January Newsletter

Plugged-In.....To Your Community

The Fair Industry and Community intertwine significantly, which is why it is important as a young professional to get Plugged-In.  Involvement in your community provides access to many opportunities, which include sponsorships, networking and public relations to name just a few.  In addition, being Plugged-In exposes you to educational opportunities that will assist in molding you to be a more rounded and diverse individual, giving you more relevance in today’s competitive world.  We all make a difference now, but if we all get Plugged-In, think of what a greater impact YPI can have.  So how can you get Plugged-In? 

·         City Organized Young Professional Groups

·         Non-Profit Boards (great resource to learn about non-profits in your area are Social Calendars)

·         Schools (Public, Private and Colleges)

·         Public Library

·         Hospitals

·         Rotary

·         Junior League 

Don’t just wait for opportunities to come to you, get Plugged-In, and create your own opportunities.

 
 

Dream Big:  Food Drive 101

Approaching the idea of where to start on hosting a food drive may seem a little overwhelming, but with a few basic steps your Fair can be on its way to food drive success.  Here are four areas that you will want to outline when planning your food drive.

 

Planning a food drive can be broken down into as many areas as you would like, but you must make sure you have four major areas:

 

1.       What are our goals?

2.       Who are we going to partner with?

3.       What location will work best?

4.       What incentives will we offer?

 

As with any project being taken on, establishing goals and what you want to achieve is the first step.  You will then want to determine what charity you want to partner with, what volunteer base you will work with or establish and what media partners you want to directly team up with.  These will also be a big source of how the event will be publicized.  The location selected should be determined on space availability, ease of getting food items to this area and is it easily accessible to vehicles.  Lastly, what will drive people to participate and make it worth the effort of bringing food donations to the fair?  Explore different promotions that would work the best for your fairgoers. 
 

Each food drive can be different and unique and that is one thing that makes them so successful.  Dream Big in 2013!

 

• For more information on the IAFE Dream Big Campaign, CLICK HERE

 

YPI VIP Highlight

J.D. Linn

Producer
Haas & Wilkerson Insurance
Fairway, Kansas

J.D. Linn is a producer for the fair, festival, and special event divi­sion of Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. He uses contractual analysis, policy reviews, and other risk management techniques to protect the assets of festivals from the unique liability ex­posures associated with them.

 

Prior to working at Haas & Wilkerson In­surance, Linn graduated from the Uni­ver­sity of Kansas’s School of Economics in 2010 with a bachelors degree in economics and minor in business. In 2010, he was also employed as the music director and composer for the Story Worx Studio of Kansas City. His love of music lead to him attending and sometimes performing at several different festivals through­out the country, where he developed a passion for the special event industry. From 2008-2011, Linn served as an independent contractor for Blue Jay Properties in Law­rence, Kans. He was responsible for managing a clean­ing/maintenance crew for a 192-unit apartment complex.

 

As a producer at Haas & Wilkerson In­sur­ance, Linn uses his analytical skills, econom­ics background, and risk management knowl­edge to serve the industry that he has grown to love. He designs risk management programs for the specific, high-risk exposures associat­ed with special events. He was recently elected to serve on the board of directors for the Flor­ida Festival and Event Association. He has at­tended numerous state fair meetings as well as IAFE zone meetings for zones 1, 2, 3, and 6.

Linn has one older brother, Mike Linn, and a 135 lb black lab/Newfoundland mix dog named Vito.  During most of his free time, Linn writes music or is playing with a couple of bands around Kansas City.  His other hobbies include boating, attending concerts, snowboarding, hunting, and occassionally rock climbing and white water rafting.

 

 

Mentor Spotlight

Marla Calico

IAFE

Springfield, Missouri

 

How long have you been in the Fair Industry?

I began work at the Ozark Empire Fair (Springfield, Missouri) in early 1977, while attending Southwest Missouri State University (Now Missouri State University).  I worked 12 hours per week in the office, but also picked up extra cash by selling tickets on Friday night at the stock car races, selling bedding at the horse shows on Saturday and Sunday.  I was the general manager of the fair from 1995 through mid-2004.  I have been on staff at the IAFE since September, 2006.

 

What's the best lesson you have learned in the industry / or the hardest?

No matter how much success you enjoy, no matter how GREAT things are going you must constantly be pushing yourself -- and htose around you -- to always do better.  It is the 4-H motto learned so many years ago, "To Make the Best Better".

 

What's your favorite fair food?

Nachos with cheese (on the side) and LOTS of jalapeno peppers with a Dr. Pepper. This was my Friday night dinner for decades because I most often could be found working a horse show or rodeo or other event at OEF.

 

What do you feel is the biggest change / challenge you have faced?

The biggest change has been the technology, not only while I was at the fair, but here at IAFE. It is moving SO fast, compared to what I first knew and the rate of change from the late 1970s through end of 1990s. Consider this -- getting a FAX machine was a huge deal for us! As far as a challenge, nothing -- nothing at all -- can compare to the horrible tragedy of a natural gas explosion on our fairgrounds, 32 days before the 2003 fair opened, which killed one of our employees.

What question would you ask a mentor?
Advice on how to be a good leader. You can be the best at marketing, the best at arranging competitive exhibits, or managing an agricultural program....but that doesn't necessarily make you a leader.

If you could give one piece of advice what would that be?
Everyone fails at some point in their life. The key is to learn something from that failure...to admit it, to own up to it. to make the changes necessary so that the next time you fail it is at something else! We remember Babe Ruth not for the phenomenal number of strike-outs but for his home runs.

What’s the one thing during the fair you can’t live without?
Extra shoes. If your feet aren't "happy" the rest of you cannot be happy!

What’s your favorite quote?
The 4-H motto, "To Make the Best Better".

Who is your role model / mentor?
My mentor was Dan Fortner, the manager of Ozark Empire Fair from 1983 through 1994. I learned so very much from him, not only about how to run the fair, but about living life. Although also a mentor, my dad was and remains my role model. The world lost a great man when he died, and I miss him still. He was one who always had a smile on his face; who never met a stranger; who always found the good in people; who survived failure; a man who was never afraid to show his love or his emotions.