When it comes to growing the nation’s economy, farmers likely will be planting the seeds. And that is likely to mean increasing revenue from agricultural meetings for the destinations that serve them.
The new presidential administration is looking toward alternative energy, science and technology, and conservation to move the country out of recession. So, where else will these leaders discuss making grain into bio-fuels, sustainable agriculture, raising wind turbines, keeping food from being contaminated and harnessing solar power?
Agricultural associations such as the National Future Farmers of America (FFA), which represents high school students preparing for careers in the technology, business and science of agriculture, are already having a marked impact with their annual conventions.
“It is generating more than $40 million in visitor spending by bringing in at least 55,000 delegates to all of central Indiana every October,” says Chris Gahl, spokesman for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, about the FFA’s annual convention, which has taken place in Indianapolis for the past three years.
In general, the agricultural meetings market is becoming increasingly important to the city, he adds.
Tilling the Soil
In this fertile field, the Springfield [Ill.] CVB has been tilling the soil. It has dedicated a salesperson to the agricultural market and developed a meeting planner kit with background on such venues as the 366-acre Illinois State Fairgrounds and the Prairie Capital Convention Center.
“Five years ago, we realized the significance of marketing to the agricultural community,” says Director of Sales Gina Gemberling. “Already home to multiple annual equine and other livestock events, Springfield wanted to raise its efforts to the next level.”
The CVB hired Agricultural Sales Manager Leah Guffey because she knows the terrain, Gemberling adds.
“Leah was raised on a family farm, and she spent 11 years as a member of 4-H,” she says. “She was a farm broadcaster for five years prior to joining the Springfield CVB, and she is still active on agricultural committees and boards. Leah’s experience alone makes Springfield more competitive.”
Five of the most attended or exhibited recent shows in Springfield have been the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs, Master Gardeners Conference, the Illinois Horse Fair and Mid-American Mane Event, the National Junior Shorthorn Finals and the Illinois Association of the FFA.
In Kansas, the Overland Park CVB also felt it could reap more bounty from the agricultural market. It is projecting a $2.9 million gross from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents alone at its annual meeting in 2011.
“Johnson County and the Kansas City Metro are epicenters for ag-related business,” says Sales Manager Brad Plumb. “This is the headquarters for Kansas Bioscience Authority, and a recently passed Johnson County Research Triangle that is in partnership with the University of Kansas and Kansas State University.”
Nearby Kansas City, Mo., has also found a bountiful harvest.
“We have averaged $22.7 million annually in total financial impact from 15 agricultural meetings with 32,647 attendees, which is based on the last five years,” says Executive Director of Convention Sales Denise DeJulio at the Kansas City CVA, adding that, even with recent agricultural company buyouts and mergers, the market is not shrinking.
Grand Rapids, Mich., is also riding higher with agricultural business these days, reporting an increase in spending from agricultural meetings of $4.3 million in 2005 to $10.7 million in 2007.
“The ag segment represents approximately seven percent of our overall conventions. The total revenue varies from year to year,” says Vice President of Marketing Janet Korn at the Grand Rapids/Kent County CVB. “Despite the economy, we feel this is still a growth market for us.”
Economic Forecast
In the midst of recession, CVBs want to know if a blight or drought is being predicted for the U.S. in relationship to agricultural meetings. It may be time to consult the trusty old Farmers’ Almanac.
In Wisconsin, the number of bookings at the Alliant Energy Center of Dane County in Madison has increased to around 12 to 15 per year. However, “we’re not sure if attendance at existing events will be up or down,” says Assistant Manager of Sales and Marketing Ted Ballweg.
Even if the federal government makes cutbacks in overall agricultural subsidies, the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association doesn’t think there will be a decline in its participation, says Executive Director John Umhoefer, who books the Alliant Energy Center. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Crop Management Conference had more registrants in January but fewer exhibitors than last year, Ballweg says.
Overland Park anticipates about the same $1.3 million return in 2009 from agricultural events as it had last year.
Despite the nation’s economic problems, “this seems to be a market that is holding steady,” observes Amy Garton, interactive marketing manager at the Overland Park CVB.
“National agricultural expos are looking to be underwritten by the state or the facility. It is certainly possible that budgets could impact these shows in the near future,” says Andy Klotz, spokesman for the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. “The exception to this may be our many horse shows, which are just looking for quality places to accommodate them.”
More associations are reducing overhead expenses by combining meetings.
“The Michigan Vegetable Council and the Michigan State Horticultural Society formed a new organization in 2001 to create the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo,” says Korn at the Grand Rapids/Kent County CVB. “Both groups are still independent, but they share the proceeds.”
The consolidation has “actually been a positive thing for us,” as one event has become twice the draw for exhibitors, she adds.
