 |  | Report by Michael Barker
The chief executive of The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) is a man with responsibility, not only for ensuring the long term success of the Royal Show, but also charged with overseeing one of the most ambitious new projects of the 21st Century.
I caught up with the man under this exciting burden - Mike Calvert - at the society's home in Stoneleigh Park (formerly the NAC).
Comparisons to Eden
| Ìý |  | RASE chief executive Mike Calvert
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With a budget of in excess of £100 million pledged by Advantage West Midlands and others, Mike has a remit to create a centre of rural excellence. This, along with other events held at Stoneleigh Park, hopes to attract in the region of three million visitors a year.
Anyone who has been to the Eden Project in Cornwall will have some idea of the quality and concept that a project of this magnitude will need, in order to attract this large amount of visitors each year.
Interactive learning
| Ìý |  | View of the Eden Project
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The Open Country Initiative (OCI) as it is to be called, promises to be something not only prestigious, but exciting and fun with education and learning at its heart. The focus has been set out, described by Mike as: "demonstrating agriculture and the food chain in different ways, be it through, taste, smell, site, touch, music or art."
The project is still very much in the consultation stage and a development director has already been hired to start the planning process.
Royal Show feedback
| Ìý |  | Parade at the Royal Show
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Visitors to this year's Royal Show were encouraged to visit the OCI building and see for themselves how plans were progressing.
Mike said the centre will set out to be a "one stop shop", with state of the art facilities. He described it as: "your first port of call if you want to know something about rural activities or farming."
RASE has come along way since its inception in the 1840s. Then, the focus and attention was firmly on food production, whereas today a more broad-minded approach is required to demonstrate the interaction of the environment, countryside and agriculture.
And that is exactly what the OCI will do under the leadership of Mike Calvert.
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