The Expo Hall was themed 'Las Vegas' with multiple Cirque-style shows daily.
With the exception of two mornings of rain, the weather for this year’s South Florida Fair, held Jan. 16-Feb.1, was ideal. With temperatures typical of South Florida in January—ranging from daytime highs in the 70s to evening temperatures in the 50s—fairgoers had ample opportunity to enjoy the fair’s many sights, sounds and food.
“Fairs, no matter their location, face the same challenges—weather is always a concern and, depending on your market, you can always be challenged by competition for the disposable income that your local audience has,” said Rick Vymlatil, president and CEO of the South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions. “This year we stepped out of our local marketplace and spent marketing dollars in Broward County, which includes the Fort Lauderdale market, and the result was positive. We will definitely do so again next year.”
Vymlatil explained that from a general viewpoint, the South Florida Fair is the first major fair of the calendar year and therefore they know that what happens in their locale is being watched by the industry.
“If we have a successful fair we know that bodes well for our concessionaires, ride owners and exhibitors, as they move on to Tampa, Plant City, Orlando and Miami Dade County, among others,” Vymlatil said.
Expanding their marketing efforts and enjoyable weather had an impact on this year’s fair attendance, which resulted in 558,675 attendees. This was an increase of 8,502 attendees over 2014 totals.
New events also played a role in increased attendance, including an evening “Fair Crawl” hosted with young professionals organizations.
“We provided free admission to the groups and had them visit different locations on the fairgrounds,” Vymlatil said. “They visited five stops where they were asked questions about the fair and its activities. After visiting the stops, they all met at our reception hall where they were treated to refreshments and the most knowledgeable group was given a prize.”
The fair also hosted a reception for law enforcement professionals and invited area Kiwanis and Rotary groups to a reception as well.
The 2015 gross sales from admissions to the fair were $2,812,226. While all fair concerts are free with general fair admission, the South Florida Fair does offer a limited number of reserved seats at a cost of $10, as a convenience to some of its customers.
South Florida Fair's midway was provided by Wade Shows.
Frank Zaitshik’s Wade Shows provided the carnival and reported gross ride admissions earned $4,628,039. The food and beverage gross revenue was $4,794,613. Parking is free, except for a small preferred parking lot at a cost of $10 on weekdays and $20 on weekends. Revenue from preferred parking was $134,290.
This year the fair received $902,418 in total sponsorships, which included $829,000 in cash and $73,418 in trade. The total entertainment budget was $800,000, which included national acts, production and grounds entertainment.
Fair organizers continued to incorporate “tried and true” entertainment strategies to entice fairgoers to attend.
“Our fair traditionally books some young, up-and-coming country artists, one or two classic rock acts, one or two traditional country acts, contemporary Christian acts, alternative groups, and perhaps something different that may generate some interest across all genres,” said Vicki Chouris, fair vice president and chief operating officer.
The theme for the exposition hall for the 2015 fair was “Las Vegas.” Three extremely popular exhibits included the Cirque Show, which took place from the ceiling of the Exposition five times daily, the Bellagio Fountain show and the amazing sand sculpture that was brought to life by high-tech video mapping.
“This year, in conjunction with our Las Vegas theme, the act was an Elvis impersonator competition featuring some Elvis acts from around the country and locally,” Chouris said. Competitors were judged and the winner appeared in the competition finals at the Florida State Fair in Tampa following the South Florida Fair.
National acts booked this year included Leroy VanDyke’s Country Gold Tour, Hinder, Foghat, Hawk Nelson, Sanctus Real, Josh Thompson, Puddle of Mudd and Dan + Shay.
Grounds acts and other free entertainment included Dennis Lee, The Bengal Tiger Encounter, Oscar The Robot, Show Me Safari Petting Zoo, Ham Bone Express Racing Pigs, Dale K Hypnotist, LED Robots and the Las Vegas on Ice show, produced by Rosstyn Productions.
Next year’s South Florida Fair, which runs from Jan.15-31, will have an Exposition theme of “Discover the Palm Beaches.”
“We will showcase all there is to see and do right in our own backyard,” Chouris said.
Interviewed for this article: Rick Vymlatil, (561) 790-5207 and Vicki Chouris, (561) 790-5207