REAL shifts from Grey Cup Festival to Canadian Western Agribition

After a week full of Grey Cup Festival activities REAL District is now getting ready for Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) which will take place from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3.

CWA CEO Shaun Kindopp admitted it could be a challenge to prepare with such a short turnover but credits his team with the quick transition.

“I knew that our team was very talented and very fast, it is already completely almost flipped from Grey Cup, Kindopp said during an interview with CTV Morning Live.

Kindopp said everything is shaping up to be like a pre-pandemic show, including international and tradeshow numbers as well as livestock entries.

“We’re going to transition into four days of rodeo again, we’ve got Indigenous agriculture summits, grain expos, there really is so much to be pumped for.”

Kindopp admitted that it was hard to predict how or if international numbers would bounce back to where they were before the pandemic.

“It’s tough because so much had changed throughout the pandemic, people have changed spending habits and travel has been a bit different for people as well, but to see the uptake shows the respect the show has and the validity internationally is something to be proud of,” Kindopp said.

Kindopp said the show is really accessible for families.

“Absolutely, on Monday courtesy of CN you can come experience the show for free, on Wednesday the rodeo will be free courtesy of Mosaic. So there is some awesome [free] opportunities.”

Kindopp said the education aspect of the show is something that is always an important aspect, with kids being able to learn about food production.

“I think it is very important just to understand where your food comes from,” he said. “To be able to teach that along side industry professionals is incredible.

More information about the show can be found on CWA’s website.