LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While those familiar with the National FFA organization know how beneficial it is for its educational and leadership aspects, they may not know how much of an impact it makes on a local economy when the annual conference comes to town.
Last week marked the second of a three-year rotation for Louisville. After the 2015 convention, the organization will return to Indianapolis for a three-year stint. While in the Derby City, local businesses saw a whopping $40 million of impact from the nearly 60,000 students, along with their family members who also made the trip.
But the entire region gets a share of those dollars, too, as hotels nearly an hour away welcomed attendees and tours offered through the convention took students to an assortment of ag-related destinations in surrounding areas.
According to information from National FFA, with the expected number of attendees, the conference becomes the largest in Louisville, a city known for its affiliation with agricultural trade shows and events including this, the National Farm Machinery Show, the North American International Livestock Exposition and the Kentucky State Fair, home to the World Championship Horse Show.
Kat Gallagher, convention sales manager with the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in addition to the economy, other sectors in the community benefit. "There is the National Day of Service, where more than 1,500 students dedicated their time trying to make our community better," she said. "Beyond the hotel rooms and restaurants and the attraction, they’re really an exceptional group of kids and we’re really happy to have them here. The impact they have on our city is huge."
Gallagher noted not only is the 1.3 million square feet of space at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center perfect for such large-scale shows and conventions, there are great outdoor areas, plenty of parking and the added benefit of Louisville being a great-value city. "I think it’s a great fit for the agriculture industry in general," she said. "The great thing about FFA with the more than 60,000 attendees is, they really have the opportunity to utilize everything Louisville has to offer."
That includes the Yum Center, home of the Louisville Cardinals basketball team, where concerts were staged just for convention attendees.
Brandon Davis, Kentucky State FFA advisor, said last year’s record attendance and a near-record again this year are indicative of a growing membership nationwide, a central location that allows more FFA members to attend and a convention that offers more opportunities for students who are attending.
"I believe, with how effective the convention is, and how motivating it is from the sessions to the leadership workshops, educating and engaging, this is one of the best places in time that you can help students that maybe don’t understand FFA or are new to FFA," he said.
"This is where the buy-in happens. This is where they get inspired. It’s not something that just a senior in high school is going to benefit from, but it is for freshmen all the way to the collegiate student; everyone can get value from it."
Davis added when such a large gathering comes to an area, some changes have to happen to accommodate it.
"But what I have not heard, in the two years that we’ve been back in Louisville, no one complains. Everyone says ‘we are so happy to have FFA here,’" he said. "The members are always wonderfully polite and well-behaved. They’re exciting to be around and it’s because of that, there’s that welcoming feeling, you don’t feel like that it’s an inconvenience."
Davis added there is a Southern hospitality sensation here that welcomes those coming to the convention.
"Teachers feel better about bringing a larger group than they normally would because it’s just that great. The community accepts it; they want to engage them. They opened up their farms and businesses doing tours. The value of what people see in what this organization is, they want to give members that great experience."
