association of show and agricultural organisations

Name

association of show and agricultural organisations

Legal name

Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations

Website

https://asao.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Show Industry Association

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Business Associations (813910), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regulatory Compliance, Permitting & Audit Readiness (Food Safety, Environmental, Labor) (AFACAJAE), Animal Welfare Auditing, Compliance & Certification Services (Non-testing Lab) (AFAEALAN)

Keywords

• Agricultural show industry
• Membership association services
• Show organiser support
• Health safety advisory
• Countryside event guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Shepton Mallet

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees charged per show day, based on attendance tiers. Membership runs from 1 January to 31 December each year with subscriptions due by 31 January. Provides access to all member benefits including the Members' Portal, health & safety advice, networking events, monthly online support sessions, and discounted PPL licences.
2. PPL Licence Administration: ASAO facilitates discounted Phonographic Performing Licence (PPL) arrangements for members. A simple annual arrangement with one fee based on attendance: £40 for shows of 10,000 or fewer attendees, and £3.65 per additional 1,000 attendees. This is a value-added service bundled into membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO) is a UK membership body that provides annual subscription-based support to organisers of agricultural, horticultural, equine and countryside shows. Members gain access to experienced event organiser advisors, a Members' Portal with guidance notes and templates, monthly online training sessions, health and safety advisory support, ticket exchange across member shows, discounted Phonographic Performing Licences (PPL), regional meetings, an annual Learning Day, and an autumn Annual Conference. The association also curates a Supplier Directory of recommended providers and partners with Access to Farms on the Industry Code of Practice for animal contact at visitor attractions.

Product overview

The Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO) is a membership-based organization serving the UK agricultural show industry, not a software product company. Its core offering consists of annual membership services providing access to advice and expertise, monthly online support sessions, health and safety guidance, ticket exchange, the Members Portal with resources, discounted PPL licenses, and networking opportunities. The organization also hosts events including the Annual Conference and Learning Day. ASAO maintains policy documents including GDPR Policy, Privacy & Cookie Policy, Terms of Use, and the Industry Code of Practice for animal contact safety. Educational programs support curriculum-based activities at shows. The organization lists recommended supplier members including See Tickets (ticketing), Cleverdata Show Manager (data management), and D2iSystems Engage (event management platform), but these are independent products offered by supplier members rather than ASAO products themselves.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASAO Membership Annual membership (1 January to 31 December) for UK agricultural, horticultural, equine and countryside show organisers, tiered by attendance and show days. Includes access to experienced event organiser advisors, monthly online support sessions, health and safety advisory support, ticket exchange across member shows, Members' Portal with guidance notes and templates, discounted PPL licences, regional meetings, Learning Day and Annual Conference access.
• ASAO Annual Conference Premier annual two-day gathering of the UK agricultural show industry, held each November, featuring industry news, guest speakers, trade stands, workshops and networking opportunities for show organisers.
• ASAO Learning Day Annual spring training event for ASAO members held at a UK showground, featuring the AGM, themed educational sessions on showground safety and PR/marketing, presentations by guest speakers from within membership and external experts, and networking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual conference attracts show organisers from across the UK for two days of speakers, workshops, and networking.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• See TicketscoreTechnology or IntegrationSee Tickets is a supplier member of ASAO providing full-service ticketing technology and management for agricultural shows. With over 25 years' experience, they have worked with the Royal Highland Show and Royal Bath & West Show. See Tickets contributes educational content to ASAO (article on data-driven growth at agricultural shows) and offers ASAO members access to ticketing services, live reporting dashboards, multi-channel marketing, and on-site event support.
• D2iSystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationD2iSystems is a supplier member listed under IT Services & Software, Printing/Rosettes/Merchandise, and Traffic & Gate Management. Their Engage platform provides competition entries, trade bookings, catalogues, wristband automation, ticketing, and real-time reporting trusted by top agricultural shows. ASAO lists D2iSystems as a recommended supplier to members.
• CleverdatacoreTechnology or IntegrationCleverdata is a supplier member providing the Cleverdata Show Manager modular data system used by show organisers in England, Scotland and Wales since 1998. The software covers Contacts, Entries, Judging, Results, Trade, Sponsorship, Advertising, and Tickets/Membership. ASAO recommends Cleverdata as a supplier to its member shows.
• Alpha Omega Securities LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationAlpha Omega Securities is a supplier member providing event planning, site management, aerial drone support (searching, crowd monitoring, livestock location), Martyn's Law compliance support, on-site security, and control room services for agricultural shows. They work closely with ASAO members from early planning stages through show day.
• TicketSRVcoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketSRV is the Headline Sponsor of the ASAO 2026 Learning Day. As a ticketing service provider to the show industry, they support ASAO's educational programming in exchange for brand visibility at the event.
• Access to FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASAO works closely with Access to Farms in the ongoing development of the Industry Code of Practice: Preventing or Controlling Ill Health from Animal Contact at Visitor Attractions. Christine Knipe, ASAO Council member, also serves as Chairman of the national Access to Farms partnership. This is a formal co-development partnership on industry safety standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE): RASE is a long-established UK agricultural society promoting innovation and best practice across farming; it overlaps ASAO's mission in supporting the agricultural community and hosts events, but operates at the broader sector level rather than serving show organisers as a dedicated membership body.
• National Farmers' Union (NFU): The NFU is the largest UK farming membership organisation, with a much broader agricultural remit but a comparable subscription, lobbying and advisory structure; ASAO members (show societies) frequently interact with the NFU and share the trade-association operating model.
• Country Land and Business Association (CLA): CLA is a UK membership organisation serving rural landowners and businesses with advisory, lobbying and member services; it operates a similar subscription-and-advisory model to ASAO in an adjacent rural constituency.

Direct peers

• National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC): NAAC is a UK membership association representing agricultural contractors, with a similar subscription-based, advisory-led model to ASAO; while its members are contractors rather than show organisers, it is a directly comparable trade-association model serving a niche UK agriculture constituency.
• Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS): RHASS is one of ASAO's most prominent Council-represented members (running the Royal Highland Show); it operates an agricultural show society with overlapping regulatory, health-and-safety and event-management challenges, and Council members such as David Tennant bridge both organisations.
• Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS): RWAS runs the Royal Welsh Show and is closely linked to ASAO through Vice Chairman Mared Rand Jones; it is a directly comparable agricultural show society navigating the same regulatory, volunteer and operational issues ASAO addresses.
• Three Counties Agricultural Society: Three Counties Agricultural Society runs the Royal Three Counties Show and is represented on the ASAO Council via Show Manager Alice Arnold; it is a directly comparable county-level agricultural show society with the same regulatory, marketing and operational profile.
• Yorkshire Agricultural Society: Yorkshire Agricultural Society runs the Great Yorkshire Show and is represented on the ASAO Council by Society Manager David Tite; it is a directly comparable premier UK agricultural show society that relies on ASAO advisory services.
• Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS): RUAS runs the Balmoral Show in Northern Ireland and is represented on the ASAO Council by Rhonda Geary; it is a directly comparable agricultural show society facing the same regulatory, biosecurity and volunteer-management challenges as other ASAO members.

Regional players

• Association of Event Organisers (AEO): AEO is the UK trade body for exhibition and event organisers, with a similar subscription, advisory and best-practice-sharing model to ASAO but serving the broader commercial exhibition industry rather than the agricultural show niche; the two organisations sit in adjacent event-industry membership spaces.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-show-and-agricultural-organisations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 association of show and agricultural organisations