RHASS chief executive is looking forward to a great day out
It’s become a routine for incoming chief executives of the Royal Highland Agricultural Show Society (RHASS) to be asked by friends: “And what are going to do for the rest of the year?”. But as Alan Laidlaw, new to the role, points out: “When you see the breadth of the business, there’s a huge amount that goes on all year and the work that goes into the Show is amazing – we’ve actually started on the 2018 Show.” Right now, there is a real sense of excitement around Ingleston as this year’s event gets into full swing.at the moment with the RHS build up in full swing.
“When I was appointed, some people did say: ‘And what are going to dor the rest of the year?’,” recalls Alan Laidlaw, chief executive of the Royal Highland Agricultural Show Society (RHASS). “It seemed mildly amusing at the time, but actually when you see the breadth of the business, there’s a huge amount that goes on all year and the work that goes into the Show is amazing – we’ve actually started on the 2018 Show.”
Laidlaw, from East Lothian, took over responsibility for RHASS, the Edinburgh-based charity that contributes £250m to the Scottish economy through its events business and flagship event, The Royal Highland Show, last August. Previously, he was head of property at The Crown Estate Scotland. His new role is to strengthen the Society’s influence in promoting and protecting the interests of land based industries on behalf of its 15,000 members.
He is also overseeing the £20m investment in the 280-acre Royal Highland Centre site at Ingliston, adjacent to Edinburgh Airport, that attracts more than one million visitors each year.
Laidlaw was speaking earlier this week, as the showground was being prepared for the start of the four-day show on 22 June. “Internationally there is also a lot going on. We have got the World Aberdeen Angus Forum beginning the day before and running throughout the Show. I’m also speaking to young farmers from around the world who are here on an exchange programme.
“So, the Show is a real exclamation mark in everyone’s diary. It’s about the people, and the passion – we have strong teams of directors, staff and volunteers, and every one of them cares hugely about the organisation and the Show and you can’t help feeling buoyed by that; so many people wanting to make the Show such a great day out for people. We’re promoting the best of farming, food and rural life and that’s what the Society was set up over 200 years ago to do.
“And there are many other aspects to the Society’s work; the charitable side of Royal Highland Education Trust, engaging with almost 30,000 children all over Scotland to make sure they know about the food they eat, about farming and the countryside. That’s a huge part of what we do. We have initiatives supporting women in agriculture. We promote best practice and we have innovation awards; it’s all about knowledge transfer and innovation, making sure the industry and the rural economy can grow.”
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