The return of Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) was a success, as the show welcomed 85,179 attendees over six days.
CWA’s 50th show kicked off on November 22, with free admission and a free pancake breakfast, courtesy of CN. The show saw record-high conference attendance in both the Grain Expo and Indigenous Agriculture Summit, as well as over 100 inter- national guests from 20 countries, despite travel restrictions. Hundreds of exhibitors and more than 2,000 head of livestock and performance horses called Agribition home for the week.
“It’s incredible to think about the coming together of a community that happened here,” says Chris Lees, CWA president. “Right from the Burning of the Brand through to the Agribition Beef Supreme, seeing the people show up because it is important to them and important to agriculture is something special. The fact that Agribition’s 50th could be home to that is something we’ll always be proud of.”
CWA’s online presence also continues to grow. Over the course of the week, more than 3,700 people live-streamed CWA’s livestock shows and sales and Agribition’s virtual video content was viewed more than 31,000 times. CWA expanded its virtual education program and introduced live Q&A sessions, with 2,500 students tuning in.
“There is a different story to tell this year, but a successful one nonetheless,” says CWA CEO Chris Lane. “Registrations for our Grain Expo and Indigenous Agriculture Summit were record-setting, merchandise sales were three times higher than normal, and our rodeo ticket sales didn’t miss a beat, including a complete sell-out on Saturday night.”
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CWA also raised a record-setting amount for charities at the show, including more than $20,000 for the CWA Scholarship Fund through the raffle of a 1971 GMC pickup, and an all-time high for STARS.
“What we saw this year was a highly engaged attendee at Agribition. Whether it was exhibitors or visitors, when people came, they really participated in the programs, sales and had a positive attitude around being at the show,” says Lane.
Financial statements and full show statistics will be available at CWA’s annual general meeting in April 2022. Show dates for the 51st edition of Agribition are November 28 to December 3, 2022. A reminder as well that the Next Gen Agriculture mentorship program is accepting applications until January 10. For more information, visit agribition.com.
