It has been an exciting few weeks in Regina as both the Grey Cup Festival and Canadian Western Agribition were hosted in the Queen City in a matter of days.
And now that Agribition is coming to a close, those involved are reflecting on the impact it has had on the city.
“This week has been so much fun. It has been an absolute whirlwind but I’ve had an absolute blast,” said Shaun Kindopp, the CEO of Canadian Western Agribition. “Being able to see people back and smiling and just happy. We are proud of that.”
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said she is excited to have people back in the city for Agribition, especially the youth.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic,” Masters said. “It’s been full (the facilities), the kids are back and I think we’ve had almost 10,000 students this week learning all about agriculture. So it’s been pretty great and it’s been packed.”
Kindopp noticed a similar trend this week, seeing many families with kids walking through the door.
“The kids are having fun and everyone you talk to are saying, ‘My family came to Agribition as a kid,’ and I think it is just fantastic,” Kindopp said. “Everyone remembers their childhood.”
On top of bringing the community together, the Grey Cup and Agribition have been a significant financial boost for the city.
“Our restaurants and hotels are full all week. I think folks are in the city doing some Christmas shopping, which is great for our local vendors. Really, the economic impact on the City of Regina is in the tens of millions of dollars,” Masters explained.
While numbers have not been released on the impact the Grey Cup had on Regina’s economy, in 2013, when Regina hosted the big game, over $93 million made its way to the province.
Add in a week of Agribition and Regina is bringing in a good chunk of money through November.
“Grey Cup connected Canada, but Agribition connects the world,” said Masters. “Eighty countries (and) 1,200 delegates in town. The economic impact of Agribition to our city and province approaches $100 million.”
Kindopp said the overall attendance for Agribition is much closer to pre-pandemic levels, with three of the four rodeo nights sold out.
“People are choosing to spend money here and bring their families, and we are thankful for that,” Kindopp said.