Markham Fair Case Study
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to tackle the two main problems that plague the fair and develop solutions to increase attendance among consumers in the York region.
Over the years, Markham Fair has captivated the essence of tradition, family and community by celebrating and promoting its agricultural heritage. It successfully became “Canada’s largest 4 day agricultural fair” attracting over 70,000 people in 2012.
Tackling Problems
Although the fair has established exceptional brand recall and has developed goodwill within local communities, there is a struggle in maintaining this in the emerging Markham and Easy York area. This new community group encompasses over 50% of Markham’s population, …show more content…
proving to be a challenge.
This poses as a problem due to two marketing deficiencies:
1. Lack of community awareness and school board participation
2. Inability to accommodate the needs of an emerging demographic.
We plan to tackle these problems by focusing on the promotional aspect of the marketing strategy and how we can enhance or create further promotional campaigns to negate the problems.
Developing Solutions
The report highlights our recommendations that focus promotional efforts on a “Markham Fair Awareness Week” campaign within secondary high schools in the York region. Our goal is to not only educate students but also create a way for them to participate in the fair and receive volunteer hours.
Our second recommendation is to accommodate the needs of the evolving demographic by steering the focus towards inviting vendors who sell different ethnic foods and beverages, small-medium size businesses, and social clubs. This creates an alternative for those who would like to participate in the event but prefer to eat food they are accustomed to. This creates a welcoming environment to people with different ethnic backgrounds. These strategies are executed with the goal of increasing overall attendance for the fair.
Background
Markham Fair is one of Canada’s oldest country fairs, and has been operated by East York Agricultural Society. The annual fair is hosted by Markham Ontario and occurs every year on the weekend before Canadian Thanksgiving.
Attendees & Vendors
Every year the fair has drawn approximately 70,000 attendees and approximately 3,000 exhibitors displaying an array of items which are judged (Peco, 2012).
Volunteers
There are over 800 volunteers who work on multiple committees making the Markham Fair one of the largest community based volunteer organization in Canada (Peco, 2012).
Today’s Community
Today, the Markham Fair continues to create a forum that provides the community with talent and products, through competitive spirit. Along with competitive displays, the Markham community can also enjoy various forms of entertainment such as horse pull, demolition derby, tractor pull, midway rides and farm animals. Typically when the weather is pleasant, the Markham Fair attracts as many as 70,000 attendees, but in recent years the attendance has dropped to as low as 50,000, in 2010 (Peco, 2012).
Problems & Opportunities
The Markham Fair needs to focus on the younger generation and reinforce its relationship with school boards
Accomplishing the milestone of a century since its launch, the Markham Fair has been a pivotal symbol to the city’s history and community. In recent decades, the community of Markham has foregone absolute transformation in its infrastructure and demographic community. The mantra of the Markham Fair is to keep the local civic reminiscent of the times before industrialization where devotion to agriculture, and rural living was the way of life. It is important for the native community of Markham to pride their roots in the very lifestyle and culture that prospered there previous generations. With the inevitable force of societal transition, Markham has become an urban suburb, where farming and countryside is absent of the flourish it once had. The fair is now one of the few remnants the city has to retell the antiquity of its rustic past.
Native citizens moved elsewhere and new residents were welcomed from all over the world. The calling of community that the Markham Fair brought forth is now merely a whisper to its current locals. Responses of unfamiliarity are common to present-day residents and the iconic facet of heritage is losing its significance. It is important for locals to be conscious of the city’s legacy as it is the source of the much fresher air they breathe compared to other cities of the GTA.
The Markham fair is the symbolic opportunity for the community; however, it is now time to revitalize the fair by allowing youth to continue the conservation. The mentality of the youth is far different than what once was, but the goal is to help them understand why the message of the fair is important.
It is absolutely essential that municipal academia play a role in the safeguarding of what the fair represents. With 48 elementary schools and 8 secondary schools, it is critical that each is visited (YRDSB, 2013). With over 50,000 unused admissions with relation to fair capacity, it can be forecasted that the uninformed student populous of Markham can stimulate a higher attendance opportunity to address this issue. The children and adolescence of the community can get their entire family involved contributing to awareness, brand positioning and public relations.
Markham is fading into just another utopian extension of Toronto as time progresses. Now is the time to ensure that sustainability of the fair’s mantra is understood to those who are vital for its future composition. Remaining stationary is not a sustainable strategy when addressing the changing external forces. The younger generation can be the key messenger, promoting the fairs value in each household of Markham and facilitating awareness of this historic event.
