* SUBJECT TO CHANGE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2025
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Giles Ellis Memorial Fun Sporting Clays Shoot
2:00-4:00 p.m. Registration Open for early arrivals
3:00-5:00 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting
6:00 p.m. YP Mix N Mingle at Andretti Karting
THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025*
8:00-9:00 a.m. First Timers
8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Trade Show Setup
8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Registration Open
8:30-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9:00-10:50 a.m. Opening Session - Leadership Panel with Q & A (Couch Session) – Business Meeting
11:00-11:50 a.m. Educational Sessions
- Operations: Creating a successful Non-Fair event from the ground up. Matt Wallsmith, President & CEO, South Florida Fair & Alex Rodriguez, Director of Operations, South Florida Fair
- Leadership/YP: Igniting Engagement: Empowering Young Professionals' in Fair Leadership, Kayla Cawley, Entertainment Manager, South Florida Fair, Jacqui Stough, Livestock Education Manager, Central Florida Fair & Lynann Hudson, Agribusiness Manager, Florida State Fair
- Leadership: Can your FAIR create a positive business culture with your Concession & Ride Operator partners? Eddie Cora, President & CEO, Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo
- Sponsorship: Session TBD
- Ag/Livestock: Session TBD
Noon-2:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00-2:50 p.m. Educational Sessions
- Finance: Online Fraud Latest Trends & Prevention - Ticketing & Box Office Issues, Austin Castañeda, Client/Product Manager, Saffire
- Volunteers: How do you develop and organize an effective Volunteer Program, Brooke Warnock, Florida Strawberry Festival
- Marketing: Influencer marketing do’s and don’ts, contracts, insurance and other considerations, Panel: Florida State Fair, Miami-Dade Fair, Eastern States Exposition (Big E), Lance Fuchs, Foster & Fuchs, P.A.
- Leadership/HR: Control Freaks Anonymous – Penny McBride, Producer, Light the Night Christmas Parade, Fredericksburg, VA
- Young Professionals: Ment-A-Minute (Presented by YPI)
1:30 p.m. Trade Show Vendor Meeting
3:00-4:50 p.m. Trade Show Happy Hour, Networking, Silent Auction & Showcases
Dinner on your own
8:30-11:00 p.m. President’s Party & Zone II Reception in 3NINE
10:30-12:00 a.m. Hospitality
* Subject to Change
FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2025*
8:00-8:50 a.m. Zone II Meeting
8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Registration Open
9:00-9:50 a.m. Educational Sessions
- Concessions/Exhibits: Future of commercial sales/straight sales - Enhancing fairgoers' shopping experience, Becky Brashear, South Florida Fair, Beth Buckley, Florida State Fair, Claudia Hernandez, Miami-Dade Fair
- Entertainment: Spotlight on Success: Best Practices in Entertainment
- Ag/Livestock: USDA Regulations for animal health in Livestock Shows, FDACS
- Operations/Public Relations: Minor policy and other security policies and when to announce them. Moderator: Jacqui Stough, Central Florida Fair
9:00-10:30 a.m. IFM Course - #130 Ag Programming-Competitive (Jen Cannon, Iowa State Fair) - 90 Min Session
10:00 - 10:50 a.m. Educational Sessions
- Leadership/Operations: Round Table: Your grounds and disaster response legal obligations (FP&L, State, County, etc.) Moderated by Danny Alfonso, Manager, Manatee County Fair; Lance Fuchs, Foster & Fuchs, P.A.
- Ag/Livestock: Showorks Training I, Jacqueline Stough, Livestock Education Manager, Central Florida Fair – Bring your laptop
- Session TBD
- Session TBD
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00-1:50 Educational Sessions
- NICA/Concessions: Bridging the Gap: The Evolution of the Fair Concessions Industry & the Next Generation of Leaders, Cary Hester, CFE IFMG, Assistant Fair Manager Carolina Classic Fair; Ryan Hagy, Head Chef, Steak Sundae; moderator, Kathy Ross, CCE, NICA 2025 Hall of Fame Recipient.
- Operations/Safety: Visualizing Challenges with Insurance Inspections: Strategies for Lowering Risks and Enhancing Solutions
- Marketing/Sponsorships: Social Media Marketing Best Practices & Latest Trends, Peyton Moritz, Florida State Fair
- Entertainment: Communication Expectations between Entertainers and the Fair, Brad Matchett, Brad Comedy Hypnotist, Dennis Lee, The Dennis Lee Show; Moderated by Josh Knotts, Extreme Illusions & Escapes.
- Session TBD
2:00-2:50 p.m. Educational Sessions
- Operations/Safety: Best Practices on creating your Emergency Operations Plan for your Venue, Randy Crone, moderator.
- Ag/Livestock: Current show trends in the Livestock community, Kelly Mosley, Clay County Fair, Becky Brashear, South Florida Fair
- Volunteers: Building A Strong Volunteer Base: Recruitment & Retention Strategies, Stacy Wakefield, Volunteer Services Manager, South Florida Fair
- Leadership/Operations: How to size down for your Fair - Scaling Big Fair Stuff to a Small Fair - Mary Amos, Maryland State Fair
- Session TBD
3:00-5:00 p.m. Trade Show Open, Silent Auction, Showcases
Dinner on your own
8:00 - 11:00 p.m. Hospitality & Showcases in 3NINE
* Subject to Change
SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2025*
8:00-10:00 a.m. Trade Show Opens
8:30 a.m.-Noon Registration Open
9:30 a.m. Silent Auction Closes
10:00 a.m.-Noon. Trade Show Tear down
10:00-10:50 a.m. Educational Sessions
- Leadership: Southern Hospitality: Winning Over the Sponsors, Vendors, and Volunteers Who Fuel Your Success
- Session TBD
- OABA/Concessions: New policies on immigration and the effect on Fairs & Carnivals, Greg Chieko, President and CEO, Outdoor Amusement Business Association
- Ag/Livestock: Showorks Training II, Jacqueline Stough, Livestock Education Manager, Central Florida Fair – Bring your laptop
10:00-11:30 a.m. Sponsorships: Understanding the world of sponsorship and how to increase your sponsorship revenues - Kathy Kramer, IFMG, CVE, CMP, CFEE,
Central Washington Fair AssociationPresident & CEO - 90 Min Session
11:00-11:50 a.m. Educational Sessions
- Entertainment: Bringing the Fun: Planning & Elevating Special Events for Unforgettable Fair Entertainment
- Operations: Fair Site Layouts (not product seller) How are you doing it that is cost effective for you
- Exhibits: Hands On Competitive Exhibit Displays – Display Building Workshop, Rhonda Ward
- Sponsorships: Year Round Sponsorships and Multi-Year Contracts
Noon-2:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting
2:00-2:50 p.m. Educational Sessions
- Leadership: Leading with Impact: Strategies for Empowering Fair Leaders and Building Thriving Communities - Mike Rogalsky
- Marketing/Public Relations: AI Beyond the Basics: How can Artificial Intelligence assist in your Marketing efforts in today’s digital world - Mark O'Shea, Noise New Media
- Sponsorships: Sponsorship Activation practices and logistics
- Entertainment: Entertainment at your fair - how do you gauge what your patron's interests are?
- Operations/Safety: ADA Compliance - Making your fair more accessible and when to draw the line, Randy Crone
3:00 - 3:50 p.m. Educational Sessions
- Finance: What to consider when creating promotional pricing: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
- Leadership/Operations/Marketing: AI Tools for a more efficient YOU - Kevin McNulty
- Leadership: Protecting your Grounds and Infrastructure
- Session TBD
- Session TBD
6:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception
8:00 p.m. Closing Party, Associate of the Year, Hall of Fame Induction, YPI Rising Star, Scholarship Ceremony
* Subject to Change