CASE STUDY

Suffolk Agricultural Association – Suffolk Show

Our annual, high-impact PR support for the Suffolk Show has generated yearly increases in online ticket sales and positive community engagement with the county’s biggest two-day event.
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Client

Suffolk Agricultural Association - Suffolk Show

Sector

Professional Services

Events, Leisure & Tourism

Services provided

Public Relations

Crisis Comms

Video Production

The Situation

Each year the Suffolk Agricultural Association (SAA) hosts the region’s biggest two-day event in Ipswich, the Suffolk Show, which raises awareness of the SAA and funds its annual education programme for schools and young people. 

The Suffolk Show needs to generate a year-on-year increase of visitors, while raising the profile of the SAA as a charity and as the Show organiser. 

The need for a successful Suffolk Show was even more pressing in 2022 following a two-year hiatus during the Covid pandemic, all amid public uncertainty about attending large events and lower personal budgets in the ‘cost of living crisis’. The Suffolk Show needed to demonstrate true value for new and returning visitors. 

What we did

We have been managing PR and media relations for the Suffolk Show annually since 2016. We develop a schedule of consistent, positive news exposure across press, radio, TV, lifestyle magazines and specialist farming/equine press, to build excitement for audiences across East Anglia. Our priority is to encourage pre-event ticket sales in the four-month period leading up to the Show. Each year, we find fresh news angles and interview exhibitors to uncover quality, human-interest content while promoting the Show’s key messages throughout. 

We have helped the SAA to define its core purpose, which is weaved through all content. We have also supported with organic social media and online competitions to engage new audiences and expand the Suffolk Show’s reach to wider East of England. 

The Result

Ticket sales have increased every year, almost 10% higher than when we were first appointed, with an average of 90,000 visitors over the two-day event. There is a noticeable peak in ticket sales from our first press release in February at key press moments throughout the pre-event campaign, with more people purchasing online in advance rather than on the gate. We typically achieve over 100 items of positive media coverage in a four-month period, including multiple interviews on radio and pre-event TV coverage broadcasting live from the Showground. 

In 2022 when the SAA team were concerned about the impact of Covid, we delivered a robust campaign with strong messages around the Show’s safety and value for money. The Suffolk Show reported 97,000 visitors in 2022 – its highest on record. 

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PLMR’s crisis communications experience is second to none, and includes pre-emptive and reactive work across traditional and social media channels. We work with a range of organisations to offer critical communication support when they are faced with difficult and challenging scenarios.