Today the FTMTA announced a two-day static Farm Machinery Show which will be held in Punchestown in the summer of 2022. Problems with the availability of Punchestown Race course, home of the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show, forced the decision to cancel the previously announced show in February 2022.
The Punchestown site is currently being used by the HSE as a Covid-19 vaccination and drive-thru test Centre. The HSE had an option on their lease that allowed them to extend their lease on a once off basis and they have now exercised this option. This facility will remain in place until later in 2022.
The FTMTA have a proud reputation of running professional machinery shows which are recognized throughout the industry as world class. When you run events like these you have a duty of care to your members, your exhibitors and to the public who attend the shows.
The FTMTA are very conscious of the planning, costs and logistics that go into exhibiting at machinery shows. The association has had intensive and thoughtful discussion internally, with our members and with exhibitors. The consensus that has emerged from those discussions is that a static outdoor show in the summer months will best serve the needs and responsibilities of all stakeholders.
The Association realise that the announcement of the cancellation of the Spring machinery show will come as a great disappointment to many exhibitors and visitors who were still hoping that it would somehow be possible for the Show to go ahead but, as with so many other things this year, the reality is that there was no other realistic option.
The safety and health of all stakeholders, exhibitors and visitors and the wider context of the public health situation are the paramount concerns of the Association and any FTMTA event to be held in 2022 will be with such considerations to the fore. FTMTA have a proven track record in the delivery of well managed public events and will work with the relevant authorities to provide a safe event for our members, exhibitors and visitors.
The specific dates for the show are currently being finalised with Punchestown and these discussions are at an advanced stage. The FTMTA will make a further announcement on the dates in the coming weeks. The Association realise that there is a tremendous appetite among exhibitors and machinery enthusiasts to once again attend a premium farm machinery event and the FTMTA will ensure that they deliver exactly that. The 2022 show will be the biggest and best yet.
Speaking about the event Michael Farrelly Executive Director of the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association said: “We are delighted to announce a summer Farm Machinery Show for 2022. We understand how important a quality machinery show is to our members and the wider industry. Our priority is the safety of our exhibitors and our attendees. Everyone has been watching the stubborn rise in Covid-19 cases and the spread of infection in our communities in the winter period. Having consulted widely both with our members and our exhibitors it was clear that the preference was for an outdoor event in the summer season. We have been taken aback with the positive response we have received to the announcement to date. The Punchestown site with its top-class infrastructure and convenient location is a popular venue and we look forward to putting on a world class show.”
ENDS (November 2021)
For further details and/or additional photographs please contact:
Michael Farrelly
Executive Director.
Tel: 045 – 409 309
Mobile: +353 86 3372595
Email: michael.farrelly@ftmta.ie