When the Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association relocated in 2005 to Grand Rapids for more space, the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation and the Arboriculture Society of Michigan joined forces for a Great Lakes Trade Expo.
“Meeting planners are being asked to do more with less now,” explains Gemberling at the Springfield CVB. “Some conventions are larger. Some are smaller. If anything, we see this as an opportunity for the future.”
Sustainable Trends
From organic vegetable gardens to hormone-free livestock farms, there’s a cornucopia of issues on the table at agricultural meetings now.
“In general, producing food locally seems to be what’s on everybody’s mind,” says Visit Milwaukee’s Lafferty.
That means a growing emphasis on sustainable agriculture, sometimes even in urban or suburban settings, which may rely on solar or wind energy or bio-fuels. The American Coalition for Ethanol will gather about 1,200 of its members in Milwaukee this August.
“The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education conference in the upper Midwest had its largest ever attendance this year,” says Sean McGovern, specialist for Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Outreach. “Most of these don’t have a lot of heavy equipment or animals, but more printed materials.”
“More than ever, these organizations want to use the local ag product,” he says. “For caterers, it’s not too early to be thinking about menus about six months in advance, along with ordering, billing, delivery and insurance.”
More agricultural meetings are also centered on innovation. For example, the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association is “into alternative energy and efficiency, technology to reduce labor costs and increasing production yield,” says Executive Director John Umhoefer.
“We are seeing more agricultural meetings wanting to interact with in-state companies,” says Gahl at the Indianapolis CVA. “It’s not only for business development, but also idea exchanges.”
Indoors or Out?
Since ranchers and farmers like to get their hands dirty, it might seem logical that they would prefer outdoor venues. In reality, however, “where to hold the event depends on the time of year,” Gemberling says.
“During the warmer late spring to early fall months, the 366-acre Illinois State Fairgrounds, is booked nearly every weekend with equine, cattle, sheep and swine shows, and more in 29 major buildings, and there could still be ag-related meetings at the Prairie Capital Convention Center,” she says.
“In the winter, fewer activities take place at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the 66,000-square foot Prairie Capital Convention Center becomes a more likely option,” she adds.
During the off-season, many companies do seminars and training, while associations have trade shows.
“We work closely with our planners to determine the best locations for hosting their meetings,” Gemberling says. “Our service manager also maintains an extensive database and makes referrals to contractors based on their needs.”
Kansas City is where several national agricultural organizations are based, including the Dairy Farmers of America, National Agri-Marketing Association and the International Association of Operative Millers.
Most of them gather in Kansas City at least once a year. So they are familiar with the $276 million Sprint Center, which premiered in October 2008, and the latest $150 expansion and renovation of the Kansas City Convention Center.
“The Dairy Farmers will also ask for their products to be served at breaks and meals,” says Denise DeJulio of the Kansas City CVA. “Most of Kansas City’s venues accommodate those requests, but they have guidelines.”
Big Operations
As it says in the nursery rhyme “The Farmer In the Dell,” a barnyard has to expand with each animal that comes through the gate. At convention centers that also goes for the livestock and large machinery that are often part of agricultural trade shows.
“You can bring it into the building if you can move it on the highway,” says Visit Milwaukee’s Lafferty about the Midwest Airlines Center. “We have had very large road construction and military defense equipment in the past, but most things can drive in now.”
Arenas may need weight to be evenly distributed, but tractors don’t “present the same challenges as some factory machinery we’ve had on our surface, which is rated at 350 pounds per square foot live load,” Lafferty says. “That’s more capacity than Interstate bridges.”
World Dairy Expo has a major show ring, so it leases the elevated 10,000-seat Coliseum for its attendees in Madison. And the cattle must be housed in nine barns, along with one 600-foot-by-100-foot tent.
Even cheese is made in vats that require about a day and a half to set up at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.
“We also have higher power needs of up to 440 volts, compressed air, and maybe water and drainage,” says Umhoefer of the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association.
“Ag-related meetings really follow the same patterns as other conventions,” observes Gemberling at the Springfield CVB. “You are just dealing with more specialized vendors” who may need stalls, bedding, feed and manure removal.
“Livestock shows need a certain kind of dirt based on whether they have, such as horses, cattle, etc.,” notes DeJulio at the Kansas City CVA. “That means lot of clean up, and also more move-out, move-in time for the building. For gardening, we would normally just put plastic down over carpeting.”
When there is a menagerie, it’s not unlike the “Tripoli Shrine Circus for us, which has elephants, ponies and big cats in the U.S. Cellular Arena,” Lafferty says. “We would give rigorous attention to sanitation, good ventilation and full compliance with the health department.”
Alliant Energy Center understands the necessity for expanded hours, so it has staging on weekdays because some trucks can’t deliver on Saturdays and Sundays.
“We have special ramps for loading and unloading, and we know that care of the livestock takes 24 hours per day,” Ballweg says.
