Swift Current Ag & Ex reports a solid profit from successful 2019
The Swift Current Agricultural and Exhibition Association (Ag & Ex) had a successful year in 2019 with a significant overall profit of $107,732 from all activities and events.
The non-profit organization’s annual meeting took place at Kinetic Exhibition Park, March 3. Board members presented committee reports and spoke about the different activities hosted during the past year.
Poor weather had an impact on several events during the year, but it did not influence the financial bottom line.
“In terms of finances, we’ve had a good year,” Finance Chair Stan Aikens said after the meeting. “Our entertainment package was excellent and excellent attendance, our costs were kept in line, and with that we were able to make a good profit.”
The grandstand entertainment package for Frontier Days, which featured the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Colter Wall, was a significant part of the organization’s financial success last year, despite the fact that the concert had to be moved to the Innovation Credit Union iPlex due to poor weather.
“We had a marked improvement in revenues from our grandstand entertainment package,” he said.
“In 2019 we realized a profit from these shows amounting to $101,731, a substantial improvement over the losses incurred over the past few years.”
The final day of the CCA Rodeo at Frontier Days was cancelled due to weather. The Ranchman’s Ridin’ and Recitin’ in the fall was also affected by poor weather, including snow, but overall the different events during the year went well.
“The attendance, even though we had somewhat miserable weather, was about average and we managed to keep the expenses down with the volunteers and the community support,” he said. “There’s a lot of support that we got from a lot of businesses in town. We appreciate all those supporters and their contributions. In some cases it was financial support, others were in kind, that definitely helps us to put on the events that we do.”
He noted the Ag & Ex considered themselves very fortunate to have received the ongoing support of the community in 2019 during a very busy year of major events in the city, including the Western Canada Summer Games.
“That all required somebody to be there sponsoring and in some ways you think there’s only so many sponsorship dollars out there and if some of these other events are taking away you would think our sponsorship or our support would go down,” he said. “Fortunately, ours hasn’t. We worked hard at cultivating that. One thing that I believe certainly helps us is every year we have a volunteer supper and appreciation. It costs us a few dollars and time to set up, but we want to thank our community and the people that come and volunteer and help us out, sponsors and just volunteers.”
An important benefit of a profitable year is that it provides the Ag & Ex with some additional freedom to plan events and to explore doing some other things.
For example, this year’s activities at Frontier Days will include a robotics and technology showcase.
“We want to get youth engaged, because that’s our future,” he said. “Of course, we do that with the livestock area. We’ve got 4-H and the Junior Stockman’s event, and we’re always talking and looking at maybe we can put on something else that the youth will come to.”
Overall net revenues from events were $281,055 in 2019, which was a substantial improvement over the previous few years. The commercial exhibits at Frontier Days and the Step into Spring Home and Leisure Trade Show were quite profitable, contributing $67,231 to overall profits.
The Step into Spring Home and Leisure Trade Show in March had over 70 exhibitors and there was a waiting list. Attendance at this event was 3,400 in 2019, which was similar to the threeyear average.
The Discover the Farm event, which included a poultry and exotic animal sale expo on the Saturday, attracted over 1,700 people. Educational presentations about safety and agriculture to school groups attracted 300 students and 23 teachers.
Frontier Days continued to be the major event hosted by the Ag
& Ex in 2019, and there were over 22,000 visitors. This was an average attendance level for this event.
The midway provided steady revenues with a profit of $81,414.
The Frontier Days saloon income was down over $7,000 from the previous year, which was largely due to the relocation of the Friday night concert to the iPlex.
The 4-H steer show at Frontier Days was a huge success with record breaking sales.
The grand champion steer of Tyson Buist from the Wymark 4-H Club sold for $2.70 per pound to Wiwa Creek. The reserve grand champion steer and highest selling steer of Eric Smith from Mankota 4-H Club sold for $6.10 per pound to Standard Motors. The charity steer event was hosted by the Herbert 4-H Club and raised $8,000 for the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation.
The number of visitors to the Doc’s Town historic village continues to grow every year. There was good attendance at the various summer programs.
The centennial celebration of the McLatchie House was a highlight of the season and attracted many visitors, some with a personal connection to the home and its former residents.
Several events at the Ranchman’s Ridin’ and Recitin’ were cancelled due to poor weather, but the cattle pen show continued with 52 exhibitors. The Junior Stockman’s Show at this event also took place with participation from 42 youth and 74 head of cattle. There were participants from across Saskatchewan as well as Alberta, and 700 visitors attended during the weekend.
The Ag & Ex again participated in the hosting of the CCA Finals Rodeo in October 2019 in partnership with the City of Swift Current and the Canadian Cowboys Association. The event attracted over 10,000 visitors to the city and the Ag & Ex had a net income of $25,138.
Aikens provided details about the Ag & Ex budget for 2020 during the annual meeting. Their total income for 2020 is projected to be about $56,000 lower than the actual income in 2019. Total expenses are expected to be nearly $52,000 higher than actual expenses in 2019, which will result in a small profit of $4,420 for 2020.
“We continue to maintain a strong financial position and will endeavour to again provide quality events and educational activities for Swift Current and surrounding areas,” he said. “As in the past, our success remains ingrained in the dedication and strong support we receive from our volunteers, sponsors and staff, who are committed to supporting our local community. As noted in the past, we would be challenged to maintain our current level of events and entertainment without the support and the ongoing cooperation of the City of Swift Current.”