Local sponsorships make annual fair successful

Local businesses play an essential role in the success of the Ozark Empire Fair, especially through corporate sponsorships.

Marla Calico, fair manager, said the mix of corporate sponsorships, in cash and trade, was in excess of $200,000 this year, and more than 200 businesses contributed financially.

While this year's cash donations are down, the trade value is up making sponsorship about the same as last year, Calico said.

Corporate sponsorship

Sponsorships range from "individuals who contribute $15 or $20 for a trophy all the way up to a major day sponsor spending thousands of dollars to have their name and their brand recognized as part of the community event," Calico said. "We've (set sponsorships) at an affordable level that just about any business can participate, and it's been very, very popular."

Corporate sponsorship, Calico said, is divided up into three categories: major sponsors, official sponsors and individual sponsors.

There are 12 major sponsors this year, including day sponsors and activity sponsors. However, Calico declined to give exact dollar figures for major sponsorships, citing direct competition with other regional attractions, especially in Branson. "We don't talk in specifics with the media, unfortunately, because it's a very competitive business," she said.

However, Calico did say, "Our day sponsors are in the low five-figure realm, and then our midlevel sponsors would be in the four-figure area."

Day sponsor benefits include media exposure, mention on printed materials and extra exposure on the fair grounds. Sponsors also receive free admission tickets.

"A day sponsor can have banners at all our gates, and if they wanted to they could have (coupon) rights," Calico said. "We try to give a day sponsor as much exposure as we possibly can."

Consumers benefit from the corporate sponsorships through free or discounted admission and ride tickets.

Major entertainers, which cost about $35,000 to bring in, could not be part of the fair without large sponsors, Calico said. No single sponsor foots the bill for a particular entertainer, rather the combination of sponsor funds makes the grandstand shows possible.

However, some sponsors do make specific features of the fair possible. "The sponsorship funding that Coca-Cola provides allows us to have a petting zoo. Pepsi, another sponsor, not only are they are a day sponsor which enables us to bring in acts like Uncle Kracker, but also we've got the Pepsi Food Court; their sponsorship allowed us to buy the equipment necessary for that," Calico said.

Sponsors like Empire Bank, KTTS and KWTO radio have been a part of the fair for more than 27 years, Calico said. One of newest corporate sponsors is Dodge, which this year signed a three-year agreement to be the official vehicle of the Ozark Empire Fair.

Empire Bank, which sponsors Senior Day, provides senior citizens with free admission. During a special senior show at the grandstand, the bank gives away about 50 prizes, including 24 gift certificates from local businesses. Bud Perry, owner of Bud's Tire and Wheels, has aided the Empire Bank staff for 18 years as the announcer for the giveaway.

Mike Williamson, president of Empire Bank, said the bank will continue to be a sponsor for "Classic Club Day" for many more years.

"We like sponsoring the Senior Day," Williamson said. "We've got that slot and we've kept it. I don't know if we've considered sponsoring another day."

While the event does put Empire's name on the minds of many fair goers, Williamson said it is more than advertising.

"We don't think we get very many new accounts, necessarily, out of the specific activity, but it's just part of being part of the community. There's a lot of banks competing for everybody's business, and we believe we need to spend some money for things that we think are just good for the community, and hopefully we get some good relations out of it," Williamson said.

Sponsors, independent donors

Sixty-three businesses signed up to be "Official Sponsors" of the 2003 fair. Businesses or organizations joining this list sign an annual commitment of $700 either in cash or trade.

"Without their help we just couldn't survive and I think that all those companies recognize that not only do they get valuable benefits in terms of tickets and perks and things like that but also (the benefit of) having their name affiliated with our name," Calico said. "That's why so many of them renew year after year after year."

Steak n Shake is one of the newest official sponsors of the fair. Gary Leonard, owner of local Steak n Shake restaurants, said he hopes his sponsorship will bring more customers to his new north-side location.

"(This year's sponsorship) was probably fueled by the fact that we have a north-side location that is very close to the fair. We wanted to try and tap into more of that market," Leonard said. "We get our name out there to the fairgoing folk and, hopefully, we'll either get a meal out of them on the way to the fair or on the back side of the fair."

Aside from drawing in new customers, Leonard said his employees also receive a benefit from the sponsorship by receiving free tickets to the fair.

"We've got a lot of younger folk that work for us, and they really enjoy the fair, and so the tickets were a nice perk for them," Leonard said.

The fair also is supported by business and organizations that provide trophies, gift certificates, and cash donations for the family living and livestock competitions. These sponsorship levels range from $25 to $500, Calico said.

"I started to count up, and I just couldn't even do it. I would guess there's somewhere between 100 and 150 individuals and corporations who participate in that (level of sponsorship)," Calico said.

The fair's board of directors set up one of the newest sponsorship programs. This program is called the "Youth of the Ozarks" grant program. Calico said the fair gave away 10 $500 grants to area youth during the fair.