Farm Business Innovation

Farm Business Innovation gives you free entry to a two-day trade show where you can meet specialist suppliers alongside farmers who have already set up diversified businesses. The show covers ways for farmers and landowners to earn new income from land, buildings and ideas, and it is held in Hall 7 at NEC Birmingham and organised by Agriconnect. The organiser describes it as the only UK event given over entirely to diversification, and the site credits the show as run in partnership with the CLA and powered by Farmers Guardian.

The next show: 12 and 13 January 2028

The next Farm Business Innovation runs on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 January 2028 at the NEC, moving from November to January; the organiser has not yet published opening times for it. The 2026 show ran on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 November 2026, when the visitor FAQ listed opening times of 10:00 to 17:00 on the Wednesday and 10:00 to 16:00 on the Thursday. One free ticket covers both days. Registering before you arrive gets you in quicker. Under-16s may attend with an adult, and each child needs a ticket in their own name, collected at the desk on arrival. Dogs are not admitted, apart from guide and assistance dogs.

Who it is for

If you are a farmer, landowner, estate manager or rural entrepreneur looking for new income streams, the show is aimed at you. Topics named on the site include agri-tourism, habitat creation, renewable energy and direct-to-consumer sales. If you exhibit, the organiser’s visitor profile tells you who you will meet: it reports 66% of attendees as decision makers and 44% as directors, chief executives, managing directors or owners, with 56% planning to diversify over the next one to five years and 32% planning to expand. It sits within the agriculture and horticulture shows on this site.

Talks, advice and networking

You can learn from the seminars, panel discussions and demonstrations the site promises, and the organiser says it is the only UK event offering one-to-one networking with farmers who have successfully diversified. The features are:

• Farm Business Innovation Theatre (also called the Farm Business Innovation Stage)
• Ask the Expert
• Diversification Exchange
• Farm Shop and Farm Shop Talks

The 2026 steering committee included Stuart Beare of Tulleys Farm, Phil Latham of Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre in Cheshire, Rob Copley, co-owner of Farmer Copleys in Pontefract, Georgina Lamb, Head of Partnerships at FCN, Alex Moss of Dudley Peverill Associates, wedding venue consultant Kelly Chandler and Mark Horler of UK Urban AgriTech.

Who you can meet on the stands

More than 110 exhibitors took part in 2026, according to the home page, with stands numbered in an FM series. Names on the 2026 list included the CLA, Farmers Guardian, EDF Power Solutions Onsite Power, Good Energy, the Farm Retail Association, the National Farm Attractions Network, Portable Space, Brown & Brown Insurance Brokers and AgroPulse AI.

Co-located show

You can combine your visit with The Land Leisure and Tourism Show, which runs alongside and also comes from Agriconnect. The organiser describes it as an event for rural businesses, holiday parks, leisure and attractions. The event features page quotes a higher figure of over 420 exhibitors. If you plan to see both, read our guide to checking what a co-located exhibition ticket covers. Agriconnect also runs LAMMA and Low Carbon Agriculture, both starting on 20 January 2027 at NEC Birmingham, the same day as Crop Tec.

Exhibiting

You can make stand enquiries and get exhibitor brochures through the show site, and the organiser wants to hear from you if your business fits one of these four supplier groups:

Area	Examples given
Tourist accommodation	Glamping, alternative accommodation, static caravans, holiday property rental platforms
Renewable energy	Waste management, EV charging, ESG and carbon accounting advisers
Business	Marketing agencies, grant advisers, solicitors
Food and drink	Appliance suppliers, confectionery

Once booked, you use the online E-Zone, which holds the exhibitor manual with links for ordering stand extras such as furniture, electrics and lighting.

Getting there

You can reach the NEC in under ten minutes on foot from Birmingham International station, and Birmingham New Street is less than 15 minutes away by train. From Birmingham Airport a free air-rail link reaches the station in 90 seconds. Booking ahead costs you less, as parking at the NEC is charged and the show site quotes £12.85 when booked in advance, against £16.95 on the day. The venue is cashless. The NEC’s event page lists the Manor Hotel Meriden and Windmill Village Hotel, about five miles away, and the Hilton Birmingham Metropole as hotel partners. More events nearby are listed under trade shows in Birmingham.

Source: farmbusinessshow.co.uk, farmbusinessshow.co.uk/visitor-faqs, farmbusinessshow.co.uk/why-exhibit, thenec.co.uk