Carnival & Fair News

From the 53-ride Kissel Entertainment Midway to a range of new facilities and upgrades, the journey of revitalization the Kentucky State Fair continued this season. Post-lockdown, the fair has seen growing attendance as it introduced a new midway provider and explored new ways to reach out and appeal to communities statewide.

This year, the ongoing outreach was boosted by a marketing opportunity the fair cleverly capitalized upon. Turns out the number of counties in Kentucky – 120 – coincided with the number of years this Bluegrass State tradition has been in existence. For its 2024 marketing tagline the fair's team selected an age appropriate notion. “120 Years, 120 Counties”

“We celebrated 120 Years, 120 Counties and saw participation from all 120 KY counties in the form of entries, ticket sales, or exhibitions,” said Lexie Ratterman, Sr. Communications Manager, Kentucky State Fair.  “Beautiful weather coupled with even more family entertainment brought out record-breaking crowds. The 120th Kentucky State Fair was great!”



The theme for this year's event was “120 Years, 120 Counties” highlighted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the number of fairs to perfectly align with the number of counties across the Commonwealth. A special exhibit was created and displayed specifically for the theme, which showed a timeline of the fair and how every county, through the years, has participated. Additionally, the Pride of the Counties exhibit showcased nearly twice as many counties compared to last year, with 105 represented.

“The Kentucky State Fair is special each year, but this year had an extra special energy about it,” said David S. Beck, President & CEO of Kentucky Venues. “Between the crowds, exhibits, and tens of thousands of entries at the fair, we again saw participation from all 120 counties, which reflects our mission of ensuring the fair is a statewide celebration.”

This year, the Kentucky State Fair had four new family entertainment areas – three new outside spots, one new inside stage. “All of these, as well as our existing entertainment areas, drew major crowds during performance times,” said Ratterman. “Additionally, our new 120 Years, 120 Counties exhibit inside was a hit with crowds circling the large 80+ panel exhibit highlighting every county and its participation in the fair through the years.”

Ideal Weather

The fair's final attendance figures were unavailable at press-time, although indications are that the it exceed last year's 599,000 and set records for Monday and Thursday. Weather proved to be cooperative. “We had unseasonably cooler summer weather, which was fantastic and definitely aided in bringing out bigger crowds,” she said.

The fair also avoided raising prices for admission, parking or midway rides, which enhanced the enthusiastic atmosphere. “Inflation did not impact the Kentucky State Fair from an admission standpoint. Our crowds were just as energetic as we were to celebrate the 120th Kentucky State Fair this year. Fairgoers loved our marketing campaign and were looking to hunt down any memorabilia they could.”

For its statewide outreach, the fair retained a marketing budget comparable to 2023, although the allocation showed media shifts. Digital- 36%; Radio- 17%; OOH- 19%; Print- 6%; TV- 6%; Production- 15%. “TV dropped about 12% from 2023. OOH increased 2%,” said Ratterman.

Marketing this year also incorporated an expanded Influencer program, expanding its collaboration with these new media purveyors. “This year, the KY State Fair ran a full influencer campaign that ran during entry collection to try to drive entry numbers. We also ran an influencer campaign during the event to drive attendance.”

KultureCity   

While the final midway revenue information was unavailable, it was a record for Kissel Entertainment, who has been the Kentucky midway provider since 2021. “The weather cooperated,” said R.A. Kissel of Kissel Entertainment. “Not one day of rain, the temperatures dipped, we missed the heatwaves. The planets lined up perfectly. The weather was good, the acts were good. People turned out, they were on the midway, the rides, food, games were all up.”

He added, “we smoked last year's numbers.”  

Kissel Entertainment – and the Kentucky State Fair – have become leaders in the fair industry in accommodating children who have special needs, sensory issue and/or are on the autism spectrum. What began with Sensory Mornings – where the lights and sounds of the midway were muted – in 2024 evolved into a special needs space. Kissel Entertainment is the first midway provider to be Sensory Inclusive™ certified by KultureCity,  a nonprofit organization that trains staff then certifies venues for their sensory inclusive modifications. The Kentucky State Fair is the first state fair  to have a Sensory Inclusive™ certified midway.



 KultureCity has provided certification and training to more than, 2,000 venues, organizations, and small businesses across the United States, including major stadiums and cultural institutions. Their Sensory Inclusive™ program equips staff with the necessary training and resources to accommodate individuals with sensory sensitivities, such as those with autism, PTSD, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and other conditions.

“One of our many goals of the Kentucky State Fair is to make every Kentuckian feel welcome and part of the celebration,” said Beck. “We commend Kissel Entertainment for enhancing the guest experience and unveiling this new offering to our fairgoers. We believe this change positively impacts many of those who visit Thrill Ville each day.”

“Becoming Sensory Inclusive™ certified was extremely important to us, not only professionally, but personally,” said Kissel. “This certification ensures that everyone, regardless of their sensory needs, can partake in the fun and excitement of our fairs and events comfortably and safely.”

It's a program the midway company has been implementing with other fair partners throughout its route. “We've not only embraced,  it's part of our DNA.”
The company has introduced a clever marketing program for its popcorn stands, a Cow Popcorn Bucket, a novelty food container shaped like a female farm bovine, it's also as the Kissel Entertainment Facebook page claims “Udderly Amazing” – endlessly refillable, not just at the Kentucky event but any Kissel Entertainment midway.

“It's a, commemorative popcorn bucket, similar to what they have at Disney.  A piece of the money goes to. 4-H.  It's a very cute, black and white cow with a little bell. It's good at all of the fairs, it's a bottomless bucket, endless refills. We do have a growing follow through social media of people coming to multiple fairs because of the midway. It's a big part of our new branding.”



Kissel also noted that the fair has been on a growth trajectory post-lockdown. “I like to think we put some new life into the fair, but the fair board has really brought different ideas and have done an amazing job. The fairgrounds is a big open parking lot and that makes it fun to layout. We added more rest areas this year.”
One of the highlights of the 2024 Kentucky event was an unveiling of the visual concepts for the Kentucky Exposition Center's Phase I and II renovations as well as a ceremonial groundbreaking, which celebrated the launch of this multi-million-dollar project, which includes constructing a 350,000-square-foot multi-purpose building and several enhancements to the facility, including the midway.

Kissel said that his input was requested as the master plans were being developed. “They didn't just listen, but in their rendition for how the midway will look, they didn't just copy and paste generic images. They used actual Kissel rides, like our Astro Wheel and Python Coaster as part of the Master Plan.”

Corn Dog Record

The fair featured 65 food concessions, a mix of new and old favorites. “We had a few new local vendors participate this year, including a homemade ice cream and bakery, which was a huge hit,” said Ratterman. “One food vendor set a record for the most corndogs they've ever sold, so those are always a big hit. Additionally, new food items including BBQ pizza and chili cheese corndogs were popular.”



Did the 2024 Kentucky State Fair meet expectations?  “It did not meet expectations – it blew away our expectations. Large crowds, beautiful weather, and a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of numbers (120 Years, 120 Counties) made for an absolutely great event. At the Kentucky State Fair, we work hard to stay on top of trends when it comes to social media and marketing. If we take the backseat approach, we run the risk of losing out on a large portion of our audience. We work to stay creative and relevant in today's digital-forward age.”

But team Kentucky also understands that knowing your community keeps the fair an annual tradition. “Fairs are the one place where you can gather with your neighbor and celebrate their accomplishments in a unique way, all while celebrating and learning about the history, tradition and culture of your entire state. Fairs are a special place that will always have a place in communities.”