Mark Sparks is the Vice President of Triangle Talent. Mark and I looked back on the creation of Conjurer Fortune Machine in Triangle Talent’s trade show booth in 2011. Mark shares his thoughts on entertainment booking moving forward in the pandemic, plus, how are entertainers responding to cancellations? All that and more.

Today’s guest is an expert on timing, having been named CEO of his fair in the middle of a pandemic. He’s got a great story to tell. From the Northwest Washington Fair, this is Chris Pickering.

Kady Porterfield is one of the youngest fair managers in our industry. Her first job in the industry at 21 years old was Agriculture Director for the Central Washington State Fair in Washington. She’s now the director of the Kittitas Valley Event Center in Washington. We talk about her challenges as a young fair manager as well as how she and her team managed the Covid19 pandemic in 2020.

John Sykes is the president and CEO of the East Texas State Fair in Tyler, TX. Their annual fair runs in September where they welcome 100,000 guests through their gates. John and I sat down to talk not only the pandemic but the fun and good times we enjoy so much in our fair industry.

Josh Woods is the executive director of the Greater Gulf State Fair in Mobile, Alabama. We discuss the decision making process he and his young board (all under 40 years old) made in navigating the pandemic and actually hosting the fair in 2020.

Our final episode of season 2 features the CEO of one of the largest county fairs in America. Michele Richards joins us from the OC Fair office in Costa Mesa, CA. We talk the current state of fairs in California, how the OC Fair has supported their community and what the future of her fair looks like.

Guest Info:
OC Fair Website

Andrew Vandepopulier is a producer for Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. We sit down and talk what changes may be in store for event policies in the future, the impact of the pandemic on H&W, plus, Andrew has a new baby. All that and more!

Guest Info:
Haas & Wilkerson Insurance Website

Randall Reichert has 25 years experience in the concessions business. His business, Hot Wisconsin Cheese, has served fair guests across the United States and Canada. We talk today about Covid-19 and the future of his concessions business.

Guest Info:
Hot Wisconsin Cheese on Facebook

Today’s episode takes us north of the border as we welcome Amanda Frigon. Amanda is the fair director for Northlands in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where they produce K-Days every summer. We talk about the challenges her event face and the current state of the pandemic response in Edmonton.

Guest Info:
Northlands Website