The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many changes to the live events industry. As concerts, conventions and festivals recover and move forward from the pandemic, BizTimes Milwaukee looked into how Wisconsin’s two largest, most iconic events are faring. Wisconsin State Fair recently wrapped up its 11-day run at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis; Summerfest took place over three weekends in June and July at Henry Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront.
Both organizations have new leadership: Shari Black took over as State Fair’s chief executive officer and executive director in March, while Sarah Smith Pancheri was named president of Summerfest operator Milwaukee World Festival Inc. in June.
Two different leaders, two different organizations, each with their own culture and leadership structure, both navigating the same changing landscape.
BizTimes associate editor Maredithe Meyer spoke with Black and Pancheri – along with some of their fellow executive leaders – to find out what’s ahead for these two iconic, annual Wisconsin events.
Black seeks innovation, celebrates State Fair’s agricultural roots
When Shari Black was named CEO and executive director for Wisconsin State Fair Park earlier this year, she stepped into her dream job.
The Waukesha County native began showing cattle at the Waukesha County Fair when she was 9 years old. By the time she was 23, Black was running the fair as executive director. Fifteen years in that role readied her to move up the ranks at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.
Black remembers telling her advisor while earning a bachelor’s in communications at Carroll University that she wanted to run the State Fair someday. Now at 44, she’s doing exactly that.
“I always knew, every step I made in my career, I knew that my ultimate goal was to become CEO of Wisconsin State Fair,” she said. “There definitely was planning that went in to carving out my path, and then of course a little bit of luck.”
The annual State Fair has averaged attendance of one million fairgoers in the five years prior to the pandemic, with a record-setting 1,130,572 attendees in 2019. Coming from a county fair where the average attendance is typically between 100,000 and 200,000, Black said Wisconsin State Fair felt like the “big leagues” when she joined the team as senior director of event sales and services in 2016. It reminded her of how she felt as a young exhibitor walking into the Case IH Coliseum at State Fair Park for the first time.
Black stepped into her role – first on an interim basis last October and then officially in March – amid rapid change and lingering uncertainty in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last summer, Wisconsin State Fair was the region’s first large-scale festival event to return since the start of the pandemic. Announcing its return only three months ahead of time – and thanks to an ongoing industry-wide labor shortage – staffing up was a major challenge. But, under the direction of Black’s predecessor and mentor Kathleen O’Leary, the fair attracted more than 800,000 attendees and had one of its strongest financial years in a long time, said Black.
2022 has brought record-high inflation and never-ending supply chain issues, which makes the task of planning for an event that convenes about 1 million attendees and thousands of exhibitors over 11 days all the more daunting. That’s not to mention the hundreds of public and private events throughout the year at State Fair Park’s various facilities.
Attendance at this year's Wisconsin State Fair totaled 1,003,450, which was up 19% over the 2021 State Fair.
To Black and her team, today’s operational challenges are opportunities to do things better or differently going forward – all while staying true to State Fair’s roots. Black’s passion for agriculture lies at the heart of her vision.
“As people move further and further away from the farm, we have a responsibility to teach people about what food is …,” she said. “People need to understand what they’re putting into their bodies and how important it is to put the right things in their bodies, so that is really what we’re trying to do. We are educating people on agriculture and why it is so important.”
[caption id="attachment_554344" align="alignnone" width="1280"]
Wisconsin State Fair[/caption]
Adapting to new realities
With the worst days of the pandemic in the rear view, staffing up for this year’s fair wasn’t as challenging as it was in 2021. The park opened a hiring center with evening and weekend hours and on-site interviews, which proved to be more effective than an all-day job fair, said Black.
State Fair Park currently has an average payroll of 200 people throughout the year, 90 of which are full-time year-round staff. Prior to 2020, the organization would employ an average of 1,700 people during the fair. That number has fallen to around 1,400 to 1,500 since the pandemic – and that’s likely where it will remain from now on.
[caption id="attachment_554349" align="alignright" width="300"]
Samantha Dennis[/caption]
“We had to meet reality of a shrinking labor force. We didn’t want to keep moving forward with these plans, crossing our fingers that we got back to what used to be pre-COVID (levels),” said Samantha Dennis, chief organizational development officer. She oversees IT and human resources, which includes working with each department on recruiting and training employees for the fair.
To help fill the manpower gap, State Fair has implemented new technology such as kiosks, where fairgoers can purchase admission at the entrances and tickets for games and rides at SpinCity. The organization also looked internally at the fair’s operating model, asking what processes could be streamlined and what departments could be cross-trained.
“We built in tons of efficiencies because we weren’t going to be that 1,700 labor force any more, it just wasn’t happening,” said Dennis. “It’s really hard to get work for 11 days regardless, coming out of the pandemic, it’s even harder.”
In the business of large-scale live events, efficiency plays an equally as important role on the customer-facing side.
“We want people getting in as quickly as they can and enjoying the fair,” said Black. “That’s part of the experience. We want you to have a good experience when you’re coming, verses waiting in line to get your tickets.”
But there’s a balance to strike between improving the entry experience and keeping people safe, which Black says is top priority.
