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Erie County Fair ranks as 10th largest

by jmaloni

Submitted

Mon, Jan 5th 2015 04:25 pm

Third-largest county fair in North America

Wins 10 first-place awards in international competition

A ranking of top fairs and exhibitions has named the Erie County Fair the 10th largest fair in North America in 2014. CarnivalWarehouse.com publishes the ranking of fairs, based on attendance, annually. The list includes all county and state fairs, exhibitions, livestock and rodeo shows in the U.S. and Canada.

"This historic ranking is something that the entire Buffalo-Niagara region can take pride in accomplishing," said Jessica Underberg, assistant fair manager. "When looking at the ranking, you need to consider that the Erie County Fair outdraws most of the state fairs in the United States."

In August, the Erie County Fair celebrated its 175th fair and experienced a record-setting number of visitors. Attendance of 1,220,101 broke the previous record set in 2013 by 5 percent.

Tenth place is the best North American ranking received by the Erie County Fair in the modern era of fair tabulations. The 2014 Erie County Fair was highlighted by the opening of the Agriculture Discovery Center, a 1,400-foot skywalk by Nik Wallenda, an opening-day performance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the celebration of a 90-year partnership with the James E. Strates Shows midway.

 

In addition, the International Association of Fairs and Expositions recently announced the Erie County Fair the winner of 31 awards. The Erie County Fair competed in a divisional class that consisted of fairs with attendance of over 1 million, which puts the Erie County Fair in the same class as many of the largest state fairs.

The Erie County Fair won in the following categories:

AGRICULTURAL AWARDS

1st Place - What was newly established or developed at your fair to promote agriculture

1st Place - Fair and Sponsor/Partner Joint Exhibit Program

1st Place - Printed Material

1st Place - Video of a Special or Unique Event for Exhibitors or the Fairgoing Public

1st Place - Agriculture Photo

2nd Place - Special or Specific Event for Agricultural Exhibitors

2nd Place - Special or Specific Agricultural Educational Event, Exhibit or Program for the Fairgoing Public

2nd Place - Program Designed to Correct an Issue or Problem Related/Competitive or Non-Competitive Ag Program

3rd Place - Consumer Awareness in the Agricultural Environment

3rd Place - Agriculture Photo Series - Five photos of exhibitor with his prize-winning cow

HALL OF HONOR COMMUNICATIONS AWARDS

1st Place - Unique Advertising Specialties/Merchandise/Souvenirs

1st Place - Web Advertising

1st Place - Overall Mobile Campaign

1st Place - Mobile App

2nd Place - Overall Social Media Campaign

2nd Place - Misc. Marketing/Promotional Display or Piece

3rd Place - Best Marketing Campaign

3rd Place - Promotional Advertising - Outdoor

3rd Place - Television

3rd Place - Promotional Poster

3rd Place - Printed Promotional Materials

3rd Place - Commemorative Poster

3rd Place - Promotional Event

COMPETITIVE EXHIBITS AWARDS

1st Place - Competitive exhibits display photo (tied)

2nd Place - General display photo

2nd Place - Display method or prop

2nd Place - New or unique division

2nd Place - Create it on the spot

2nd Place - Participatory contest

3rd Place - Unique contest

3rd Place - General display series

The awards were presented at the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas held in early December. More than 2,000 fairs, festivals, expositions and suppliers in the U.S. and internationally are members of IAFE.

The basic purpose of the Erie County Agricultural Society, sponsor of the Erie County Fair, is to preserve and enhance, by educational endeavors, the agricultural and historical legacy of New York. The fair strives to fulfill appropriate aspects of the agricultural, educational, entertainment and recreational needs of all that visit the fair.

In 2015, the 176th Erie County Fair will take place Aug. 12-23.

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