First-Time IAFE Convention attendee. To Go, Or Not To Go….
that is the question… by Jay Spicer, Fair Manager, Martin County Fair, Stuart FL.
Hmmm. Here is the conversation I’ve had in my head
the last 3 years… IAFE Convention coming up. Geez. It costs a lot to go…
with airfare, hotel and the conference itself. And meals out, fuhgeddaboudit. And ugh, it’s right after Thanksgiving. And there are fairs from all over the country that I proba- bly don’t have anything in common with. And most likely, there will be entertainers from, like, California that won’t come all the way over here to play my fair in Florida. So……… Oh, and besides, I already go to the annual Flori- da Federation of Fairs Convention. What could I possibly learn that I can’t already find here. And gee-wilikers, our fair board will never approve this expense. Whew! That’s a ton of excuses. Been there, done that.
The big “however” is….. I “NEED” to go. YOU need to go too. We ALL need to go. For the benefit of your fair, and your personal growth in this industry. My dad taught me a couple key life points… “Anything worth doing, you need to do it well”, And “If it were easy, everybody’d be doing it.” Personally, I want to be one of the best Fair Managers in the business. Knowledge is power, and that leads to suc- cessful careers and events. I need to do everything I can to get it right because a lot of people out there are count- ing on a terrific fair! For you upcoming first-timers, once you get past the ex-
cuses for not going and absorb the glitz and glamour of Vegas, and now San Antonio, get to the good stuff… Learning. Settle into your hotel room and head immediate- ly to the bar area. Not to get hammered, but to start net- working! You will easily find familiar faces from the Florida Convention. And you‘ll be surprised to see many entertain- ers that are already playing your fairs. They probably will buy you a drink. Catch up with old acquaintances and get introduced to new folks that work in fairs in other states. Don’t worry, they won’t bite. There are ample opportuni- ties to meet like-minded folks throughout the convention. It took only about 20 minutes to pick up my first great idea from a lady from Iowa who shared a simple trick to get more Quilters involved in my fair. Networking is key. Beginning at 8am the first day, I knew this is worth the
price of admission. Right out of the gate into the first class on Event Management. Perfect timing! There are several other courses from the Institute of Fair Management that are exclusively presented at the conventions (you won’t get them at our Florida Conventions). As a side note, I en- courage you all to enroll in the IAFE Institute. It’s fabu- lous! And you WILL need it to be successful in this busi- ness. So, the courses are great. The instructors are indus- try professionals in the topic they are teaching, not just other fair folks. And it’s like being in your college math class, with 60-80 others in the same class. In there you will
32
discover that many other fairs from around the coun- try, large and small, have the same challenges you do on many issues. While talking to a fair in Maryland, I found out that political correctness has run amuck, and now they will no longer be able to have any exotic animals at their event. No camel rides, no bears, no alligators etc. Are you kidding me?!!! So, keep watch on your area on that kind of stuff, but an issue that I probably wouldn’t have heard about had I not been there. The IAFE Conven- tion provides a great opportunity to have an open flow and exchange of ideas. Try to sit next to people you don’t know, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Network. The “Ed Shed” is where you will find hundreds of great ideas from all these fairs that you might try at your event. It’s similar to the FFF Great Idea contest except it takes up an entire room! and includes everything from Advertisements to AG activities. BONUS! you will receive a thumb drive with all of the exhibits on it so you don’t have to write it all down! And there are a multitude of different roundtable discussions to join into. Getting to know people from fairs in other states can provide resources to you. During your days at convention, you will get to hear
some amazing inspirational speakers. People who have conquered adversity, people who have achieved, and peo- ple who can help you build a better mouse trap. It helps keep your motivation up. Shut out all your outside distrac- tions and immerse yourself in the learning. Remember to network before and after the meeting. There is ample downtime to explore the city. Leave time
to enjoy what the area has to offer. Then stop by one of the many parties hosted by NICA members, OABA, or oth- er entertainers. Great chance to network. Take copious notes, collect those information slicks, and use the infor- mation you get. Don’t look at the convention as a vacation, look at it as the chance to be all you can be.
Ya’ll have a Fair Day.
Suzanne Holcomb, Hillsborough County Fair, received the Errol McKoy Scholarship to the IAFE Institute of Fair Manage- ment.
FAIRCRACKER-SPRING 2018
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
