The British Pavilion at Expo Prado 2016 was a GREAT success
It was distinguished with a mention in the category “Best Embassy and Chamber of Commerce Pavilion” by the Uruguayan Rural Association.
More than 75,000 people visited the British Pavilion at the Expo Prado 2016, the largest agro-industrial exhibition in Uruguay.
Over 12 days, British brands and companies related to the United Kingdom promoted their products and services.
The agro-industrial sector was represented by JCB, leading equipment manufacturer for the agro and construction sectors, and Harper Adams University, a world leader in education in the agricultural area.
EF offered attractive options for those interested in studying English in the United Kingdom. The British Council offered English storytelling sessions for children, sketches of Shakespeare plays and a photo booth where visitors were able to dress up as famous characters, to commemorate the 400 years of the author’s death.
Tourism also attracted many visitors, who found in the Visit Britain stand —the UK government’s tourism promotion arm— an opportunity to learn more about the country. Visitors could also participate in several raffles including a trip to London courtesy of Compañía del Sur and three-nights’ accommodation by Hipertravel.
The Falkland Islands had a stand in the Pavilion, with the aim of promoting tourism and deepening trade links with Uruguay. The delegation, made up of members of the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce, was pleasantly surprised by the level of interest among the Uruguayans that approached the stand to learn more about the Islands.
Entertainment and food were a major part of this exhibition. Visitors were able to enjoy a typical English tea at the Tea House by Nuez y Chocolate and taste microbrews in the Craft Beer Bar while listening to live music or taking part in one of the Pub Quizzes.
Many visitors had the chance to try the famous British folding bicycles Brompton, including Ambassador Ben Lyster-Binns who used one to tour the Expo Prado show.
In addition, the public had the opportunity to buy British clothing by Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club as well as food and merchandising. Fire extinguishers company Noblex exhibited their new equipment and quality certification company FCR-DAS told visitors about the certificates and courses they offer.
Dozens of people attended a talk to learn about the Chevening-ANII scholarships to study master’s degrees in any University in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2017-18.
As they do every year, Ambassador Ben Lyster-Binns, Consul Katharine Felton and other Embassy staff had the honour of awarding prizes to this year’s best British breeds.
The Embassy organised two agro-related activities. One of them was the first edition of the Agro Hackathon on 17-18 September, organised jointly with the Uruguayan Rural Association and the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technologies (CUTI.)
The objective was to promote collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship and to find solutions to specific problems the agricultural sector faces through the use of technology. Fourteen teams of three professionals with agro, IT or business experience worked to create a product to solve one of the challenges presented to them. The winning team, who tackled the problem of livestock theft, will travel to the UK to attend specialist conferences in November.
The second activity organised by the Embassy was a cycle of conferences called “The technological revolution in the countryside.” British and Uruguayan experts talked about how science, technology and innovation are key factors to maximize production and protect the environment.
The British Embassy presence at Expo Prado was supported by the “GREAT” Britain campaign, which highlights the best that the United Kingdom has to offer and invites the world to visit, study and do business with Great Britain.
Hackathon Agro
Photobooth
Cycle of conferences