Iowa State Fair CEO reflects on 2023 celebration: 'Childhood dreams do come true'

As of 5 p.m. on the last day of the Iowa State Fair, CEO Jeremy Parsons had just one more building to visit before he could successfully say he made an appearance at every single structure on the fairgrounds.

With 2023 being his first year in the head office, Parsons wanted to explore the grounds’ every corner to better understand how all the puzzle pieces fit together, how each place or person or event builds upon one another to make the whole. And although there was a lot of handshaking, he says his quest was less about being seen than about seeing.

After working at the Iowa State Fair early in his career and spending the last dozen years leading the Clay County Fair, Parsons took over for longtime manager Gary Slater this spring. And while seeing his name on the CEO office door is a culmination of his childhood dreams ―  he literally wrote as much in a fan letter to the then-manager when he was a grade-schooler ― he understands that he still has a lot to learn.

“This has been a very smooth fair for us,” Parsons said. “The goal every year with the fair is to provide the place for Iowans to get together and have a good time and be educated and be entertained and eat, and I think we accomplished all those things, for sure.”

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Most of Parsons’ fair days started before sunrise and ended after the Grandstand show, sometimes as late as midnight.

In between, he was preparing for fair board and senior staff meetings, attending shows or functions, putting out fires and ― new for a guy who’s used to being behind the scenes ― conducting many, many, many interviews.

Politicians add logistical challenges

Starting his role in a caucus year “added a layer of complexity,” Parsons says. Not only did about a dozen political candidates and one former President stop by the fair to barnstorm, more than 500 media members from 130 outlets were credentialed to cover their every corndog and lemonade.

“Political candidates come to the fair because it's a chance to meet a lot of Iowans and it's an environment that's all about retail politics,” he says. “If you want to meet Iowans, you can go door to door or you can walk up the Grand Concourse, it's the same thing.”

However, the fair itself is apolitical, Parsons says. The Political Soapbox and the fair-side chats were run by the Des Moines Register and JR’s SouthPork Ranch, respectively ― not by the fair.

No candidate is ever specifically invited by the fair, Parsons adds, and, on the other hand, no one is disallowed. If he or she has $16 for admission, the gates are open.

But even those on their way to the White House have to follow fair guidelines.

“They had to enjoy the fair by our rules,” he says.

“They could not disrupt the experience that other people were having here, so that always makes for some interesting give and take a little bit as we work through that process,” he adds. “But, all in all, the publicity we get and the media exposure, and just a chance to show off Iowa makes any headaches worth it.”

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From tables to parking, a focus on ‘top-notch’ guest experience

When you run the largest event in Iowa, the key “F word” most days is flexibility.

In the fair’s last two days, as temperatures rose to dangerous highs, the team refocused efforts towards fairgoers' health and safety. They put out maps of water stations, urged attendees to take caution and ensured shade and air-conditioning were available to as many as possible.

Although the crowds didn’t seem to be too bothered by the heat — nearly 200,000 people attended over the fair’s second weekend — guest experience on sweltering days is an area Parsons and his team will specifically look into for the future.

“I think one thing we're going to continue to focus on, especially next year, is really the guest experience,” he says.

“There are some needs we have here: Do we have enough places for people just to sit down and rest, tables and benches for people to eat? Do we have enough paved, handicap accessible parking?” he says. “I think all those little things that people want when they come experience something, we just need to make sure we're delivering top-notch.”

In the next few weeks, the fair team will go through a detailed critique and review process, Parsons says. But in the fair’s immediate aftermath, staff members are celebrating a return to pre-COVID attendance numbers.

With a total of 1,133,958 people coming through the gates, 2023 was the second-largest fair in its 169-year-old history. And Aug. 13 hit a first-Sunday record of 114,937 attendees, nearly 2,500 more people than the previous record.

Other high-water marks were set across the fair’s 11 days, too, including the largest audience for the opening night Christian concert, at least eight all-time high bids in the 4-H and FFA Sale of Champions and the most quilts ever entered in the fabrics contests.

“Iowans more than ever are entering things at the fair,” Parsons says. “And that's really what sets the fair apart is that you can come here and compete. Whether it's checkers or mom calling or Bill Riley or quilts, you can compete here.”

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As Parsons reflects on his time at the 2023 fair, two particular moments stick out. The first was riding around the Jacobson Exhibition Center in the wagon of the championship six-horse draft team — the celebratory finale of the fair’s nationally known Supreme Six-Horse-Hitch competition, which draws entrants from all over the country and Canada.

“That was just a really cool reminder of the roots of the fair being in agriculture,” he says.

The other was the opening ceremony. Being the one to cut the ribbon and start the fair came with extra emotional weight considering he's aspired to that exact moment for decades.

Standing there, Parsons knew his team was ready, but he wasn’t sure he was truly prepared for the onslaught headed his way ― and more than anything he didn’t want to disappoint.

But if the smiles he saw as he traversed every corner of the grounds are any measurement, Parsons is pretty sure his team delivered.

“The moral of the story is sometimes childhood dreams do come true,” he says.

Courtney Crowder, the Register's Iowa Columnist, traverses the state's 99 counties telling Iowans' stories. Her State Fair food must-get is the Bauder's Peppermint Bar. Don't be ashamed to have seconds! Reach her at ccrowder@dmreg.com or 515-284-8360. Follow her on Twitter @courtneycare.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons, staff pulled off smooth 2023