Putting on a show: There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes of a trade expo

When the harvest is over and winter sets in, that’s the season for agricultural trade shows. From crop-specific events to the enormous Spokane Ag Show, tens of thousands of people pour into expos, conventions and shows in Washington. Those don’t just spring up out of nowhere. “There are so many small things on the back end that people (don’t see)” said Sheri Nolan, an account manager at Ag Association Management. “(They just) walk up, they grab their name tag, they go to the meeting.” Nolan organizes seven shows every year as well as summer tours, field days and other public events, she said. Those include the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Conference in January, the Mint Convention in December, the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Cropping Systems Conference, the Western Alfalfa Seed Growers Winter Convention and the International Fruit Tree Association Annual Meeting.