REGINA — There are a couple things about November producers can usually look forward to — snow and the Canadian Western Agribition. This year marks 53 years since the largest livestock show in Canada began, and by all indications, there’s no sign of it slowing down any time soon.
A recent statistic noted that last year’s Agribition added $116.5 million to Saskatchewan’s economy, a 20.7 per cent increase over the year previous.
“I knew that our event was big, but when you see numbers like that, it is humbling but, it’s not something we take for granted,” said Agribition CEO Shaun Kindopp. “We’re proud of the role that we play in the agriculture space. And you know, when we can contribute something like that to the province and the City of Regina, I think everyone wins. It’s something that we’re definitely very proud of.”
He also pointed out that the 2023 event saw an increase from 2019 numbers, effectively bringing the show back from the pandemic basement after cancellation in 2020, as with most social functions during that time.
“We try to bring in some new, innovative ideas, we try to switch some of our marketing up, but I think people were locked in the house for a long time,” explained Kindopp of the attendance climb. “I think they’re looking for fun things to do, and we’re proud that they’re choosing our event to come spend their time at.”
There were 142,800 people through the gates in 2023, record attendance for the show that also bolstered tourist spending to $83.2 million. Sales at the trade show booths alone accounted for $998,300 last year, with trade show vendor sales totalling $1.9 million. Then there’s the livestock sales during the event, which amounted to $2.2 million last year.
“We never really try and get complacent,” Kindopp said when asked what he thinks keeps people coming back every year. “One thing that really drives us is our livestock exhibitors. It’s big business for them. This is their livelihood, and we don’t take that for granted. It’s not cheap for them to come to town.”
Making the Canadian Western Agribition a place worth driving to do business at is important.
“Whether it’s at the trade show, whether it’s in the livestock barns, or just the networking that happens, we’re really happy that the people are coming here to do their business,” he said.
New this year
When asked what’s new for this year’s edition of the big show, Kindopp said with a laugh, “Come on down and find out!”
“We did a lot of ‘new’ last year,” he said, listing features like the Miss Rodeo Agribusiness Contest, Animal Tech Awards, the Taylor Swift contest, and the trip to Australia. “This year, we’re really focusing on trying to fine-tune how do we take what we implemented last year, and make it better.”
One example is the freestyle bullfighting event, which will only be happening on Tuesday this year.
“If you want to see that incredible event, it’s a one-night-only, and it will not be happening every night at the rodeo,” Kindopp confirmed. “So if you want to see it Tuesday night, make sure to get your tickets—it’s going to be awesome!”
With the first real dose of winter hitting hard just days before Agribition, Kindopp hopes everyone finds a safe route to Regina and enjoys six days of all things ag while in the Queen City.
“We do wish all of our exhibitors do travel safe to the event,” he said. “If there’s resilient people, it’s people in Saskatchewan. Winter happens every year, but we just want to make sure that people are safe. And once you are here, the entire event is indoors — with the exception of tie-outs in the evening—but if someone’s coming for the first time, everything that you’re going to be seeing is going to be indoors. So as long as you can get here, there’s definitely a lot of fun to be had inside.”
Canadian Western Agribition runs from Nov. 25-30 in Regina, held at the REAL District.
