Fieldays 2024: Site award winners committed to sustainability

Waikato Herald

13 Jun, 2024 06:00 AM3 mins to read

Nestlé New Zealand has won the Supreme Site award at Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. Photo / Stephen Barker, Barker Photography

Fieldays is well under way, but those who are set to make the pilgrimage to Mystery Creek tomorrow or Saturday might want to check out the sites of Nestlé, Ravensdown, Brandt, Snackachangi, Active VMA and Get Loaded.

The six exhibitors have just been announced as the winners of the annual Site Awards, which recognise businesses for the presentation of their products and services at Fieldays.

Judges take note of the visual display, innovative design, customer engagement and overall outstanding features of all exhibitor sites.

This year, Nestlé New Zealand took out the top spot, winning the Supreme Site Award, as well as the Award for the Best Outdoor Site (200sq m to 400sq m).

Their site is located in the rural living outdoor area and National Fieldays Society customer account manager Joanne Poka described it as “unmissable”.

“The well-thought-out site layout, customer engagement, clear messaging, and activation areas made Nestlé ... a standout site,” Poka said.

The Best Large Outdoor Site award went to Brandt NZ for its impressive display of green machinery, onsite activations for all-aged visitors and branding. Photo / Stephen Barker / Barker Photography

Judges said the Nestlé site did a good job of telling its brand story and showcasing the end-user consumer products derived directly from primary industries.

They also commended Nestlé for its knowledgeable staff and promotion of environmentally responsible behaviour, and sustainability.

Nestlé New Zealand’s corporate brand and sustainability manager Amanda McDermott said the Nestlé team were delighted to win the award.

“We’ve been exhibiting at Fieldays for 20 years ... We get really good product insights from being face-to-face with our consumers and we appreciate their feedback,” McDermott said.

“We love coming to Fieldays and the award is appreciated by our team, who have put so much time and effort into the build.”

The award for the Best Large Outdoor Site went to Brandt NZ, with judges noting the “impressive display of green machinery, onsite activations for all-aged visitors, and branding”.

The Best Small Outdoor Site award went to engineering company Active VMA for their “tidy and cohesive” site and Get Loaded was recognised as the Best Food Vendor Site.

Chips brand Snackachangi was awarded the Best Indoor Site award for its “recognisable” site, with judges noting the team’s matching uniforms, the “grab machine” and free samples.

The Commitment to Sustainability Award went to Ravensdown.

Judges praised the co-operative for its “well-designed food and waste management system” in the shareholders’ hospitality area.

The judges said Snackachangi's matching team uniforms were a standout feature in winning them the award for Best Indoor Site at Fieldays 2024. Photo / Stephen Barker / Barker Photography

Alisha Black from the environmental organisation Instep said it was possible for a business to reduce waste during an event if it invested time in the planning process.

“The Ravensdown team ‘reduce’ waste by using real crockery, ‘reuse’ with cups made from sustainable products that can be taken away and reused by the visitor, or cleaned onsite, and ‘recycle’ by completely separating waste,” Black said.

“In addition, their team could tell their sustainable story and the technology and initiatives described throughout their site were communicated with excitement.”

New Zealand National Fieldays Society chairwoman Jenni Vernon said it was exciting to see the creativity from exhibitors.

“Despite the challenging times, they have maximised their presence, and it’s fantastic to see it all come together after months of planning and preparation,” Vernon said.

Fieldays continues until Saturday, June 15 at Mystery Creeks Events Centre.