Agribition postpones 50th anniversary show

For the first time in Canadian Western Agribition history, organizers will not hold an in-person event this year

Canadian Western Agribition staff were gearing up to host their 50th show in Regina this fall but, due to continued uncertainties with COVID-19, they decided to postpone the event.

“It's a hard decision. It was definitely a situation where the best decision is the most difficult one. So, we struggled with that,” said Chris Lane, CEO of Agribition. “Agribition is a large-scale event with over 100,000 people. To be able to (run it) responsibly and safely for the health of everybody who comes through the doors – (postponing) became really the best decision that we could make.”

In the 49-year history of Agribition, organizers have never postponed it. Staff recognize the place the show holds in everyone’s calendars, but they didn’t want to host a smaller in-person show, said Lane.

“The decision was if we run a version of Agribition that is only 10 or 20 per cent of what we could do, or if it is it better for everybody connected to Agribition to wait and run one at full capacity?” Land told Farms.com.

The Agribition staff will plan some programs and options for exhibitors in place of the in-person event in November, said Lane.

“The idea isn't to turn out the lights on Agribition and just come back in 2021,” he said. “We're going to spend the summer … talking to exhibitors and seeing what they might find useful. We're committed to any kind of new programming that we can do that helps the industry.”

Agribition will still have a 50th show, but it will now occur in 2021, said Lane.

“If there's a silver lining to this, it's that it gives us more time to make an even bigger and better 50th show in 2021,” he said.

Photo credit: Canadian Western Agribition