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Fairs & Expos Magazine |
The Public's PerceptionBy: Nancy Smith On October 7, 2004, the gates opened for the 135th annual South Carolina State Fair. After months of planning, all systems are on go. The weather is perfect (for the first time in more than three years), the economy is looking up, and the entertainment and exhibits booked promise to be very exciting. Our advertising campaign is producing the desired results — “Feel Good Fun” — in 2004. Our patrons are enjoying the fair, and we are off to a great start. Three days into the fair and on a roll to achieving record attendance, tragedy strikes. A 14-year-old youth is gunned down outside the north entrance of the fairgrounds. This young man later succumbs to his injuries, a victim (we would later learn) of gang-related violence. Robert Burn’s prophetic words, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray,” becomes a reality for Gary Goodman, general manager of the South Carolina State Fair, and his staff. What started out as a wonderful, record-breaking year seems to quickly dissipate into a horror that every fair, fair manager, and staff dreads. Where do we go from here? What public relation strategies do we implement? How do we respond to our community, our patrons, the media, and our state? A timely decision-making process is critical when dealing with such issues. The South Carolina State Fair implemented various “response steps” in dealing with this tragedy. Let us follow these steps and, simultaneously, reflect on how public relations were addressed during this process.
As we are all aware, when news breaks (especially at a large event) the media is eager for response. Gary responded immediately with interviews on each television station and newspaper. Hemingway defined courage as “grace under pressure.” Gary personified this grace during these difficult days, which helped to calm the storm. As it was early in the game, there were few details to share; however, he assured the public that their safety was our number one concern. Our first objective was to build a support team throughout the community. Input was solicited from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the Columbia Urban League, the City of Columbia, the NAACP, several pastors from local churches, and other leaders from around the state. Working together with the help and input of these leaders, a decision was made to implement a new youth admission policy for the fair.
A press conference was held three days after the incident, with participation from the involved community leaders. The cohesiveness evidenced among these leaders was one of the most powerful statements made as we dealt with this crisis. The community was united in its effort to address this situation. Our resolve was strengthened by drawing these leaders into the decision making process.
During the press conference, plans were unveiled for implementation of a new youth admission policy. The policy stated: “All youth under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian 21 years or older to be admitted to the fair after 6 p.m. Any young adult over 16 without a valid driver’s license and not accompanied by a parent or guardian will not be admitted after 6 p.m.” The implementation of this policy was a bold move, but one management deemed very necessary. In Gary Goodman’s words, “Although we know this may hurt our attendance and increase our cost, our first priority is the safety of our patrons.” This policy was implemented two days later.
Additional security was employed during the remainder of the fair. As part of our Youth Admission Policy, fair staff and uniformed officers were stationed at each gate to help ensure implementation of the new policy. During crisis times, it is imperative that the staff, as well as management, be prepared to shift gears in order to meet the necessary needs. This flexibility helped to ensure a smoother transition during the implementation phase.
The last response, but certainly not the least, was that of our patrons. A new youth admission policy had been implemented. How would our patrons respond? They responded with their cars, their bodies, and their feet. They came to the fair! While working the gates during this time, I was overwhelmed with the positive response from parents regarding the decisions that had been made. The vast majority was appreciative of the fact that the fair cared enough to take a stand. The public viewed the new policy as a positive step. For the South Carolina State Fair, this helped to confirm our allegiance even more regarding family values.
It is my hope that each of you reading this article will never be faced with such a situation. However, in the fair industry we need to be ready to respond properly and to meet our patrons’ needs. The tragedy that took place at the fair was definitely that — a tragedy. However, my belief in our industry was strengthened by our community leaders and our patrons’ response. Instead of staying away, they came. Instead of sending the children alone, mother and father brought them. That speaks volumes for a fair and the community’s ownership of the fair. That speaks volumes for the fair industry. We have a wonderful product to sell. That product is family, fun, education, excitement, and entertainment. That product is simply the FAIR — any FAIR — our FAIR — your FAIR. The 135th South Carolina State Fair is now history. In the end, we had record-breaking attendance — 630,152 — our largest fair ever. That’s quite an accomplishment for any year; however, considering the events of 2004, it was phenomenal. The occurrence during the 2004 fair taught us an important lesson. Never underestimate the power of a positive perception by your public.
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