Carnival & Fair News

Small State, Big Fun –the tagline and marketing theme for the 2024 Delaware State Fair – was self-explanatory and effective. Attendance reached 303,000 – on par with last year (308,000), and overall the event from the Wade Shows Midway to a grandstand lineup that included Rick Springfield/Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas;  Jon Pardi/ Walker Montgomery; Ludacris/DJ Infamous; Jordan Davis/Greylan James; We The Kingdom; and The Turnpike Troubadours.

Big Fun certainly was had as promised. The Small State of course is also true, it's an aspect of Delaware nearly every knows, but in recent years, the state has grown as a tourist-spot, with a reported 28.6 million visitors to the state in 2022. Located in the southern Delaware, the event's within driving distance of not just Delaware's beaches and cities but vast stretches of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The Delaware State Fair has been effectively marketing itself as a destination, piggybacking on the growing tourist interest in the state.

“We have been striving to target those audiences outside the state,” said Carly Callahan, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager. “Our outreach in the Tri-State Area has expanded, through geofencing and targeting, we are hitting the Jersey Shore, and Virginia. About 20 percent are coming from Maryland and about the same from Pennsylvania.”

“From a stellar concert lineup to new carnival rides and a fusion of amazing culinary and beverage options, we are proud to say that yet again, The Delaware State Fair is a continued tradition for families, and will continue to be one of the top summer destinations for entertainment and family fun in Delmarva,” said Danny Aguilar, General Manager, Delaware State Fair. Delmarva is the name of the Peninsular where the fair is located, and also includes parts of Maryland and Virginia.

Aguliar continued, “From a stellar concert lineup to new carnival rides and a fusion of amazing culinary and beverage options, We are proud to say that yet again, The Delaware State Fair is a continued tradition for families, and will continue to be one of the top summer destinations for entertainment and family fun in Delmarva.”

Targeting Audiences

The Delaware State Fair is one of the largest – and only – outdoor events of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region.  It has steadily boosted turnout by marketing itself and appealing to families on vacation. “Why not stop at the fair. We target audiences on how their values align with ours. Listen to country music, go to the livestock show. We're a top destination and may not be a vacation destination, but we get people from upstate and the surrounding areas on vacation for a day trip.”

The snappy, direct brevity of the tagline also lends itself to compelling graphics. “We are a small state and the fair is big fun so we wanted to come up with something catchy and kind of joking. We also wanted something to incorporate into our logo, which is a Ferris Wheel.”

It was the first year for the fair to outsource many marketing aspects to Noise New Media. Callahan said that approximately 42 percent of the budget “went toward TV,  radio. and newspaper - these are all lumped into one bucket since we use one source for ad buys, with around 35 percent digital.”

She added the remaining 23 percent went to grounds signage and other materials, which the fair includes in its marketing budget.

While she was unable to pinpoint precisely the amount allocated to print, Callahan emphasized, “we remain committed to print, We advertise in local papers across the state. We maintain a healthy mix of advertising media. With print, you do reach an older demographic who are attracted to the nostalgia of the fair. Newspapers are also important for reaching the Hispanic market. We run a lot of advertising in the Spanish language papers.”

Online & Virtual

Instagram and Facebook continue to be the main social media platforms. “Our new goals with social media is telling the stories about the fair, the traditions of livestock. Fans are excited to hear about the history of the fair and the people involved. We did more Instagram live shoots, Fair Food Fridays, and Throwback Thursdays with nostalgic images from the past. From the comments we got leading up to and during the fair, people were very excited, but social media is still a work in progress.”

Callahan added that Tik-Tok remains elusive. “We've only used Tik-Tok for paid ads, we haven't found it as engaging so we are more putting more effort towards Facebook and Instagram.”

The Delaware State Fair Marketing Team also created “Virtual Barn Tours”, to enhance the fair's livestock experience.  This new program was made possible by a grant from one of the fair's sponsors, Corteva Agriscience, and utilized signage placed outside entrances of each barn. Fairgoers were able to scan the QR code and listen (or watch) as they walked through the barns. The Virtual Barn tours are also available for viewing on the Delaware State Fair website.

The 2024  Livestock auction – a centerpiece of fair programming that grossed record proceeds of over $400,000 with the sale of 134 market animals – was also streamed live for the first time. “We wanted families and friends who could not attend the event to have the opportunity to watch their loved ones compete for something they've been working tirelessly on for a year,” said Lauren McLaughlin, Premiums Manager, Delaware State Fair. “With the livestream available on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, viewers are now able to watch it anytime they'd like.”
Another escalating marketing initiative has been sponsorships and group sales, which also boasted a growth year. “Continued support from both local and corporate sponsors alike are one of the reasons we are able to provide patrons with great entertainment every summer,” said Aguilar, “With both returning and new sponsors for the 2024 fair, we had several large and small businesses utilize the fairgrounds as an employee outing, offering concert tickets, carnival wristbands and food vouchers as a way to say thank you”

Missing Heatwaves

Prices for admission and grandstand entertainment increased between 3-5 percent and similar increases were observed on food and other items. “People are seeing price increases in their daily lives, I don't think inflation impacted the fair.  People were lining up for the food and rides. People were spending, our revenue was up.”

She added that entertainment costs were high, but in keeping with last year, indicating a possible plateauing in the seller's market that has dominated talent buying post lockdown. “We didn't have any sellouts, but we added an extra 400 seats for Ludacris. “We were able to book the artists we wanted to meet our target audience.”

While heatwaves brought some oppressive days this summer, the timing of the fair was as lucky as could be hoped for with the most severe waves occurring before and after instead of during the fair.  “We had a better turn out than we thought because we assumed the hottest week would be during the fair, but the heatwave evaporated. We did have a very rainy day for Armed Forces Day, but mostly the weather was favorable.”

According to official fair press release: “The Wade Shows Carnival did not disappoint, providing fair goers with 41 rides, both for the thrill seekers, and less adventurous: providing a blend of entertainment for everyone on the fairgrounds. From games of chance to rides and attractions for children and adults, Wade Shows continued to wow fairgoers not only with their rides but easy to redeem ride wristbands.”

Callahan added, “midway revenue was up. People really liked the wristbands.”

The fair also introduced new upgrades to the facility, including a revamped main entrance with new barricades that resulted in more efficient and orderly fairgoer lines. In addition, the new self-serve ticket kiosks streamlined the entire process. Grandstand attendees were also treated to a new breeze by 30 high velocity fans, which cooled concert goers and Demolition Derby enthusiasts alike. “As a fair you kind of have to juggle the nostalgic, the livestock and the roots of the fair but also keep it new, which we do with the upgrades and our concert lineup and the Beer Garden. We gave people another memorable year, there's a lot of nostalgia with a fair that has been around 105 years. Now they can create new memories. Every year, we do what have to do, which is keeping people happy.”