1999 - Operations component of Masterplan report

• Operating principles were recommended; safety, accessibility, comfort (and aesthetics), efficiency (transportation)

• Issues needing immediate solutions were identified; separation of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, admissions modernization, Ag program changeovers

• Operating the Fair Park as a park – greener and softer, sitescape

• Noted that operational efficiency results in a better bottom line forever when it is designed into a site rather than patched on.

2000 - Operations Audit

Following completion of the Masterplan, McClymont (again through Lamont Management) was engaged to do an operational audit of the 2000 Wisconsin State Fair and recommended the following:

• Plan actively. It's better than just reacting to deadlines and events.

• Tighten the site up. It's too porous.

• Make the clock rule. Establish an opening time and stick to it.

• Separate vehicles from pedestrians. Kick the trucks off the site before opening.

• Make 5th St backstage for the Ag program for the run of the Fair.

• Ban golf cart abuse.

• Improve turnstile operation.

• Plan the Ag changeover better.

• Make the Ag changeover safer.

• Maintain value to the Fairgoer through the changeover.

• Clarify management of parking.

• Give Grounds resources to make the Fair a recycling leader.

• Train all Fair staff in customer service.

• Integrate communications net.

• Establish duty shifts for Fair time.

• Debrief fair staff, exhibitors, vendors and sponsors.

The 2000 Fair saw the first use of turnstiles to count admissions. They were not immediately successful due to inadequate equipment and staff resistance, but they wound up being the only way to count the crowd on “Fair Thing To Do Day”, the Fair’s response (recommended by Lamont Management) to the problem created when power failed on the second day of the fair and the site had to be evacuated. There being no way to identify who should be given a “rain check”, the Fair simply invited everyone to come a few days later, thereby establishing a single day attendance record of more than 150,000.

For the next five Fairs, Hamilton McClymont was invited to serve as Planning and Operations Consultant for the Wisconsin State Fair. A year-by-year list of accomplishments, and notes on Fair Park changes that had to be coped with, follows.

2001

• create Fair budget

• begin regular “punch list” planning meetings

• establish Miller Main Stage, Hanneford Circus

• eliminate paid Grandstand shows

• establish Miller Park parking shuttle

• secure 5 th Street as “backstage” area

• set vehicle on-site policy

• create Fair Operations Manual, emergency and issues management plans

• establish Officer of the Day program, daily operations meetings

• Safety and Health officers on site throughout the Fair

• improved Fair orientation for all staff

• demolition – Administration building down for construction of Wisconsin Exposition Center , offices set up in trailers and Grounds building

2002

• Fair budget integrated into overall fiscal year operating budget

• Introduce MaxTix admissions system (through Ty-Tix)

• turnstile counts worked

• Impark engaged to manage and staff parking operation

• new facility – Wisconsin Exposition Center “star of the Fair”

• first Dream Home (in Expo)

• relocations – Miller Main Stage to Ballfield, Camp Ammon to Gate 9, Miller Park parking shuttle to Millennium Gate

• begin to develop the “level playing field” for food & beverage vendors

• third CEO in three Fairs

2003

• fix access; admissions, parking issues by establishing principles and making them work

• improve readiness to open – establish pre-Fair lockdown as “rehearsal”

• company-wide customer service training

• teamwork now working

• new facilities – Horse Barn, Poultry & Rabbit Palace , Grandstand (Mile Marketplace), Fair Market Pavilion

• demolitions- North & South Exhibit Halls, Youth Expo and Family Living

• relocate – Miller Main Stage to new Grandstand

• April Fair Deal half price advance sale

• begin to move Ag and employee parking offsite

• October – Masterplan officially dead

• set contribution to Fair Park overhead target at $4.5 million, achieved $4.8

2004

• invest in new programs to appeal to target demographics
  - Circus Matrix, BMX Show, Family Variety State

• invest in talent for Main Stage and recover cost through selective ticket charges

• demonstrate commitment to Ag and Wisconsin heritage
  - Circus Matrix, Birthing Barn, Ag Oasis, Seimor Bros Circus

