With its wealth of farms and fairgrounds just outside most metro centers, the Midwest is fertile ground for agricultural meetings and related events—everything from farm equipment exhibitions to cattle shows and horse competitions.
Not surprisingly, agriculture is an important target market for Midwestern cities, particularly those that are home base for ag-related companies. Here’s a look at what some of them are doing to strengthen their position in the market.
Indianapolis
Toward the end of last year, the Indianapolis CVA revamped its sales focus to hone in on three vertical markets: life sciences, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. As the home base for such ag industry giants as Dow AgroSciences, the bureau knew the market was big.
"Ag is a good-size market for us and it is growing," says Michelle Travis, vice president of sales for the Indianapolis CVA. "The National Future Farmers of America is based in Indianapolis and they have their annual meeting here every year. It brings in 55,000 attendees, $40 million in direct spending and 50,000 room nights for an eight-night meeting."
The city has also brought in meetings from the likes of the American Rabbit Breeders, American Farm Bureau, Caterpillar and Land ’O Lakes. Next year, John Deere will make an appearance.
Travis says the city is attractive to agricultural groups for a number of reasons.
"This is the heartland, and from an attendance standpoint we are in the best place to attract attendees," she says. "We also have great facilities like Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center."
Just north of downtown is the Indiana State Fairgrounds, another popular place for agricultural events.
"We have 15 different facilities at the fairgrounds, including a 69,000-square-foot pavilion and a 171,000-square-foot pavilion," Travis says.
While other sectors of the meetings market (such as corporate) have been hurt by the economic downturn, Indianapolis hasn’t seen any impact on agricultural meetings.
"From an attendance standpoint, we haven’t seen a drop-off," Travis reports. "I don’t think the segment has been negatively affected."
Springfield, Ill.
Located in the center of one of the most farm-rich states in the nation, it is no surprise that Springfield is an agricultural meetings capital.
"Agriculture is the number one industry in the state of Illinois," says Leah Guffey, sales manager for the Springfield CVB. "We are located right in the middle of the Midwest. It is easy for farmers to pull their tractors here."
In addition to the Prairie Capital Convention Center, agricultural-related groups like to convene at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
"We have 366 acres and a variety of buildings," says Kristi Jones, bureau chief, business services for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. "We do a lot of livestock shows. We have a grand stand, multi-purpose arena and a large range of facilities. We can fit almost any event out here."
Guffey says agricultural groups are different than traditional meeting groups.
"Most ag events are not necessarily a typical convention that you would find within four walls of a hotel," she says. "Their needs are quite different. They range from needing space at the fairgrounds to needing space at hotels.
"Sometimes we need to make adjustments, such as setting a room to a certain temperature for a meat processing meeting or making sure there are enough pens for a hog and cattle show. We really try to think about what is going to best suit our customer’s needs."
The length of agricultural meetings and events ranges from three days to as much as 10 days, Guffey says, adding that extra services are often requested.
"A lot of attendees use these events as their vacations," she says. "They are going to spend a lot of time here and sometimes want to know where things like laundromats and grocery stores are."
For those staying a while, Springfield offers a variety of agricultural-related attractions.
"The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is a great place to go and it is highlighting agriculture in Illinois," Guffey says. "The Illinois State Museum is another good attraction. They have a listening tour where you can learn about farms and the history of agriculture in the area."
Madison, Wis.
Just 80 miles east of Milwaukee, Madison, Wis., is another major player in the agriculture market. Site of the yearly World Dairy Expo, the city offers facilities such as the 164-acre Alliant Energy Center and the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center for visiting groups.
"Eight percent of the CVB’s total market segment is agriculture," says Kristi Thering-Tuschen, director of sales for the Greater Madison CVB. "It is a big market. From 2005 to 2009, we had a total attendance of 138,585 people, 40,415 room nights and direct spending of $17 million."
The city gives off an urban vibe, but is very user-friendly for groups, according to Thering-Tuschen.
"We have a big-city feel, but if you go just 10 minutes outside of the city, you are in an agricultural setting," she says. "We also have great access to our destination."
Groups like to visit the University of Wisconsin as well as the city’s popular farmers market, which runs every Saturday from April to November.
Draws also include the city’s variety of restaurants, many of which are dedicated to serving local fare.
"Our restaurants follow the farm-to-table philosophy," Thering-Tuschen says, adding that popular spots for visiting groups include Harvest Restaurant and Restaurant Magnus.
Like Indianapolis, Madison sees no slowing in the agricultural market.
