Time for a roadie - it’s Fieldays

Fieldays is not just an event; it’s New Zealand’s biggest commercial day of the year. What sets Fieldays apart is its unique blend of Kiwi agricultural know-how and humour, paired with serious commercial firepower. It’s a varied showcase of the latest agricultural innovation and a celebration of New Zealand's horticulture, rural and farming sectors. For brands, it’s a great platform to make a statement and engage and chat directly with customers in a way that’s often not possible.

In the battle for attention, hate to say it, but Fieldays is an arms race. Brands invest significant time and resources to ensure their presence is seen and heard. The competition is stiff, and standing out in the sea of exhibitors takes a bit of effort. We’ve been working with Hydroflow for two years now to ensure the substantial investment in their stand converts, and there are a few things we’ve learnt along the way. Here are some ideas to making each post a winner at Fieldays.

Do Something Bold

To capture attention, brands need to think outside the box and do something bold. Whether it’s a simple but eye-catching display, an innovative demonstration, or a surprising stunt, being different ensures that your brand stands out from the crowd. It’s not easy, it does take a bit of investment, but agencies like 4AM love dreaming up ideas to help you win in a place like this. Reach out.

Brand Consistency

There’s nothing quite like the strong, blanket use of colour. Use it. Large-scale, cohesive branding helps in building salience, ensuring that when attendees are ready to buy sometime in the future, your brand comes to mind well after Fieldays has ended.

Feed Them

The food truck area at Fieldays often has long lines and limited seating. It’s kind of painful. So providing free, good quality food or coffee can attract significant attention. Last year, a major New Zealand bank successfully drew crowds by giving away free sandwiches, demonstrating that sometimes, offering a tasty crumb can create a buzz. Seems obvious, but it works.

What’s your deal?

The primary draw for many Fieldays attendees is the promise of a cracking good deal. If you’re selling something, you’ll need to offer exceptional value to drive transactions. Loss leaders can bring people in, and once they’re engaged, there’s an opportunity to embed brand messaging for longterm benefit and also cross-sell other products.

Interactivity Works

Fieldays is all about the experience. Offering interactive activities not only entertains attendees but also encourages longer engagement and higher quality conversations. Interactive elements make your tent a destination rather than just a stop along the way. The key here is getting organised early. Interactive and engaging ideas are not always expensive, but the good ones usually take time to think through and execute well.

Fieldays is New Zealand’s premier commercial event, combining Kiwi charm with substantial business opportunities. To make Fieldays a winner, you’ll need to be bold, tight with your brand, offer great value - and it can’t hurt to feed the hungry. Brands that nail these strategies will not only stand out during the event but will also leave a lasting impression long after the gates close. It’s not just about being seen, it’s about being remembered.

But perhaps the most important thing is to get on to it early. Good things take time, so once you’ve done this years Fieldays road trip and got a head full of ideas, why not give us a call? We can help you start turning those ideas into reality.