The City of Lloydminster Council is committing more than $10,000 annually to support the Lloydminster Exhibition, even as one of its largest historic draws, the CPCA chuckwagon finals moves to Onion Lake this year.
Council reviewed a proposed three-year funding agreement with the Exhibition, maintaining current sponsorship levels at approximately $10,500 per year for major events including AgriVisions, PBR, Extreme Relay Racing, Stockade Roundup and Feastival.
“The Lloydminster Exhibition Association is a major economic driver within the community,” administration said. “Administration is recommending entering a three-year agreement with the organization to allow for continuity, strategic future planning and a forward-thinking process.”
That economic impact was again highlighted during the discussion, with councillors referencing estimates in the tens of millions of dollars annually.
However, one of the Exhibition’s largest historic drivers, the CPCA chuckwagon finals, was not raised during the meeting.
In previous reporting, Jackie Tomayer, general manager of the Lloydminster Exhibition, said the finals generated an estimated $6 million in economic spinoff for the region.
That week-long event is no longer part of Lloydminster’s calendar.
Despite that, council did not discuss whether the loss should affect funding levels.
Council weighs increasing support
While the agreement keeps funding steady, councillors signalled interest in potentially increasing support.
Councillor Jason Whiting pointed to rising costs and the value the Exhibition brings to the community.
“There’s no doubt that they are a huge economic driver in our community,” Whiting said. “There’s a lot of benefit to them… just wondering if we should look at it as something to increase year over year.”
Administration said the current agreement reflects existing budgets, but acknowledged increases could be considered.
“We did look at it when we started our negotiations and came to these numbers based on budget that had been approved,” administration said. “Historically we have looked at a little bit of increase over year over year.”
Questions on value and visibility
Councillor David Lopez questioned what the city receives in return for its sponsorship.
“Do we get anything like that out of this recognition or is it just the city as a sponsor?” he asked.
Administration said recognition varies depending on the event.
“For example, AgriVisions, we’re typically the presenting sponsor, so we’ve got big banners up, our name dropped a number of times, logos on printed materials,” administration said. “Whereas the PBR event is a smaller investment, so the recognition is smaller as well.”
Funding models raised, but not pursued
Councillor Whiting also raised the idea of a hotel or tourism levy as a potential funding tool.
“We don’t in our community have that hotel levy or tourism levy,” he said. “Would this be something that could be funded from that if it was collected through our hotels from our visitors?”
Administration said that would significantly change how funding is structured.
“I think that partnership would look a lot different if it was funded through that fund,” administration said.
Hundreds of events continue
Council heard the Exhibition is still hosting a high volume of events, with more than 900 annually and higher numbers before the pandemic.
What comes next
Council did not make any changes to the proposed agreement during the meeting.
The multi-year deal is expected to provide stability for the Exhibition while leaving the door open for future increases.
For now, funding remains steady.
The impact, however, has changed.
And the biggest question, what that loss means, was never asked.
Read more: Lloydminster Hosts over 1,000 delegates at Agri-Visions
