An official opening will be held at the park’s main arena at 3.45pm today, a welcoming for more than 700 of the show’s exhibitors and guests.

AgFest media and promotion manager Dayna Broun said they would be at the gates, ready to open the three-day event at 8am.

‘‘We’re hopeful the weather will be good, it’s starting to clear now and, finger crossed, we’ll bring 60,000 through the gates,’’ Ms Broun said.

‘‘Numbers really have fluctuated over the years, it really is weather dependent unfortunately.

‘‘Our top year was in 2005, when we got 79,000 – it was an absolutely bumper crowd.’’

She said the organising committee believed Agfest was the biggest volunteer-run agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere.

Stalls were gearing up for the show, including one that was particularly hopeful of securing the best stall accolade.

BridgePro Engineering set a challenge to University of Tasmania’s architecture students, offering $1000 for a winning Agfest site design.

Malaysian final-year architecture student Clement Cheam secured the prize, as well as $500 to assist with the project’s set-up on Wednesday.

Mr Cheam said he invested days into the project’s design and encouraged more companies to engage with the university in similar initiatives.

He said the funds would be spent celebrating with his friends, as well as lessening the financial pressure of his course.