One Of USA’s Best State Fairs To Share Insights With Australian Agshows In 2025

The 582 agricultural shows in Australia, in small towns through to capital cities, have the chance to learn from one of the biggest shows in the US this February.

Ray Allison, Chief Development and Strategy Officer from the Indiana State Fair, and Second Vice Chair of the Interna­tional Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), has been announced as the first of two keynote speakers at the Agricultural Shows Australia 2025 Conference.

The Indiana State Fair debuted in 1852 in Indianapolis and attracts almost one mil­lion visitors annually. It’s the sixth oldest state fair in the U.S. – and Ray has worked an impressive 32 fairs in total.

“Agricultural fairs and shows matter, ar­guably today more than ever,” Ray said.

“This interactive presentation will high­light the significance and impact of fairs/shows globally over the last 200 years.

We’ll look at the history and traditions we all hold so dear and explore how and why they still matter today, and we’ll also dis­cuss how fairs are evolving to meet everchanging customer demand, while staying true to their agricultural roots.”

Executive Officer of Agricultural Shows Australia (ASA), Katie Stanley said Ray will bring enormous experience and insight to the stage in his keynote session, ‘Rooted in Tradition, Growing for the Future: The Enduring Relevance of Agricultural Fairs/Shows in Today’s Marketplace.’“Ray is passionate about supporting youth, agriculture, and education, aligning with the values we hold dear. His keynote will offer invaluable insights into how state fairs and agricultural shows can continue to thrive and evolve,” Katie said.

“As he puts it, “The only limit to our re­alisation of tomorrow will be our doubts of today” – a perfect sentiment for a confer­ence with the 2025 theme of ‘Reimagining an icon’ and the focus on reimagining and growing our iconic events.”

Registration for the ASA Conference 2025 is via the ASA website. The confer­ence is run from Thursday 13th February through to Sunday 16th February 2025.