The Markham Fair does not properly represent the changing demographic of the Markham/York region.
Statistic Canada states that the population of Markham in 2011 was 301,709, a 15.3% change from 2006 (Stats Canada, 2012) and a population of nearly 1 million in the York region as of 2009 (Peco, 2012). Between 2001 and 2006 the number of visible minorities jumped to 53%. The top five groups were Chinese, South Asian e.g. Indian, West Asian e.g. Iranian, Black and Filipino (York Region, 2008). These statistics clearly indicate that the demographic of Markham and the York region has changed which is not clearly represented in the Markham Fair. Visible minorities may find it difficult to relate to the current perceived image and tradition of the Markham Fair. This image may typically portray, predominantly Caucasian, middle-upper class, agriculturally-active individuals who can be verified when viewing the management team, committee groups and volunteers. Difficulties may arise when attracting ethnic groups when participation among them is scarce; as the old generation of volunteers start to phase out seeking diversity within the fair can be a great opportunity. Another issue that follows diversity is the extent of religious and cultural accommodation. The Markham Fair does not provide services to accommodate the religious or cultural needs of its ethnic community. For example, many individuals within the Muslim community need space for prayer; meanwhile, Jewish persons may require kosher food. The fair has profound knowledge, experience and an established presence within the agricultural community of Markham; why not use this competitive advantage to bind – what was once a community - a largely individualistic region?
Although, it may take months, if not years, to change the fair’s image, certain activities can be done immediately to improve its environment.
One opportunity, lies within vendors operating in the ethnic food and beverage industry. Another opportunity is to develop programs with various churches, clubs and community groups within the York region. This is a fantastic way to spread information within a community about ethnically diverse program opportunities and strengthen its presence, once again.
Instead of attracting individuals, the fair needs to holistically reignite a sense of camaraderie and togetherness to increase attendance. Maintaining the “grass root” tradition and history is important and can still be supported through the emphasis of agriculture. With the old farming generation moving out of the York region, the Markham Fair cannot afford to ignore the significance of its changed demographics. Without a change in its community approach, the fair’s future may slither amidst its competitors.
Recommendation - “Markham Fair Awareness Week”
Our recommendation to solve Markham Fair’s lack of community awareness and low school board participation is to focus on promoting an event in secondary schools around its immediate area. The fair can do this by launching a “Markham Fair Awareness …show more content…
Week”.
The “Markham Fair Awareness Week” campaign.
We believe that in order to create awareness within the community we need to approach the younger generation who have a grave impact on the future of the fair. In order to effectively communicate this to the community, we need to create a campaign which not only raises awareness but also prompts a “call to action”. The operation of the campaign is run by existing volunteers who will be chosen by a committee team. These volunteers visit schools to conduct presentations and encourage students to participate in the event. Moreover, the event will provide students with an opportunity to partake in the fair and receive volunteer hours.
To achieve this, we recommend that the marketing director send a letter to each school asking permission on three aspects. First, permission for a representative of Markham Fair to conduct a presentation in the school assembly hall during the second or third week of September. Second, provide students with the option of participating in the event and potentially using it as a medium for school required volunteer hours. Lastly, asking a teacher or staff member to become an ambassador. The ambassador will act as a representative of the Markham Fair overseeing the student sign-up process. The letter should emphasize Markham Fair’s objective to increase community involvement through agricultural awareness and education. To effectively execute this recommendation, it will be ideal to have existing volunteers from previous Markham Fair events participate, all of whom are passionate about educational opportunities and community building activities at the fair. The duration of their volunteer work will be for two weeks, inclusive of training.
Volunteers/Committees
Volunteers will be provided with necessary materials in order to assist them during their presentation and with fliers to hand out in the school hallways and cafeteria. Schools around Markham will be marked and separated into 10 different segments where a volunteer will be placed in charge of no more than 5 schools. Volunteers are to make rounds in the designated area for one week; conducting presentations, encouraging students to participate in the Markham Fair, hand-out fliers, post posters, and pilot the launch of “Markham Fair Awareness Week”.
