The SFM Shows return in January and February 2027, with three indoor machinery events running over two days each at Millstreet, Balmoral and Cavan. Whether you are exhibiting for the first time or planning a three-venue tour with one reusable stand, this checklist works through the order things actually happen: booking, stand size and layout, printed materials, machinery logistics, lead generation on the day and the follow-up afterwards. Show details do change, so confirm dates, access times and exhibitor rules with AJS Promotions on the official website before you commit to anything or send artwork to print.

When and where is the next Spring Farm Machinery Show in Ireland?

Summary: the next show in the series is the Millstreet SFM Show at the Green Glens Arena, Co. Cork, on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 January 2027. All three 2027 shows open from 12 noon until 10pm on both days, as published on the official SFM Shows page.

Show	Dates	Venue	Opening hours
Millstreet SFM Show	Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 January 2027	Green Glens Arena, Millstreet, Co. Cork	12 noon to 10pm both days
Balmoral SFM Show	Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 January 2027	Eikon Exhibition Centre, Balmoral Park, Lisburn	12 noon to 10pm both days
Cavan SFM Show	Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 February 2027	Cavan Equestrian Centre	12 noon to 10pm both days

The SFM Shows are a series rather than a single event, so the venue you pick shapes who walks past your stand. Millstreet and Cavan sit in the Republic of Ireland; Balmoral is in Northern Ireland, which matters for sterling pricing, VAT treatment and moving stands and machinery across the border. Across the three shows, the organiser reports more than 600 exhibitors and over 30,000 attendees, drawing farmers, contractors and agricultural professionals.

The midday to 10pm format is the other thing to plan around. These are winter indoor shows, so you get an evening crowd of working farmers arriving after milking or after a day in the yard, and you need staff who can still hold a proper conversation at half nine at night. These are indoor arena venues, so weather is not the issue it is at outdoor summer events, though January halls can be cold for anyone standing in the same spot for ten hours.

Admission is paid on the door by visitors. Admission prices are not listed on the organiser's event pages, so check the official site closer to the show.
Exhibitor access and build-up times are not published online, so get them from AJS Promotions when you book. Ask for them in writing and do not assume you can get a truck in the night before.
Breakdown times are equally worth confirming. With doors open until 10pm on the final day, your pack-down window may be later than you expect.

How do I book an exhibitor stand before the deadline?

Summary: stands for the 2027 SFM Shows are open for booking now, spaces are limited, and applications go directly through AJS Promotions. There is no published booking deadline, so treat "when it sells out" as the real cut-off.

Contact AJS Promotions on 028 8225 2800 or at [email protected], or use the trade stand enquiry form on the SFM trade exhibitions page.
Request the current exhibitor brochure and rate card for the venue or venues you want.
Confirm availability and the exact plot dimensions before you design anything.
Submit the booking form and pay whatever deposit is required.
Keep the written confirmation, including stand number, size and payment terms, in one place your whole team can reach.

Stand types, prices, deadlines and exhibitor rules are not published online. Before you sign, ask the organiser to put the details in writing: VAT treatment (remember Balmoral is priced in sterling), deposit and balance dates, cancellation terms, whether furniture is included, power supply and lighting, internet access, the number of exhibitor passes you get, and whether your company is listed in the show guide. Also ask about maximum stand height and any rigging or signage restrictions, because those decide what graphics you can order.

Larger plots and the positions near entrances, catering and main demonstration areas tend to go first, particularly to returning exhibitors. If a specific location matters to your business, enquire months ahead rather than weeks. On what it costs, see the FAQ below; we do not repeat figures the organiser has not published.

Which stand size and location will work best for my business?

Summary: start with your objective, then size the stand to suit it. Space for a tractor and space for three good conversations are different problems, and booking the wrong one is expensive to fix.

Write down the single outcome you want before you look at a floor plan. Launching a product, getting dealers onto the stand, collecting qualified enquiries for the season ahead, or simply being visible to customers who already buy from you all lead to different layouts.

Type of exhibitor	What usually drives the space	Watch out for
Machinery manufacturers and dealers	Physical dimensions of the kit, turning and viewing room around it, access route into the hall	Machinery swallows your selling space. Leave room for people to stand and talk without blocking the aisle.
Parts and consumables suppliers	Display shelving, counter space, stock and storage for handouts	Cluttered shelving reads as a market stall. Group products and label them clearly.
Agricultural technology companies	Screens, power, reliable internet, seating for demonstrations	Hall wifi may be shared. Ask the organiser about a dedicated connection and have an offline demo ready.
Service providers (finance, insurance, contracting, consultancy)	A counter, two or three staff, quiet enough for a private conversation	Nothing to look at means nothing to stop for. Height and a clear offer do the heavy lifting.

