Organizers of Ag Expo in Lethbridge are using a new venue for the first time this year, for what they hope will be a banner year for the show.
The Agri-Food Hub and Trade centre is a 268,000 square foot facility that opened its doors this summer, replacing three outdated pavilions at the Exhibition Park on the east side of the city.
“This year, we expect to see a full house, as we have a sold-out show and a brand-new venue,” wrote show manager Peri Price in the annual show guide.
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She noted farmers in the region are coming off a year of extremes that saw drought, softball-sized hail and extremes of heat and cold.
“But we were blessed with good weather through harvest, and across the Prairies, for the most part, yields were better than expected.”
Mike Warkentin, then-CEO of Lethbridge and District Exhibition, told this summer that the new facility would aid Ag Expo’s efforts, giving it a new base from which to grow.
One highlight of the facility is its 104,000 square feet of exhibition space, which Warkentin said will be a perfect fit for Ag Expo.
“It’s specifically capable of holding any element of agricultural equipment that is transportable on a provincial highway today,” he said. “You’ll really see an impact (of that) on our existing signature events and how we grow those.”
Speaking of Ag Expo, Warkentin said the sheer size of the exhibition area will make the event more competitive with other popular western Canadian farm shows such as Canadian Western Agribition, Canada’s Farm Show (both held in Regina) and Red Deer’s Agritrade Equipment Expo.
“It provides us an opportunity to greatly expand the demographics coming to the show just because the centre is so much larger.”
The hub also has 13,000 square feet of convention space, 5,000 square feet divided into four meeting suites, and several banquet halls.
“We created some gala space which didn’t exist in our urban park before, very specifically to elevate event experience and our hosting opportunity here in southern Alberta,” Warkentin said earlier this year.
Price said Ag Expo looks forward to hosting farmers at the event.
“The City of Lethbridge and the Province of Alberta are pleased to welcome farmers from across the Prairies, and we are also expecting visitors from around the globe as we celebrate the business of agriculture,” she wrote.
