Fall Festivals Kick In, Summer Fairs End
After jaunts around the State Fair circuit close out before school starts, no time is lost for fall show and event schedules. Harvests of various sorts center shows from mega-shows to beginning of the "pumpkin rush". School starting in August has cramped time lines for fair traditions. Family attendance is required to make these settings a financial success. Audience pull defines events as "local-county-state-national-international" venues. Old models for these are changing from product showcase centered events to outdoor entertainment. Reason? We think the Internet has a lot to do with it. As various societies spend more time online, little rises to "newsworthy" that would pull someone off the ergonomic computer chair into a madhouse scramble for parking and long walks of shows, whatever the type. Organizers are trying to hybridize their events to keep them alive, but traffic is hard to come by. One major organizer said their efforta no longer try to pull numbers, but high-value cores of specific market demographics for "industry sectors" and products and services surrounding them. This is leading to more "showcase" type events. We created this website for primarily "rural" audiences who had limited access to major shows and events. That still has traction, but covering the sliced up market is more a challenge. We are refining what we cover, and working on new channels to feed you a direct sampling of specific shows you may be interested in. We will be bringing you some new venues in 2011, while visiting some of the larger show traditions. We look forward to having you join us for our new tour, and providing info you need to plan your own visits.

(Robert Miller, Executive Editor)