In October 2022, The Business Creative became members of NFAN (National Farmers Attraction Network). NFAN is a trade association with over 200 farm members whose aim is to unite the farm and rural attraction industry. Whilst our decision to join this association might seem unusual to you, there is actually a really valid reason why we did … let us explain.
The farming industry has faced numerous financial struggles in recent years. The cost of producing crops and livestock continues to rise, while the prices farmers receive for their products have remained stagnant. This has made it difficult for farmers to make ends meet and invest in their operations. As a result, farms have started to diversify into running events in order to increase their income and as a way to supplement their revenue streams and traditional sources of income. These events can range from weddings and corporate retreats, as well as seasonal events such as Halloween and Christmas, all generating additional income for the farm. With a proven track record for designing and executing world-class events all over the globe, our membership with NFAN provides The Business Creative with the opportunity to support the farm industry with the planning and delivery of their events programme.
Since our membership started, we have attended a number of Zoom meetings and also a networking event at Tulleys Farm, Sussex. During this time, we have chatted to members and heard all about the challenges that they face in their industry and how they are trying to overcome these. It is apparent that whilst there are a number of farm parks who are currently running hugely successful event programmes, there are also smaller venues who are requiring support in venturing into this new business sector.
Therefore, when we were asked to design and deliver a workshop at the NFAN annual conference in Harrogate in January, we jumped at the chance. Our workshop ‘Cultivating Events – From Seed to Success’ was targeted at those farms who were new to running events and for those who were already running events but needed some top tips on how they could become more successful. Delivered by our Managing Director, Jane Maguire Goble, and our Creative Operations Manager, Mark Lofthouse, our one-hour workshop took the delegates through a top-level process of creating events broken down into five areas: Ideation – Development – Refinement – Production – Reflection.
As a team, we have a combined experience of over 80 years in planning and running events. Considering we are a relatively small core team of five people, that’s a helluva lot of experience. Not only that, our experience spans across every type of event out there. We have delivered numerous small events catering for 500+ people, huge global events at prestigious theme parks, along with award-winning Halloween events – we have every base covered. Our vast knowledge and experience enabled us to design an effective and impactful workshop which provided the attractions with a takeaway workbook containing comprehensive guidance along with a checklist for them to utilise in the initial stages and refer to throughout their entire planning. Our relationship with the association and its members has developed since and we are now providing one-to-one support to a number of the farm parks and will continue to do so throughout 2023 and beyond.
If you are interested in hearing any more about the workshop or how we can assist you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We will be more than happy to have a virtual coffee with you to see how we could potentially support.
