Celebrating Forty Years of Excellence

Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) was a dream envisioned by two Saskatchewan livestock men, Mr. Chris Sutter and Mr. Jim Lewthwaite.  They saw a need for a major agricultural fall show in Western Canada, and in 1970 went on to gain the support of livestock associations, various municipal, provincial, and federal governments.  The coordinated efforts of the agricultural industry have contributed greatly to the phenomenal success of “Canada’s International Agricultural Marketplace,” Agribition.

Regina was the chosen site of Agribition primarily because its founders were Saskatchewan breeders, and the City of Regina is located centrally, not only to Western Canada but to Canada as a whole and North America generally.  As well, Regina was one of the few locations with facilities to house a winter stock show of this magnitude.  Over the years, the growth and expansion of the show attracted significant capital infrastructure funds to accommodate the annual show.  Today, the show utilizes over 1,000,000 square feet of indoor, interconnected space.

Throughout the last forty years, CWA has maintained the central pursuit of its visionaries while adding many other features to appeal to a wide audience.  It is still a major livestock show supported by and working for the producers.  Today, CWA is considered by many to be the premier beef livestock show in Canada and among the top beef livestock shows in the world.  In size and importance, the annual show contributes roughly $20M in direct benefits to the Regina economic landscape.  The indirect benefits to the agriculture business community and economy in general account for many more millions over the course of time.

The core of the show is the beef livestock shows and sales.  Beef, bison, goat, sheep, and draft horse are all part of the livestock schedule.  The beef schedule contains animals from across Canada and the U.S.A. and has been the largest purebred beef showing in Canada for the last several years.   Canada has a stellar reputation for its superior beef genetics.  Buyers from around the world attend the show to view and purchase semen, embryos and live animals.  The shows and sales culminate at the end of the week with the highlight of the Beef Supreme Challenge.  This interbreed invitational beef show is considered among the most prestigious in North America.  CWA invites grand aggregate show champions from a carefully selected group of other shows across North America.  After an intense initial judging, the top ten finalists are brought back into the ring to crown the overall grand champion.  Past winners have clearly identified this title as the one that took their business and marketing efforts to the next level and placed them in the international spotlight for beef genetics. 

Focused on trade and transactional business, the show promotes itself as a marketplace to serve the world. CWA’s industry trade show boasts nearly 1,100 booths encompassing everything from lifestyles, sport and recreation, acreage, and is focussed primarily on the agri-business industry.  A visitor can plan their entire business operation over the next year during the show, purchase a boat for the lake next summer and complete all their Christmas shopping at one venue.  With over 250,000 square feet of booth space and nearly 150,000 visitors annually, CWA brings businesses a huge opportunity to promote and sell their products and services.

A key component of CWA is its International Market Development Program.  Through a combination of direct and indirect marketing efforts, CWA has attracted international visitors from around the globe.  In 2009, over 700 delegates representing over 70 countries attended the show.  Canada’s livestock and agri-business community has identified CWA as a prime opportunity to reach an international audience.  Each year, international visitors conduct business at the show in the booths, stalls and in the full service International Business Centre.  The business centre offers a full range of services to accommodate meetings, negotiations, and business transactions. 

To augment the marketplace concept and focus, CWA also provides a significant amount of programming geared toward entertainment.  Making use of the 7,000 seat Brandt Centre; a host of entertainment acts, events, and competitions take place.  Based largely on equine entertainment, the schedule for the show arena contains a draft horse hitch show, a ranch rodeo, stock dog competition, cowhorse and ranch horse competitions, team penning and the Canadian Cowboys’ Association Finals Rodeo.  A large part of business is relationship building and these events offer people the opportunity to network and build their business in a less formal atmosphere.

In addition, the show has an education component that attracts schools, families, and anyone curious about agriculture.  Over the course of each show, more than 5,000 children register through the formal school program.  CWA is an ideal opportunity to promote and educate the public.  Displays from each sector of agriculture entertain and educate throughout the week.  

As a non-profit entity, CWA relies on the assistance of thousands of volunteer hours each year.  Without the strong support from this group of dedicated individuals, CWA would not be possible.  In addition to the volunteer support, CWA attracts sponsor investment from local, provincial and national corporations who see the value within the show to reach their target markets. 

Strategically, CWA has its sight set on building its brand into a world renowned leader in business and entertainment opportunities.  As a venue, CWA allows key industry stakeholders to come together each year to transact business in a hospitable, entertaining atmosphere.  Looking forward, the show must continue to focus on its strengths and build complementary attractions to its core mission to maintain revenue growth.  CWA will continue to provide relevant industry specific programming to an increasingly wider range of audience.  Full utilization of technology and leading edge marketing will ensure that the show remains a vital part of the Canadian agriculture schedule for the next forty years and beyond.