When the country come to town – or what to wear for the Oxford Farming Conference

It’s fair to say that I am no fashionista, in fact many of my friends would vouch for the fact I’ve had my fair share of questionable outfits through the years. Growing up in the countryside and on a farm means that I am more likely to favour practical, warm and comfortable over high fashion any day! In fact, there are days when I can channel my inner bag lady pretty well (my wild, neither-here-nor-there hair doesn’t help either!).
That said – I still like the opportunity to dress up and put my best foot forward – whether for meetings, nights out or events. Which brings me to the topic of this post – what to wear when the country go to town?

I have been lucky enough to be part of the Oxford Farming Conference for four years now – with my first two years as a scholar, and latterly supporting the awesome Jane Craigie Marketing team who manage the media centre. As a guest in my first year, at the top of my list of questions was “what to pack” and luckily my great friend Milly Fyfe was on hand to help me out. After that packing was based on experience.

So, this year, after receiving the same questions from scholars and attendees in the throws of packing and having toyed with the idea of writing a blog for some time, I thought what better way to start than with the highbrow topic “What to pack for the Oxford Farming Conference”. So, the notes that follow will hopefully give you a good idea of where to start with your packing for this, or any other agri conference really, and to help you I have also included some snaps of some of the lovely ladies in attendance this year!

Ok, here goes – my fifteen items to pack for OFC:

1. Flat shoes – There is a lot of walking and a lot of standing (for tea breaks) at this event. Flat, or at least comfortable shoes you can walk for miles in are a must. I’m a big fan of a winter boot myself but I suggest packing two options (wear one, pack one) so you can swap on day two if your feet hurt.

2. A dress – This is a question of personal choice, trousers are OK too – but personally I’m a massive fan of a dress. A dress takes out the drama of matching tops with bottoms. A dress can literally be dressed up – taking you from day (at the conference), to night at the suppers (sometimes there isn’t always time to pop and get changed, so a change of jewellery in your handbag can do it for you!)

3. Spare tights – if you go down the dress or skirt route make sure you have spare tights. Ladders are never a good look!

4. A smart jacket or suit – Jackets are great for dressing up your outfit and as the general uniform of the men is a business suit or tweed jacket/tie and chino/cord combo, you will not look out of place in a suit (check out Nina Clancy from RSABI’s awesome green number below! LOVE!)

5. A scarf or pashmina – super handy to stash in your bag, a scarf or pashmina can be the answer to your prayers if sat under an air con unit, in a draft or simply needing to wrap up between venues. So versatile and a great way to dress an outfit.

6. A warm coat – I have a lot of coats. The trouble is most are “practical” rather than pretty. But good news – tweed coats are OK, gilets, anything warm works – ok they might not set your outfit alight but that’s ok because they will hardly be seen – cloakrooms are on hand at every venue so you don’t have to worry about lugging them about!

7. Warm PJs – some of the college accommodation can be on the chilly side- often due to not being familiar with the heating set up! So, with this in mind warm PJs and even a hot water bottle are life savers. Trust me- a cold short night can really dampen your game!

8. A water bottle – keeping hydrated is essential for thinking – there are lots of water points in the examination halls where you can keep topped up and help your vocal chords stay on top form. You will do a lot of talking over 2 ½ days so try not to lose your voice!

9. On a par with footwear – plasters for any blisters! Or this little gem a colleague recommended to me from Compeed. Lifesavers!

10. Whilst we are on the topic of medical supplies – highly recommended are some pain killers! Long days, short nights and one or two glasses of wine. These are great to keep thick heads at bay! Also think about any other “emergency” supplies you might need and put a mini bag in your handbag – if you don’t need them you could be a lifesaver for someone else!

11. Business cards – this event is a serious networking occasion. I have had the pleasure of sitting next to head of NFU Scotland, estate managers, heads of ag at leading firms not to mention mixing with some awesome folk amongst scholars and sponsors – shout out to Massey Ferguson here who have been a wonderful support to me on the Travel Scholarship & beyond! Having a pocket full of cards is a must.

12. Mobile phone (with the app loaded) or ipad – great for notes and following social media conversations. This honestly does open up the conversation of the event for you beyond the four walls. On this note, do not forget your charger!!

13. A pen – well, it’s always good to have a spare – doesn’t matter how many I have in my bag I always lose one, so a pen is essential in my book!

14. A big handbag! Something that will fit the handy A4 file provided to delegates in and in which you can stow some of the items listed.

15. Lastly, the confidence to network – study the agenda beforehand, come up with a few one liners for introducing yourself (maybe not “do you come here often”) so you can break the ice when meeting new faces. If there’s someone you want to meet- ask! It really is a big network of friendly faces so there will be someone who can help.

So, there you have it! Packing in a nutshell! (*it will still take me hours to pack but it’s a good place to start!) Massive thanks to all my lovely contributors/sounding boards (Rachel, Rebecca Dawes) and of course to the fab real life models for helping put the words into pictures!

Jenni is a past OFC Scholar and has also supported the OFC marketing team in the busy OFC press room for the last few years. For more farming, thoughts and country musings from Jenni see https://greencountry.me or follow her on Twitter at @Country_JenT.