Whether a fair is a multimillion-dollar corporation in Calgary or a small town event in Australia, organizers want one thing: to fill the seats and keep the customers coming back another year.
The Stampede started as an agricultural fair in 1884 but it has gone far beyond what people expected even five years ago.
“This is not your grandfather’s fair. If you keep it the same it will no longer be relevant,” said Steve Edwards, recently retired chief executive officer of the Stampede, who worked for the Stampede for 33 years and is an honorary life director and consultant to the fair industry.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
“What we have done in the past is not necessarily going to do us much good in the future.”
He told the Commonwealth Agriculture Conference in Calgary on July 15 that large does not mean better when selling an experience to a public looking for new entertainment.
The Stampede gets about 160,000 visitors per day for the 10-day event.
“I’ve been to large fairs that are soulless,” he said. “I don’t see their relevance or how they are engaging the community.”
The board conducts regular surveys and analysis to improve the Stampede, which takes over the city as a cowboy festival every July. The strategic plan for 2006-08 calls for major grounds expansion so it can be a year-round gathering place hosting the World Petroleum Congress, trade shows, conventions and agriculture shows while preserving and promoting western heritage and values.
The Stampede has maintained its volunteer base, with some families having been involved for 100 years. Over time corporate sponsorship has taken over as the main revenue source and now makes up 75 percent of the fair’s revenue. As a result, consideration is made for them, which can include special recognition at events or exclusive $300 a seat rodeo infield suites for corporate entertaining.
“That is a clientele that is used to paying that and you better look after them,” Edwards said.
“The point is they are purchasing from you an experience to give to their clients that they can’t get anywhere else.”
Regular grandstand seats cost $30-$70 each.
The Stampede’s largest sponsors are Bell Canada, General Motors, TransAlta Utilities and Coca Cola.
Each fair has to be unique and modern fair goers want entertainment as well as education, which has meant changes for the Stampede that did not please everyone.
One of the changes is removing beef cattle shows.
“We know people enjoy agriculture but we haven’t done a good enough job of making it attractive to them and involving them,” Edwards said.
“We don’t make it very palatable for a lot of people. We like to line up rows of cattle and show the best end of the cow to the public as they go by. I’m not sure if that serves much purpose to most of them.”
It is harder to persuade competitors to enter so a better approach might be a trade fair area where a few animals are on display with their owners to conduct business and expose their operations to the public, said Edwards.
Shows are expensive for the producers and they may get a better response with this
format.
At a small fair like the Nowro Show in New South Wales, Australia, agriculture remains in the spotlight, said fair president John Bennett.
“It is imperative that our show stays true to its objectives and retains its agricultural focus. It is my firm opinion that a loss of agricultural focus is the first warning sign that a small show is at risk,” he said.
The 130-year-old fair is one of about 200 small fairs in the state and winners from these move on to the big shows like the Royal Easter Show at Sydney. It serves a population area of about 35,000.
Still, each year organizers are looking at spectator appeal over exhibitor appeal so that people will continue to support the fair. Different entertainment such as motocross racing is included to keep up interest.
However, agriculture retains a strong profile. This fair has about 3,000 pavilion entries that include vegetable shows, baking contests, arts and crafts, livestock shows and an equestrian event.
About 70 percent of the income is from the gate and it relies heavily on volunteers. The fair costs about $155,000 Aus to organize.
Prize money is the biggest expenditure.
“Our show is on the wrong track when prize money drops from number one,” Bennett said.
