Reed Andrew attended the first Canadian Western Agribition when he was 15 and has never missed a show.
So he speaks with some authority when he dubbed last week’s edition the best ever.
“The atmosphere, the festivities, the prices have just been incredible,” he said as the last day of the show got underway.
Andrew might be a bit biased, considering this was the second year he has served as show president.
However, the atmosphere in the barns was largely celebratory. Cattle prices are at record levels, a lot of young people were on the grounds and a couple of weeks before the show several partners discussed the next phase of facilities renewal on the Evraz Place grounds.
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The show pumps an estimated $37 million into the provincial economy, and Regina is the main beneficiary.
Chief executive officer Marty Seymour said a new program to get visitors onto the grounds more easily was well used.
Parking is a perennial problem but this year was even more constrained by the construction of the city’s new football stadium.
A park-and-ride program from two city shopping malls offered a free ride and free admission. Seymour said it was a big hit.
“Early on in the week we had to work with the city, (and) the city really responded and got some more resources,” he said. “We had underestimated the volumes of people that we would move.”
Final attendance numbers weren’t immediately known as the show wrapped up, but Seymour said the business plan took into account that the gate would lose some revenue as a result of the bus program.
“From a revenue perspective, I kind of look at it as investment of Agribition back into the community,” he said.
“This was a calculated decision.”
Andrew said exhibitors reported they were pleased with the traffic and business they did during the week.
The show’s high seller was a $62,000 Angus bull, Remitall F Prospector 110Z, from Remitall Farms of Olds, Alta., and 3E Cattle Co., which sold it to Breed Creek Angus of Mankota, Sask.
The bull also won the RBC Beef Supreme championship.
However, all the livestock sales were strong. Andrew estimated the final numbers would show sales at least 50 percent higher than average.
Added Seymour: “We’ve shot the lights out on sales this year.”
Jousting was one of the most popular entertainment events of the week. It was standing room only in the Brandt Centre for the six-knight competition.
Seymour said with 90 events over six days, organizers are always looking for something new, and the jousting competition raised the bar.
The show’s international component was perhaps a bit softer this year, Andrew said, but representatives from 65 countries did attend and there was a strong presence from Canada’s largest trading partner, the United States.
Two Chinese delegations attended, searching mainly for beef genetics. Buyers from the United Kingdom bought several embryo packages in the Speckle Park sale.
Next year’s show is slated for Nov. 23-28. Already on the show schedule is the 2015 Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame induction ceremony, marking the first time the event will not be held at the Royal Winter Fair.
New facilities likely won’t be ready by then.
The city and several partners approved funding for a pre-construction design and costing project in mid-November, which is to be completed by the end of January.
The city is spending $50,000, while the Regina Hotel Association, Agribition and Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. will each spend $16,667.
The current plan calls for 13 old and deteriorating buildings on the west side of Evraz Place to be demolished and a new 120,000 sq. foot multi-purpose facility to be built.
Buildings to go down would include the Winter Fair Building, the Annex, the Auditorium, and the Prairie, Pasqua and Harlton barns, as well as some of the horse barns.
