Berlin Fair
Published October 3rd, 2006
Heavy rain and lightning may have caused problems in other areas of the state on Sunday, but mother nature was simply no match for a 60-year tradition as the Berlin Fair remained fully operational and saw attendance numbers exceed 100,000 before the end of Sunday.
“We didn’t scale back what we offered at all,” said Jon Demko, vice-president of the Berlin Fair Committee and member of the hosting Berlin Lions Club. “We haven’t had a fair in a while where it didn’t rain for at least one of the days, so we this is something we knew was a possibility and I think we planned accordingly.”
Organizers said the fairgrounds withstood much of the early torrential downpours thanks to a state-of-the-art drainage system and newly paved lower road. Richard Miller, past-president of the Berlin Lions Club, said the roadway would have previously been unusable, but the construction allowed the club to retain vendors and keep booths open.
Demko added that while crowds were down a little on Sunday, a good opening night and record-setting Saturday, which saw one of the highest single-day totals in the fair’s history, helped the fair continue its annual success.
The Saturday crowds also led exhibitors to report a 30 percent increase in this year’s attendance and participation, Demko added. In addition, Demko said the club also benefited from an increase in fair entries due to the transfer of their premium book from hard copy to online format and with advertising from their Web site, www.ctberlinfair.com.
While organizers are concerned with making sure the attendance is there, Fair Committee President Irene Hillstrand said the most important goal of the annual festival is to provide the opportunity for the entire community to benefit from the proceeds.
“This fair has been servicing the entire community for 60 years,” said Hillstrand. “This is an important fund-raiser for many of our vendors and all the proceeds go directly back to organizations in town.”
Related Articles Study by CHD Expert: Expansion of Trade Fairs for Hotels and Restaurants in GermanyVietnam to join tourism fairsIran in World Tourism FairsTurkey To Be Promoted at 115 Tourism Fairs In 2006Hong Kong Fair Attracts 100 Top Galleries
