The first Canada’s Farm Progress Show held in the new facilities on Evraz Place in Regina marked the largest version of the show in its 41-year history.
Show officials said 200 exhibitors were housed in the new International Trade Centre (ITC), including 22 new innovations.
Chair Shirley Janezcko said organizers planned the show to take advantage of the space and opportunities for exhibitors.
Tim Reid, chief executive officer of Regina Exhibition Association Ltd., which runs the show, said many exhibitors would like to be in the ITC, and he’s fielded calls from previous exhibitors who want to come back to the show.
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“Overall sentiment from those that I have talked to has been very positive about the new facility,” he told reporters.
Attendance was 34,853 over three days.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about sales,” said Reid. “This is a (business-to-business) show and as long as there’s transactions occurring between buyers and sellers I think everybody will walk away happy.”
International sales at the show were estimated at $345 million, plus the domestic sales and leads that resulted from exhibitor-customer contact. Officials said sales are on pace to top last year’s spending.
There were nearly 700 registered international guests from the United States, Russia, China, Ukraine and South Africa.
“This show is one of the strongest in Canada and I’ve spent a lot of time looking at agricultural shows to see how they perform,” Reid said. “We have something to be proud of here.”
