Nixon Fair DB- Benefits Page

Many things can happen to prevent an exhibitor from getting their prize money or gift certificate. When that happens, you can be sure that the exhibitor will be calling, after the fair is done, to get their money.

Often, the fair secretary or treasurer will spend 30 minutes or so talking with the exhibitor, verifying that they were not paid, then arranging to make payment (write and mail a cheque for $3.00 ?)

The Nixon Fair DB cross checks Judging Results with Entry Forms, and looks for Entries that weren't judged, to find "curiosities" and fix them before the exhibits go home. It also looks for exhibitors using the wrong Number, and exhibitors that have given incomplete mailing addresses.

The Fair DB won't catch everything by itself (for example, if the standings ribbons or stickers have been switched to what is written on the Judging Sheet). This requires a doublecheck of the judging results by the Committees, which can be done from a report that the Fair DB can print, as soon as the Judging Results are entered.

Most Fair DB users have been reporting almost no competitor complaints regularily.

Many fair committee start planning their next year's part of the fair while the current fair is happening. Others wait a few weeks or months to rest and recover. Either way, one needs to know details about the finished one. Details like:

The Fair DB provides several reports for committees to get answers to the above questions. And it also provides worksheets that give all the details for the current competitions (description, number, prizes, points and sponsors).

Most reports, as a standard, show a comparison to last year. The Fair DB does it's best to keep similar competitions linked from year to year, so that one can see which was new, and which was discontinued.

Analysis Reports from previous year's fairs are always available, because the Fair DB never deletes that data. Thus, using the Fair DB for years will allow the accurate reporting of volunteer time and roles over the years (needed for volunteer recognition).

This benefit goes along with the benefit of "almost no competitor complaints", but it's a benefit to the treasurer of the Agricultural Society, and the Annual Reviewers or Auditors.

Each step in the process that creates the payouts has some form of double checking that can be done, and is mostly required to be done. Several of the double checks would never be done if you were manually calculating the payouts; for example, looking for competitions that people had entered, but no judging results were turned in.

Some agricultural societies are blessed with secretaries and/or treasurers (or one person doing both roles) who have done the role for 5 or more years. But, more fairs are loosing these people on a regular basis, and thus bringing in new people, often with little experience in how the ag society and fair work.

The Fair DB gives your Ag Society a consistent system to operate, as secretaries and treasurers leave and arrive. It's a system that is constantly evolving, drawing from the best ideas of many ag societies, so the new secretary or treasurer doesn't have to re-invent spreadsheets and procedures, or try to decipher the things that their predecessor had used.

The Fair DB has helped several Ag Societies re-define the duties of the Secretary and Treasurer, to better match the skills and gifts of available people.

In extreme cases, Bill Nixon has temporarily provided his services to be at your Fair, and manage all the fair processing of exhibitors, entries, winnings and payouts.

Neighbouring fairs will often share exhibitors. They will also meet at least once a year, and work on common projects. And, they will have to work out disagreements as well.

Several regional groups have sprung up from the Fair DB users. They are primarily sharing people on fair judging day to enter entries and judging. This gives strong support to the Fair's Executive, and an amazing energy to the team running the Fair DB. It also helps train even more people in helping to use the Fair DB.

Many Agricultural Societies are concerned about attracting new volunteers, especially people who will take on key roles. Everyone knows of at least one fair that has fallen on hard times because the community wouldn't support it.

The Fair DB is proving that it can help attract younger people (it's up to you to define younger!), or people that would normally say, "I'm too busy to help you." In 2015, the Fair DB was managed in two fairs by very competent 16 year olds, with some guidance and supervision from more senior persons. In many of the other fairs, the Fair DB is managed, and operated, by one or two moms or dads, with busy young families and work lives too.

They tell Bill Nixon that the Fair DB allows them to get the work done quickly, and accurately. They focus on the work for a few days at a time, then return for more work when needed. Using the Fair DB is often very similar to the work that they do for their employer. Or, it's helping them grow personally, to allow them to compete for paid work using databases.

Your fair can start using the Fair DB for only Homecraft, for example, and then add the Livestock competitions in a later year. Or, start by focusing on the cash payouts first, and then add more info about gift prizes and sponsorships.

The standard Fair DB system will help you audit the latest version of your Fair Book, to make sure that there are no duplicated competition numbers. Plus, you can print worksheets that will help your committees plan for the next year's fair.

The Fair DB has an optional module that will help you prepare the next year's fairbook, with consistent formatting of the headings and text. It will integrate sponsor details as well, so that there is a very, very low chance of anything being missed.

If your fair's team really focuses on processing Entries and Judging Results, and your Judges and Committees get their sheets to the team ASAP, then full and double-checked payout of all exhibitors can be completed with a few days.

Exhibitors are impressed when they receive their winnings' payouts this quickly.

Your fair can payout in stages. Several fairs are paying the kids starting Saturday at noon hour, and some are paying all the adult Homecraft later Saturday, or on Sunday. The Livestock and the Outdoor events are paid early in the week following.

If you wish, payouts can be all verified and calculated, and the cheques can be prepared and sent out as the Treasurer sees fit. Some fairs host a community pot-luck and Annual General Meeting a few weeks after the fair, and hand out winnings and awards then.