During the awareness week, the volunteers will conduct three presentations, each highlighting a different aspect of the Markham Fair. The first presentation will briefly educate students about Markham’s agricultural background and showcase how it’s being implemented during the fair. The second presentation can showcase the activities that will occur during the fair, all of which highlight the food, rides, and shows. At the end of each presentation, volunteers will reveal the opportunity for students to receive volunteer hours by participating in the fair. Students will turn to an ambassador to take part in various programs offered at the fair; each student will be charged a fee of $2 for entrance.
Recommendation - “Bridging the gap” The central focus of this recommendation is to launch a more robust and extensive push strategy in order to bridge the gap between the changing demographics and to increase market penetration of Markham Fair and York region.
The key area of focus is to form strategic partnerships with small-medium size businesses, social clubs, and attract new vendors within the local community. The goal of these partnerships is to raise awareness/attendance within the local community, increase cultural accommodation and renew the grass root movement. It is assumed that the cost to run programs/and execute the below recommendation may be fully or partially covered with the help of volunteers or committees like “Advertising/Promotion/Public Relations”.
Small-Medium Size Business/Corporate Sponsors:
A brief glance at Markham Fair’s History shows that one of the pillars of its success in prior generation was its connection to businesses/organizations within the community. Therefore, we recommend an outreach program geared towards aligning the fair with local businesses and sponsors to promote the fair and build relationships with the developing demographics within the York region. The main goal is to form a bilateral agreement for cross advertising, promotions and branding.
In particular, the fair should be associated with businesses within the food and agriculture-related industries. For example, the fair currently is not endorsed by any grocery stores or food production companies (i.e. Maple Leaf meats). Organization such as these would help educate visitors on “how food is produced and consumed in Canada”. It is essential to connect with businesses that complement the fair’s objectives.
Social clubs As, mentioned earlier one of the key concerns is the changing demographic of the York region population, therefore, it is important to integrate and adapt to this cultural shift without sacrificing the traditions and vision the fair. It is clear that there are social clubs attending the fair, such as, the Lions Club of Markham, however, if increased clubs can instil a sense of camaraderie in relation to the fair. For example, it is reasonable to bring on 10-15 new social clubs on the fairgrounds through host booths, displays and contests, (contest ideas such as “so you think you can cook”) could be a great way to cater to the diverse population made up of young families.
Vendors
This section of the recommendation is in regards to ensuring that the Fair is able to cater to a diverse range of cultures and religious backgrounds. The key focus is to have 20% (approximately 4-5) of the food vendors/concessions stands within the fair provide food that is reflective of the cultural diversity of Markham. Some examples are Chinese food, Halal meat and other dietary accommodations. This bridges the demographic gap in the region and will help make the fair more cultural appealing. Given the current vendor guidelines and rules, this recommendation would not alter or conflict with the fairs mission. It would be a great addition to the midway, which is focused on the entertainment aspect of the Fair. In addition, this change would utilize the current profit structure for all vendors and concession stand.
Financials
Potential Market size of Schools:
(1) High Schools: (Number of High Schools in region =8 schools * Number of targeted students in York Region=1,500) = Potential market size (12,000)
(2) Elementary schools: (Number of Elementary Schools in York Region = 48 schools * Number of targeted elementary students = 800) = Total number of targeted elementary school attendees = 38,400
(3) Total number of total students in York Region = 50,400
Potential Market size Outreach Program:
(1) Small-business/corporate sponsors: (Number of targeted workers in York region= approximately 500,000/Number of business in the York region) = Average of 17 employees per organization.
(2) Social groups: (Target market = 10 clubs * estimated membership = 100 individual per group) = 1000
(3) Example of partnership: Longo’s Grocery
Number of location 2 within Markham * estimated foot traffic in store 1000 shoppers weekly= approximately 4000 shoppers monthly.
It is possible to attract 10% of the entire school market, 20% of membership within social groups (i.e. recreational groups such as sport clubs, youth groups, religious institutions, and community centers) and 2% of the total workforce within the region. It is assumed that our target market will grow relative to the projected group rate in population for the region and that our targets will be met within a 2-3 year time span.
Year one financials: Notes
- Markham Awareness Week will successfully attract and generate admissions from 4% (500 high school students), 0.52% (200 elementary students.)
- The Outreach program is targeted to successfully attract and generate revenue from the following:
1. 30% (300 individuals/families from social clubs)
2. 17% (700 individuals through our business and sponsorship initiative)
3. Revenue from concession stands and displays as listed on the Markham Fair website
- The split between admissions or $2 vs. $15 is not fully accounted for due to issues of complexity
- Administrative cost (include cost to design, organize and develop the two recommended projects).
