At the final management council meeting of the year, held as usual courtesy of The Farmers Club in London, plans were outlined by deputy chairman and events co-ordinator Jane Craigie for additional Guild events in 2012.
The popular Bangers ‘n’ Beer reception at the Cereals Event will go ahead again, as will a Guild early evening supper at the Royal Highland Show in June. The cheese and wine reception at Livestock 2012, the renamed Dairy Event & Livestock Show, will also go ahead.
“Attendance at these events indicates that Guild members enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to socialise at shows and technical exhibitions,” says Jane. “As a result, there are also tentative plans to hold a gathering for Guild members and guests at the Royal Welsh Show and the Great Yorkshire Show in 2012 for the first time.
“If any Guild member has useful contacts with organisations that could be interested in sponsoring or providing catering at these events, please let me know,” she adds.
The highly successful Harvest Service and Lunch will also go ahead next year at St Brides Church and Stationers Hall, respectively. The date for diaries is Thursday, October 11 – see the Dates & Deadlines section of the Guild website (under Events) for the dates of other Guild activities.
….to the IFAJ Congress 2014
Looking further ahead to 2014, the Guild Council has undertaken the major task of hosting, informing and entertaining more than 200 agricultural journalists and broadcasters from around the World at the annual IFAJ Congress.
Based in Scotland to showcase the best of Scottish agriculture, food, drink and rural enterprise, the optional pre- and post-Congress tours that are such a popular part of this event will venture further south to embrace other aspects of British agriculture and rural life.
An organising committee led by enthusiastic Guild member Joe Watson, the Guild’s representative on the IFAJ executive, was formally convened at the management Council meeting. This committee will be solely responsible for the Congress itself, while the Guild Council will take on organisation of the pre- and post-Congress elements of the programme.
“A fair amount of exploratory work has already been done with regards to a venue, travel arrangements and potential support from EU and local government sources,” says Joe. “But the process needs to be cranked up now with the next urgent need being suggestions for organisations likely to sponsor – in cash or kind – the myriad elements of a Congress; from delegate packs and badges to transport and special lunches and dinners.”
As time goes on both the Congress committee and Guild Council will be looking to draw on the talents and expertise of other Guild members to help stage this demanding but highly prestigious event.
More details will be forthcoming – but, for now, all sensible suggestions and contacts for possible commercial supporters (notably UK businesses with export sales in all aspects of agricultural, food and drink production), to Joe Watson, please.
