HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-12-21, Page 44PAGE 44. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017.
County Showcase welcomed 31,000 at IPM
A great four days
From co-ordinator Jenna Ujiye's perspective, the Huron County Showcase at September's
International Plowing Match was a resounding success. She added that many county
businesses, like local breweries and wineries and the Blyth Festival (above) saw a bump as a
result of the match, in addition to money brought in by the county. (Fite photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Jenna Ujiye, the co-ordinator of
Huron County's International
Plowing Match (IPM) showcase,
said that over 31,000 people made
their way through the county's tent
over the four days of the match.
Ujiye said that with attendance
like that, she felt the county's
display was a huge success. The
display was split in half. One half
was dedicated to nine wooden barns,
one for each of the nine lower -tier
municipalities, and the other to focus
on county initiatives and aspects of
entertainment like a stage featuring
local talent and a bar showcasing
local breweries and wineries.
The display, she said, took 22 days
to set up and only five to tear down.
The county saw thousands of entries
in a number of initiatives over the
course of the IPM, whether it be in
research projects at the site or on
social media.
The display, she said, generated
revenue of over $23,000 from the
sale of materials inside the display,
including the wooden table and
bench sets and the flooring. Sales
greatly exceeded expectations, with
much of the flooring being
purchased by Chatham -Kent, next
year's IPM hosts, for a similar
display.
In addition, Ujiye said that over
$10,000 was made by selling drinks
at the county bar, almost all of which
was infused back into the breweries
and wineries that provided products
for the set-up.
Ujiye said that while she felt the
display was a great success with
plenty of economic spin-off, not just
for the county but for county
businesses and organizations, there
were some things that could be done
better if the county does choose to
host an IPM once again.
She said that timelines were
extremely tight, so if the county
hosts an IPM again, the county
should begin planning three years
prior to the event. That includes, she
said, hiring staff and communicating
with all departments.
She also suggested better lines of
communication with the Ontario
Plowmen's Association, the IPM
executive and the county itself.
"A communications plan should
be set up as soon as a project is
initiated. All parties should be
included within the plan and meet on
a regular basis. In the future, a
memorandum of understanding
should be endorsed," Ujiye said in
her report to council.
She suggested that organizers
should prepare for any type of
weather the match could encounter,
although she acknowledged that, as
seen in 2017, that would be much
easier said than done.
She also said that there should be
plans put in place to bring waste and
recycling bins to the site and remove
them during set-up and tear -down
and to request extra bins during the
week of the match. She also said that
organizers should plan on intemet
and electricity not being turned on
until just three or four days before
the match begins.
There were a number of highlights
from the work done by the county on
the match, however, saying that it
highlighted a tremendous level of
teamwork involving many different
staff members from across the
county.
"The showcase has brought
together staff from across the county.
Approximately 100 staff were
involved in helping to figure out the
details of the showcase. As a result
of this project, we have created great
processes to help cross -departmental
projects and communications for the
future," Ujiye said in her report.
She said that engaging all nine
lower -tier municipalities created
"wonderful and representative"
displays in the mini -barns, which
helped to grow partnerships and
shared services with the county's
partner municipalities.
Ujiye also acknowledged the great
relationship being forged between
the county and the Saugeen First
Nation community. She said the
work done on the IPM should help
with various county projects in the
future.
She also said that the visit by
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and
his family was a definite highlight
by anyone's standards. The co-
ordination it took to arrange the visit
and ensure the Prime Minister's
safety while in Walton was no small
feat, she said.
In addition, Ujiye said that the
hashtag #HCProud, which was
created by the county for agricultural
marketing purposes, really became a
rallying cry and a source of pride for
county residents during the IPM.
This was especially true when the
Tuesday of the match washed out the
grounds and hundreds of volunteers
worked tirelessly to repair the
grounds during the Wednesday of
the match to ensure that everything
would be great when the site re-
opened on Thursday.
She said staff and volunteers were
very proud of the showcase.
As another busy year comes to a close we would
like to take this opportunity to thank all our
customers for supporting us and for the success of
our business in 2017. Looking forward to providing
all your construction needs in 2018.
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Dave and Tracey Werkema and family
MORTII 1-IUROM CEIRPEMTRY INC.
38728 Moncrieff Rd., RR #3 Blyth, ON
David Werkema Ph.: 519-526-7634 Email: northcarpQntry@hurontQl.on.ca
Dave - Mobile - 519-531-0224 Herman - Mobile - 519-525-0232