Young Farmers AGM: What to pack for Blackpool

The National Federation of Young Farmers’ annual general meeting takes place over the early May bank holiday weekend and we’re expecting sun, sea and sand – or at least two of the three.

This year, agriculture’s next generation get to visit the coastal resort of Blackpool – famous for its tower, piers and Pleasure Beach amusement park.

It’ll be three days of business and fun. Among the highlights are competitions, an Agriculture and Rural Affairs (ARAC) forum with leading industry figures, evening dances, and the AGM.

If you’re anything like the Farmers Weekly crew, it will probably be the night before (or possibly even the morning you travel) when you’ll be throwing everything in your bag, and so here’s our guide on what to pack.

Make sure you have a little extra space in your suitcase for souvenirs, trophies or, if you’re lucky, maybe even a Farmers Weekly onesie.

What to pack for Blackpool

• Membership cards Your membership card is your passport to the convention and, without it, you might be left out in the cold. Make sure your card is up to date with photo duly displayed (cartoons or photos of someone else won’t be accepted).
  
• Ties and cocktail dresses It’s a full-on black-tie bash for the opening night so dress accordingly. After all, you don’t want to miss the entertainment from live band Scarlett and Radio 1’s Aled Haydn Jones.
  
• “Where’s Wally?” outfits One of the most popular activities will be getting decked out in fancy dress. The theme is “Where’s Wally?”, so pack your stripy T-shirt and round-lens specs. If you are a wally and end up forgetting them, you should still be able to pick up a set in Blackpool.
  
• Identification If you’re planning on going out in Blackpool, the local pubs and clubs may ask for some form of ID, such as a driver’s licence, so you can prove you’re over 18.
  
• Camera Thanks to @JessRoche1 on Twitter for this suggestion. She describes a camera as “the most essential item you can ever pack for AGM” and says she’s still laughing at the photos from Blackpool two years ago.
  
• Cash Socialising, hitting the amusement arcades, clubs and stumping up for grub – it’s not the cheapest weekend. But, hey, everyone deserves to let their hair down once in a while. As @fyfeandrew says on Twitter: “Money, and plenty of it!”
  
• AGM voting cards Every club receives two voting cards, so make sure your club has a voice at the AGM. The Sunday meeting is an important opportunity to help shape the future of the federation.
  
• Boilersuits On Sunday night, members can wear a boilersuit for the first YFC Boilersuit Ball. Club shirts are allowed if you want to avoid the “all-in-one look”. Sadly, we don’t expect DJ for the night James Buckley (aka Jay from The Inbetweeners) to have one – maybe you can lend him yours?
  
• Suitable footwear There’s a lot of walking and dancing to be done. So, ladies, be kind to your feet and pack some comfy shoes as well as your killer heels. A change of footwear might help avoid too many flip-flop and high-heel shoes accidents.
  
• Smartphone How else are you going to keep up with FWi’s rolling news, picture and video coverage unless you’ve got your phone with you? And you’ll be wanting to keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook, too.
  
• Contacts Group leaders will need to pack contact lists so they can get in touch with everyone they are co-ordinating with over the weekend.
  
• Parental consent forms Members who are under 18 and are taking part in any of the national final competitions will need to remember these.

More on this topic

Keep up with the latest news from Blackpool