The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria Limited (RASV)

The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) is a member based organisation that promotes and celebrates agriculture through events which link industry with consumers. The RASV ultimately aims to improve the quality and increase demand for Victorian agriculture produce. The RASV has inspired excellence for more than 150 years. The Pastoral and Agricultural Society of Australia Felix was founded in January 1840. After a number of name and location changes, His Excellency The Governor, The Earl of Hopetoun, advised that Her Majesty was pleased to grant the requisite permission for the Society to assume the title of The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria on 17 June 1890. Since the first ploughing match held by the Pastoral and Agricultural Society of Australia Felix in 1841, the Royal Melbourne Show has evolved into Victoria’s largest annual community event. Conducted by the RASV to promote and celebrate agriculture, the Royal Melbourne Show attracts 500,000 visitors on average each year to Melbourne Showgrounds. The RASV also conducts the Australian International Beer Awards, the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards and the Royal Melbourne Wine Show, Royal Melbourne Dairy Show along with a variety of other events that celebrate quality and provide a platform for industry benchmarking, promotion and education. The RASV also manages Melbourne’s largest and most versatile indoor/outdoor exhibition and event venue, Melbourne Showgrounds, which offers an unrivalled 19 hectares of space and a variety of purpose-built facilities enabling flexibility for exhibitions, trade shows, film production, concerts and other events.