How to Entice People to the County Fair
County fairs are popular annual attractions originally established to allow crafters to sell goods and farmers to auction animals. Fairs have come a long way since the York Fair in York, Pennsylvania -- the oldest fair which began in 1765 and now includes a a rodeo, live entertainment, beauty pageants and carnival rides.
County fairs can offer attractions for the entire family, but exhibit planners may find difficulty in profiting from ticket sales unless close attention is paid to certain steps leading up to the event, such as advertising, marketing and vendor booking.
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Instructions
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Set up a website. Annual fairs such as the one held in L.A. County --- which is the largest in North America --- begin planning a year in advance. News related to this event is shared with the public months ahead of time through a creatively designed website. Visitors can find dates and concert schedules, and sponsors and vendor lists are updated on a regular basis. It's a good idea to offer a sign up box on the site where fairgoers can enter their contact information and email address in exchange for updated reports and special offers.
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Advertising can help draw big crowds. Advertise. Create appealing flyers to post throughout the city and place them inside businesses, college campuses and restaurants as well as outdoors in locations like parking lots. Next, broadcast the upcoming fair on a local radio station by placing a commercial ad with the sales department. Be sure to include the exciting exhibits, live entertainment and trendy vendors in the content. Finally, advertise by posting an ad in a local newspaper. Since the newspaper is likely to be in the same county as the fair, you could ask them if they would like to be an event sponsor in exchange for printing a complimentary announcement.
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Offer an eye-catching carnival. County fairs are known for Ferris wheels and bumper cars, so an advertisement for these thrilling rides is sure to grab the attention of young visitors and kids at heart. North American Midway Entertainment is the world's largest traveling outdoor amusement park, and their carnival set-ups include a variety of outdoor fun including games, rides and food.
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Advertise trendy entertainers. Invite popular entertainers. Many county fairs, like the South Florida Fair, offer exciting concerts with performers and live music groups ranging from Jarrod Niemann to The Band Perry. Hosting trendy artists and advertising them in your marketing material is sure to increase the number of people attending.
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Price the booth fees so they are appealing to vendors, which will assist in spreading the word. Every county fair has a list of vendors that make up part of the attraction. These vendors offer a variety of goods to events, such as the Texas Fair & Rodeo in Austin County, including boutique style clothing, home décor, fair memorabilia and food. Once a seller completes a booth application and pays a fee, they start advertising the upcoming fair to their own customers to increase their level of profit. A rental fee on the lower end would sound more enticing to a new business or small company. News of an upcoming fair would spread wider with more vendors attending.
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Tips & Warnings
Hire a productive team to assist in researching and planning the fair, and set goals for the event outcome at the onset.
Check with your city's safety codes to ensure that your guests, grounds, equipment, and vendors are protected.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit day at the fair image by Iris Schneider from Fotolia.com Advertising panel isolated on a white background image by Alfonso de Tomás from Fotolia.com beautiful musician image by sasha from Fotolia.com
