Inaugural Ag Expo a success
- Details
- Published on Thursday, April 13, 2017
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
An event put together by the Neepawa Natives aimed to thank the region’s agricultural community for their ongoing support. But after it was all said and done, the first annual Neepawa Ag Expo ended up seeing the farming sector giving back to the team, and in a big way.
The event, held at the Yellowhead Centre Hall on Thursday Apr. 6, featured 39 display booths with a wide array of goods, equipment and services on display. It also featured three guest speakers examining a variety of farm topics. The highlight of the day was an auction, which included 37 donated items and services. In total, $30,040 was raised from the Expo, which will go towards the operational expenses for the junior ‘A’ hockey team. As the day drew to a close, some in attendance noted that the Expo had done a good job of recapturing some of the excitement that surrounded the former Neepex Trade Show, which used to be staged as a showcase for the ag industry.
Natives vice president Cam Tibbett as well as non-board members Matt Lowry and Scott Newton made up the committee that organized the day. They spoke to businesses about participating, either through setting up a booth within the hall, or donating something for the auction. Lowry said going into this event, the trio had modest expectations for support in this inaugural year. He said the response they got was more than expected.
“It was quite a good feeling when we finalized the number of booths involved and found we were at maximum capacity. There ended up being 39 booths out here at the Ag Expo. As well, there were several businesses that donated but didn’t put a booth up. That’s going to be the big draw in the future to get those farmers here,” said Lowry. “Then, as we finalized the auction and saw the amount of support that it generated, not only from the bidding, but from the number of items donated from local businesses, it was just a tremendous amount of support. This turned out to be a very positive event, not only for the Neepawa Natives, but for the community.”
Natives president Ken Waddell was impressed with the final results and thanked Lowry, Tibbett and Newton for all the hard work they had put in to make the Expo what it was. He noted that any success from the day needed to be attributed to them.
“Matt, Cam and Scott worked together on this and made a huge impact on the community. They’re young farmers, who are well known and well respected and they just put together a tremendous package for us tonight with the cooperation of all the suppliers.”
Several members of the Neepawa Natives board and staff attended part or all of the Expo. Among them was head coach Dustin Howden, who walked the floor speaking with several sponsors and businesses. Howden said the buzz on the floor was positive and gives them a lot of optimism for next year.
“The town of Neepawa and area stepped up and supported the team throughout the year. What we’re seeing here at the Expo is another way for them to get behind us. It’s been great to see the local businesses and local farmers come in in a big way to help us out. When it comes to a junior ‘A’ hockey team, there is no off-season when it comes to expenses. We simply can’t thank them enough for their support,” Howden said.
As for the future of the Ag Expo, representatives with the board noted there are plans already in the works for next year and are hopeful this will evolve into an annual showcase for the farming industry.
