The panel on Booking Agency, Show Producer or Independent Talent Buyer: Tell Me There’s a Difference includes Tim Stevens, G.L. Berg Entertainment as moderator; R.J. Romeo, Romeo Entertainment Group; Joan Saltel, Buddy Lee Attractions; Mark Sparks, Triangle Talent; and Renee Alexander, Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul. (VT Photo)
REPORTING FROM SAN DIEGO — State and county fairs are a business of diverse relationships and partnerships and navigating those nuances was the overall topic of the Mid-West Fairs Association conference here Feb. 26-28.
Attended by 90 invited members and guests, discussion kicked off with a primer on dealing with fair boards conducted by Steve Chambers, executive director, Western Fairs Association, and proceeded through booking talent and working with carnival partners.
Between sessions, updates were abundant. For instance:
• MontanaFair, Billings, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
• The North Dakota State Fair, Minot, benefits from very generous
funding of premium monies from the legislature.
• The New Mexico State Fair, Albuquerque, spent $1.8 million on a new grand entrance, new ticket boxes, a new office and landscaping and parking lot improvements.
• Butler Amusements plays 125 dates, including 37 fairs that are new to the route.
• The Sun Dome at the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima now benefits from $100,000 in state funding to cover losses. The fair operates on a $6-million budget, of which $2 million is for the arena.
ON FAIR BOARDS AND CARNIVAL RIDES
A competent CEO and fair boards that take care of that asset are key to the success of a fair, Chambers said. Input needs to be positive, not ‘no, no, bad dog’ oriented, he said.
In today’s environment, a good fair board and training on how to work with fair boards goes a long way, because “next year, more than half of our CEOs will have 3.5 years or less of fair experience,” Chambers said.
Michael Wood represented the Outdoor Amusement Business Association. Born into the carnival business, Wood is the newly-elected chairman of OABA, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
OABA was founded by carnival owners who needed to unite to keep the business and industry of carnivals financially sound.
“We are all partners,” Wood said of fairs and carnivals. Together they must address the issues of animal rights and foreign workers. “Fifty years ago, we were formed because we wouldn’t join the union,” Wood said of the teamsters attempts to unionize traveling carnivals. “Now, the unions don’t want foreign labor on our shows.”
The fight against PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) attempts to ban exotic animals from fairs and zoos is another issue at the forefront, Wood said. OABA is producing white papers and action plans on dealing with animal activists.
Efficiency is another issue in which fairs and carnivals can work together. “Our industry suffers from too many hours and too many available seats,” Wood said. He understands that the carnival is part of a bigger picture, but urged open and honest dialog on what hours it makes sense to open the carnival. “There is no one right way, but there is a correct answer for each situation,” he added, noting closing on Mondays and even Tuesdays at some fairs has eased the problem.
ON TALENT BUYERS AND BOOKING AGENTS
Fairs deal with talent that has unique needs, like robots and exotic animals, noted Mark Sparks, Triangle Talent. “The challenges are changing all the time.”
And so is the competition. Fairs are up against the growth of music festivals which are pushing the guarantees for major talent up, noted Joan Saltel, Buddy Lee Attractions.
Renee Alexander, Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul, recommended developing a good relationship with responsible agents for acts you want to book. R.J. Romeo, Romeo Entertainment Group, added managers to that list. “Sometimes, when you are at an impasse, they can give you the full story.”
Fairs don’t have the best reputation with production people, Romeo added, citing substandard production capabilities such as dressing rooms, catering, stagehands and interminable meet and greets. Alexander fights that perception daily and positions Minnesota as “a venue that happens to be on a fairgrounds” with production and catering capabilities that rival arenas and amphitheaters.
Fairs also need to emphasize the diversity of the audience acts can reach, usually three generations of family members, Saltel said. And, as to contract riders for talent, fair management should remember acts are on the road and don’t want the same food served every day, which is why many will have menus for each day. “Food is very important to people on the road,” Saltel said.
Sparks encouraged fairs to consider more of that type of talent unique to fairs and Romeo suggested diversity, noting the Colorado State Fair, Pueblo, has had geat success with comedy. “Find acts under the radar,” he said.
Alexander follows careers of acts in her market. “New artists need fairs,” Saltel said of the long-believed mantra. “Smaller fairs are depending on variety acts again,” she added. Demolition derbies and thrill shows are a fair-only staple of local entertainment.
Alexander said Minnesota booked early, sold early this year, with two sold-out shows by December for the Labor Day fair. Sparks recommended planning two years out. “I have contracts through 2019 right now,” he said, though big acts won’t do that.
“Every year, it starts sooner and sooner,” Romeo said, partially because festivals are booking next year at this year’s event. It is a “festival economy,” he added of the price wars. Everyone predicted that bubble will burst.
Interviewed for this story: Steve Chambers, (916) 927-3100; Mark Sparks, (502) 267-5466; Joan Saltel, (615) 244-4336; Renee Alexander, (651) 288-4400; R.J. Romeo, (402) 359-1010