Weber County
Friends of the Fairgrounds Advisory Board Meeting
Thursday, December 19th, 2024
Golden Spike Event Center Conference Room
Members Present: Naomi Brower, Tiffany Christiansen, Susan Clontz, Tom Close, Lee Dickemore, Korry Green, Sharlan Holmes
Staff Present: Duncan Olsen, Jim Harvey, Ashton Wilson, Gabby Eisenbarth, Marty Smith, Todd Ferrario, Duane Kearsley, Emily Scoville
Welcome:
Chair Connie Robinson opened the meeting and welcomed board members; the meeting came to order at 12:38 pm.
Approval of Minutes:
Connie Robinson motioned to approve the minutes from the September 19, 2024, Meeting. So moved. The motion carried.
Weber County Report & Welcome: (Commissioner Harvey)
Commissioner Harvey informed everyone that the final budget has been adopted. Parks and Rec as well as the library are now in control of their own balances. The Commissioners believe this creates both trust and accountability. Commissioner Harvey added that Weber County has elected to allow Ogden Valley to become its own city. He noted that this change will require Ogden Valley to take over everything on their own, including managing their own planning. He went on to note that there have been no changes to the transportation plan. Susan Clontz asked if Ogden Valley will still be participating in the Weber County Fair in 2025. Commissioner Harvey responded saying 'yes they will' and noted that the new city will not take effect until 2026.
Golden Spike Event Center Report: (Duncan Olsen)
Duncan began by thanking everyone that supported another successful year at the Golden Spike Event Center. He added that November and December were a little slower than usual, which was both a negative in terms of revenue and a positive for the time it allowed the staff to spend time with family around the holidays. He noted that the way Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays fell on the calendar this year affected events during these months. Stephanie Solomon then introduced herself. She is new to Visit Ogden and has moved over from the High Country Inn. Duncan commended Stephanie on doing such a great job in her role at the hotel and believes her experience will bring good perspective to Visit Ogden.
Weber County Fair Report: (Ashton Wilson)
Ashton handed out Weber County Fair Evaluations for 2024. She noted a few changes being made, as a result of the feedback provided, including moving the kids activity zone to a more accessible location and updating the website to ensure the premium book is more visible. She added that the petting zoo will not be coming back, instead she has extended the footprint for Cowtown and extended their contract over the next 3 years. Other new additions will be stilt walkers, dino encounters and more crowd gathering activities. Duncan has been working on getting a concert on the schedule in 2025 as well. Ashton let everyone know more about dino encounters, such as the fact that they have small rides, take almost 20,000 sq ft and educational activities. She noted that she is applying for a RAMP Grant to help with the cost of Dino Encounters. Ashton noted that sponsorship revenue was up this year and gave thanks to Gabby Eisenbarth for her efforts. She also noted that a last-minute push in the sponsorship revenue was due to the Korean company who added sponsorship for the derby. Ashton went on to say that one big sponsorship was lost due to their own budget cuts, which was Ford. She asked everyone who has connections with dealerships to help regain a similar sponsorship for the Fair. Ashton discussed the fact that advertising was a big challenge this year, due to losing the contracted advertising company over half way through the planning process. In response to this she decided to keep everything in house for 2025. This will save both time and money and allow more control of the creative process. She added that the team is way ahead of the game in terms of advertising for the 2025 Fair. Ashton noted that attendance numbers were down this year, possibly due to weather and advertising issues. Vendor numbers were also down but correlated with a decrease in attendance. Ashton let everyone know that Ducan and Marty had attended the IFE Convention in Phoenix this year and came back with some valuable feedback, such as doing a 'human slot machine' as a publicity attraction for giveaways and the value in utilizing people's phones as a kiosk to save time and labor cost. Ashton mentioned that she would also like to offer guests incentives to purchase tickets in advance, to save time and labor costs, as well as add to the guest experience. Ashton mentioned that they may be adding a roaming fortune teller called Zultar.
Committee Discussion: (Commissioner Harvey)
Ashton Wilson let everyone know that Bulls Wars is coming up on New Years Eve and that the 2025 meeting dates are included on the handout at everyone's seat.
Discussion/Action Items: (Commissioner Harvey)
No action items to report.
Old Business/New Business: (Commissioner Harvey)
Nothing to report.
Adjourn:
The meeting concluded at 1:08pm. Commissioner Harvey Motioned. So moved. The motion carried.
Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations (including auxiliary communicative aids and services) during this meeting should notify the Weber County Fair Office at 801-399-8268 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting