Sonoma County Fair is your answer to creative marketing. With a per capita income well above the state average and a highly diverse population, Sonoma County is a key market, perfect for any number of products - the Sonoma County Fair provides a unique opportunity to reach these consumers. One of the ten best-attended such events in California, the 14-day Fair attracts more than 300,000 fairgoers every year from Sonoma County and neighboring Marin, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties.

Why is the Fair such a major event? The Sonoma County Fair is everything county fairs used to be, and much, much more. Its spectacular flower exhibit, the largest themed flower show in the country, attracts visitors from all over the state and beyond. The Fair's 12-day thoroughbred meet and new turf track attracts in excess of 1,000 of the state's fastest horses, top jockeys and trainers. Headline entertainers are featured on several nights of the Fair; the extensive carnival includes more than 60 rides; the livestock exhibition is one of the largest in the state, and the Fair consistently wins industry awards for exciting, innovative special events and exhibits.

Sponsors of the Sonoma County Fair reach a receptive audience in an uncluttered atmosphere at an extremely efficient cost per thousand. Since no advertising is accepted for the schedule of events, sponsorship is the only avenue to involvement with this valuable marketing tool.

All sponsorships will be tailored to fit individual needs. Sponsors may choose to target specific segments of the Fair's vast audience, such as families with young children, teens or seniors, by focusing on one of the Fair's many special areas or days.

Sonoma County Fair Facts:

• The average annual Fair attendance is over 300,000
• 14 Day Fair - July 22 thru August 4 (no racing on Tuesday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 29)
• The Sonoma County Fair is operated under the leadership of a fifteen member Board of Directors appointed by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. The Fair is a Non-Profit 501(c)3.
• TV, Radio, Print and internet exposure in Sonoma County, the greater San Francisco Bay Area and national markets.
• The Headline musical entertainment will be announced soon. A limited number of seats (720 per show) are reserved for $5, the remaining are free with Fair admission. Seating capacity: 2,500 per show.
• Continual grounds entertainment, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the Fair in six different venues. All of this family entertainment is free with Fair admission.
• Two nights of action-packed PRCA Rodeo on Friday July 25 and Saturday July 26. Tickets are $8 and $10, plus Fair admission. Seating capacity: 2,761 per night.
• Exciting motorsports entertainment including two nights of Destruction Derby and two nights of FreestyleMX bikes. Tickets are $8 and $10, plus Fair admission. Seating capacity: 2,761 per night.
• Seniors receive free Fair admission on both Tuesdays of the Fair (July 22 and July 29).
• Admission for kids ages 6 & under is free every day.
• There are several special carnival discount days.

Sponsor Benefits

• Category Exclusivity: Capture the visitors' undivided attention.
• On-Site Signage: at your sponsored venue and/or event.
• 14 Days of Targeted Sampling & Display (additional fee may be required): Outdoor exhibit space can be arranged for your company to display and sell products, sample, distribute literature, conduct consumer research, solicit product feedback and build your database.
• Web Site (sonomacountyfair.com): Hot link, logo identification, and information about your sponsored attraction at the Sonoma County Fair official web site sonomacountyfair.com.
• Electronic Billboard: identifications of sponsor, show and times throughout each day of the Fair. Billboard is visible from Highway 12 (east).
• Jumbotron: inclusion of sponsor logo, commercials on big screen facing racing grandstand during the race day.
• Fair Guide: advertising space in the Fair Guide, direct mailed to more than 225,000 households in Sonoma County and surrounding counties.
• Daily Schedule: inclusion of sponsor logo in each day's schedule. 7,000-13,000 are printed each day and distributed on-grounds.
• Racing Program: advertising space in the Racing Program (120,000), distributed both on-grounds and at simulcast racing facilities around northern California.
• Inclusion in press releases and on-grounds public address announcements.
• Right of first refusal for same sponsorship at the 2009 Sonoma County Fair.

2008 Sonoma County Fair

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

14 Days at the Fair ($3,000 - $10,000)
The Day at the Fair sponsorship is the most comprehensive sponsorship available. For one day (or more), the Fair is yours. Depending on your target audience, you choose where you want to be seen. Possible Day at the Fair activities: Sampling, Give-Aways at the Gate, signage, commercial on the racetrack Jumbotron, logo/slogan on the Electronic Billboard, inclusion in Daily Schedule and the Racing Program. Sponsors will receive a special 'Named Race' on their day. There are many possiblities for sponsor involvement in contests and special venues throughout the day.

