International Plowing Match & Rural Expo ~ Maximizing your Efforts ~ Synergy

Ontario Visited interview withVirginia Govier, Marketing Co-ordinator of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association, OPA  

Ontario Plowmen’s Association Parent Host of the International Plowing Match & Rural Expo this September 17-21, 2013 in Mitchell Ontario, Perth County … interview with Ms. Virginia Govier, Marketing Co-ordinator of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association, OPA …“THE INSIDE SCOOP” continues …

MAXIMIZING YOUR EFFORTS …. SYNERGY …..

The International Plowing Match & Rural Expo stays “fresh” and exciting both for participants and visitors alike. It continues to be interesting as a new event and it makes it easier for folks to embrace.

I wondered about how the IPM coming into a community with conflicting dates would impact the other events being held at the same time. Virginia Govier was enthusiastic to share with us that the OPA and IPM are proud to work closely with the other events. They try to create a good synergy amongst the groups to maximize everyone’s efforts. To explain more, planning for the IPM takes place 3 years in advance of the event. Bids are sent out by the Local Plowing Branches to Bid for the opportunity to host the IPM. The nucleolus of the Board springs from that and committees are formed. The great contribution from the OPA is that it brings along qualified staff and shares the efforts of the accounting, marketing, and sponsorship committees. They offer great guidance and strategies. Virginia tells me there are manuals that detail items that cover all kinds of questions, from budgets, to security detail, to what to and what not to do.

The biggest challenge Ms. Govier states, is not the “moving around”, but the new management structure. There are always some growing pains; people have pre-conceived ideas, new concepts. But, Virginia says, the synergy that can be created can go a long way for both groups, from the development framework the OPA has in place. Specifically, an example of the framework is the sponsorship program. There are set levels for sponsorship dollars obtained, in the signage the sponsor would receive to the number of gate tickets for the event. From major sponsorship to smaller, there are strategies in place to “not block out” anyone and give fare value for fare contributions. They have tools in place to help guide the organizers to juggle even the marketing structure.  Check out the IPM website at (LINK). Stayed tuned for more “SCOOP” …