The Devon County Agricultural Association, organisers of the Devon County Show, the county’s largest annual event, is gearing up for a double celebration this year.
2014 will be the 119th County Show, an annual celebration of farming, food and the countryside, and it is 25 years since the Association took ownership of the Westpoint showground, which is home to the County Show and its wholly owned subsidiary company - Westpoint Centre (Devon).
Tickets are on sale now for the Devon County Show - known as the South West’s agricultural showing season curtain-raiser, as well as...
Sir Eric Dancer, the Lord Lieutenant of Devon, has been appointed President of the Devon County Agricultural Association, organisers of the Devon County Show (May 22-24). He succeeds the Hon. George Lopes DL.
Sir Eric was appointed Lord Lieutenant by Her Majesty the Queen in 1998. He is her official representative in the county of Devon and has organised many royal visits to the Devon County Show.
Speaking at the DCAA’s Annual Meeting at Westpoint, Exeter, on Friday, January 24, Sir Eric said that he was delighted and honoured to be taking on his new role, and was looking...
One of West Country farming’s best known personalities, Ollie Allen, organiser of the Devon County Show, has taken over as Chairman of a national organisation, the Association of Shows and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO). Ollie has been the Secretary of the Devon County Show since 1996 and before that earned her spurs in 16 years at the Royal Bath and West. She says that she is hugely honoured to have been given the chance of leading the ASAO, at a time of great challenge and change for agricultural shows. “To have been elected to do this job by one’s peers is a great honour, but also a...
Dream-A-Way, the Exeter-based charity that provides holidays and outings for people with disabilities across Devon and Cornwall, is celebrating a big success as the Official Show Charity at the Devon County show at Westpoint last week. This is also the charity’s 20th birthday year so the Trustees were delighted to be chosen as charity of the year and then to receive a royal visit in addition was a huge Bonus.
The Dream-A-Way stand was the first to be visited by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall after she had officially opened the County Show. She was introduced to Dream-A-Way Chairman...
So I was at the Devon County Show today and I struck up a conversation with one of the traders. It turned out we both hailed from the same place. He eventually asked me what I did for a living and when I said media and marketing he responded with: “Okay, give me your top three marketing tips”, which I did. And whilst they are fresh in my mind I thought I’d share them through my blog. Tip 1 Look for referrals: I asked him what he did to encourage his satisfied clients to encourage others to buy from his business and, apart from some passive email marketing, the answer was not a lot. However...
An East Devon firm has reported brisk trade at this year’s County Show. Marla Custom Blinds’ boss Steve Hartland said the three-day event had generated a number of new leads for the business, which specialises in commercial and domestic blinds for windows and conservatories.
“We must have handed out more than 250 leaflets, and also generated a good number of positive leads and follow-up appointments.
“I’m confident that we will again do well out of this year’s Devon County Show, which has once more proved successful to us from a business point of view.
Sunny weather for most of this year’s Devon County Show helped provide a boost for one of the county’s leading renewables companies.
South West Solar & Renewable Systems, www.swsolarsystems.co.uk , had a large display at this year’s event, which helped greatly to increase interest in its solar panels and other renewable technologies.
Managing Director Nick Bartlett said: “We had a bumper Devon County Show this year, it was the best we have attended in terms of generating new leads for the company.
“For 2013 we took one of the larger stands in the Federation of...
The 2013 Devon County Show lived up to its billing as the county's 'big day out' as bumper crowds poured into the showground to enjoy a relaxed day celebrating the best of rural life, and not a drop of rain on the final day. On the third and final day - Saturday - unbroken sunshine and temperatures in the high teens attracted record numbers of visitors. All the car parks - including the overspill car parks - were full by early afternoon as the county came out in force to enjoy a day at the first major agricultural show of the season. “It has been a cracking Show,” said delighted Show...
From early morning crowds started pouring into the Devon County Showground at Westpoint near Exeter for the second day of the Devon County Show. Organisers say the atmosphere was relaxed and happy as visitors enjoyed the early sunshine and the many features which reflect rural life in the county. Ollie Allen, Show Secretary, said: "Numbers are on a par with our record-breaking gate last year and we're looking forward to great weather tomorrow - bring it on!" Thousands of local school children enjoyed exploring the 118th Show and finding out more about where their food comes from. And...
Despite fears of a wet and squelchy Devon County Show, considering the recent deluge of rain that Exeter has been experiencing in the last couple of days, so far the sun has shone and visitors attending the Show have been enjoying blue skies and a wealth of entertainment.
This morning the Duchess of Cornwall officially opened the Show and enjoyed a tour of the showground, visiting many of the exhibits and features that reflect rural life in Devon. During the visit, HRH also met some of the many people whose passion for the countryside, farming and rural skills is at the heart of...