Timeline
Summary
This report was commissioned by John Peco, general manager of Markham Fair in order to identify two of Markham Fair’s biggest marketing problems and to recommend effective strategies that would increase the number of attendees. The findings indicate that firstly, Markham Fair is slowly losing its brand essence among its community.
Markham has foregone some major transformations in both its infrastructure and demographics; this transformation has brought with it a form of disassociation and loss of interest to what Markham fair used to represent. Secondly, Markham/York’s demographics have seen a lot of changes between the years 2001 to 2006; the number of visible minorities increased by 53% (York Region, 2008). Research has shown that Markham Fair does not properly represent the changing demographic of the Markham/York region. The Fair is associated with predominantly Caucasian and agriculturally active individuals and this is why visible minorities find it challenging to relate to the traditions and overall image of the
fair. It can be concluded that in order to revitalize and resurrect Markham Fair’s brand mantra, staff need to work hand in hand with school boards across the GTA and get youth involved. In order to remedy the second issue facing the fair, it is recommended that Markham Fair engage in an extensive push strategy in order to close the gap between the changing demographics and ultimately to increase the number of attendees that come to the fair each year. The push strategy would mainly consist of forming strategic partnerships with small-medium sized businesses, social clubs, and vendors. By doing so, Markham Fair is able to raise awareness and promote and revitalize the brand. By carefully implementing these recommended strategies and with the help of the 800 volunteers at the fair we believe that the Markham Fair should see an increase in the number of attendees in 2-3 years and most importantly a new sense of community built around agriculture.
Works Cited
Statistics Canada (2012). Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census. Retrieved April, 2013, from:
http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-csd-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CSD&GC=3519036
Peco, J (2012). Draft - Strategic Plan Markham and East York Agricultural Society – Spring 2012
York Region’s Community Social Data Strategy Consortium (2008). Just the Facts about your Community. Retrieved, April 2013, from:
http://www.york.ca/NR/rdonlyres/ise5cejxq5jdzvbrta3l7xh72erp3wplrle2x65elik6ntfojtfhkcsq3mqfz6sropjp5scwzsrzdshsbqfvobsxag/EthnicOriginFactSheet.pdf
York Region District School Board (n.d.). Schools at a Glance. Retrieved, April 2013, from:
http://www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/pdfs/a/cat/edu/SchoolsGlance.pdf
The purpose of this report is to tackle the two main problems that plague the fair and develop solutions to increase attendance among consumers in the York region.
Over the years, Markham Fair has captivated the essence of tradition, family and community by celebrating and promoting its agricultural heritage. It successfully became “Canada’s largest 4 day agricultural fair” attracting over 70,000 people in 2012.
Tackling Problems
Although the fair has established exceptional brand recall and has developed goodwill within local communities, there is a struggle in maintaining this in the emerging Markham and Easy York area. This new community group encompasses over 50% of Markham’s population, …show more content…
proving to be a challenge.
This poses as a problem due to two marketing deficiencies:
1. Lack of community awareness and school board participation
2. Inability to accommodate the needs of an emerging demographic.
We plan to tackle these problems by focusing on the promotional aspect of the marketing strategy and how we can enhance or create further promotional campaigns to negate the problems.
Developing Solutions
The report highlights our recommendations that focus promotional efforts on a “Markham Fair Awareness Week” campaign within secondary high schools in the York region. Our goal is to not only educate students but also create a way for them to participate in the fair and receive volunteer hours.
Our second recommendation is to accommodate the needs of the evolving demographic by steering the focus towards inviting vendors who sell different ethnic foods and beverages, small-medium size businesses, and social clubs. This creates an alternative for those who would like to participate in the event but prefer to eat food they are accustomed to. This creates a welcoming environment to people with different ethnic backgrounds. These strategies are executed with the goal of increasing overall attendance for the fair.
Background
Markham Fair is one of Canada’s oldest country fairs, and has been operated by East York Agricultural Society. The annual fair is hosted by Markham Ontario and occurs every year on the weekend before Canadian Thanksgiving.
Attendees & Vendors
Every year the fair has drawn approximately 70,000 attendees and approximately 3,000 exhibitors displaying an array of items which are judged (Peco, 2012).
Volunteers
There are over 800 volunteers who work on multiple committees making the Markham Fair one of the largest community based volunteer organization in Canada (Peco, 2012).