"The agriculture industry is really strong," Thering-Tuschen says. "They are still booking, not having attrition issues and not having numbers drop off. There is even a waiting list for exhibitors at the World Dairy Expo."
Minneapolis
Well-connected facilities and attractive prices are just two reasons why Minneapolis is a player in the agricultural meetings market.
"We have major educational facilities based here and several big corporations based here," says Scott Romane, vice president, destination sales for Meet Minneapolis. "Agriculture is definitely a draw and a big part of our market share.
"Annually, we host the Minnesota Pork Producers and the Minnesota Crop Production Retailers Association. Later this year we are bringing in the American Rabbit Breeders."
The Minneapolis Convention Center as well as the Minnesota State Fairgrounds are popular facilities for the agriculture market, as are downtown hotels.
"Agriculture groups are looking for a safe destination, one that is easy to get around," Romane says. "Our skyways connect our convention center to downtown hotels and we even have a free shuttle that runs up and down Nicollet Mall.
"Also, being in the second-tier price set, we have a variety of different hotels in the area that offer a variety of different price points."
Romane says the city offers a number of tour options for visiting groups.
"Groups can visit the fairgrounds, University of Minnesota and Mill City Museum, which strictly focuses on Minneapolis as a flour milling center," he says. "Groups can have functions at the museum, too.
"They can also visit the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, which is the trading floor for the grain commodity business in Minneapolis," he continues. "General Mills is also headquartered here and will often offer tours of test kitchens."
Grand Island, Neb.
Located in the south-central region of Nebraska, the 45,000-population town of Grand Island is about to expand by leaps and bounds.
"After spending 107 years in Lincoln, the Nebraska State Fair is moving to Grand Island this August," says Renee Seifert, executive director of the Grand Island/Hall County CVB. "We have several buildings in construction for the state fair. Several of them will be the largest of their kind when they are completed this summer. Each building will be set up with concrete floors, climate control and all of the latest technology."
Included in the new construction is the Cattle Sheep Arena Building. According to Seifert, the venue will offer a 109,000-square-foot cattle section, an 88,000-square-foot sheep section and a 58,000-square-foot arena connecting the two buildings. Also on the books is the construction of a 100,000-square-foot exhibition building.
When the state fair isn’t going on, Grand Island is going to be one of the hottest spots in the Midwest for visiting agriculture groups, Seifert predicts.
"We are anticipating that it is going to be a great deal of our market share in the future," Seifert says.
Even without the fair, Grand Island has long played host to agriculture meetings. For more 30 years, the city has hosted Husker Harvest Days, a three–day event every September during which farmers and ranchers try out new equipment on fertile land.
"Over 600 exhibitors come in for that event and it draws over 200,000 people," Seifert says, who adds that the community also welcomes smaller groups.
"We are still considered a rural part of the state and we are centrally located to all areas of the U.S.," she says. "We are very affordable and have lots of attractions that are appealing to farmers and ranchers."
Plant tours are some of the city’s main attractions for agriculture groups. The city is home to several major manufacturers that offer tours. Some include Case IH/NewHolland; Chief Industries; Hornady Manufacturing Company; MFS/YORK/STORMOR; and Pioneer Hi-Bred International.
Kansas City, Mo.
Agriculture is big business in the Kansas City area, according to Denise DeJulio, executive director of convention sales for the Kansas City CVA.
"In 2007, it accounted for one in every six jobs," she says.
Due to the high concentration of agriculture-related business, DeJulio says it is one of the city’s most important markets.
"It is an extremely strong market for us," she says. "It goes back to our early years and the cattle yards that were in Kansas City. Over the years, it has diversified into other areas. Now you get into sustainable energy issues and farm-to-table and animal health. We get quite a few veterinarian conventions."
The city’s location in relation to educational facilities is also a bonus.
"We are located between two land grant colleges: Kansas State University and the University of Missouri, which means a lot," DeJulio says. "That is helpful in landing a lot of conferences. We are a nice midway point between the two colleges."
In addition to nearby universities, Kansas City is also home to agricultural-related corporations.
"De Laval [a milk production company] is here," she says. "We also have a regional USDA office here as well as the Bayer: Animal Health Division."
Agriculture-friendly facilities and attractions are one in the same in Kansas City. One of the most popular is the National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame and American Royal Complex, site of an annual horse and livestock show and barbecue cook-off, which has arenas and a variety of meeting spaces available during off-show times.
Katie Morell, a former Meetings Media editor, is a freelance writer based in Chicago.
