The Royal Welsh Show: facilitating rural buzz

Figures & data

Table 1. Reason for attending the Royal Welsh Show (RWS) (n = 1027).

Reason	Respondents (%)
Day out	46
Family holiday	17
Business	15
Competitor	8
Family competing	5
Education	5
Trader	2
Other	2

Figure 1. County of residence of visitors to the 2014 Royal Welsh Show (RWS) (n = 1027).

Figure 2. Simplified model of the rural buzz at the Royal Welsh Show (RWS). Note: 1, Interaction between farmers; 2, interaction between different agricultural suppliers/service providers; 3, interaction between the Welsh government and farmers;4, interaction between knowledge transfer specialists; and 5, spread of knowledge throughout the community and beyond.

Table 2. Rural buzz explained.

Element	Rural buzz dimension	Empirical evidence from the Royal Welsh Show (RWS)	Underlying concept
1	Interaction between farmers	General interaction between farmers on an informal/conversational level whilst viewing competitions and tradestands	• Horizontal (but informal) knowledge exchange
2	Interaction between agricultural suppliers/service providers	Temporary co-presence allows businesses to come together, bringing the opportunity to observe, communicate and collaborate with each other. Although some of these businesses may be urban based, they are operating within a rural realm, further contributing to the rural buzz	• Horizontal knowledge exchange • Temporary clustering
3	Interaction between farmers and government	Government presence at events encourages trust, and fosters communication between different rural actors. This allows farmers to express their views to government and to influence policy	• Vertical knowledge exchange • Temporary clustering
4	Interaction between knowledge transfer facilitators and farmers	Through various outreach points and exhibitions, knowledge transfer specialists can give information on the latest agricultural innovations, training courses and support available	• Vertical knowledge exchange • Temporary clustering
5	Knowledge spreading	Due to the presence of the media, general public and the significance of the event, the knowledge created can spread throughout the region. The buzz spreading and the maintenance of the relationships created create trust, which over time enables complex information flows and rural transformation	• Trust • Buzz