Press Release - Try Your Hand at Auctioneering at Beef Expo 2010

TRY YOUR HAND AT AUCTIONEERING AT BEEF EXPO 2010

Visitors to Beef Expo 2010 will have the opportunity of demonstrating their skills in auctioneering in a fun competition at this year’s event to be held at Hexham Mart, Northumberland, on Thursday, May 27.

The competition for novice auctioneers was introduced at least year’s event and proved a great hit with members of the public.

Beef Expo is held every year at a different venue across the country and is organised by the National Beef Association with Lloyds TSB Agriculture as major sponsor.

Competitors in the auctioneering competition will have 90 seconds to impress the judges in an “X-Factor” style competition which will see participants eliminated if the three judges show two or more red lights. Those surviving the 90 seconds will go through to the final and the chance to win a cash prize of £50 and an engraved rosebowl in each of the two classes for participants aged 26 and under and those over 26. All finalists will receive a Certificate of Competence.

“This is a fun competition which is open to anyone attending Beef Expo but professional auctioneers are excluded,” said auctioneer, Scott Donaldson, of Hexham and Northern Marts, who is chairman of the Beef Expo 2010 organising committee.

Participants can enter on the day or obtain an entry form in advance from Hexham and Northern Marts who are sponsoring the competition.

Each competitor will be expected to describe an item selected at random by the stewards and conduct a brief auction. Competitors will be judged on descriptive ability, presence and confidence, fluidity, ability to hold the attention of the judges and overall ability and awareness.

The judges will be 2009 Beef Expo chairman, Clive Roads of Worcester auctioneers, McCartneys, who was chairman of the organising committee for Beef Expo 2009, Murray Hardy, procurement manager with Scotbeef Ltd, Bridge of Allan, Stirling, and retired auctioneer, George Strachan of Morpeth, formerly managing director of T and I Maughan, who previously operated auction businesses at Morpeth and Newcastle.

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Issued by Agricultural Communications Ltd. Tel/Fax: 01330 811616. Mob: 07801 186303. E-mail: [email protected]

May 3, 2010