The Royal Ulster Agricultural Show’s postponed annual meeting will take place this Friday after it was snowed off.
The meeting was supposed to take place on Friday March 2, but will now take place a week later on March 9, at 11:00am.
It’s a big year for the society as it begins its 150th anniversary celebrations. New chief executive Alan Crowe is also due to attend the meeting to get to know RUAS members.
New chief executive
It’s expected Alan Crowe will take up the position full time after the meeting with the changeover of all responsibilities to be completed by Balmoral Show – just 70 days away.
Crowe and his family currently live in Portstewart; however, his wife, a farmer’s daughter, is the co-owner of a farm in Co.Tyrone.
He spent several years working for the National Farmers’ Union and Mutual in the past, holding very fond memories of this time in his career.
Change
He takes over from current chief executive Colin McDonald who led the society through a number of monumental changes, including: the move from its old showgrounds in Belfast to Balmoral Park on the former Maze prison site; the redevelopment of the King’s Hall; and the establishment of the Eikon Exhibition Centre.
Several other changes are also expected with some committee members coming to the end of their terms and voting on some positions expected on the day.
This year’s Balmoral Show is billed as being “bigger than ever before” with an extra 4,000m² of exhibition space.
2018 also marks the second year in a row that the agricultural event has spanned four days, so the extra day is set to stay.
Meanwhile, progress at the old Balmoral site is also well underway – the housing development is around 30% completed and is expected to be finished by 2024.
