Has Washington International Lost its Shine?, continued...
the experience feel dull and frustrating, and I believe adding non-competition demonstra- tions or events could significantly improve the atmosphere and engagement.” Another person said, “I would like to see a
broader spectrum of demos and disciplines rep- resented, like the old days.” More survey participants also knew about Kids’
Day this year over 2023. However there are still 70% who did not know WIHS offered a Kids’ Day.
Food & Shopping Our survey participants still feel that both the
food and shopping venders need improvement. Te vendor rating was about the same this year compared to 2023 while more people felt the food options needed improvement this year over 2023. Some write in comments about vendors in-
cluded: • “We were only there Monday and Tuesday and most vendors that had slots inside the are- na were not set up yet.” • “A lot of high-end clothing vendors, seemed out of place.” • “We did not use the food vendors but I was happy to see that there were food trucks as two years ago only one food vendor was there and the line was all around the walkway.” • “Food options were definitely better than pre- vious years but the price point is still too high.”
Digital Program Since shifting to PGEC, the WIHS orga-
nizers have moved the show’s program to on- line only. Our survey shows that most people (75.8%) still do not know there is a digital program. Tis response went up by 20% over 2023. While no survey participants selected “needs improvement” in relation to the digital program, fewer people this year selected “just
right” or “exceeded expectations.” Tis year we dug into the digital program in
more detail asking what elements and pages peo- ple enjoyed the most. Below are the most popular program sections according to our survey. • 1st
- Schedule (10.3%) • Tied for 2nd - Welcome Letters, Complete
Class Lists, “A Piece of US Equestrian Olym- pic History” feature (7.7%)
Website & Socials New this year, we added questions to our sur-
vey related to WIHS’s website and social media platforms. Most survey participants feel WIHS’s web-
site is “just right” (64.3%) while 21.4% feel the website “needs improvement” and 3.6% stated the website “exceeded expectations.” Some write in comments included: “I wish
there had been a list of vendors on the website” and “Ensure relevant information is up two months prior to event.” Te top most helpful pages on the WIHS
website according to our survey were as follows: • 1st
– Event Information (46.2%) • Tied for 2nd – Exhibitors, News & Results,
WIHS Photo Gallery (23.1%) • 3rd
– About WIHS (20.5%) More survey participants were impressed
by WIHS’s social presence than their website. Te majority (60.7%) felt WIHS’s socials were “just right” while 17.9% felt socials “exceeded expectations.” Only 17.9% felt socials “needed improvement.” Below are how WIHS’s social platforms are
ranked based on survey participant usage: • Facebook (71.8%) • Instagram (46.2%) • X (7.7%) • TikTok (7.7%) • YouTube (2.6%)
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One person wrote in, “Tey do a great job with engaging content.”
WIHS 2025 & Parting Words Te majority (56.8%) of survey participants
said they plan to attend the 2025 WIHS while 29.7% said they might attend but have not de- cided yet. Only 13.5% stated they do not want to attend WIHS in 2025. Here are some of the responses as to why or
why not people will attend WIHS in 2025: • “Had fun. Looking forward to next year.” • “Love that it was back at PGEC. Nice facil- ity that is actually near Washington. My only qualms are that the evening tickets seemed quite expensive and the night class ran way too late.” • “Unless the show returns to DC, I refuse to attend WIHS in 2025 at PGEC. Te facility is not sufficient for world-class competition.” • “Despite the recent disappointments, I’ll still plan to attend WIHS next year because it’s al- ways a fun experience to share with friends. Te tradition and camaraderie make it worth going, and I’m hopeful that future events will bring back some of the excitement we all miss.” • “Client driven. We have qualified horses ev- ery year, but especially now that it’s at PGEC instead of downtown, it’s just another very ex- pensive horse show.” • “Please bring back the silent auction, vendors with moderate price points, and more food op- tions. A USEF or USHJA discount on ticket prices would be nice. I think the show runs too late too.” • “Please move the show back to downtown DC. Tis is what set the show apart from all other shows and made it so magical.” • “Favorite show in the USA!” • “WIHS is a great show, and they are doing an excellent job adjusting to the new location and providing new options.”
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