Today’s Community
Today, the Markham Fair continues to create a forum that provides the community with talent and products, through competitive spirit. Along with competitive displays, the Markham community can also enjoy various forms of entertainment such as horse pull, demolition derby, tractor pull, midway rides and farm animals. Typically when the weather is pleasant, the Markham Fair attracts as many as 70,000 attendees, but in recent years the attendance has dropped to as low as 50,000, in 2010 (Peco, 2012).
Problems & Opportunities
The Markham Fair needs to focus on the younger generation and reinforce its relationship with school boards
Accomplishing the milestone of a century since its launch, the Markham Fair has been a pivotal symbol to the city’s history and community. In recent decades, the community of Markham has foregone absolute transformation in its infrastructure and demographic community. The mantra of the Markham Fair is to keep the local civic reminiscent of the times before industrialization where devotion to agriculture, and rural living was the way of life. It is important for the native community of Markham to pride their roots in the very lifestyle and culture that prospered there previous generations. With the inevitable force of societal transition, Markham has become an urban suburb, where farming and countryside is absent of the flourish it once had. The fair is now one of the few remnants the city has to retell the antiquity of its rustic past.
Native citizens moved elsewhere and new residents were welcomed from all over the world. The calling of community that the Markham Fair brought forth is now merely a whisper to its current locals. Responses of unfamiliarity are common to present-day residents and the iconic facet of heritage is losing its significance. It is important for locals to be conscious of the city’s legacy as it is the source of the much fresher air they breathe compared to other cities of the GTA.
The Markham fair is the symbolic opportunity for the community; however, it is now time to revitalize the fair by allowing youth to continue the conservation. The mentality of the youth is far different than what once was, but the goal is to help them understand why the message of the fair is important.
It is absolutely essential that municipal academia play a role in the safeguarding of what the fair represents. With 48 elementary schools and 8 secondary schools, it is critical that each is visited (YRDSB, 2013). With over 50,000 unused admissions with relation to fair capacity, it can be forecasted that the uninformed student populous of Markham can stimulate a higher attendance opportunity to address this issue. The children and adolescence of the community can get their entire family involved contributing to awareness, brand positioning and public relations.
Markham is fading into just another utopian extension of Toronto as time progresses. Now is the time to ensure that sustainability of the fair’s mantra is understood to those who are vital for its future composition. Remaining stationary is not a sustainable strategy when addressing the changing external forces. The younger generation can be the key messenger, promoting the fairs value in each household of Markham and facilitating awareness of this historic event.
The Markham Fair does not properly represent the changing demographic of the Markham/York region.
Statistic Canada states that the population of Markham in 2011 was 301,709, a 15.3% change from 2006 (Stats Canada, 2012) and a population of nearly 1 million in the York region as of 2009 (Peco, 2012). Between 2001 and 2006 the number of visible minorities jumped to 53%. The top five groups were Chinese, South Asian e.g. Indian, West Asian e.g. Iranian, Black and Filipino (York Region, 2008). These statistics clearly indicate that the demographic of Markham and the York region has changed which is not clearly represented in the Markham Fair. Visible minorities may find it difficult to relate to the current perceived image and tradition of the Markham Fair. This image may typically portray, predominantly Caucasian, middle-upper class, agriculturally-active individuals who can be verified when viewing the management team, committee groups and volunteers. Difficulties may arise when attracting ethnic groups when participation among them is scarce; as the old generation of volunteers start to phase out seeking diversity within the fair can be a great opportunity. Another issue that follows diversity is the extent of religious and cultural accommodation. The Markham Fair does not provide services to accommodate the religious or cultural needs of its ethnic community. For example, many individuals within the Muslim community need space for prayer; meanwhile, Jewish persons may require kosher food. The fair has profound knowledge, experience and an established presence within the agricultural community of Markham; why not use this competitive advantage to bind – what was once a community - a largely individualistic region?
Although, it may take months, if not years, to change the fair’s image, certain activities can be done immediately to improve its environment.
One opportunity, lies within vendors operating in the ethnic food and beverage industry. Another opportunity is to develop programs with various churches, clubs and community groups within the York region. This is a fantastic way to spread information within a community about ethnically diverse program opportunities and strengthen its presence, once again.
