THE BRITISH Pig & Poultry Fair will move from Stoneleigh Park, its home of more than 20 years, to the NEC near Birmingham in 2024.

A third of the exhibition space would no longer be available at the existing venue, so organisers were faced with the choice of scaling the event back or finding a new space.

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The NEC was selected, and the next fair will take place on 15-16 May 2024.

The 2022 fair hosted 338 exhibitors, occupied more than 18,000m2 of event space and welcomed around 7,500 visitors across the two days. It is the flagship event of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE).

“It is very exciting for the fair to be moving to the NEC,” said organiser Alice Bell. “I have been working with the industry to deliver the Fair for over 20 years and this change is long overdue.”

Ms Bell said that RASE would shortly send out an exhibitors’ FAQ pack, and exhibitor pricing is expected to be shared – along with a floorplan – in early 2023.

Getting together

“We know the fair is highly valued by the sectors and the importance of bringing the industry together has been proven over many years,” she added.

“Feedback from the 2022 Fair demonstrated that despite the challenging market conditions, it was highly beneficial to get producers and suppliers together to share ideas and see what is new.”

Danny Johnson, general manager at ABN, added: “ABN has partnered with the fair since 2008 and it is such an important event.

“This move will allow the pig and poultry sectors to gain valuable insight, share ideas and see new technologies all under one roof.”