Pictured: Jayne Southall
Promoting Lincolnshire and building further profitability are
the top priorities for the new director in charge of Lincolnshire
Agricultural Society, home of the annual County Show.
Jayne Southall moves into the lead role after five years of
heading finance and general management for the Society and its
associated commercial operating arm, Lincolnshire Events
Centre.
She has been part of the team that has overseen the shift of the
annual County Show into a substantial profit centre, announcing
that the 2011 Show made a big shift into the black, thanks to a
£200,000 increase in income over the previous year.
The new director has also confirmed that the Show will stay in
its mid-week slot, saying this is the strongest way to ensure it
retains its agricultural heart.
There have been discussions over recent years around the value
of moving the Show to include at least one weekend day, but the
idea has been put aside based on the improved financial performance
and amidst concerns at losing support from the agricultural
community.
Jayne Southall explained: "We are set on innovation and
continuing to broaden our appeal, but the Show must support our
core charitable aims - which are to promote understanding, and
awareness of the role played in the county by agriculture and food
production - and we must have the agricultural community fully on
board.
"It's still the county's best kept secret. We've pushed up
to more than 60,000 visitors but there is still huge potential and
we're set on increasing numbers of both visitors and exhibitors in
2012."
Instead, she will be focussing efforts on increasing involvement
in the Society by young people, links with education and building
the nationally renowned Lincolnshire Events Centre conferencing
business.
"Our other biggest challenge is retaining and building a
substantial share of the local and national conferencing market,"
added Jayne. "We have a unique capability in delivering events for
bigger numbers, indoors and outside, such as the antiques fairs and
recently the very successful Christmas Food and Gift fair, but we
are also competing for the smaller end of the seminar and
conference market with our purpose designed EPIC venue.
"Everyone in the tourism and conferencing sector needs to keep
talking up Lincolnshire outside the county. People still don't
realise how well served the county is with hotels and other
business and tourist support."
Jayne has lived in the county since 2001, and lives in Welton
with her two grown up children. She keeps in touch with the
Society's heart outside work as well, as a keen walker who looks to
get out into the country as often as possible.