“The idea was to drive maximum value and wow factor for the dairy producer and family. After all, these are the people helping to feed the nation and they deserve only the best.”
Mention the words "dairy expo" in any Canadian dairy community today and hear firsthand the genuine feedback about the inaugural Canadian Dairy XPO, which was held the first week of February at the Stratford Rotary Complex in Stratford, Ontario.
Crowds of dairy producers and pickup trucks congested the Stratford streets, parked on all roads up to 3 kilometers away. Farmers braved snow banks and slushy sidewalks to grab an early morning buttermilk pancake breakfast.
CDX reports 89 percent of individuals that came through the gate were active dairy producers and 86 percent came with their families. Producers came from afar, with 22 percent traveling more than 150 kilometers to attend. Producer representation reportedly was from six Canadian provinces and 11 countries.
Attending producers came armed with $10 off admission coupons, compliments of exhibiting companies and CDX. They received significant value for the $15 admission.
“Our main marketing thrust was to drive a quality audience to the inaugural CDX,” states Donna Powell, CDX marketing manager. “We reduced the cost of admission for the producers, who are customers of our exhibitors.
"We created personalized admission coupons which our exhibitors distributed via their dairy databases.
"The top three exhibiting companies with the most redeemed coupons are Grand Valley Fortifiers, Ag Sourcing and Progressive Dairyman magazine. These three companies and many others went above and beyond to promote the inaugural CDX."
“These dairy producers finally had a chance to experience what was long overdue for our Canadian dairy industry,” states Underhill.
“Attendance on our first day was 7,900 and the second day was 3,600, representing 11,600 dairy producers and family members. This figure does not include exhibitors, children under 6 or CheeseFEST attendees. That’s a lot of quota passing through in just a 16-hour period”.
The City of Stratford Facility Manager stated that the complex has never seen this volume of vehicles – not even for established national events such as Skate Canada, The Tanker and Microsoft 3.0.
The atmosphere in the BriteSpan Cow Coliseum felt like home to dairy producers. The massive free-span structure was built specifically for companies to showcase their innovation and leading genetics.
Companies such as Drench-mate and Golden Calf Co. traveled across the border to perform live demonstrations with their leading innovations around rumen juice extraction and colostrum management. The four robot powerhouses stayed actively engaged with producers for the duration of CDX.
Opening night in the BriteSpan Cow Coliseum also hosted a complimentary public CheeseFEST event.
Hundreds of platters bearing high quality cheeses from four dairy species – cow, goat, water buffalo and sheep – were available to sample. Celebrity chef Jason Bangerter and chef Lynn Crawford played off each other and performed a cheese-cooking demonstration filled with plenty of comic relief.
A significant fundraising campaign for 4-H youth was conducted throughout the dairy expo, raising more than $10,000.
Perth and Oxford County 4-H kids were a big help in the BMO Homegrown Kitchen, pumping out homemade milkshakes and grill cheese sandwiches.
GenerVations gave away a high genomic testing heifer calf and in addition donated more than $5,000 to the Wellington County Dairy Club.
Click here to read more about the fundraiser.
CDX made a three-year commitment to a dairy youth travel bursary of $2,500 administered though the Stratford Ag Society. The annual winner will get an interactive trip to the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.
Canadian Dairy XPO dates for 2014 are Feb. 5-6. For more information, contact Donna Powell at (226) 381-0282 ext 2. PD
—From CDX news release
PHOTO:
The 300-foot BriteSpan Cow Coliseum was a producer favorite. Photo courtesy of CDX.
