Example Sponsorship Opportunities

The following are examples of sponsorship opportunities. This list does not represent all opportunities and some on this list may already be spoken for in 2009.

• Day Sponsor. Your company would be featured on that day's Daily Schedule, and the fair's centrally-located Carousel Park would be open for "added-value" activities your company would like to present to the crowds.
  
  
• Daily Schedules. Nearly a quarter of a million Daily Schedules are printed and distributed to the public through information booths on the fairgrounds. A space for your company's ad, coupon or information is included.
  
  
• Fairgrounds Maps. Everyone needs a fairgrounds map. Over 400,000 are handed out to the public. A space for your company's ad, coupon or information is included.
  
  
• Daily Mall Parade. Every day at 2 p.m., thousands stop to watch the 30-minute parade filled with floats, dairy princesses, over 500 high-school band members, your mascot and more. The parade covers a one-mile route through the grounds and is narrated in two locations.
  
  
• Information Booths. Sponsor all nine information booths including a new booth immediately inside the main gate. Visitors use the information booths to find everything they need...including you!
  
  
• Free Stages. With over 400 free concerts during the 12-day run, the State Fair's free stages are a highlight to the visitor's experience. Whether your focus be educational opportunities, music, arts, age groups, ethnicities or location, one of these stages would be right for your company.
  • Family Fair in Baldwin Park. Continuous entertainment is held on the Family Fair Stage all 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair. Artists include jugglers, mimes, singers, puppets, etc.
  • International Bazaar Stage. Continuous ethnic entertainment and a nightly hypnotist show.
  • The Garden Stage. Placed in the center of a food and beverage pavilion, this stage features karaoke all day and night.
  • Ramberg Senior Center Stage. Over 350,000 seniors enjoy the fair each year. This stage is catered to them and features Jazz, polka, folk, barbershop, comedy and more.
  • Music Mayhem Stage at The X-Zone. Teens and young adults rock to winners of local "battle of the bands" contests on stage. Skatepark shows, basketball games, a henna tattoo parlor, beverages and media are located in The X-Zone area.
  • Fireworks show after each Grandstand Concert. The Grandstand hosts national acts from all genres of music and is centrally located on the fairgrounds. A fireworks show concludes each show and Grandstand guests have prime seats, but all fairgrounds visitors see the show.
  • Heritage Square Stage. This "back-in-time" themed area offers fiddlers, square dancers, comedy and more.
  • Bandshell Stage. Trendy local and national acts perform for a variety of preferences. Also includes the widely popular Minnesota State Fair Amateur Talent Contest.
  • Bandshell Tonight! Stage. Each night a huge national or local act hits the stage. This is a highlight for all fairgoers.
    
    
• Grandstand Concert Series. The Grandstand hosts national acts from all genres of music and is centrally located on the fairgrounds. The Grandstand requires an additional paid ticket.
  
  
• Amphitheater. One or two events (e.g. high-dive show, go-karts or other interactive event) take place all 12 days of the fair in this high-traffic area. Four fair entrance gates located within yards, major media across the street, and located next to a key building housing the dairy princesses sculpted in butter...a must-see destination.
  
  
• Attractions. New and popular attractions change each year and are located throughout the grounds. Examples include Little Farm Hands, Robot Combat National Finals, Downhill Ski Jump Exhibits and many more.
  
  
• The North Woods. Outdoor activities including lumberjacks, logrollers, hunting dogs, a "campfire grill" and more.
  
  
• Blue Ribbon Bargain Book. This coupon book grows every year and lands in the hands of over 60,000 families. Sponsor it and receive the back cover for advertisement and a coupon or information section inside the book.
  
  
• State Fair Trolleys. Hundreds of thousands of impressions are captured by visitors as the trolleys wind their way through the State Fair streets. Your logo and message is placed on the sides of each trolley. Brochures or other promotional material may also be handed out to riders.
  
  
• The State Fair's Park & Ride System. Over 850,000 riders. The incredibly successful free Park & Ride system transports hundreds of thousands of visitors to the fair quickly, easily and efficiently each year. The Park & Ride system began in 1974 and has grown from a single parking lot for several hundred cars to a 30+lot network with capacity for over 18,000 cars. State Fair guests using this transportation drive to a free parking lot of their choice and enjoy a free 15-30 minute ride to and from the State Fairgrounds, making this the easiest way to get to the Get-Together and a way to capture an audience. One in every four visitors use this form of transportation to and from the fair.

For other information, please contact:

Danyl Vavreck
Sponsorship Manager
Minnesota State Fair
1265 Snelling Avenue North
St. Paul, MN 55108
P: (651) 288-4471
F: (651) 642-2440
sponsorships@mnstatefair.org