Newark Showground

What Newark Showground does

Newark Showground is a 180-acre events venue located in Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire, operated by the Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society (NNAS), a registered charity established in 1799. The site comprises 11 indoor venues totaling 14,000sqm — headlined by the George Stephenson Exhibition Hall (2,955sqm, capacity 3,000, built 2005) and the Lady Eastwood Centre — supplemented by 150+ acres of flat, well-drained outdoor space, 8,000 free parking bays, and a grid layout inherited from its former use as RAF Winthorpe. The platform serves five primary customer segments: corporate organizations running conferences and away days, specialist and enthusiast event organizers (automotive, antiques, radio, crafts), exhibition organizers running large trade shows, private individuals hosting weddings and celebrations, and the agricultural community for livestock and machinery shows.

The business operates a dual-revenue model: venue hire (day delegate packages, indoor and outdoor space rental) and in-house catering under the Tastes sub-brand, which runs multiple on-site dining outlets. NNAS also acts as its own event organizer, producing the Nottinghamshire County Show, the Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show, and the Midlands Machinery Show. Distribution is handled through a dedicated Sales & Events Team handling 500+ events annually via relationship-based direct sales, supplemented by website inquiry forms segmented by event type. Commercial activity is conducted through NNAS (Trading) Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Name

Newark Showground

Legal name

Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society

Website

https://newarkshowground.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1799

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Newark Showground is a 180-acre events venue in Nottinghamshire, England, operated by the Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society (founded 1799). It hosts 500+ corporate conferences, exhibitions, specialist hobbyist fairs, and agricultural shows annually across 14,000sqm of indoor space and 150+ acres outdoors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Venue Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Fairgrounds & Expo Parks (THAHAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA), Venue-Owned/Operated Event Organizers (In-House Promoters) (MPAKADAI)

Keywords

• Event venue hire
• Conference facilities
• Exhibition space rental
• Corporate event hosting
• Agricultural showground

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire: Rental of indoor venues (14,000sqm across 11 venues) and outdoor spaces (84+ acres) to event organizers for conferences, exhibitions, specialist events, and private celebrations. Revenue generated from day delegate packages, venue rental fees, and associated services.
2. In-house Catering (Tastes): In-house catering team provides meals for events from casual buffets to formal dinners across seven seated indoor catering amenities, mobile catering outlets, and ice cream kiosks.
3. Event Organizer Services: Society organizes own events including Nottinghamshire County Show, Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show, and Midlands Machinery Show. These events generate revenue through ticket sales and trade stands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Newark Showground rents out 11 indoor venues (totaling 14,000sqm) and over 180 acres of outdoor space to event organizers for conferences, exhibitions, corporate events, specialist/hobbyist events, private celebrations, and outdoor festivals. The venue is complemented by an in-house catering team (Tastes) and offers all-inclusive Day Delegate Packages. Owned by the Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, it also organizes its own annual agricultural shows.

Product overview

Newark Showground is an events venue operated by the Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, offering a platform of 11 indoor venues and outdoor spaces for diverse event types. The portfolio comprises purpose-built exhibition halls (George Stephenson Exhibition Hall, Lady Eastwood Centre), conference/meeting rooms (Sir Stuart Goodwin Suite, Sheldon Suite, Hollingworth Room), flexible event spaces (Cedric Ford Pavilion, John Crocker Halls, Stanley Sheldon Hall, Newark Pavilion), and 150+ acres of outdoor space. Service offerings include Corporate Events, Day Delegate Packages, Exhibitions, Specialist Events, Bespoke & Private Events, and Outdoor Events, all supported by in-house catering (Tastes). The venue hosts over 500 events annually ranging from conferences for 3,000 delegates to intimate meetings and large outdoor festivals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tastes: In-house catering team that provides catering services across the showground, operating multiple dining outlets including Tastes Diner, Tasty Bites Café, and Tastes Café.

Products and services

• George Stephenson Exhibition Hall

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Eventbrite: Self-service ticketing and event-management platform rather than a physical venue. Adjacent ecosystem player that organizers using Newark Showground may also rely on for ticketing and event marketing.

Direct peers

• East of England Arena and Events Centre: Multi-purpose venue in Peterborough hosting exhibitions, conferences, concerts, and agricultural shows. Comparable scale and event mix to Newark Showground, serving a different regional catchment.
• Three Counties Showground: Agricultural showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, hosting the Three Counties Show and a similar mix of exhibitions, specialist events, and conferences. Closest comparable to Newark in mission, infrastructure mix, and event portfolio.
• Royal Bath & West Showground: Charity-owned agricultural showground in Somerset running the Royal Bath and West Show alongside trade fairs, conferences, and consumer events. Directly comparable as a UK agricultural-society venue with similar event mix.
• Yorkshire Event Centre: Regional event venue in Harrogate hosting exhibitions, trade shows, conferences, and consumer events. Direct competitor for corporate and exhibition business in northern England.
• NAEC Stoneleigh: Midlands-based event venue with large indoor halls and outdoor space used for agricultural shows, trade exhibitions, and corporate events. Competes directly with Newark for regional exhibitions and specialist events.
• Royal Cornwall Showground: Charity-owned showground hosting the Royal Cornwall Show plus exhibitions, trade fairs, and consumer events. Closely comparable as a UK agricultural-society venue with similar business model.

Broad incumbents

• NEC (National Exhibition Centre): UK's largest exhibition venue near Birmingham, hosting large-scale trade shows, consumer exhibitions, and corporate events. Represents a much larger incumbent that competes for national exhibition accounts.
• ExCeL London: Major London exhibition and conference venue running large-scale trade shows, consumer events, and corporate conferences. Significantly larger footprint and broader target market than Newark Showground.

Regional players

• Royal Highland Centre: Showground adjacent to Edinburgh hosting the Royal Highland Show and a calendar of exhibitions, concerts, and conferences. Comparable in scale and event type, but geographically focused on Scotland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/newarkshowgrd
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewarkShowground
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/locations/3258897/newark-showground/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newark-showground

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Newark Showground