MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Tracy Gardner, general manager of Olds Regional Exhibition (ORE), recently updated Mountain View County council on some of the organization’s activities, programs and challenges.
The review came during a recent regularly scheduled council meeting, held by teleconference.
Formerly Olds Agricultural Society, ORE promotes awareness of agriculture's role in the community, hosting events such as youth conferences and professional development.
Gardner spoke about regional leadership, ORE operations, COVID-19 impacts, the state of the exhibition industry, and a proposed agriculture coalition.
Agriculture societies need to continue to evolve moving forward, she said.
“It was really difficult for ag societies that are over a century old to think differently because there are lot of really important traditional operations that happen and some of things we have done for generations and decades have been very important,” said Gardner.
“But we have to, and COVID has nudged us along the way, think differently. The exhibition in Olds really believes that we have the power and ability and resources and expertise to really change the story a little bit with respect to ag societies in our region and how that exceptional leadership can look.”
She talked about operational realities facing ORE, including financial gaps, operational expenses, event and venue competition, and operating at an annual deficit.
“Our operation expenses, as you can imagine, are continued staff reductions, deferred repairs and maintenance, and our insurance premiums are going to go up again,” she said. “And of course, we are always operating at an annual deficit providing our voluntary board of directors with some real challenges.”
Regarding ORE strategic vision, she spoke about operational streamlining, special project discovery, and food and beverage growth.
“We remain very committed to our programming,” she said. “We try to attract new events to the region and continue to do so.”
Important events for the ORE in recent years includes opening the commercial kitchen, hosting the annual Summer Synergy rural youth program, and livestock sales of $6.8 million annually.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, she spoke about operational and programming impacts.
ORE venues were closed from March 16 to Sept. 30, there has been a 90-05 per cent elimination of revenue generation, and there have been staff layoffs.
ORE has $65,000 monthly fixed operating expenses.
“So that was very difficult for the organization with no reserves,” she said.
Regarding the impacts on programming, she said challenges have been created by inconsistent re-launch strategy, summer event cancellations, indoor versus outdoor event confusion, and occupancy inconsistency resulting in loss of client loyalty and trust.
“It has been very difficult for the organization,” she said.
She also spoke about the state of the exhibition industry.
“Prior to COVID our financial circumstance made it feel like we were having a bleed and now with COVID the entire exhibition industry is hemorrhaging, and there has been a real lack of attention from government on what importance we have,” she said.
Council accepted Gardner’s report as information.