Position matters as much as square metres. Corner plots give you two open sides and better sightlines, though they usually cost more and leave you less wall to brand. Aisle positions near the entrance catch everyone early, when visitors are fresh but also in a hurry. A spot beside a catering area brings steady footfall and a lot of noise, which is fine for brand visibility and difficult for a detailed spec discussion.

Ask for the floor plan and check the practical things on it: load-in doors, pillars, emergency exits, neighbouring exhibitors and ceiling height. Then sketch your stand to scale before you order a single graphic. Mark four zones: the hero product, the conversation area, literature and lead capture, and hidden storage for coats, boxes and the kettle. If you are doing more than one venue, design a stand that works in all three plot shapes rather than one that only fits Millstreet.

What signage and printed materials should I bring to the show?

Summary: visitors decide whether to stop in a few seconds, from several metres away, while walking past rows of competing stands. Your print needs to answer "who are you and what do you do" before anyone consciously reads a word.

Get the hierarchy right first. One headline that states the benefit, your company name visible above head height, supporting detail at eye level, and a clear next step such as "ask us for a quote" or "book a demo". Stands that put everything at eye level disappear into the visual noise. Height is the cheapest advantage available to a small exhibitor, and indoors it works better than outdoors because nothing is blowing your message sideways.

What to print	What it does on the day	Realistic quantity
Roller banners	Fast set-up, one clear message each, easy to reposition once you see real sightlines	Two to four per stand, plus a spare if you are touring all three venues
PVC banners	Perimeter and hanging branding, tough enough for repeated build and breakdown	One or two, sized to your confirmed stand width
Posters and printed boards	Model comparisons, spec panels and pricing structures visitors can read while you talk to someone else	One per product line or service

Keep dated material to a genuine minimum. A leaflet with "January 2027 show offer" on it is landfill on 5 February, so print a smaller run of the dated piece and a larger run of the evergreen one. Order your hero graphics first, because everything else is sized around them, and leave time for proofing. Check bleed and image resolution, test every QR code on two phones, and proof the phone number and email by reading them out loud to someone else.

Pack a repair kit: gaffer tape, cable ties, scissors, permanent markers, cleaning cloths and glass cleaner, plus a spare extension lead. Final packing checklist: stand graphics and frames, product and spec sheets, price lists, enquiry forms or a charged tablet, branded stationery, staff badges or lanyards, phone chargers, and a copy of all artwork on a memory stick in case something has to be reprinted locally.

How should I plan machinery delivery, safety and stand set-up?

Summary: at an indoor machinery show, logistics is the part that goes wrong. Confirm access, dimensions and paperwork with the organiser early, then write a timed build plan with names against each job.

Delivery slot, access door dimensions and the route from the yard to your plot.
Vehicle height and length limits, and where drivers park once unloaded.
Whether forklifts, pallet trucks or lifting help are available on site, or whether you bring your own.
Driver and site contact numbers for both directions, saved in more than one phone.
Storage for crates and packaging during the show, plus collection times afterwards.
The organiser's labelling requirements for anything delivered ahead of you.

For the machinery itself, confirm exact dimensions and weights against your plot, and ask what the venue allows on fuel levels, battery isolation, keys, drip trays and cleaning. Ask specifically whether moving or live demonstrations are permitted indoors, because the answer varies by venue and by what is parked next to you. Expect to provide public liability insurance, a risk assessment and, where contractors are building for you, a method statement, electrical test certificates and contractor details. Request the organiser's health and safety rules in writing with your exhibitor brochure and share them with everyone travelling.

Then sort stand services: power supply and socket positions, lighting, internet, furniture, waste removal, secure overnight storage and accessible access for visitors. Build in the order that saves reworking: backdrop first, counters and tables next, banners and flags last, once you can see the real sightlines. Photograph the finished stand before doors open, both as a record and as a layout guide for the next venue. Last job before noon: walk the perimeter and check that exits, aisles, extinguishers and electrical panels are clear. Our guide to trade show logistics planning covers the transport and on-site detail in more depth, which is worth reading if you are doing all three venues with one stand and one van.

How can I attract visitors and prove the show was worth the cost?

Summary: decide what a good show looks like in numbers before you go, make it easy for people to stop, and record leads in a way that still makes sense a fortnight later.

Set targets your team can count: qualified conversations per day, demonstrations given, quotation requests, dealer or supplier meetings, email sign-ups and firm sales opportunities. Vague goals produce vague results. Then make the stand easy to approach. Visible activity draws a crowd, and so does an opening question that is not "can I help you at all?". Try something specific to the visitor's work, such as what they are running at the moment or what let them down last season.

