This year’s show is bigger than ever, but there’s still a long waiting list of exhibitors wanting to get their wares indoors
Don’t worry too much if you’re all a-twitter at Manitoba Ag Days this year.
Social media is now part of the package as Manitoba Ag Days 2014 and show organizers have set up a Twitter account (@MBAgDays) and Facebook page (facebook.com/MBAgDays) this year to provide updates and promote the event. Organizers are also encouraging attendees to tweet about the show in real time using #agdays2014 hashtag.
But it’s still “100 per cent pure farming” at Manitoba Ag Days as the event lives up to its reputation as the largest indoor trade show in the country completely dedicated to agriculture, organizers say. Ag Days runs from Tuesday, Jan. 21 to Thursday, Jan. 23 at Brandon’s Keystone Centre.
Read Also
Mazergroup’s Bob Mazer dies
Mazergroup’s Bob Mazer, who helped grow his family’s company into a string of farm equipment dealerships and the main dealer for New Holland machinery in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, died July 6 from cancer.
Everyone thinks of Manitoba Ag Days as an indoor show, but for those brave enough to venture outside in January in Manitoba, there is plenty of new equipment on display outdoors. There are always more companies seeking display space than there is room, says co-chair Blake Nestibo.
“A few years ago we had a waiting list of around 100 exhibitors and we thought that with the addition of the Agricultural Centre of Excellence to the Keystone we’d be able to accommodate all those extra exhibitors who wanted in to our show,” he says. “But we still have a significant waiting list of approximately 70 this year, as there’s always more people wanting to be a part of Manitoba Ag Days.”
After being closed for the last couple of years, the newly refurbished MNP Theatre will be available once again to accommodate a number of the speaker sessions. There are favourite topics such as agronomy, market outlooks, farm business planning and technology, as well as speakers discussing farm workplace health and safety. The Farm Safety display area will feature various organizations and products designed to help keep farmers and their employees working safely on the farm. Manitoba Ag Days will also have the life-saving STARS helicopter air ambulance as its featured booth and proceeds from a 50/50 draw, which is new this year, will be donated to STARS.
Inventor’s Showcase
The popular Inventor’s Showcase will highlight some new inventions — many designed by farmers for farmers — and for the first time, attendees will decide the Best New Product for 2014.
“We are trying something a little different this year,” says Ag Days co-chair Ryan Boyd. “At booths participating in the Best New Product feature there will be a sign with a QR code on it, so people attending the show can swipe the QR code with their smartphone and vote on which product they think is the best new product.”
Attendees can also vote at the website at www.agdays.com.
Manitoba Ag Days 2014 will follow the same layout as previous years, which is something attendees and exhibitors appreciate, says co-ordinator Jonothon Roskos. With around 500 registered exhibitors covering 10 acres of indoor floor space it’s nice to have an idea of where your favourite booths will be year after year, he says. But there will also be new and exciting displays, he adds.
“The show is going to be as jam packed as ever this year,” says Boyd. “The quality of the program is excellent once again. The new machinery, it’s all going to be there. It’s 100 per cent pure farm and I’m certain that farmers will be excited to attend again.”