New this year, State Fair implemented a policy that prohibits carry-in bags larger than 9”x10”x12.” It’s the most drastic change to the fair’s entrance policies in years and bulks up the existing metal detection and bag search protocols.
Security checkpoints at the entrances were expanded this year to improve traffic flow, and leaders have explored other solutions that could potentially reduce the number of staff manning each metal detector by 50%, said Dennis. But any new contracts need to be vetted to ensure the technology wouldn’t undermine existing safety protocols.
“State Fair is a family event, we try to be super accommodating and flexible, but the world keeps changing in terms of (what’s safe),” said Dennis.
Another sign of the times, fairgoers this year saw an increase in price for food and other favorites, such as 25-cent milk – now $1 a glass – from the Milk House.
While State Fair Park has no control over how vendors set prices to offset rising costs, the fair offers various deals and gate promotions – thanks to corporate partners like Wells Fargo, Meijer and Prairie Farms – to keep the experience affordable for families, said Black.
“Everything is going up in price, we know that we’re dealing with the inflation rate being high and, of course, our vendors are seeing that as they’re purchasing their supplies,” she said.
As far as inflation and global supply chain disruption, the fair and its vendors are in the same boat. Plans were set to replace the park’s northwest bathrooms ahead of the 2022 fair, but with a shortage of building materials, the project wouldn’t have been done in time, so it was pushed back to 2023. Orders for necessary supplies, like paper towel and hand soap, had to be placed six months earlier than usual to ensure they would arrive in time for peak season. Planning around supply chain lags began right after the 2021 fair, and Black expects working that far ahead might become the new norm, at least to be on the safe side.
Addressing concerns over higher prices at this year’s fair, Black pointed to the value of a $17 (adult) admission ticket.
“You can come and stay all day long and be entertained all day,” she said. “We have so much to offer.”
Spotlighting ag
While fairgoers spend 11 days eating fried food, listening to live music and descending the Giant Slide, Black hopes they also visit the Ag Village and walk away with a new appreciation for Wisconsin’s farmers.
One of Black’s aspirations as CEO is to shine a brighter light on the fair’s agricultural tradition. She said improvements have been made within the youth expo area and are in the works at Grand Champion Hall, with potential plans to merge the two venues.
[caption id="attachment_554345" align="alignright" width="300"]
Jen Puente[/caption]
As State Fair seeks to expand its reach, highlighting its focus on agriculture is an opportunity to set itself apart in a market known for live festivals, said Jen Puente, chief marketing officer at State Fair Park.
“(Agriculture) is what makes us unique. You look at a lot of the other festivals and events in the Milwaukee area and we’re the only one that has this many animals…,” Puente said. “Being in Milwaukee, in a little bit more of an urban center, we have a responsibility to teach kids and families about agriculture.”
From Black’s perspective – having grown up in a family of farmers and now as head of Wisconsin State Fair – the relationship between the fair and Wisconsin farmers is mutually beneficial.
“The ag industry makes up 11% of the jobs in the state of Wisconsin, so not only are we looking at that, but the economic impact (State Fair has) on this community is really important, and all of these (farmers) that are coming, they’re running their own businesses. They need this event in order to support their livelihood,” she said.
Summerfest leaders look to grow Big Gig brand, honor festival legacy
Sarah Smith Pancheri and her team were faced with an unprecedented scenario when eight major acts dropped out of the 2022 Summerfest lineup just days before and during the annual music festival on Milwaukee’s lakefront.
The team at Milwaukee World Festival Inc. scrambled to fill open slots with performers who were already on the schedule – including Steve Miller Band which headlined the BMO Harris Pavilion two nights instead of one – and added an artist who was performing elsewhere in the area. One cancellation was far less replaceable: Justin Bieber, who postponed his show just two weeks prior due to facial paralysis from Ramsay Hunt syndrome. On what was slated to be one of the festival’s biggest nights, the American Family Insurance Amphitheater sat empty.
2022 was the Big Gig’s second year experimenting with a weekend-only format – instead of its traditional 11-day run. Summerfest was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then postponed to September in 2021, when it was held on three weekends. The festival returned to the summer this year.
Yet another sign of the mark COVID-19 has left on the entertainment business nationally, the string of cancellations was one of a few factors Summerfest says contributed to lagging attendance this year, compared to pre-pandemic levels. Attendance during the festival’s nine days totaled 445,611 fans, which was up 8.8% over 2021 but down 38% from 2019.
“It is impossible to avoid these situations, especially when an artist cancels due to illness. And we are not alone. The industry is juggling touring schedules and artists, due to the effects of the pandemic,” said Pancheri, who was named president less than three weeks ahead of Summerfest’s opening weekend.
Her appointment came as MWF’s longtime, high-profile leader Don Smiley announced his forthcoming retirement. Smiley, who has led the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization since 2004, will remain chief executive officer through 2023. His departure will follow that of Summerfest’s longtime talent buyer, Bob Babisch, who will retire at the end of this year after four decades as head of entertainment and transition into a consulting role. Babisch’s connections to talent agencies and management firms in the music industry have led to some big gets for the Big Gig over the years, including the Rolling Stones, Prince and Paul McCartney.
