The nomination celebrates a unified, audience-led content strategy that brought together two increasingly interconnected sectors, farming, rural enterprise, leisure and tourism, under one ambitious programme designed to inform, inspire and futureproof land-based businesses. 

Designed and delivered by Senior Content Producer, Cheryl Waterman, the 2025 content programme played a central role in elevating both events beyond traditional exhibitions, positioning them as knowledge-led platforms for industry growth and collaboration. 

Cheryl commented on the nomination, stating, “Being shortlisted for Content Programme of the Year is a huge honour and a real moment of pride for everyone involved. The programme was designed to deliver content that genuinely helps people make better decisions during a period of economic and political uncertainty. This shortlist belongs to our speakers, partners and contributors who were generous with their knowledge and experience, and to our audiences who engaged so openly with the content.” 

A content programme built around real-world challenges 

Across both shows, the 2025 programme addressed the most pressing issues facing landowners, operators and rural entrepreneurs, including: 

• Farm diversification and long-term resilience 

• Planning, legislation and tax, including IHT and Budget preparedness 

• Labour, workforce and skills shortages 

• Branding, marketing and customer experience 

• Technology, AI and operational efficiency 

• Wellness, sustainability and future visitor expectations 

With 60 seminar sessions, 60+ expert speakers and 1,187 content session attendees, the programme delivered practical, actionable guidance grounded in lived experience and real case studies, rather than abstract theory. 

Speakers were selected for their first-hand expertise and relevance, ensuring content resonated deeply with attendees. This ensured the programme was authoritative, practical and trusted by audiences navigating significant economic and legislative uncertainty. 

Driving attendance and enhancing visitor experience 

The strength of the content programme had a direct and measurable impact on attendance decisions. This year marked a significant increase on 2024 figures, where content-driven attendance was considerably lower across both shows. In total, more than one in four visitors across the co-located events attended primarily for the content, highlighting its growing importance within the overall value proposition. 

Theatres were consistently well attended, with strong dwell times, high audience engagement and active participation, transforming the shows into true knowledge-sharing hubs. 

Delivering lasting value beyond the show floor 

Judges will also consider legacy outcomes, an area where the programme delivered clear impact: 

• Improved preparedness, with attendees better equipped to navigate IHT changes, Budget uncertainty and legislative shifts 

• Cross-sector collaboration, driven by shared content that reflected real-world diversification trends 

• Mindset and behaviour change, encouraging operators to rethink branding, customer journeys, AI adoption and experience design 

• Informed policy dialogue, empowering attendees to seek the right advice, not just more advice 

By positioning content as a central pillar rather than an add-on, Farm Business Innovation and Land Leisure & Tourism Show demonstrated how thoughtful, audience-led programming can drive engagement, influence behaviour and strengthen industry resilience. 

In a period of significant uncertainty across farming, tourism and rural enterprise, the 2025 content programme played a vital role in informing decisions, inspiring change and building confidence across both sectors. 

Its scale, relevance and measurable impact make the co-located Farm Business Innovation Show and Land Leisure & Tourism Show a strong contender for EN Awards Content Programme of the Year, showcasing how powerful programming can elevate events into must-attend industry platforms. 

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