DENVER — This year’s edition of Commodity Classic, a farming exhibition that is traditionally a Wednesday to Friday show, changed its date pattern to Sunday to Tuesday due to venue availability.
The event was held March 2-4 at the Colorado Convention Center and was in Denver for the first time, which helped attract new attendees.
Commodity Classic 2025 broke records for farmer attendance, reporting 5,221 farmer attendees, as well as 1,579 first-time farmer attendees, 11,395 total attendees, including 3,925 first-time visitors, and 433 exhibiting companies.
According to Maureen Feck, Commodity Classic’s Show Director, the event’s momentum has been building since the pandemic and a committee of farmers is integral to its success.
“The fact that it’s designed and created by farmers for farmers is really instrumental,” Feck explained. “We can plan the programming around what they’re experiencing every day and react as we get closer to the event if we need to add or change something … The key for us is to be able to provide what those growers need and be the place where they get the information that they need — and engage with the companies that they’re doing business with — regardless of what’s happening in the economy.”
The show’s team informed participants about the date change using social media, e-blasts and more methods.
“We communicated it everywhere,” Feck said. “With our exhibitors, we communicated it way in advance because they needed to plan differently.”
Since Commodity Classic began on a Sunday this year, its team introduced a pancake breakfast, which Feck called an “overwhelming success … [and] a great sponsorship opportunity.” The team added a closing reception as well.
Traditionally, a government official speaks at Commodity Classic’s general session. Due to the date shifts, Brooke L. Rollins, the current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, spoke on the show floor on the event’s first day, a few hours after it opened.
“It was incredibly successful for us and a great addition to that first day,” Feck said.
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A Younger Audience
While the age of farmers is trending upward, the age of the show’s attendees is trending downward.
The show is attracting younger attendees with tailored programming and targeted marketing strategies.
“It’s both how you’re reaching them, and knowing where they’re getting their information, as well as ensuring that the experience is something that they’re going to come back to. They might be looking for education in shorter segments … We’ve just scratched the surface from a marketing perspective,” Feck said. “What other social media platforms are we not utilizing? That’s going to be a continuous opportunity for us.”
Since farming tends to be generational, the show also welcomes young children, hoping to hook them as they grow up and inherit their family farms.
To show organizers looking to bring in younger attendees, Feck had this advice: “Think about who that younger audience is and meet them where they are, both from the marketing aspect of things and from the experience … Also, it’s important to not forget about the existing audience that might not fall into that younger attendee demographic, but are an important element. We want to make sure that the programming works for them too.”
Feck added that providing flexible options, such as the opportunity to attend the show for a partial number of days, can help attract younger attendees as well.
Commodity Classic’s 2024 edition is part of the Fastest 50 Class of 2025, which recognizes the fastest-growing exhibitions in the U.S. from last year. Learn more here.
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