A team effort
Recent shifts in its executive leadership have given way to the next generation of leaders at MWF, with Pancheri now at the helm as president.
She first joined MWF in 1999 as director of corporate sales and left seven years later for leadership roles at Marquette University’s development department and later at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. She returned to MWF in 2015 as vice president of sales and marketing and was promoted to chief operating officer in 2019. During her current tenure, Pancheri has been involved in more than $150 million in capital development on the grounds, including a $53 million upgrade to the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
Despite her impact on the organization and a new position of power, Pancheri is quick to pass off any accolades to the credit of her colleagues, highlighting their collective expertise and perspectives over hers – or anyone’s – alone. As MWF’s 50-person full-time team navigate both external and internal change – in the midst of the busiest concert season in more than 15 years for Henry Maier Festival Park – a culture of collaboration keeps the organization moving forward.
“Given the nature of the event business, we’re really fortunate to have experts in the different disciplines across the organization,” Pancheri said. “So, in terms of how we approach a problem or how we address opportunities, it really is about bringing the disciplines together that are most impacted or can most influence a particular issue, and we make that decision as a collaborative team. That was true 10 years ago, and that will be true 10 years from now.”
Smiley set the tone for MWF’s team-oriented environment, said Pancheri. And it’s a philosophy she’s carried with her on her way toward the top.
“He created and has put together a seasoned, experienced and collaborative team, and that’s something that I definitely learned from him in terms of hearing from a variety of voices as well as approaching any issue with a variety of different perspectives,” she said.
It’s a culture that extends beyond the leadership team, said Gaye Littell, who’s been with the organization for 35 years, currently serving as vice president and executive producer. Overseeing the operations department, Littell is heavily involved in efforts to attract and retain the target 2,000 part-time workers needed for MWF’s festival season – about 1,700 this year (MWF is continuing to recruit more part-time employees). MWF is not immune from today’s workforce challenges amidst a tight labor market, but Littell said she’s seeing more seasonal workers stay on the payroll longer this year.
“We have a core of very dedicated supervisors and leaders within their own realms of the department, and they stay with us. That turnover is less and less every year,” she said.
[caption id="attachment_554347" align="alignnone" width="1280"]
Some of Milwaukee World Festival’s leaders, from left: Mary Schanning, general counsel and chief administrative officer; Sarah Smith Pancheri, president; Gaye Littell, vice president and executive producer; and Lena DeLeat, director of Summerfest Tech and sponsorship manager. Credit: Andrew Feller Photography[/caption]
Community ties
As a nonprofit organization, MWF relies heavily on corporate sponsorships to put on the Big Gig and a host of other events throughout the season. The work of maintaining those long-standing partnerships and going after new opportunities is a team effort, said Lena DeLeat, director of Summerfest Tech and sponsorship manager.
“We try to make it so there’s not one person that is the only person that can speak to a certain sponsor,” said DeLeat. “Whether it’s Don or someone coordinating assets, … the whole org will sometimes touch and connect with a sponsor or partner because we’re so collaborative.”
DeLeat and her team work with dozens of corporate partners to customize what their sponsorship looks like from year to year. They ask how the company wants to work with Summerfest to fulfill its internal goals as well as goals around corporate stewardship and giving back. At the end of the year, they check in on those goals and set new ones for the year ahead based on what the organization is trying to “put out into the universe,” she said.
It was out of these high-touch conversations that Summerfest Tech was born.
“A lot of our core corporate partners and stage partners said there’s this growing need for Milwaukee to become more of a tech hub and tech ecosystem and asked, ‘How can Summerfest help that cause?’” said DeLeat.
Launched in 2018, Summerfest Tech convenes area businesses, startups, investors, nonprofits and students within Milwaukee’s technology sector for two days of events, including an annual pitch competition, at Henry Meier Festival Park.
The goal is to leverage the iconic Summerfest brand to highlight and grow Milwaukee’s tech scene. Similar to the wide range of music genres festival-goers can enjoy, Summerfest Tech offers something for everyone – “whether you’re a student all the way up to a c-suite,” said DeLeat. The event is free thanks to sponsorships.
“We really try to mirror what Summerfest does …,” DeLeat said. “The same way Summerfest is able to stay probably one of the lowest cost, high-talent music festivals, Summerfest Tech aims to do the same, bringing in this unbelievable programming talent.”
As Summerfest Tech has grown in size and scope – with partnerships up 20% this year over 2021 – the event has provided a vehicle for MWF and Summerfest to expand its reach and create “niche” relationships with new and existing partners across the Midwest, allowing them “to interact with our brand in a different way,” said DeLeat.
Ultimately, MWF’s new growth initiatives like Summerfest Tech as well as Summerfest Business Alliance, which launched in 2021, build off what the Big Gig has done best for 57 years and will continue to do for years to come, said Pancheri.
“We’ve got a tradition in our community of attending and cultivating these festivals so that they’re successful, so for us, investing in that legacy is really important,” she said.
[caption id="attachment_554343" align="alignnone" width="1280"]
Summerfest[/caption]
