Pokémon invades California State Fair, Sacramento.
The event industry is an ever-evolving world, and the ability to adapt quickly to emerging trends and markets cannot be overrated. The team at Cal Expo worked to do just that at this year’s California State Fair in Sacramento, July 8-24, themed "Best 17 Days of Summer."
Riding the wave of the overnight phenomenon Pokémon GO, which only launched July 6, state fair leadership identified guests’ interest in various ‘PokéStops’ located around the fairgrounds during the fair’s opening week. After familiarizing themselves with the app, the state fair declared July 18 to be “PokéMonday” at the fair. “PokéMonday contributed to a 40 percent increase in attendance compared to the same Monday in 2015,” said Rick Pickering, CEO of the California State Fair. “Choosing to host the event on what is traditionally the slowest day of the fair, we played on Pokémon’s name to capitalize on guest interest. It’s important to pay attention to trends, technology and social media. PokéMonday brought those three together.” The fair-hosted Pokémon card tournament proved to be a favorite among ‘Pokémon trainers.’
In addition to providing guests with maps to known locations of various Pokémon throughout the grounds, fair staff walked the grounds activating “lures” designed to increase the likelihood of Pokémon appearing for guests to capture. These activations were announced across the state fair’s social media platforms, notifying guests when and where they were to occur. This level of niche guest attention helped the California State Fair become the most ‘liked’ fair in the western United States with 184,355 likes, in addition to their 9,613 Twitter and 7,046 Instagram followers, according to the fair’s press release.
Connecting technology and agriculture, the fair hosted the Apps for Ag Hackathon finals in conjunction with the University of California July 17. Per the Apps for Ag website, their stated purpose is “to bring together the seemingly disparate worlds of software development and commercial farming into a collaborative event.” The top prize of $7,500, startup incorporating legal services, and membership to the AgStart Incubator was awarded to GivingGardens for their hyperlocal produce sharing app. This was the first time the fair hosted the event.
“Apps for Ag and last year’s first inaugural U.S. Drone Racing Championship work to showcase the use of technology in agriculture,” declared Pickering, referring to the now popularized sporting event, whose second championship is set to take place Aug. 5-7 at Governors Island New York City. Since drones have been used in recent years to monitor crop growth and health, hosting the championship last year proved a fun tie-in between agriculture and technology, according to Pickering.
A popular year-round agriculture showcase at the fair is the State Fair Farm, which Pickering said has been emulated by other fairs throughout California. This year’s fair saw an expanded farm program, including a drought-resistant garden hosted by California’s Department of Water Resources and a greenhouse featuring vertical farming. A recently added State Fair Chef has helped demonstrate the relationship of farm to fork, which Pickering sees as fitting, claiming the fair’s host-city, Sacramento, is the “farm to fork capital of America.”
“A key purpose of fairs is to build and celebrate community,” said Pickering. Hosting nearly 675,000 guests over the fair’s 17-day run, the event saw a 7 percent increase in advance admission sales, 21 percent increase in competitive entries, and an 11 percent increase in craft beer entries. Partly due to “recent tragedies around the country and the world, along with the impacts of triple digit temperatures on key days," total attendance dropped 14 percent from last year’s record of 787,833, and food and beverage gross sales was down 3 percent from the previous year’s record $9.6 million, bringing in $9.4 million according to the fair’s press release.
Industry leader and Western Fairs Association (WFA) Executive Director Stephen Chambers also noticed the impact temperature played on opening and closing weekend crowds for the state fair. “We usually have people parking in our lot and walking to the fair on weekends because it’s so busy,” Chambers commented. “This year, there were only cars on the middle weekend. It was just too hot.”
In the face of decreased attendance and a shortened 10-day meet (from last year’s 11), the fair reported a one percent increase for horse racing with $2,025,857 in Total On Track Wagers. Pickering attributes some of this success to the fair’s focus on introducing the younger generation to the sport. “Much like conducting the Best of California Brewfest next to the track, this year’s inaugural California State Fair Cornhole Championship was designed to attract an audience of young adults and expose them to the excitement of thoroughbred horse racing.” This year’s Brewfest saw a 31 percent increase in attendance over last year, totaling 2,015 guests.
Another event of note at the Miller Lite Racetrack Grandstand was the WFA’s annual State Fair Day July 21. WFA serves over 800 members across the western United States and Canada, including the California State Fair. Chambers said the event brings together fairs from all over the Western United States, with around 400 people in attendance. “WFA has a long history with the California State Fair; it’s our home fair,” Chambers noted, adding that WFA was the first fair association to have a building and has always remained within five blocks of the California State Fair, including following the fair during its 1968 relocation. “It’s a great fair to show others in the industry what’s working, represents fairs throughout the state, and is an excellent location to meet [WFA] members and [state] legislators.”
One of the most impressive occurrences Chambers noted at this year’s state fair was the quick setup achieved by carnival provider Butler Amusements. “They had a show ending July 4th and only had three days to get ready,” Chambers remarked. “I’ve been driving past the state fair every day as it sets up for 35 years, and this year I drove by it on Wednesday and thought, ‘They’re not going to make it.’ But Friday morning, it was ready. Butler did an amazing job getting the carnival up in time.” Chambers was so impressed by Butler’s performance that for the catering and concessions company Spectra-hosted WFA dinner at the state fair, he forewent wearing a WFA shirt, choosing instead to proudly don a Butler Amusements polo.
Butler Amusements installed a $1.1 million Sky Ride this year, transporting 52,997 fairgoers from the main entrance to the Giant Wheel in the carnival and back again, with a one-way trip clocking in at three-and-a-half minutes. One-way tickets were $5, and All-Day passes were $7. Across their 70 carnival rides at this year’s state fair, Butler generated $4,696,400 in revenue; a slight dip of $32,307 from last year’s record according to the fair’s press release. Butler continued to offer wristbands every day of the fair: $30 on weekdays, $35 on weekends.
Interviewed for this story: Rick Pickering, (916) 263-3247; Stephen Chambers, (916) 927-3100