“It makes sense to market the facilities together with the exhibit space we have and the space they offer,” said Alan Hess, executive director of the Clark County Agricultural Society, the group that manages the fairgrounds.
The fairgrounds site is owned by Clark County. The Champions Center facility is owned by the Ohio Equine and Agricultural Association and sits on county land that has been leased for 99 years.
Shirley Mann, operations manager at the Champions Center, and Hess already have worked together to coordinate the Champions Center using some of the fairground’s space when needed for larger events booked at the center.
The 2009 German Shepherd Dog Show used portions of both facilities and a cattle show booked for 2012 will require the fairgrounds’ barn space and the Champions Center’s arena.
“Those are the kinds of things we can work together on that make sense. With the banquet facilities and show space at the Champions Center and the flat space we have, we could do a combination of trade shows and livestock shows. And, it’s certainly not limited to that,” Hess said.
First steps
Both groups requested grant funding from the Clark County Convention Facilities Authority, a local organization founded in 2009 to offer financial support to tourist attractions in Clark County. It is funded by a 3 percent room tax levied on all overnight stays in area hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts.
By the end of the year, the group expects to have about $330,000 for grants and operating expenses, according to Chad Yancey, the group’s accountant.
The Clark County Fairgrounds and Champions Center will receive partial funding for projects presented to the board during the application process.
The fairgrounds site needs to upgrade its electrical system and requested approximately $314,000 for the project. The CFA decided to fund half of the project and will request the remaining funds from the Clark County Board of Commissioners because the county owns the facility, said Board Chairman Matt Kridler.
The board voted to allocate $52,300 for each of the next three years pending a match in county funding.
To get the joint marketing campaign off the ground, the Champions Center was recently awarded $16,000 by the Clark County Convention Facilities Authority earmarked specifically for that purpose. The funds will be administered by the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“We will use the CFA funds to create a more robust sales and marketing package that will include press kit, brochures and better photography of the center and its facilities,” said Melanie Baker, OEAA board member. “Basically, it will allow us to create the fundamental marketing things we haven’t been able to execute because we didn’t have the funds.”
OEAA has a marketing plan that can not be fully implemented because of a lack of funding, but with the grant from the CFA, that can change, she said.
Hess said he’d like to see promotional materials that can be given to groups looking for marketing space and targeting of specific organizations and groups including livestock, agricultural, and smaller trade shows.
Once the marketing plan has been reviewed and the board speaks with other parties involved in the financial future of the center, the CFA will vote on how to proceed with additional funding.
The boards of both organizations are taking steps to ensure the new team gels and is effective.
“We’re working towards that. There’s more cooperation between the two boards new than there ever has been since we opened the facility five years ago,” said Jack Hawkes, OEAA board president.
Three representatives from the CCA sit on the OEAA board and OEAA board members will soon begin regularly attending CCA board meetings.
Necessary funds
In addition to the marketing funds, the Champions Center asked the CFA for $1.2 million to reduce its debt.
“Right now, we’re servicing an approximately $3.8 million debt. We started out at $5.8 and have reduced that by $2 million. We’re just about cash neutral right now — we’re very tight and not making any profit,” Hawkes said.
The OEAA has a contract with the Turner Foundation to cover any shortfalls on loan payments. Hawkes said the group has called on them only a couple of times.
Reducing the Champions Center debt with CFA funds would allow the venue to turn a profit and reinvest that money in the entire fairgrounds site.
“We need to get the debt down to somewhere around $2 million. We’re working with Security Bank, paying both principal and interest on a 30-year note. The income we’re generating is paying the bills and we’re current on our mortgage payment to the bank. Once we get that down to around $2 million, our business plan looks very, very realistic and we can service that debt without any problems whatsoever,” Hawkes said.
Once the debt is reduced, any profits generated by the Champions Center will be funneled directly back to the fairgrounds for their benefit.
“From the beginning, the concept was to bring our debt down to as close to zero as possible, then funnel all excess dollars directly back to the fairgrounds and the 4-H kids in the community. Then, the fairgrounds does not have to go to the taxpayers or the county commission for tax dollars to complete improvements on the barns and facilities they have. We feel very confident that once we get our debt in line, we can generate $200,000 to $250,000 a year, going directly back to the agricultural society to complete improvements at the Clark County Fairgrounds,” he added.
The OEAA is not relying solely on future funds from the CFA, but is focusing on its own fundraising program to secure name sponsors and donors.
“We are aligning ourselves with several professional fundraising chapters and we’ll work with a couple of team leaders to begin to figure out what our next moves should be. We want to be very cognizant of being resourceful and think outside the box. We’re working to get the most out of every dollar,” Baker said.
Fundraising will have to go beyond the borders of Clark County, Hawkes said, focusing on national-level corporate sponsors.
And even though the Champions Center is booked for the entirety of its 45 available weekends in 2011, board members are looking to attract more national caliber horse shows, more dog shows, other livestock shows, boat shows, trade shows, equipment demonstrations, concerts and music shows.
“We want to branch out and show how versatile the center can really be,” Baker said.
Moving forward
The venues are important to the county and need to be successful, said Chuck Ingle, CFA board member.
The Champions Center is responsible for about 67 percent of the overnight visitors to the county each year, Hawkes said.
At horse shows, the Champions Center can host 318 stalls at Champions Center and 152 outside on the fairgrounds property, totaling 470 stalls.
Other events at the fairgrounds, not including the Clark County Fair, draw between 300,000 to 400,000 visitors each year.
Communication between CFA and OEAA board members have demonstrated a strong interest on the part of the CFA to support the Champions Center and ensure its success, Hawkes said.
Ingle and Board Member Dan Young have been charged with leading the meetings between the groups.
There will be discussions regarding possible funding and approaches to effectively assist with debt repayment, but Ingle was not able to offer detailed information as talks with the OEAA are on-going.
“I can tell you one thing,” Hawkes said, “the Champions Center isn’t going anyplace.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.
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