From World Fair to World Famous...
Expo Promotions Limited, operators of the Agrodome Leisure Park and the Agrodome sheep show in New Zealand was incorporated as a company on 5 January 1972. The shareholders are Warren Harford and Paul Bowen.
Significant milestones in the history of the Agrodome are:
The Agrodome was started in 1971 by Godfrey Bowen MBE (renowned world famous Sheep Shearer) and George Harford MBE (beef and dairy farmer of Rotorua). The venture became a reality following a show produced by Godfrey Bowen at the World Expo 1970 in Osaka, Japan. In 1971, a dome-shaped building to house the show was constructed on a 160-hectare sheep farm situated 10kms north from Rotorua City. In 1972, Ivan Bowen (5 times world champion sheep shearer) joined the Agrodome team as senior showman. Ivan Bowen was awarded the 'NZ Order of Merit' for Service to the Community and Tourism in 1998. In 1975, a successful Agrodome Cattle Show was built on a site by the Shotover River in Queenstown. This was sold in 1991. | A devastating fire completely destroyed the first Agrodome building in 1980. In true Kiwi style, while the building was still smouldering, Ivan Bowen performed our world famous sheep show to over 100 customers on a nearby hill. 'The show must go on and we are open every day of the year.' | 
| In 1983, Warren Harford and Paul Bowen, the sons of the original founders of the Agrodome, joined the Agrodome management to start the second generation of family input in the business. Warren has been instrumental in marketing and general management, while Paul became the Senior Stage Presenter and Operations Manager. |  |
Since 1983, the Agrodome business has grown internationally and has been introduced at sites in many other countries, especially Japan.
From 1986 through 1991, the Agrodome was contracted by the New Zealand Tourism Board and the New Zealand Trade Commission, in conjunction with the New Zealand Meat Board, the New Zealand Wool Board and the New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board, to perform an abbreviated version of the Agrodome Sheep Show overseas at the following locations: Edmonton Klondike Day Festival . Great Yorkshire Show
Royal Welsh Show . Los Angeles County Fair In 1994, the Agrodome won the coveted New Zealand Tourism Award for the New Zealand's Best Visitor Attraction. Also in the same year and for the second time Agrodome was given an award from The New Zealand Inbound Tour Operators Council for outstanding service and contribution to the New Zealand Tourism Industry. In 1996 the Agrodome opened the Tokyo Agrodome in conjunction with Mother Farm Group. Situated in Chiba-ken, the 1600 seat timber dome is very successful. Currently, the New Zealand Agrodome is a 160-hectare working sheep and cattle farm with 1200 sheep and 120 beef cattle. The New Zealand Agrodome gives international visitors to New Zealand a real hands-on, live experience of farming and a total interaction with theircommercially farmed animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, deer, alcapas and ostriches.
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