New York State Justice Director Troy Waffner sees the numbers, but he does not push the key to fear. At least not yet.
During the first three days (Friday through Sunday), more than 40,000 will be attending each of the 2021 Kingdom Exhibitions. For the first three days of the pre-Covide 2019 show, an average of about 83,000 people attended. (In 2020, there was no justice).
It is almost everywhere. There are no lines on the $ 1 baked potato stand in the Garden and Fruit Building, especially the long ones at the fair. Lots of places to get to the midway trips. There are no children who make fun of sheep, pigs, and cows.
But as Waffner noted, this year’s exhibition is different. There is a long-standing Kovi issue and mistrust about whether it should be fair or how it works.
And this year’s exhibition has grown to 18 days for the first time in 13 years.
The first five days of this year’s show will be earlier than previous ones, Waffner said. The show’s daily head count is not yet in direct comparison with previous shows and will not be until Wednesday, the opening day in other years.
“We really don’t have anything to compare (original numbers),” Waffner said. These first five days are truly a new territory for us.
Waffer said he had heard from opponents that the season was somewhat worrying. People said they were planning their vacation this week, or had not planned to hit the show earlier.
“I think it is common for most people to come at a certain time,” he said. So these days are out of the ordinary.
That even goes for some sellers. The first few days of this year’s exhibition saw the end of the first county, the county’s largest county show. Some vendors at the Erie show did not arrive in Syracuse until Sunday.
Waffer also said that he has noticed that some people are skipping the show due to VV, especially the recent Delta uprising.
“Look, we are happy to be open and we want everyone to come and enjoy,” he said. But people have to make their own choices, and if they don’t feel comfortable coming to the show, we have to deal with it.
“So far, the weather has been stagnant,” he said.
Not everyone complains. So far this year, many travelers are happy that there are almost no lines and no traffic jams.
“We have a whole show for ourselves,” said Mike Campbell, who brought his family to the exhibition from his home near Benghazi. “This Is Really Good”
The sellers may have a different opinion. At the western end of the exhibition, many food stalls were particularly badly damaged, in part by the fact that the area, such as a youth building, future American farmers’ tents and farm exhibitions, were either completely closed or severely reduced.
“He is alone here,” Alivero’s owner of food and drink told the Syracuse.com on Saturday. No activity here.
This photo was taken just before 4pm on Friday, the opening day of the 2021 New York State Fair. The $ 1 baked potato line in the horticulture industry is often one of the busiest and longest in the fair.Don Kazenter
Wofner, for his part, said he could not immediately bring up the number of “vacations” at this year’s exhibition, which will prevent him from losing money. That is partly because presence alone is not an indicator, he said. There are also costs for food, drink, travel, etc., as well as provider rent and other reasons.
Officials from the two largest national exhibition and event industry business groups agree.
“Everyone really wants to get involved,” said Steve Schimmer, president of the Boeing, Idaho International Festival of Festivals and Events, a member of the New York State Fair. But the bottom line is that if fewer people buy more food – that’s fine.
Marla Calico, CEO of Springfield, calls Moe-based international trade fairs and exhibitions “costly”. She told syracuse.com last month that the “cost” is becoming more and more important for events.
In recent years, government exhibitions at the State Department have been making enough money to “live independently,” said Justice Dave Bulald, spokesman for Justice. That means it has covered all costs except capital improvements, usually with the money left over to invest.
The 2019 state show holds an all-time attendance record with 1.3 million visitors in 13 days. That was the fourth year in a row that he had a new record.
With the proposed 18-state show still ahead of the VV epidemic, state legislators have increased the budget by $ 5 million to cover an additional five days. The 2020 exhibition was originally planned with the extended dates.
“I agree too early to panic,” said IFEA partner Schmamer. “Nothing unusual this year. There are no ‘best practices’ at the moment. As they go, they all learn. ”
Check out our full coverage of the 2021 NY State Fair.
Don Kazenter writes NYup.com, syracuse.com And The Post-Standard. Reach it dcazentre@nyup.com, Or follow him NYup.com, On Twitter Or Facebook.