhibiting prohibitively expensive in some cases.  

So how to make the most of the agriculture event scene to leverage your brand and build your network? 

After 10 years of doing this, we have some advice to share. Here’s our top five tips to make the most of the time and resource you’ve invested in an event.  

1. Create a plan of action 

Whether you are an exhibitor or a delegate, what are you wanting to get out of it?

New business leads? Raising your profile? Industry insights and new knowledge?

Diarise your day – if there are talks to go to, schedule them in. Croptec has a range of panel sessions and discussions over three halls focussed on Innovation, Knowledge and Profit. 

2. Reach out in advance and schedule meetings  

Instead of wandering up to a stand and asking for your contact, reach out to the organisation beforehand, find out who will be on the stand (you might make some new contacts within the business) and arrange a time to meet.  

We’re booking individual time-slots at our CropTec stand, so we can have the most effective conversations to support your needs.

3. If something isn’t serving you well – stop doing it! 

At the World Agri-TechE Innovation Summit this year, a dull-ish session saw me swap the conference auditorium for the exhibition hall. This led to a chance encounter with Defra colleagues and a subsequent meeting with the Minister.

You’re only at an event for a short time – max out the opportunities.  

4. Managing FOMO 

At bigger events there is always something else going on. There will always be something potentially more interesting happening elsewhere, and you can’t be in two places at once.

If there are more of you in an organisation, split up to cover seminars and stands separately.

At CropTec, we have a team handling the stand while one or two others can visit other stands or attend a seminar. If you are on your own, just accept that you can’t be everywhere and revert to your plan – unless something really interesting pops up (like a Ministerial meeting!).  

5. Follow up, follow up, follow up 

The event itself is just the beginning. The real work comes with the follow up – reaching out to the people you met straight after the event – and then if you really want their attention, make a note to revisit the connection a couple of weeks later when the event excitement is over. 

Brief your colleagues about things you discovered, new insights you uncovered and the people you met. Scale the impact of your visit across the team. 

* Event resilience 

Events are hard work. Comfy shoes and a bottle of water are key, as well as snacks – as with one notable exception (yes, Groundswell, looking at you) food offerings can be patchy and certainly not always healthy.

Disclaimer! We aren’t sponsoring or sponsored by CropTec, but we are partnering them this year and are looking forward to attending. Come and see us – we’ll be coming to see you!