Another Fieldays done and dusted

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We had another huge year at Fieldays 2018 – with hundreds of people passing through our stand and asking what we can do for their business. No doubt the honey, fresh bread and free coffee helped but we like to think it was our great team and the demos we were giving!

There were also more than 300 Xero small business customers as stall holders. Each year it seems like more of our small businesses are getting involved which is very exciting to see.

Partner days

We were thrilled to host some of our agri accounting partners at Fieldays. These partners were primarily from NZ but we had some in attendance from as far away as AU, UK and US.

All of the feedback from these days was hugely positive with a number taking the time to tell us how much they enjoyed themselves.

Our impact on the agri sector

More than 68,000 small businesses work in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries and we know these small businesses are key to the success of our economy. We want them to know that we’re right there with them, so they can work smarter, not harder.

Weather and the economy are two external factors that farmers have no control over. But production and expenses are two factors they can control. So, how do we ensure that they can manage these properly? Our partners have the skills and expertise to help small businesses forward plan and manage their finances.

Increased production is a by-product of careful and accurate expense planning. With this in mind, a cloud accounting platform like Xero can solve these problems and ease the pain of forward planning. By using Figured and Xero, farmers and their advisors can manage production, expenses, plan and forecast spending from cash-flow insights, and prepare compliance work with the click of a button.

Automation is the future of farming

Automated systems are becoming more and more common in the farming industry. Precision farming and efficiency is key, so any system that can cut costs and reduce wastage is very helpful. At Fieldays we aimed to show our customers how automation can change their lives.

Automated technology such as systems for seeding and spraying to make sure correct quantities are applied, and driverless vehicles to reduce the need for labour are just some examples. These systems ensure that maximum efficiency is reached, and they give farmers more time to focus on other aspects of running a business.

The next barrier for these automated systems will be regulatory, so we need to ensure policy makers keep up with the pace of change. Automating compliance work and bank reconciliations, as well as giving business owners the option to file GST returns with the click of a button, helps cut down the time they would normally spend on their accounts.

Small business

Our stand was very busy so it was lucky we had Volare Bread and Hunt & Gather Bee Co on site serving those passing by (and the Xero team!) samples of gourmet honey on fresh bread to keep the energy levels high. Hearing the impact that Xero has had for so many small businesses was inspiring and truly motivating.

Rory, from Hunt & Gather Bee Co shared with us how Xero has helped him succeed. “It’s pretty surreal what Xero has done for us. I used to spend so much time with stacks of receipts but still have no idea what I was doing. Now I can be fully on top of my accounts and understand what’s going on in my business, with a lot more time to do the manual work required.”

I also got a chance to chat with some of the customers that visited our stand, and the general sentiment was very positive. The team at Peninsula Roof Painters spoke about Xero’s simplicity. In fact, a common theme from our customers was that our software was so easy to use that they didn’t have too many questions to be answered.

Overall, the economic impact of Fieldays over the last 50 years is considered to be $18 billion. We’re honoured to play a positive part in that impact and I’m personally proud to be part of a company that is changing the world. Our goal is to rewire the small business economy and supporting such a key industry at an event like Fieldays takes us that one step closer.

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