LAKE COUNTY – Of the many aspects of the county fair, the commercial exhibits have been the most constant throughout the millennia. Vendors offering their wares have been found at festivals and bazaars, farmers markets and fairs throughout recorded human history.

 

Lake County Fair’s commercial exhibit booth rental program is in full swing, and spaces are filling quickly.

The fair hosts around 120 commercial spaces each year. In recent years, more than 85 percent of them are filled by organizations from Lake or Mendocino counties.

Due to the economic times and the high percentage of local commercial exhibitors, Lake County Fair has not increased rents since 2008.

 

In the last survey taken of fair patrons, more than 90 were from Lake County, and the majority of the remaining 10 percent were from Mendocino County.

Lake County Fair provides exposure to approximately 37,000 people in four days, so local businesses can talk to and demonstrate their wares for more local people during the four days of the Lake County Fair then they can at any other event or activity all year long, in either Lake or Mendocino counties.

 

What are known in the fair industry as “commercial exhibits” are businesses selling their products, nonprofits offering information about their causes and government agencies performing outreach to the public.

In an election year like 2010, fairgoers can also expect to see numerous booths providing information about various candidates, and often have the chance to talk directly with the candidates themselves.

Because of the extra demand from political candidates, booth space often fills more quickly in an election year, and all potential exhibitors are encouraged to contract for space early.

 

Each commercial exhibitor purchases a booth space, sets up a display and, hopefully, greets fairgoers with a smile. Many stand the test of time, returning year after year to greet fairgoers once again.

 

Historically, county fairs have seen significant gains during down economies, and the industry trend in 2010 supports this pattern.

Spring fairs are can be poor indicators of how the year will turn out because weather is such a huge influence on outdoor events like county fairs, but so far this year, fairs that have had good weather have also reported good numbers in attendance and in fairgoer spending. This trend suggests that this will be a great year for commercial exhibitors.

 

Commercial exhibit space is rented on a flat fee basis. At the Lake County Fair, commercial space rents vary between $300 and $700 for a 10 foot wide by 10 foot deep space. Space rent is determined by supply and demand. Spaces located in the highest traffic areas of the event are in the highest demand, and have the highest rents.

 

Commercial exhibit spaces at the Lake County Fair start selling in January, and are filling quickly for the 2010 event, but spaces are still are available in all price ranges.

Applications for both food and commercial spaces can be found at the Lake County Fair’s Web site, www.lakecountyfair.com.