Canadian Western Agribition’s 50th show is happening early next week at Regina, Sask., and after having to go virtual, the show is set for a return to in-person entertainment, shows, and business deals.
Chris Lane, CEO of Agribition, joined Shaun Haney on RealAg Radio Tuesday to talk about meeting in person, purebred cattle, and all the other great events happening at the trade show.
“Agribition’s just like any other event getting turned back on here in the fall,” says Lane. “We hope it’s on the tail-end of COVID and there’s challenges with it, but there’s also a ton of excitement around it.”
Lane says that not only are exhibitors and vendors genuinely excited to get back to a show, regardless of what the health and safety measures are, but also that he’s not going to take for granted the mental health and community building aspect of a show like Agribition anymore.
Many farmers and ranchers are looking forward to the opportunity to socialize. “Agribition is so unique in that it’s a busy event, but also a social event,” says Lane, which creates a great atmosphere. (Story continues below player)
After postponing the event last year, Lane says that there is probably some pent-up demand for purebred cattle seedstock — 12 national breed shows will be happening at Agribition, which is something that hasn’t happened before.
“We’re probably going to have around 1,200 head of purebred cattle in the barns here at Agribition,” says Lane, which is great considering the drought and pandemic challenges that ranchers have faced this year. Lane also says that about 2,500 animals in total will go through the barns next week.
The auctioneer’s championship will happen a bit differently this year, with in-person and a week-long online version to raise money for STARS Air Ambulance. Other events to look forward to at the event are jousting, a barbecue championship, a hockey rink, and lots of live music.
All shows and most of the sales will also be broadcast live, for those that can’t make it to the show in person.
As CEO of the event, Lane says that this year’s event will meet the expectations of Agribition in years past, yet will be safe.
“Something I’ve learned is events of this magnitude, we really need to be nimble. Running these kind of events off a template from year to year is probably something that we can’t continue to do,” says Lane. “It sparks a lot of creativity out of need, and it sparks a lot of innovation and conversations with people who need these shows to do business.”
Agribition runs November 22 to 27 at Evraz Place at Regina, Sask.
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