WSFA STATEWIDE SUPER SCHOOL
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Grays Harbor Fairgrounds, Elma, WA
Twin Star Exhibit Hall
8:15 – 8:45 am Registration Coffee, Tea, and Donuts
8:45 am
Welcome and Morning Introductions –Roylene Crawford, CVFM, IFMG, WSFA
President and Kittitas County Fair Board and Mike Bruner Gray Harbor
Fair Manager
Ag Exhibit Convention Contest – Tawnia Linde, CFE, IFMG,
WSFA Vice President and Convention Contest Chair, and Director of
Marketing and Sponsorship, Clark County Fair.
9:00 – 10:00 am Session One
1
Finding Fair Judges, from Recruitment and Training to Retention
Roundtable discussion and resource sharing with Rod Easton, GHC Fair
& Events Supervisor, Tracie Hanson, 4-H Program Coordinator, and
Volunteer Panelists
2 How to Find New Exhibitors and
Keep Them Coming Back. Debbie Crawford – Clark County Fair Canning and
Dehydrating Superintendent
10:10 – 11:00 am Session Two
1
Creative Displays, Jessica McLaughlin, WSFA Director and Fair
Coordinator, Spokane County Interstate Fair and Roylene Crawford, CVFM,
WSFA President and Kittitas County Fair Board A Workshop on creating
exceptional displays.
2 Time with the Washington
State Veterinarian Office, WA Dept Of Ag They will share an update
regarding the State Veterinarian Office Dr. Amber Itle VMD MS
Washington State Veterinarian and/or Dr. Zachary Turner, Field
Veterinarian Vet Region 2
11:10 – 12 noon Session Three
1 Adapting to the changing Landscape of Carnivals at our Fairs, A Panel Discussion
2 Signage:
More is Not Always the Answer. Signage serves many roles at fairs from
wayfinding to education to entertainment. However, what is the right
balance of signage before it becomes clutter and no longer effective?
How can you use signage to engage guests to seek out your activities,
exhibits and create
curiosity about your programs? Let’s dive in
together and discuss examples that have worked and not worked for you.
Andrea Thayer, CFE WSFA Immediate Past President and Chief Experience
Officer WA State Fair
3 Sponsorship Prospecting, benefits and valuation and Fundraising by Departments, How do we find a sponsor for that trophy
or buckle? In this session we will explore how to approach sponsors
with a proposal versus an appeal for a donation. Discover and share the
latest trends in fundraising for your department that work/don’t work
today. Tawnia Linde, CFE, IFMG, WSFA Vice President, and Director of
Marketing and Sponsorship, Clark County Fair. and Roylene Crawford,
CVFM, WSFA President and Kittitas County Fair Board
12 noon Lunch: Networking time
12:45 – 1:15 pm Tour of the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds Hosted by Grays Harbor Fair
1:15 – 2:45 pm Session Four
1
Engaging Our Communities A DEI Series Is your fair welcoming to ALL
guests? - How can you, as a fair manager, staff, board, or volunteer,
ensure you are reaching all audiences that may want to engage with your
fair and events? WSFA embarked on an educational series, Engaging Our
Communities – A DEI Series, with Perez Consulting last October to
develop awareness and
strategies to reach out to diverse communities to create relationships and conversations. WSFA has continued the
conversation with two zoom meeting (in January and February) and will conclude the series with this session (You
did not have to attend any of the prior sessions to attend this
session.) Krista Perez, Perez Consulting Our goal at Perez Consulting is
to prompt you and your fairs into broadening our knowledge of equity
and inclusivity, while also co-creating tools that will allow you to put
it into action. We look forward to seeing you!
3:00 – 4:00 pm Session Five
1 The
Agriculture Feature Exhibit: What you need to know, what’s expected,
and why it' so important. WA State Fair Commission, Fair Commissioners
and Teresa Norman, Interim Fair Program Administrator
4:00 PM Closing Remarks
And last chance for bids on the Silent Auction. Auction will close immediately thereafter!
Program is subject to change.