Associations and trade shows

What it is

An association sets shared rules, runs a convention, lobbies, insures and trains. For fairs it can mean a common calendar and prize lists; for showmen, fellowship and help in hard times.

History, era by era

1910

BC fair representatives met in convention on January 31, 1910, the start of BC Fairs.¹

1913

The Showmen’s League of America was founded in Chicago, with Buffalo Bill Cody as first president.²

1918

IAAPA, now the main trade association for fixed amusement facilities, was founded in 1918.³

1929–1944

Rodeo committees formed the Rodeo Association of America in 1929; cowboys organized after a 1936 strike, and the Canadian Rodeo Cowboys’ Association followed in 1944.⁴⁵

The midway connection

Associations are how the midway talks to itself. Showmen formed theirs in 1913 for fellowship and mutual help; fairs formed theirs to share calendars and rules.²¹

Wherever people walk a row of booths, the midway is there in some form: the full kind, with rides, games of skill and food joints, or the quieter kind, with craft tables, home baking and a booth like ours. That walk, with family and friends and something to look at every few steps, is what this directory is about.

One fact worth knowing

• The Showmen’s League first met at the Saratoga Hotel in Chicago on February 19, 1913.²

Questions people ask

What does BC Fairs do?

It is the association of BC’s agricultural fairs and exhibitions, dating from a 1910 convention.¹

What is the Showmen’s League?

A fellowship of outdoor showpeople founded in Chicago in 1913.²

Sources

1. BC Fairs: About. Read on October 13, 2026 · official
2. Showmen's League of America: About us. Read on October 14, 2026 · official
3. IAAPA: IAAPA history. Read on October 14, 2026 · official
4. Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas: Rodeos. Read on October 14, 2026 · reference
5. The Canadian Encyclopedia: Rodeo. Read on October 14, 2026 · reference

How these listings work

Listings are free and factual; nobody pays to be here. Every line on a listing points to its source, official pages first, and each source shows the day we read it. What we couldn't confirm is listed on the page, not guessed. Each page says where the organisation works and links to the fairs and places in the directory it is tied to, but only when a source makes the tie.

Listed by name

• BC Association of Agricultural Fairs and Exhibitions Association or trade show · Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada Active

Listed in the census (short listings)

• BC Music Festival Collective Census listing · Penticton, BC Associations and trade shows
• British Columbia Little Britches Rodeo Association Census listing · Pritchard, BC Associations and trade shows
• British Columbia Rodeo Association Census listing · Savona, BC Associations and trade shows
• Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions Census listing · Ottawa, Ontario Associations and trade shows
• Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Census listing · Airdrie, Alberta Associations and trade shows
• Festivals and Major Events Canada Census listing · Montréal, Quebec Associations and trade shows