September 2004
Best Practices: Farm hands

1,000 volunteers on 60 committees produce World Ag Expo to promote California agriculture

By Cathy Chatfield-Taylor

When the Tulare, CA, Chamber of Commerce started a farm equipment show in 1968, it took about 50 volunteers to coordinate 150 exhibits. Today, 1,000 volunteers work year-round on 60 committees to produce what has become the World Ag Expo, with 2.5 million square feet, 1,600 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors.

 “As the show grew, so did the responsibilities assumed by volunteers,” says Gary Schultz, General Manager of the International Agri-Center (IAC), a nonprofit organization formed in 1976 to sponsor the World Ag Expo. “Our corporate culture is to give the volunteers, through the committee structure, the information they need and the freedom to do their work without the staff.”

Schulz jokes that his 15-person staff plays such a minor role the week of the show, they could go on a cruise to Mexico and not be missed. But during the other 360 days of the year, they work closely with the show chairman and 16-member board to ensure that volunteers attend to every detail.

From answering phones during Monday staff meetings to operating forklifts during the three-week-long move-in, volunteers put in 30,031 hours a year to produce the World Ag Expo. They mail exhibitor contracts, plan the layout and maintain the grounds. They recruit speakers for more than 100 seminars. They work on committees called “Bark Sales,” “Flying Farmers” and “Happy Cookers.” They drive shuttles, take tickets and give away prizes. They even haul trash.

Recruitment for these myriad jobs begins in early March, with a post-show meeting of the committee chairs to start a to-do list. Once they establish their needs, the chairs fill positions with returning volunteers — about 85 percent — as well as friends and walk-ins.

“There is a psychology and sociology to volunteering,” Schultz says. “If they feel they are needed for a successful event, and that they are appreciated, they volunteer for a sense of reward and contributing to something successful.”

County residents appreciate the importance of the farm show. Nearly one-third works in agriculture, making it the second most productive agricultural county in the nation. The farm show boosts the ag industry and the local economy, with an estimated $1.2 billion in trickle-down spending. That keeps a steady stream of volunteers coming through IAC’s door.

Schultz and his staff meet regularly with committee chairs throughout the summer and fall to review progress and troubleshoot problems with people, equipment and budget — which totals $4 million. The key is communicating expectations and having backup available if someone can’t follow through. A monthly newsletter keeps everyone on the same page.

In mid January, two weeks before the show, all the volunteers attend a meeting to get briefed on the show layout and procedures, take safety training and receive a jacket, cap and pin. “It’s like a pep rally,” Schultz says. “We thank them for volunteering, and we remind them that customer service is job No. 1.”

After the show, IAC recognizes the volunteers and their families with a steak dinner and transitions leadership to the next show chair. No individual awards are made. “You run the risk that you make one person feel really good, but the other 999 feel bad because they weren’t singled out,” he says.

Motivating the volunteers is as simple as saying thank you for a job well done. “We catch them doing good things and pat them on the back often,” he says. When problems crop up with nonperformance or personality conflicts, volunteers are reassigned. To infuse new ideas into the organization, IAC has instituted term limits and a six-month leadership training program that cultivates young volunteers. An annual review of the bylaws — outlining responsibilities of the chair, board, staff and volunteers — helps manage expectations all around.

“I believe a staff who manages volunteers has to have been a volunteer,” Schultz says, who volunteered for seven years before becoming GM in 1990. “They’re doing things that you’d normally pay people to do. As staff and board, we have to keep that in mind.”