FLORIDA FAIR NEWS
Get out and visit our Fairs in Florida – it’s a great way to get new ideas and meet new Fair folks!”
I am still what one might consider to be a newcomer to the Fair
industry. I worked security at the Florida Strawberry Festival, Flor- ida State Fair and Hillsborough County Fair for over 30 years but am only in my sixth year of management at the Florida Strawberry Festival. Needless to say, I have learned a great deal in the last six years, and part of that education has come by learning from those who are the best in the industry. During the past two years I have been very purposeful in travel-
ling to nine separate Fairs throughout the state and have thor- oughly enjoyed each visit. I have found that some of the best edu- cational experiences come from these very visits where I am able to personally speak to each Fair’s management team, tour their grounds and observe their visitors. I have gained invaluable knowledge from Fair managers whom I admire and respect and cannot recommend enough that we take the time to visit each others’ events and take advantage of the bounty of knowledge we have available to us in our fellow members. Upon returning from other Fairs, I have amended several of the Florida Strawberry Festival’s policies and have found that being present at a Fair while it is actually taking place provides more opportunities for “real world” experience as opposed to learning solely in classroom
environments. While my management abilities have
benefitted greatly from these visits, I must also say that I come away from each of them with a heart full of pride. I see how genuinely concerned other Fair management teams are about the direc- tion of our industry and how hard they are working to ensure its future success. What a joy it is to see fellow profession- als who are passionate about our industry. What we in the Fair industry are working to preserve is a slice of
Americana, and I can’t think of a better way to make that happen than by joining forces, attending each others’ Fairs and learning from each others’ successes and setbacks. I would like to thank all of the Fairs I have visited for showing me
the graciousness, hospitality and Southern charm that set our Fairs apart from even the largest Fairs in the country. I would also like to thank Mrs. Lisa Hinton for her advice to visit other Fairs and for her constant encouragement in my years here at the Florida Strawberry Festival. I would lastly like to thank Ms. Ellany John- son for her support and for helping make my time at the Festival so much fun. I look forward to trying to visit all of the Fairs in our state in the
coming years and hope that I can one day say I have experienced each and every one. Paul Davis
Call Now (877) 875-9699
www.bananaderby.com bookings@bananaderby.com
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