Parade Floats ($1,500)
As part of our 2008 Fair theme "A Star Spangled Celebration", we will be having daily parades around the fairgrounds with custom built "mini-floats", small enough to be featured on a golf cart. Not only would exposure to our Fair audience be immense since we are only offering this opportunity to three businesses, but you will be partnering with the ultimate in Americana experiences - an ol' fashion parade at the County Fair.

Senior Days at the Fair ($3,000)
Seniors get in free both Tuesdays. On one of those days, a special Senior Program is held in at the Park Plaza Stage. All afternoon, dozens of senior-related organizations distribute information to fairgoers as seniors gather for a program of entertainment, contests and fun. The Senior Day Sponsor gets prime location in the Park, as well as opportunities to distribute information and/or products to seniors all over the fairgrounds. Other senior-friendly events are also possible, including a Senior Breakfast, special contests and more.

Chris Beck Arena ($10,000)
Chris Beck Arena is the site for two performances of the PRCA Rodeo (July 25 & 26), the Mexican Rodeo (July 27), an afternoon Farmers Day program (July 26), two nights of Destruction Derby (August 2 & 3) and two nights of FreestyleMX dirt bikes (July 22 & 23). Seating capacity is 2,761, with 1,300 seated in the grandstand and the remainder in nearby bleachers. With the exception of the Farmers Day program, events in Chris Beck Arena require a separate ticket. The Rodeo has a long history of playing to a full house, and we expect that this year's dirt bike events will do the same. A prime display space is available inside the arena for the venue sponsor.

Hall of Flowers ($20,000)
The Sonoma County Fair hosts the largest themed Flower Show (30,000 sq. ft.) in the country, with professional gardeners and landscapers working within the overall theme 'A Star Spangled Celebration" to create a living work of art. The Flower Show is one of the most popular features of the Fair, highlighted by a preview gala held the Sunday evening before the Fair opens. Each visitor to the Flower Show receives a copy of the Flower Show Brochure (a prime spot for sponsorship acknowledgement), with details about the gardens and exhibitors. The Flower Show sponsor may choose to use a display space in the Hall of Flowers Annex, the only commercial space available in the building. A prime space just outside the entrance is an alternative.

Wine Country Racing ($5,000 - $50,000)
The Sonoma County Fair is the first fair in California to offer 12 days of thoroughbred horse racing on dirt and turf race tracks. The racing experience at our Fair brings business associates, old friends and diehard race fans together in what is often called the "Homecoming Event" of Sonoma County. The racing grandstand seats 5,000 in the upper tiers, and thousands more watch below on the racetrack apron. The racing grandstand offers sponsors an opportunity to reach a focused adult audience through give-aways, signage, Jumbotron, the Racing Program (120,000 distributed over 12 days) and announcements.

Sustainable Sonoma County Pavilion ($30,000)
For the first time ever, the Sonoma County Fair is going "green". An entire area next to Grace Pavilion is dedicated to green building, clean fuels, recycling, sustainable agriculture and many other enviromentally friendly practices and processes. Title sponsorship to this area is available and will offer an array of marketing and promotional benefits to the sponsor. Since this is the first time this program will be featured at the Fair, we are expecting the Pavilion to be a favorite with all medias and our fairgoers.

Kids Area ($2,000 - $5,000)
Families are encouraged to make the Kids Area their home base at the Fair. Kids can play in the sandbox, watch a show, or just catch a quick nap on the grass as their parents take a breather. This is not a baby sitting service, but Fair staff is on hand to keep the peace and keep the activities coming. The Parents Rest Station (located in the Kids Area) has changing tables and armchairs just right for nursing babies. The Parents Rest Station is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Kids Area activities begin at 11:30 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m. The Kids Area is located just inside the Brookwood Gate. In addition to signage in the Kids Area, the sponsor can be recognized on 30,000 "If I Look Lost" stickers that are distributed to children as they arrive at the Fair, reminders that lost children are to be taken to the Kids Area, which is also the Lost Child Center.