Instead of attracting individuals, the fair needs to holistically reignite a sense of camaraderie and togetherness to increase attendance. Maintaining the “grass root” tradition and history is important and can still be supported through the emphasis of agriculture. With the old farming generation moving out of the York region, the Markham Fair cannot afford to ignore the significance of its changed demographics. Without a change in its community approach, the fair’s future may slither amidst its competitors.
Recommendation - “Markham Fair Awareness Week”
Our recommendation to solve Markham Fair’s lack of community awareness and low school board participation is to focus on promoting an event in secondary schools around its immediate area. The fair can do this by launching a “Markham Fair Awareness …show more content…
Week”.
The “Markham Fair Awareness Week” campaign.
We believe that in order to create awareness within the community we need to approach the younger generation who have a grave impact on the future of the fair. In order to effectively communicate this to the community, we need to create a campaign which not only raises awareness but also prompts a “call to action”. The operation of the campaign is run by existing volunteers who will be chosen by a committee team. These volunteers visit schools to conduct presentations and encourage students to participate in the event. Moreover, the event will provide students with an opportunity to partake in the fair and receive volunteer hours.
To achieve this, we recommend that the marketing director send a letter to each school asking permission on three aspects. First, permission for a representative of Markham Fair to conduct a presentation in the school assembly hall during the second or third week of September. Second, provide students with the option of participating in the event and potentially using it as a medium for school required volunteer hours. Lastly, asking a teacher or staff member to become an ambassador. The ambassador will act as a representative of the Markham Fair overseeing the student sign-up process. The letter should emphasize Markham Fair’s objective to increase community involvement through agricultural awareness and education. To effectively execute this recommendation, it will be ideal to have existing volunteers from previous Markham Fair events participate, all of whom are passionate about educational opportunities and community building activities at the fair. The duration of their volunteer work will be for two weeks, inclusive of training.
Volunteers/Committees
Volunteers will be provided with necessary materials in order to assist them during their presentation and with fliers to hand out in the school hallways and cafeteria. Schools around Markham will be marked and separated into 10 different segments where a volunteer will be placed in charge of no more than 5 schools. Volunteers are to make rounds in the designated area for one week; conducting presentations, encouraging students to participate in the Markham Fair, hand-out fliers, post posters, and pilot the launch of “Markham Fair Awareness Week”.
During the awareness week, the volunteers will conduct three presentations, each highlighting a different aspect of the Markham Fair. The first presentation will briefly educate students about Markham’s agricultural background and showcase how it’s being implemented during the fair. The second presentation can showcase the activities that will occur during the fair, all of which highlight the food, rides, and shows. At the end of each presentation, volunteers will reveal the opportunity for students to receive volunteer hours by participating in the fair. Students will turn to an ambassador to take part in various programs offered at the fair; each student will be charged a fee of $2 for entrance.
Recommendation - “Bridging the gap” The central focus of this recommendation is to launch a more robust and extensive push strategy in order to bridge the gap between the changing demographics and to increase market penetration of Markham Fair and York region.
The key area of focus is to form strategic partnerships with small-medium size businesses, social clubs, and attract new vendors within the local community. The goal of these partnerships is to raise awareness/attendance within the local community, increase cultural accommodation and renew the grass root movement. It is assumed that the cost to run programs/and execute the below recommendation may be fully or partially covered with the help of volunteers or committees like “Advertising/Promotion/Public Relations”.
Small-Medium Size Business/Corporate Sponsors:
A brief glance at Markham Fair’s History shows that one of the pillars of its success in prior generation was its connection to businesses/organizations within the community. Therefore, we recommend an outreach program geared towards aligning the fair with local businesses and sponsors to promote the fair and build relationships with the developing demographics within the York region. The main goal is to form a bilateral agreement for cross advertising, promotions and branding.
In particular, the fair should be associated with businesses within the food and agriculture-related industries. For example, the fair currently is not endorsed by any grocery stores or food production companies (i.e. Maple Leaf meats). Organization such as these would help educate visitors on “how food is produced and consumed in Canada”. It is essential to connect with businesses that complement the fair’s objectives.
Social clubs As, mentioned earlier one of the key concerns is the changing demographic of the York region population, therefore, it is important to integrate and adapt to this cultural shift without sacrificing the traditions and vision the fair. It is clear that there are social clubs attending the fair, such as, the Lions Club of Markham, however, if increased clubs can instil a sense of camaraderie in relation to the fair. For example, it is reasonable to bring on 10-15 new social clubs on the fairgrounds through host booths, displays and contests, (contest ideas such as “so you think you can cook”) could be a great way to cater to the diverse population made up of young families.
Vendors
This section of the recommendation is in regards to ensuring that the Fair is able to cater to a diverse range of cultures and religious backgrounds. The key focus is to have 20% (approximately 4-5) of the food vendors/concessions stands within the fair provide food that is reflective of the cultural diversity of Markham. Some examples are Chinese food, Halal meat and other dietary accommodations. This bridges the demographic gap in the region and will help make the fair more cultural appealing. Given the current vendor guidelines and rules, this recommendation would not alter or conflict with the fairs mission. It would be a great addition to the midway, which is focused on the entertainment aspect of the Fair. In addition, this change would utilize the current profit structure for all vendors and concession stand.
Financials
Potential Market size of Schools:
(1) High Schools: (Number of High Schools in region =8 schools * Number of targeted students in York Region=1,500) = Potential market size (12,000)
(2) Elementary schools: (Number of Elementary Schools in York Region = 48 schools * Number of targeted elementary students = 800) = Total number of targeted elementary school attendees = 38,400
(3) Total number of total students in York Region = 50,400
Potential Market size Outreach Program:
(1) Small-business/corporate sponsors: (Number of targeted workers in York region= approximately 500,000/Number of business in the York region) = Average of 17 employees per organization.
(2) Social groups: (Target market = 10 clubs * estimated membership = 100 individual per group) = 1000
(3) Example of partnership: Longo’s Grocery
Number of location 2 within Markham * estimated foot traffic in store 1000 shoppers weekly= approximately 4000 shoppers monthly.
It is possible to attract 10% of the entire school market, 20% of membership within social groups (i.e. recreational groups such as sport clubs, youth groups, religious institutions, and community centers) and 2% of the total workforce within the region. It is assumed that our target market will grow relative to the projected group rate in population for the region and that our targets will be met within a 2-3 year time span.
Year one financials: Notes
- Markham Awareness Week will successfully attract and generate admissions from 4% (500 high school students), 0.52% (200 elementary students.)
- The Outreach program is targeted to successfully attract and generate revenue from the following:
1. 30% (300 individuals/families from social clubs)
2. 17% (700 individuals through our business and sponsorship initiative)
3. Revenue from concession stands and displays as listed on the Markham Fair website
- The split between admissions or $2 vs. $15 is not fully accounted for due to issues of complexity
- Administrative cost (include cost to design, organize and develop the two recommended projects).
Timeline
Summary
This report was commissioned by John Peco, general manager of Markham Fair in order to identify two of Markham Fair’s biggest marketing problems and to recommend effective strategies that would increase the number of attendees. The findings indicate that firstly, Markham Fair is slowly losing its brand essence among its community.
Markham has foregone some major transformations in both its infrastructure and demographics; this transformation has brought with it a form of disassociation and loss of interest to what Markham fair used to represent. Secondly, Markham/York’s demographics have seen a lot of changes between the years 2001 to 2006; the number of visible minorities increased by 53% (York Region, 2008). Research has shown that Markham Fair does not properly represent the changing demographic of the Markham/York region. The Fair is associated with predominantly Caucasian and agriculturally active individuals and this is why visible minorities find it challenging to relate to the traditions and overall image of the
fair. It can be concluded that in order to revitalize and resurrect Markham Fair’s brand mantra, staff need to work hand in hand with school boards across the GTA and get youth involved. In order to remedy the second issue facing the fair, it is recommended that Markham Fair engage in an extensive push strategy in order to close the gap between the changing demographics and ultimately to increase the number of attendees that come to the fair each year. The push strategy would mainly consist of forming strategic partnerships with small-medium sized businesses, social clubs, and vendors. By doing so, Markham Fair is able to raise awareness and promote and revitalize the brand. By carefully implementing these recommended strategies and with the help of the 800 volunteers at the fair we believe that the Markham Fair should see an increase in the number of attendees in 2-3 years and most importantly a new sense of community built around agriculture.
Works Cited
Statistics Canada (2012). Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census. Retrieved April, 2013, from:
http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-csd-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CSD&GC=3519036
Peco, J (2012). Draft - Strategic Plan Markham and East York Agricultural Society – Spring 2012
York Region’s Community Social Data Strategy Consortium (2008). Just the Facts about your Community. Retrieved, April 2013, from:
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