Events Calendar 2024
We’re gearing up for a busy calendar of events again this year, so here’s our obligatory annual blog to tell you all about them! We make a point of hitting the road and heading out the office as much as we can (certainly for an IT business!), and here’s why. For lots of people, tech is a necessary evil, something that enables them to do business but causes a headache and stress along the way. At Black Nova, we aim to put a human face to IT and help demystify tech. We have a rule that no question is too small or silly, and we help people make the most of IT. By attending events people have come to know our staff, in particular Danielle and Kyle, and feel comfortable dropping us a line for help. That’s why our in-person events are so important – it might seem strange when so many trade stands are selling physical products, but it works! So, without further ado, here’s where you’ll find us in 2024.
Badminton Horse Trials
First up, we’re heading to Gloucestershire as the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials are galloping towards us! Danielle and Kyle are busy planning their week and finalising what to have on the booth. This is our third year of exhibiting at this huge, international equestrian event and the Black Nova Designs tent will be bigger than ever before. We’ll be heading there in late May to set up ready for the event, which takes place from Wednesday 8th May to Sunday 12th May. We’re the only IT business that exhibits at Badminton (and lots of the other events in this blog) but to us, it makes perfect sense… As we said in the intro, we aim to be the human face of web design and tech, and we’re the go-to agency for lots of equestrian businesses!
Gatcombe – no more…
We were also set to exhibit at another top-flight horse trials – the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe – this year, but very sadly it’s been cancelled. 2023’s event was a total mud-fest, and the organisers can’t make it economically viable, which is a great shame. It’s been a popular fixture with competitors and spectators for decades, however we hear the reduced international support has hit it hard. Here’s hoping other equestrian sporting events aren’t similarly impacted!
The Royal Bath & West Show
Later in May we’re heading down the road to Somerset for the Royal Bath & West Show. This event, billed as one of England’s biggest celebrations of rural life, takes place from Thursday the 30th of May until Saturday the 1st of June in Shepton Mallet, not far from Glastonbury! It’s a really fun event, with horses, livestock, country crafts and lots of amazing food and drink exhibitors and is a chance for customers based in the West Country to come and see us. We’ll be sharing our stand number and more information nearer to the time, so if you live down that way or are planning to attend, keep an eye out.
The Game Fair
The Game Fair is on the move this year, heading from Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, where it’s been for the past few years, to the beautiful Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. It takes place from Friday the 26th to Sunday the 28th of July, and this year will be Black Nova Designs’ debut at The Game Fair! We know that visitors can enjoy taking part in clay shooting, fishing and gun dog competitions and watching amazing displays in the main arena. There’s also a huge shopping village and some superb food – with a focus on British produce, of course. We’ve forged a really strong reputation in the equestrian and rural sectors so we hope this event will be the perfect match for us!
Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials
As we near the end of the summer events season, we’ll be packing up the trade stand again and heading off to Blenheim Palace again for the International Horse Trials! This super event takes place from the 19th to the 22nd of September and in such a huge year for equestrian sport, we’re hoping for thrilling competition. While we don’t need to be experts in their sector to create a high performing website for someone, we have become a go-to provider for equestrian businesses looking for website design and hosting. Events like Blenheim are a great opportunity to meet potential customers and share how the whole process works. If that sounds like you, make sure you come and say hello – again, we’ll share our stand number for Blenheim and all the other events as soon as we have it!