Schedule short product talks at fixed times and put the times on a board.
Stand at the front edge of your plot, not behind the counter, and never in a huddle of colleagues.
Run a competition only if your entry form captures consent properly, and say what you will use the data for.
Use QR codes for spec sheets and brochures so visitors leave with your information on their phone rather than in a bag they abandon.
Give every staff member the same short qualification script so leads are recorded consistently.

A usable lead record holds contact details, farm or business type and scale, the product they asked about, when they plan to buy, any budget signal, consent to be contacted, and the next action with a name against it. Anything less is a business card in a pocket.

Competing with the big machinery brands

You will be sharing a hall with manufacturers whose marketing budget is bigger than your turnover. Their scale is also their weakness. Large stands can be staffed by rotating teams working from a script, a show deal may need sign-off from head office, and follow-up can get lost in a CRM. You can answer the question on the spot, quote the same day, and ring the customer yourself the following week. Farmers and contractors have been sold to their whole working lives, and they respond to someone who knows the ground they farm.

Practically, that means buying height rather than floor space. Branded flags claim vertical space most exhibitors ignore and stay visible from across the hall, which matters when the sightline at ground level is blocked by a combine. A fitted printed tablecloth and a proper counter turn a trestle table into a reception area and hide the boxes underneath. Avoid the two common mistakes: generic messaging such as "quality products, competitive prices", which describes half the hall, and untested graphics, because colours shift badly under harsh overhead exhibition lighting.

Cost to count	Return to count against it
Stand fee, power and furniture	Qualified leads and their stage in the buying cycle
Print, display hardware and artwork	Pipeline value of live quotations issued
Transport, fuel and machinery movement	Orders closed within your normal sales cycle
Accommodation and staff time across two days	Dealer, supplier and media conversations that would otherwise take months
Follow-up time in the fortnight afterwards	Existing customers retained and reminded you are still there

Follow up on a timetable. Hot leads get a call or email before you leave the venue or first thing the next morning. Everyone else who was genuinely useful hears from you within two working days, with a message that references what you actually discussed. Review the numbers properly once your normal sales cycle has run, not the week after the show, because a tractor or a service contract rarely sells in seven days. Reusable display hardware also lowers your cost per show, which is the honest argument for buying a decent frame once rather than a cheap one three times.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a stand cost, and what is included in the fee?

AJS Promotions does not publish stand prices or inclusions online. Request the current exhibitor brochure and rate card through the trade stand enquiry page, and confirm in writing what the fee covers: floor space only or a shell scheme, power, lighting, furniture, exhibitor passes and your entry in the show guide. Balmoral is priced in sterling, so budget for that separately if you are doing all three.

Is the show suitable for my agricultural business or product?

If you sell machinery, parts, agricultural technology or services to farmers and contractors, the audience fits. The organiser reports over 600 exhibitors and more than 30,000 attendees across the three shows. If your product is seasonal, note the timing: January and February is when buyers are planning the season ahead, which suits anything bought before spring work starts.

What should exhibitors arrange for travel, parking and accommodation?

With doors open until 10pm on both days, most exhibitors travelling any distance stay locally rather than driving home late. Book accommodation near Millstreet, Lisburn or Cavan as soon as your stand is confirmed. Ask the organiser about exhibitor parking and passes when you book, and agree who is driving the van home after breakdown.

Is the Spring Farm Machinery Show the same as every other farm machinery show in Ireland?

No. The SFM Shows are a specific indoor series run by AJS Promotions across Millstreet, Balmoral and Cavan in January and February, and they are separate from the outdoor agricultural events held later in the year. If you are searching for a farm machinery show in Ireland and you mean this series, work from the official SFM Shows pages for dates and exhibitor details rather than third-party listings.

What should I do next to get my stand show-ready?

Summary: confirm the official details, get the exhibitor pack, book early, plan the layout, then order print with time to proof it properly.

Check the confirmed dates, venue and opening hours for the show or shows you want on the official SFM Shows site.
Request the exhibitor brochure and rate card from AJS Promotions, and ask for build-up, breakdown and delivery rules at the same time.
Book the stand and get your plot dimensions and stand number in writing.
Draw your stand to scale, decide the one message the graphics must carry, and check the maximum permitted height.
Order your display and print early, in one go, so colours match across banners and boards.

With over 20 years' experience in large-format print and display, we can help you plan the graphics, so send us your stand dimensions and your deadline and we will tell you what fits and what we would leave out. Get in touch for a quote and we will work back from your show date. One last thing before you travel: recheck the access times, delivery instructions and exhibitor rules with the organiser in the week before the show, because those are the details that change quietly.

Spring Farm Machinery Show Exhibitor Checklist