• develop promotions programs to drive attendance increase, multiple visits
  - opening dollar day, Dream Home “twicket”

• invest to improve the look of the Fair
  - new signage, planting and sitescape

• Initiate naming rights sponsorships

• new I 94 Sign

• first company-wide Job Fair

• first sale of permanent concession stand

• search for new Executive Director underway

• attendance up 9%

• Fair contribution to Park overhead $4.7 million, nearly ¼ million better than budget

2005

• radio net problems fixed with acquisition of additional channel, reduction in talk groups

• new Guest Services booths

• all Ag parking offsite

• supplier/vendor customer service training

• vendors’ contributing to sitescape with landscaping and seating areas

• Oriental Pavilion becomes Westside Marketplace/World Cafe

• best Ag Changeover, Closing Night operations

• smoothest running Fair in anyone’s memory

• State Fair Park management and staff now one of the best event production and management teams in the business

• focus on recruiting, training and customer service – job fairs, improved in-house training

• set diversity goal
  – make our product, our audience and our workforce look like our community

• strike the right balance between “the Fair shouldn’t change” and “What’s new?”
  – ensure participation

• never overlook our strong core audience

• exceeded budgeted attendance by 10,000 visits

• individual visits up 44,000 (10% increase)

In the course of his work there, McClymont developed a mission statement for the Wisconsin State Fair:

“Every summer, rural and urban Wisconsin citizens come together to participate in, enjoy and celebrate the best that our agriculture, commerce, entertainment and youth have to offer. The Wisconsin State Fair creates memories that transcend generations.”

He also established key operating principles:

Safe, Clean, Fun

These basic operating principles describe our priorities in Fair operations. All Fair staff are given the "safe, clean, fun" drill as part of their initial training. Safety, cleanliness and a positive Fair experience for our guests are the jobs of everyone who works at the Fair.

"Survey says"

We don't guess at what Fairgoers think. We rely on what they tell us through the on-site survey. We use the information to guide our programming and marketing choices.

He established Task Forces to deal with specific issues:

Access

Following the 2002 Fair, we needed to accelerate and clarify access to the site for guests, exhibitors, vendors and staff. The Access task force developed a plan in accordance with three priorities:

• get them in

• count them

• collect our money

In 2003/04 the fibre optic infrastructure was put in place to make the system work. Now, in 2005, admissions issues have virtually disappeared from the "complaint file". Line-up times were reduced to under ten minutes even at the busiest times, counts were timely and cash collection and control were the best they have been to date.

Communications

We needed a primer on communicating to remind people that good communications is not an accident - it is the result of working at it. The Communications task force identified five simple points to ensure good communications internally, with our exhibitors and vendors, and with Fairgoers.

• anticipate impacts of decisions, activities

• improve communication skills (writing, speaking, listening)

• communicate through teamwork, plans and checklists

• ensure information is correct, timely, to the right people and understood

• penetrate the organization more fully

Closing day

Following the 2003 Fair we knew we needed to improve coordination between departments regarding closing the Fair Park on the final day of the Fair. A task force made a plan for 2004 that worked well, and was tweaked in 2005, resulting the Fair Park closing in a timely and orderly way, without incident.

Ag Changeovers

Ag changeovers were identified as a problem (lack of Ag presence on site for the day of changeover) in 2000. Ag Director Brian Bolan put a task force together, including representation from participants, and developed a plan to make changeovers more efficient, while maintaining an animal agriculture presence. The 2005 Fair was the most successful yet in this regard, as evidenced by staff's post Fair analysis and the "complaint file".

Signage

In 2003 we conducted an audit of signage in and around the Park, and established a task force to develop a plan to improve our signage from both an information and an aesthetic viewpoint. The result has been new gate signage, provided by Impark, new internal street signage, and a more consistent approach to temporary event signage within the Park.

The Wisconsin State Fair is now one of the leading state fairs in America . The Fair is managed and run by a dedicated team of managers, supported by keen and successful vendors and exhibitors, and marketed to an audience that loves the Fair.