Bringing Boots Back to Ground

 

Farmfair International, positions itself as Canada’s richest cattle show. Being the largest cattle exhibition in Alberta, it attracts local and international guests to Edmonton where they show and sell top-quality livestock, make important connections, share knowledge, and pay tribute to the industry. As with all events, its success lies in three key factors: registration, attendance, and participation.

 

Challenge

Farmfair International offers plenty of business opportunities on top of a great spectacle for general consumers. Yet, the show had a stigma that it is exclusive to farmers and industry insiders, and is potentially difficult for others to access and navigate.

Objective

Spread the message beyond those who are involved in cattle production and distribution. Showcase Farmfair International as an engaging, educational, and entertaining event for consumers as well.

THE PLAN

Digital Media

To build awareness for the event, we implemented an integrated public relations and media strategy using the following key messages:

  • The 2022 edition of Farmfair International returns to the Edmonton EXPO Centre and will be open to exhibitors throughout September and to visitors between October 1st and November 12th.
  • The main event takes place between November 9th and 12th and promises $310,000 worth of prizes.
  • Every fall, farmers, ranchers and beef producers leave the farm and make the journey to Edmonton for Farmfair International.
  • From genetics and livestock, to the latest in equipment and technology, Farmfair International has been one of Canada’s top agricultural shows for more than 45 years.
  • Farmfair International is a place for connection, commerce, celebration, and community for the livestock and agriculture industry in Alberta.
  • Farmfair International is the largest purebred beef show in Alberta.

With the goal of exceeding last year’s 178 registrations, we locked onto our target, promoting the show in key markets including Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and Leduc.

Pubic Relations

Alongside our digital media tactics, our PR initiatives resulted in strong uptake from major networks – CBC, Global, and CTV – and key agricultural and local/rural community newspapers.

The PR campaign successfully ran with these proactive approaches:

  1. Before the event, our PR team distributed a news release announcing the event to all media outlets (ag/major/local) and coordinated interviews with Leah Jones, Director of Farmfair International. A Media Advisory was sent as both an event reminder and to encourage registration for media accreditation.
  2. The WS Public Relations Director provided onsite support during the entire event. Highlights included coordinating media and cultivating interviews with exhibitors and key spokespersons, including with Global Television and five onsite radio spotlights with CFCW.
  3. During and after the event, we wrote and distributed a series of press releases, including a first-day report that summarized the exhibitors’ on-site successes and announced the Farm Family awards.
  4. After the event, we issued the Back to Business final release, which also announced the Supreme results.

Campaign Results

Both registrations and attendance for Farmfair International exceeded expectations with 267 farm registrations (+50% from 2021) and 1,501 animal registrations (+67% from 2021). More than 5,000 people attended the exhibition over the duration of the show, with 90% of them coming from outside the Edmonton area.

We served 3.4M digital media impressions (including Facebook and Google Search) with a combined click-through rate of 1.15% (industry average currently below 0.24%).

Other campaign performance insights include:

  • Over 3M people saw the digital billboards over two months
  • 306 spots on various radio stations ensuring multiple touchpoints to our audiences
  • B2B Google Search impressions of 596,702, with 4,908 clicks (0.82% CTR)
  • B2C Google Search impressions of 828,216 with 11,835 clicks (1.43% CTR).
Back to work