Fieldays Supreme Site Te Pari Products Ltd. Photo / Stephen Barker/Barker Photography
Having been two years since the last physical event, 2021 Fieldays exhibitors kicked it up a notch, creating world-class sites and visitor experiences.
These extraordinary efforts were recognised at the 2021 Fieldays Site Awards.
A team of volunteer judges assessed the sites that put their names forward for consideration. Sites were judged based on the attractiveness of the site design, ability to engage and educate visitors, and an outstanding feature that sets it apart from the rest.
New Zealand National Fieldays Society president James Allen, who presented the awards, said that the exceptional quality of Fieldays sites this year highlighted how excited exhibitors were to be back on site this year, reconnecting with visitors and customers in person.
"The quality of the sites this year were second to none, and the hard work, creativity and ingenuity of exhibitors adds immense value to the visitor experience. So, it's fantastic that we can recognise the efforts of Fieldays exhibitors with the Site Awards.
"I think many exhibitors felt privileged to be able to exhibit when many agribusiness organisations globally cannot, and they really made the most out of the opportunity."
The winner of the Best Outdoor Site less than 200m² was Flexi Tanks NZ Ltd for their clever site design.
Safari Tents NZ Ltd took home Best Outdoor Site 200m² – 400m² for their stunning site – heaven for the glampers out there.
The Best Indoor Site went to Ministry for Primary Industries, Manatu Ahu Matua, for their fun, interactive site, complete with a detector dog to greet visitors.
Trevelyan's Pack and Cool Ltd was presented the Commitment to Sustainability Award by Instep, which supports Fieldays' sustainability programme.
Trevelyan's was praised for their strong sustainability focus and messaging, the minimal product waste at their site, and their take-home waste policy.
The avocado trees on sale, a compost bin demonstration, and the manual kiwifruit packing line were just a few of the interactive features of Trevelyan's site.
Trevelyan's marketing, communications and sustainability manager Sarah Lei said it was awesome the team's mission to live and breathe sustainability was recognised.
"It was great to talk sustainability with the crowds at Fieldays, letting people know what we do, how we work, and the benefits for the environment.
"Sustainability is hard work, and we don't always get it right, but it's about continuous improvement – you will get there if you just keep going."
Oamaru based Te Pari, well-renowned for their livestock handling solutions, took home the Fieldays Supreme Site Award.
This award recognises the overall winner across all categories and honours exhibitors that go above and beyond to give Fieldays visitors an exceptional experience.
Te Pari marketing co-ordinator, and third-generation member of the family business, Corban Blampied, noted their Supreme Award win was a "total surprise" to the team.
"Our focus for our Fieldays site was to build upon our previous design from 2019, and ensure our customers had the best experience possible, so winning the Supreme Site Award was a bonus for us. The team is pretty stoked."
Considering the months of hard work behind the scenes that went into Te Pari's site build, it's no surprise that their Fieldays site had award-winning qualities.
With the site design laid up three months prior, the site production and marketing arranged in-house, four truckloads all the way from Ōamaru and two weeks setting up on site, Te Pari's win was a true team effort by all.
"We put a lot of effort in to our Fieldays site and obviously not everyone can always make it for the show, so this is a little extra we do to help share the Fieldays vibe around the country and with our overseas customers," said Corban.
Exhibitors like Te Pari have shown that through true Kiwi ingenuity, rural communities across borders didn't have to miss out on the Fieldays action.
The virtual extension of the physical event, Fieldays Online, also addressed this by hosting over 800 exhibitors and hours of interactive content on Fieldays TV showcasing the innovation, provenance, and prosperity of New Zealand's primary sector.
FIELDAYS 2021 SITE AWARD WINNERS:
Best Outdoor Site less than 200m²: Flexi Tanks NZ Ltd;
Best Outdoor Site 200m² – 400m²: Safari Tents NZ Ltd;
Best Outdoor Site over 400m²: Te Pari Products Ltd;
Best Indoor Site: Ministry for Primary Industries, Manatu Ahu Matua (MPI);
Fieldays Supreme Site: Te Pari Products Ltd;
Commitment to Sustainability Award: Trevelyan's Pack and Cool Ltd.