Rodeo Chute Gate Sponsorship ($1,500)
There are only six chutes for the Rodeo, and signage opportunity is available to only six sponsors. Signs are custom made to fit the gate that includes the sponsor's logo. Through this sponsorship, the business name and logo is exposed to thousands of rodeo fans. Everytime the cowboy comes out of the chute, the announcer will recognize the sponsor. And the exposure does not stop at the rodeo! Signs will be up during the two weeks of the Fair, even during the other arena events. This opportunity also allows the sponsor to hang one banner on the arena fence during the rodeo.

Livestock Area ($1,000 - $5,000)
The Livestock Area is an essential part of the Sonoma County Fair experience. Fairgoers are encouraged to visit the barns to see the animals and talk to exhibitors. This offers an opportunity to get up close and personal with sheep, pigs, cows, horses, chickens, rabbits, goats and more. For many city people, this is their only connection to the farm life that was once Sonoma County's primary lifestyle. The Sonoma County Fair's Junior Livestock Auction and Show are among the largest in California. In 2007, for the first time ever, the local junior exhibitors netted over $1 million dollars, a Sonoma County Fair record.

Milk Barn ($2,000)
This is a chance for fairgoers to see cows being milked throughout the day. Milking demonstrations will be supplemented by educational dairy demonstrations. The audience will have a chance to ask questions and talk to junior exhibitors and people who make their living working with cows.

Petting Zoo ($3,000)
The Great American Petting Zoo offers young fairgoers a chance to get up close and personal with all sorts of animals, including sheep, pigs, goats, deer and llamas. The Petting Zoo, located across from the sheep barn, is open every day of the Fair, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is free with Fair admission. The Petting Zoo sponsor will be recognized with signage and mentions in all schedules and publications. The Petting Zoo is a must- see for every young family attending the Fair.

Tram Sponsorship ($1,000/tram)
During the two weeks of the Fair, weary patrons are chauffered around the Fair and the Parking lot with trams. Sponsors are offered signage opportunity (moving billboards) on the trams. Two large signs will be displayed on the tram recognizing the sponsor's name, logo and motto if applicable.

Barnyard Stage ($2,500)
Jugglers, ventriloquists and other traditional variety acts entertain all ages on the Barnyard Stage. This is classic Fair entertainment sharing space with a full roster of participation events. Fairgoers of all ages will be blowing bubbles, whistling, building scarecrows and even trying to look alike in the Family Look-Alike Contest. The show starts at noon every day and continues until dusk. In addition to signage and recognition in all maps and schedules, the Barnyard Stage sponsor has the opportunity to have a tie-in to one or more contests on the stage.

Carnival Promotions ($2,000 - $20,000)
There are several special Carnival Days at the Fair already in the works, or we can taylor a special one for your needs.

Redwood Theater ($10,000)
The Redwood Theater is the prime entertainment venue at the Fair. With a seating capacity of 2,500, the Theater is home to the Blues Festival, Mexican Fiesta and at least four major national acts. We're still working on the line-up, but plan to release the final line-up soon.

Park Stage (5,000)
Shade Park, home of the Park Stage, is the place to be for music every day of the Fair, starting at 1:15 p.m. and continuing until 9:00 p.m. every night. With everything from country to swing to rock to Brazilian jazz (and even an afternoon of Elvis), the Park Stage line-up has something for everyone. This shady spot has benches and picnic tables, as well as a small dance floor and is located right in the middle of the fairgrounds. Fairgoers of all ages are invited to settle in to watch the show and even dance along if they feel like it. Nearby vendors offer a wide variety of food, and the people-watching is outstanding. In addition to the music, the Park Stage is also home to the Racing Seminars, held each race day morning at 11:15 a.m. Track insiders share their expertise, answer questions and even offer their picks for that day's races.

Exhibit Building Naming Rights ($2,500)
The heart of all Fairs is the Exhibits Program. From quilts to children's art projects, the exhibit buildings boast the blue ribbons that are recognized as the traditional fair icon. Thousands of our County's youth and adults are showcased in one of our many exhibit buildings. As the building sponsor, you will be recognized as the major contributor to the awards offered to those participating exhibitors. These cash prizes and awards will be given to the exhibitors with recognition to the sponsor as the partial underwriter of the program. Signage opportunity both inside and outside the building is offered with this partnership.