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The Expo looks to attract more events A new RV park, which opened last summer, long has been in The Expo's master plan. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Tuesday Oct 25, 2016 at 8:49 PM Oct 26, 2016 at 7:39 AM Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune @VickieAldous With its financial health improved, The Expo is looking to attract even more events to increase its revenues and boost the local economy. At the same time, the complex that is home to the Jackson County Fair and other events throughout the year is coping with growing pains. The all-volunteer Jackson County Fair Board and The Expo's small paid staff held a public meeting Tuesday night to share the current state and future plans for the complex. Previously dependent on the Jackson County government for financial support, The Expo is now expected to be a self-supporting department of the county. The Expo closed out its fiscal year on June 30 in the black with a $236,000 ending fund balance, said Director Helen Funk. The new 92-space Southern Oregon RV Park, which is managed by the Jackson County Parks Department, is expected to draw more visitors to The Expo and increase registration for events, she said. "That will be a huge selling point for us," Funk said. The four-day Country Crossings Music Festival coming to The Expo in summer 2017 is expected to draw 18,000 to 20,000 people per day, she said. While the massive festival with concerts on three stages will benefit business in the Rogue Valley, Funk said The Expo lacks enough parking to accommodate all the visitors, Funk said. Jackson County Road and Parks Director John Vial said managers of the festival already are making plans to find parking at locations away from The Expo, and then bus people in. Jim Teece, a member of the fair board, said the music festival will be a monumental undertaking and The Expo staff and fair board members can learn from its organizers. "I'm looking forward to learning from them how to run an event of a magnitude we have never done before," Teece said. While The Expo stages many of its own events, Funk said she also wants to attract more events staged by other organizations. The complex has a variety of buildings and other facilities available for rent. Some events already fill to capacity and parking and traffic management is becoming an issue. Vendor space is sold out already for the Holiday Market, and Funk expects the Christmas Showcase to sell out as well. The two events are the largest artisan and craft fairs in the region, she said. "Capacity is our new problem," she said. Representatives from Travel Medford and the Southern Oregon Sports Commission suggested The Expo look at bringing more sporting events to its grounds, such as popular mud runs or archery. Rob Holmbeck, community development and marketing coordinator for The Expo, pointed at boxing as an example of successful sports events at the complex that could serve as a model for future sports events. Funk said The Expo is continuing to work with its partners, including other Jackson County departments and sponsors in the community. The Expo now receives 25 percent of its budget from its 80-plus sponsors, including local and regional businesses, organizations and foundations. The fair alone attracted $327,000 in sponsorship funding, she said. While many fairgrounds across the country are struggling, members of the fair board and the Jackson County Livestock Auction Committee said they are fielding questions from other fairs about how to be successful. This year's junior livestock auction had gross sales of almost $1.3 million — a record-setting figure. That money circulates in the community to feed stores and other businesses, benefiting the community, they said. At Thursday's meeting, local fair volunteer Bill Johnson was recognized for receiving the Fair Supporter of the Year Award at a recent Oregon Fairs Association annual meeting. Reach staff reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous.