The state of agriculture reflects our future from a food supply standpoint as well as international trade, technology, employment, and environmental conservation. With the continued mission to promote and protect our regional agribusiness sector, we hosted the first ever virtual Spokane Ag Show Feb 23-25. 2021 marked the 44th year of the Spokane Ag Show and served as a reminder that during times of separation, innovation serves as a catalyst for connectivity and growth.
The 3-day show featured industry focused exhibitors and held over 52 on-demand and live seminars. Collectively sessions were viewed over 9500 times by over 1000 attendees from across the entire Northwest region of the country and Canada. Session highpoints included comprehensive weather reports, agriculture economic forecasts, valuable tax updates and pesticide recertification courses. The recertification courses were a valuable component in our COVID era, as producers have limited avenues to maintain their certification credits. By offering this opportunity, we delivered 19 certification courses and verified 1500 credits in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The virtual platform also gave exhibitors visibility without geography limitations. They had ownership over user friendly pages that they were able to customize with branding and content, post videos and host private events. Overall attendees directly engaged with exhibitors over 1600 times giving clients and businesses a connection point they might not have had.
While the show is over, we are still showcasing exhibitors and offering on demand seminars. It is free to attend and can be accessed through the attendee registration link at agshow.org. The success from this year’s virtual format will never replace an in-person show, equally it is apparent the pioneering landscape of our offerings has forever changed how we serve our ag industry for the better.
