Welcome to UCA’s Blog!
It’s been 6 years since the Shut Down and for a few years things seem to be going swimmingly. Lot’s of people back out on the fairgrounds looking to have a good time, enjoy the outdoors and eat lots and lots of their favorite fair foods! Record crowd attendances for fairs big and small nationwide.
We all felt a huge relief getting back to work, being able to enjoy time with our fellow business owners and having a purpose again.
Although we were back to work and many of doing better than we had prior to the pandemic the underlying issues still remained. Rising costs of stock, fuel, rents, insurance, equipment and maintenance as well as a severe shortage of capable staff. Although our grosses may have been greater than in years past, our bottom line wasn’t. We work harder now to keep less than ever.
The OABA continues to fight in DC to remedy the annual challenge of the foreign worker shortage/lottery system while food concessionaires continue to turn the other cheek in fear of losing their location.
All of our expenses are rising! Fairs, Concessionaires, Carnivals, Entertainers, Suppliers, etc……..
Everyone is looking for a way to pay the bills and maintain their livelihood. The challenge facing fairs today is the push to restructure rent and revenue models as a way to increase annual income. That evolution is understandable and, in many cases, necessary.
But no two fairs are the same. Each fair should build policies around its own business model, community, and long-standing relationships with the concessionaires who help make the event successful.
Instead of working together with concessionaires, “partners,” and the so-called “fair family” to create solutions that benefit everyone involved, many fairs are simply adopting the only system being marketed to them. In doing so, small business owners are gradually surrendering control of their operations to outside parties who have no investment in your business, your future, or the customer experience.
The result is not modernization. It is the slow erosion of independence, flexibility, and the entrepreneurial spirit that built the fair industry in the first place.
The fair industry does not survive on contracts, committees, or control. It survives because families choose to spend their hard earned money and valuable time with us. Every fair, concessionaire, carnival, and industry business owner should be focused on one thing above all else: providing the absolute best product and experience possible.
