I wanted to take a moment to report on our results and observations at he Home and Garden Expo at the Lake County Fairgrounds this past weekend.
While turnout was not outstanding, this year”s quality of attendees from my perspective may have been the best ever. I think this is our sixth year at least.
While we may have had no more than 70 people or groups stop by the booth for 30 or more seconds, we gained a total of 13 high-quality leads from the event. The lack of a large crowd worked to our advantage as we were able to meet and develop each conversation without people lining up, which meant we were able to focus on the person or group at hand and not have to bounce around. For us, this year was a significant success.
That being said, it would have been nice to see more vendors at the event. While economics no doubt kept many vendors away because they couldn”t afford being there, another factor is that it could be that the event lacks sufficient “pizzaz” and a “same-old, same-old” effect. It”s not exciting, there is not enough variety. For some, it”s “been there, done that.”
This year I noted that Saturday had a car show next to the Expo. Saturday the attendance seemed much better, as did the overall energy level. Sunday there was no car show and the attendance dropped off noticeably as did the energy of the crowd. I would suggest you consider to revamp the event, transform it into a bigger, broader and more entertaining celebration of Lake County”s business community.
Bring back the car show, but have it both days. Have a band or bands playing at the outside stage.
Combine it with a jobs fair and reach out to the schools and employment agencies. Offer incentives for past vendors to bring in additional vendors. Come up with a theme and encourage vendors to play along. Incorporate a fundraising aspect for schools, parks or some other community need. Bring in a few inflatable jumpers for youth to enjoy.
Have a contest that requires participants to visit several booths to learn about what they offer in way of products, services and employment opportunities. Charge an extra $30 per booth to have a vendor party at the end of each day. Get the wineries to sponsor them. In other words, turn it into a festive community event that celebrates our people, our businesses and our history.
These events are hotbeds of economic stimulus. Every year they create a shot in the arm for our local business community. Why not leverage this into a significant must-do event? Partner with other groups and watch it grow.
Thank you for your efforts at putting this together. We look forward to doing it again next year.
Phil Smoley
CPS Country Air Properties
