Land, Leisure and Tourism seminar programme

After the budget announcement on Wednesday, we understand that you will have a lot of questions.

As the first agricultural event after the announcement, we are hosting a Q&A session to help farmers understand the implications of the new budget and get the answers they need for their farm.

At the show, you will have the chance to ask questions about important concerns such as the reduction of the Basic Payment Scheme, inheritance tax, and agricultural property relief.

Join Stuart as he examines Labour’s actions in their first 125 days of power, including law changes, creation of energy entities, and their policies on energy and infrastructure. Stuart will also look at what this might mean for landowners, and the opportunities and challenges these policies will bring.  

Come listen to John and Jack Allwood, a father and son who set up a milk vending business on their Huntington Hall Farm in Cheshire. They will discuss their journey into diversifying the family farm business, the challenges and pitfalls they encountered and how they balanced their business relationship to ensure their personal relationship didn’t suffer as a result!

Discover how efficient carbon reporting can significantly reduce your business's energy costs and carbon footprint. Understand how tax strategies can help you invest in more energy-efficient systems whilst achieving long-term environmental benefits. 

Avril will delve into things which are often forgotten in new diversification enterprises, but which can make the difference between success and failure. This practical advice session will include business planning, making your business accessible both physically and digitally, and sustainability. Attendees will also get a flavour of what is included in the upcoming CLA Advisory Handbook on diversification. 

 

This session will explore the Industry Code of Practice for preventing or controlling ill health from animal contact at visitor attraction

 

The presentation will walk through what landowners can expect when working with Aura Power and the benefits and considerations when diversifying their land use into renewable energy projects.

Join us for a presentation tailored to address the tax challenges that caravan park owners, lodge park proprietors, and touring site operators face. 

Our event promises an engaging program, featuring presentations from our tax specialists that will cover; 
• The intricacies of inheritance tax and its direct implications on your business 
• VAT within your business 
• Capital Allowances in the Tourism & Leisure Industry 
 
The event will provide an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and information to help your business grow and flourish. 

There are 80m disabled travellers in the market for accessible tourism, 130m when adjusted for senior citizens travelling with family or carers. This hidden market is underserved and presents a huge opportunity for our industry.
Pitchup.com has put together a panel of industry experts and experienced site owners to share brand-new research and practical tips on how to make your site more accessible (spoiler: it’s easier than you think!)

Canopy & Stars, the UK’s leading marketing and booking platform for glamping stays, and Crown & Canopy, the longest established glamping consultancy in the UK, come together to share their expertise and insights about this alternative revenue stream for your land. Learn how to get started on a project like this, why it is a smart business choice, and how it can be a sustainable option that works with other projects and funding opportunities. Join them to see how successful sites perform and to understand the current market trends and best investments that will result in the greatest income. 

Join Lizzie Berwick, Co-Owner and Media Director of Threefold Media and Clare Otridge, Director at Grounded Research for a session on Media Strategies and Marketing for Agri-Businesses. For both agricultural businesses and those diversifying outside of agriculture, the right media strategy is crucial for success. Lizzie will share her expertise on reaching these new audiences, balancing traditional and digital media, and tailoring campaigns that drive results in these diverse sectors. This session is packed with practical advice for those looking to grow their agri-business ventures through smart, targeted advertising.

The new Government has placed a significant emphasis on improving the planning system, particularly to allow delivery of 1.5million homes over a five-year period. This talk will cover additional topics of interest including diversification, permitted development rights and environmental considerations, such as Biodiversity Net Gain. 

Join Lewis Penicott and top industry experts for the essential guide to starting a profitable, hands-free and secure self-storage business. Discover the key steps to turn your spare land into a reliab ...

With over 45 years of experience, we can provide expert advice on maximising your income through holiday letting. We'll cover the latest industry trends and present real-life case-studies from landowners we've helped make a profit from diversifying into holiday letting. Suitable for anyone interested in holiday letting, whether you have years of experience or are just considering taking the plunge. 

Learn how to turn your land into a renewable energy asset. Steve Cains and PJ Rogers will explore the benefits of forming mutually profitable partnerships between landowners, communities, and renewable energy developers. Discover strategies for long-term success and engage in a Q&A session to address your specific concerns. 

It can be hard to keep track of the wide range of funding farmers and land managers in England can access. This talk will take a whistlestop tour through the options available from both the public and private sectors. It will cover government schemes – including the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship – private nature markets, and the opportunities for diversification through Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). 

Explore how AI can revolutionise the guest experience in holiday parks, vacation rentals, and campsites. Learn how to enhance customer satisfaction, increase revenue, and optimise pricing through personalised experiences powered by AI insights. 

Andrew will talk about the challenges affecting the sector including some valuable insight from the annual state of the industry survey and also talk a little bit from a personal perspective about running an indoor play business during challenging times, including some of the highlights the industry is experiencing in the post Covid world.

Senior land managers from Environment Bank will explore the important role that agriculture plays in their BNG Habitat Banks. They will showcase some incredible partnerships currently underway between Environment Bank and farmers across the country - discussing everything from habitat creation and livestock grazing to land leases and management payments. Environment Bank are already selling Biodiversity Units to developers and will examine how their 50/50 revenue share policy is helping to ensure farmers get a fair deal from BNG. 

Many farmers are diversifying their businesses to generate additional income - from providing overnight accommodation and wedding venues to setting up outdoor gyms or direct-to-consumer farm shops. In this panel discussion, a range of stakeholders from across the sector will be talking about the benefits of diversification, and how to make it make sense for your farm business. This panel, hosted by the Farming Community Network, will talk about some of the challenges, how to set started, and how to maximise return on investment.

This seminar will showcase the importance of a strategic and collaborative approach to the future planning and management of your assets. Kate will use case studies and examples to show how a strategic review can help your business model now, and for many generations to come.  

Join us for a practical, one-hour workshop on creating and publishing short-form videos to promote your business across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and more. 

What You'll Learn:  

• Video Creation: Bring 2 minutes of footage to edit and optimize for various platforms. 

• Step-by-Step Guide: Follow along with a pre-recorded presentation and live instruction. 

• Real-Time Practice: Leave with a ready-to-post video highlighting your business's USP. 

Mark Jagger will be talking through the benefits of having B&B pigs on farm he will be covering the topics; conversion of old buildings, new builds, the support to the farmer given by BQP and finally payment structures.

Consumers have much higher expectations of brands than ever before. They expect businesses to be contactable 24/7 on every communication channel they use, phone, email, Whatsapp etc. Drawing on his 20+ years working in the Customer Service sector, Martin will discuss the rapid changes and advancements in this area. He will explore how brands can get their customer service right and how some are getting it very wrong. 

In the evolving landscape of UK agriculture, integrating battery storage with existing solar energy systems presents a promising opportunity for farmers. For those who have already invested in solar power, battery storage offers a significant enhancement to energy efficiency, allowing stored energy to be used during peak demand times or when sunlight is scarce. This not only reduces reliance on the grid but also slashes energy costs, offering a financial reprieve for agricultural operations. 

Government has ambitious tree-planting targets – but is it right for you? Graham will review the key issues landowners need to consider before committing land to woodland creation and will outline the key grants and funding opportunities available. 

This session will focus on the visual impact of entertainment, how it is changing and the push for better guest engagement and experiences that come from thinking outside of the box.

Don't miss your opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A session with Hayley, Company Director of Pure Entertainment Group, specialists in live entertainment.

Sarah Wynn, Head of Climate and Sustainability at agricultural consultancy ADAS, will explore what a low carbon farm of the future might look like. Sarah will share the technologies and innovations currently available to help British farmers measure and manage their emissions, and what further developments are needed to help the industry  meet it's net zero objectives.  

Diversifying farm businesses can generate additional income and boost local economies, but navigating planning systems, local authorities, business rates, and available grants can be complex. This panel will guide farmers through the process, offering advice on legal and financial preparation, the impact of change in government, and practical tips for successful diversification.

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is a broad range of technologies and approaches for growing food indoors without soil - from simple polytunnels, through greenhouses of varying sophistication, all the way to fully controlled vertical farms. But one size does not fit all! In this session you will discover how to fine the right option for your business and markets.

A secure and resilient supply of water sits at the foundation of successful rural businesses, but climate change and other pressures mean that water supplies are increasingly insecure. Matthew will cover ways of building water security within your business, from water storage and healthy soils to planning for future water need. 

Camilla and Hal will give a no-nonsense chat about what is required to do the 10 most common forms of diversification in UK agriculture. They will cover the basic requirements of Solar, Wind, BNG, Battery storage, Data centres, Camping/Glamping, Agri tourism, Housing, Carbon credits and forestation. Our hope is you will leave with a better sense of what options would work best for whichever parcel of land you are thinking of diversifying.

Are you content with your website's performance and conversion rates? If not, and you want to improve your website and get the most out of it... you're in the right place. 

Sean, Growth Director at WebBox, has worked with Leisure & Tourism companies for over 15 years. He will share 25 things that your website must have in 2025 and leave you with tangible takeaways to help you improve your website's conversion rate. 

This content is always popular among marketers looking to take their websites to the next level, so you won’t want to miss it! 

This year’s booking habits have been as hard to predict as the weather. Join Pitchup.com as they unpack the randomness of it all, pick out the most unusual trends from this year’s nearly 1m bookings, and explain how to use them to your advantage. Time to throw out the rule book! 

How does up to a 201% ROI over 4 years sound? That’s what turning your farm into a mini data center can do for you! Join Josh Riddett, CEO of Easy Compute who has been helping the agricultural industry for over 5 years now. He will reveal how to take advantage of the fastest growing industries in the world and earn substantial returns for simply turning on a computer!  

Acorus are rural planning and design consultants and in this session James will offer practical advice on planning applications and how to add value to your farm business diversification.

The newly launched Tourism Awards recognise those who have made exceptional contributions to the industry by implementing innovative practices, ground-breaking new products and providing sustainable opportunities. There are 12 new tourism awards joining the show for 2024, for event visitors to enter, including farm diversification, attractions, experiences, hospitality, holiday parks, sustainable businesses and more.