The Field & Country Fair will take place at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, as part of the summer season calendar, from Friday 10 - Sunday 12 June 2016. The family home of Lord and Lady Rotherwick, Cornbury Park is well known for the Wilderness Festival, as well as being a working estate.
Says Marcus Rich, CEO, Time Inc. UK: “Our experience of running the Country Life Fair in London gave us an insight into the demand for a bigger event, and our knowledge and connections in field and country sports makes this new show a natural development. As we extend our brands and content into experiences that fuel the passions of our audiences, investing in live events is increasingly important. Our recent acquisition of ICHF, the UK’s largest organiser of craft events, including Woman’s Weekly Live, is a further demonstration of that commitment.”
Jonathan Young, editor of The Field says: “Our brands set the standard for those who are passionate about field sports and the countryside and the Field & Country Fair will add to the consumer experience. It will be an authentic, hands-on, very British show combining the best equipment, accessories and luxury products, from food to clothing. Activities will include shooting, dogs and fishing and of course the chance to try and buy the best guns and kit on the planet. Above all, it will be a proper country event run by, and for, people who live and breathe the rural life.”
Adds Mark Hedges, editor of Country Life: “This promises to be the great gathering of the field sport and rural communities in 2016 - the celebration of our interests, passions and way of life”.
Time Inc. UK’s team of Jean Christie, publishing director of Country Life, and Fiona Mercer, publisher of the shooting portfolio, has appointed Fiona Eastman as show director of the Field & Country Fair. Fiona Eastman has vast experience in organising major outdoor shows and events and is a well-known figure in the country sports world, says Time Inc. In her time at the CLA Game Fair, she was central in making it the world’s leading country sports event, growing visitor numbers three-fold to 150k.
