FORT WAYNE, Ind. — As the Fort Wayne Farm Show begins its second quarter-century, organizers said they’re looking to build on its reputation while at the same time keeping the show fresh. The 26th annual show is Jan. 13-15 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

The show is scheduled at a convenient time for farmers looking for something to do in the winter months, said Steve Engleking, Purdue University extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in LaGrange County.

“It’s a ‘cabin fever’ thing,” he explained. “It’s after Christmas when there’s not a lot going on. Farmers have the opportunity to get out. It’s the right time, the right location and right mix (of exhibitors). The promotions are good, the exhibitors are good. Going to the farm show is the thing to do every year.”

The show’s location in the northeastern part of the state helps to draw attendees from Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, said Fred Cline, a show director with Tradexpos, which produces the show. The event also draws from Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee, he added.

Exhibit space for the show sold out in May 2014 and Tradexpos has a waiting list of 90 companies, he noted.

“One of our exhibitors told me that in down years, (companies) don’t know where their marketing dollars are working the best,” Cline said. “But he said he knows that he’s getting a return on his advertising dollars at the show.”

A construction project at the Coliseum may cause some minor changes in the floor plan for this year’s show, but the improvements will benefit future shows, Cline said. Starting next year, the show will have room for 135-145 more booths.

The project includes the addition of 29,000 square feet of multipurpose event space and enlarged pre-function and service areas, according to Coliseum officials. Construction is expected to be done before January 2016.

Fifty-seven of this year’s exhibitors have been with the show every year, Cline said. “We’re very fortunate that, yes, we are a regional show, but a very respected regional show,” he stated. “We’re working for those exhibitors. We’re a part of their advertising budget.

“But you also want to add new exhibitors. There was a time when GPS was new, and now drones are the latest thing. There’s a real fine line to keeping the show fresh.”

Last year’s featured 310 companies, Cline said. Attendance, at more than 28,000, was down a bit from previous years, but was affected by inclement weather during one day of the show, he said. Dealers invest much time and effort to bring large pieces of equipment – tractors, combines, sprayers – to the show, he said.

“We want to keep (the show) focused on the business of agriculture,” he noted. “If we were to try to make it more of a tourist attraction, it would dilute the business side of it, which would hurt the exhibitors who make that type of investment. If it became a situation where it’s just for the curious, the exhibitors could do that at a state fair. We have to be careful about that.

“We’re geared toward a qualified crowd. They’re there to conduct business with the exhibitors.”

Purdue extension and several northeastern Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts sponsor the daily education seminars during the show.

“This is one of the top five indoor farm shows in the United States,” Engleking stated. “Farmers (in this area) don’t have the opportunity to go to other shows because geographically, there’s not much in this part of the world.”

He agreed with Cline that keeping the show centered on agriculture is key to its success: “We need to stay with the (farm show) theme. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The show is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Jan. 13, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Jan. 14 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 15. The show is free but there is a fee to park in Coliseum lots.

Tradexpos, based in Austin, Minn., also produces farm shows in Owatonna, Minn., and Wichita and Topeka, Kan. For more information on the Fort Wayne show, visit http://tradexpos.com/fort- wayne-farm-show