Promote your business for free

One of last year’s new initiatives, the New Enterprise Zone, was so successful it will be repeated this year. Show officials are offering entrepeneurs or providers of services which have set up within the past 12 months the chance to demonstrate their wares - at absolutely no charge.

Show secretary Nicola Magill said: “The Heathfield & District Agricultural Show has been a celebration of agriculture and business in our area for 68 years. We want to invite people to be a part of it again in our New Enterprise Zone. We offer 10 successful new businesses the opportunity to take up a free stall at the Show on Saturday, May 28, 2016.

“As well as having a stall on the day giving you a shop window to the thousands of visitors (17,100 in 2015) who attend, you also be part of our promotional campaign. We believe this is an amazing opportunity to someone just starting out.”

To be eligible, businesses should not have been trading for more than a year. They should also live or run their firm within a 15 mile radius of Heathfield (which covers a large swathe of East Sussex.)

They should also not have had a stall at the show before (as part of this particular business) and must, of course, have public liability insurance for the day of May 28. If their business is to do with alcohol products, they will need to apply for a TENS licence from Wealden District Council for the day. If they produce food, they won’t be able to sell it but they can give away free samples and take orders.

Previous exhibitors report amazing sales and publicity on the back of their exhibition stand. To find out more they can look at the Heathfield Show website at: www.heathfieldshow.org/tradestands. Application forms should be submitted by March 21, 2016.

One of last year’s first time exhibitors was Mark Piper of Sussex Fruit Trees, based in Heathfield, He said: “It’s amazing - I had a call this month from someone who saw the stand last May so it’s a question of getting your brand out there. Being able to exhibit free meant I could learn from the experience; what I did right and what I did wrong. I shall definitely exhibit again this year.”

For the second year running, children go free to the show. One of this year’s main arena events is JCB Dancing Diggers - very big toys for the boys.

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