Success for The Royal Highland Show's media communications team
Two of the happiest people on the Scottish PR scene are today heaving a huge sigh of relief that one of the country’s most demanding events has passed without a hitch – and produced a positive good news success story.
Judith O’Leary and Ross Muir merged their separate firms six years ago to come together under the Dunfermline-based O’Leary RM Public Relations umbrella, with Judith as managing director.
One of their clients is the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) which runs the annual four-day Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, its premier showcase, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The show is one of Scotland’s leading outdoor event – showcasing all that is best in farming, food and countryside.
And Andrew Arbucklie wrote in The Scotsman today: “If there are problems with the Royal Highland Show, they are mainly associated with its success, according to the organisers of this year's event which closed its four-day run last night.
“The show attracted 182,984 visitors in total, the second highest attendance in its 51 years at Ingliston behind last year's record 187,644.
“Chief executive Stephen Hutt admitted he had health and safety concerns over the proximity of the crowds of visitors and the thousands of top cattle, sheep and horses on show.
He quoted Hutt as saying: "There has been a great deal of work getting the balance right between allowing visitors to get close to the animals without raising the risk of an accident”. Hutt added that it was a situation that had to be continually monitored and indicated that changes would be made to improve movement around the showground, following complaints that some alleyways had become extremely congested.
One group not at all unhappy with crowd numbers was the agricultural machinery manufacturers. John Mackie, Highland Society director in charge of trade stands, said there had been very good feedback: "Anecdotally, one tractor manufacturer sold ten units on the first day of the show and another exhibitor sold every piece of equipment on his stand."
There seemed to be a lot of interest from south of the Border with the main English event, the Royal Show, having ceased to exist.
The RHASS, whose roots date back to 1784, is now well down the road with its £30 million development plans for its Ingliston home following the scaling back of Edinburgh Airport’s plans to expand on the site.
The development will include the creation of the Scottish Centre of Excellence; two new hotels, expansion of the existing business hub; and a new conference space. The complex currently attracts more than 1.2 million visitors a year and is understood to contribute £250 million a year to the Scottish economy.The Society is currently in the midst of a twenty year plan to transform its base, the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, into Scotland's National Showground - an internationally recognised exhibition and event venue with world class facilities.
The Royal Highland Centre already attracts well over 1.2 million visitors a year, and it is estimated that it contributes some £250 million to the local and national economy.
The Royal Highland Centre already attracts well over 1.2 million visitors a year, and it is estimated that it contributes some £250 million to the local and national economy. The Royal Highland Centre is a major asset for Edinburgh and this year’s show marked a red letter day for Muir who has been press officer for the event for the past 20 years, and also edits the members’ magazine, The Review.
The firm recently secured a new contract to handle the overall corporate affairs side of the master plan for the Ingliston development.
Muir was recently recognised with the UK Guild of Journalists’ prestigious Netherthorpe Award, as agricultural communicator of the year, for his 'outstanding service to journalism in the food and farming industries'.
He studied agriculture in Aberdeen ahead of joining the staff of the Scottish Farmer magazine as a trainee, moving to The Scotsman before signing up with a features agency in Fleet Street, London. He also had a spell on the farming desk at the Press and Journal in Aberdeen.
He then set up his own PR consultancy, in the early 1970s, and began freelancing with the BBC, STV and Grampian TV - in both radio and television. He is best-known for his 25-year stint as presenter of the award-winning BBC TV farming programme, ‘Landward’, which took him filming across the globe.
A documentary he presented and scripted about rural life in Papua New Guinea won him the One World Broadcasting Trust’s award for best regional television programme.