Mingenew Midwest Expo to be held on a Thursday and Friday in 2024 in a bid to capture ‘bigger audience’

The much-loved Mingenew Midwest Expo is in for a revamp, with next year’s event to be held Thursday and Friday in a bid to capture a bigger audience and “keep moving with the times”. Traditionally held on the first Wednesday and Thursday of August each year, the Expo board recently revealed the 2024 Expo will be held on Thursday, August 8, and Friday, August 9. The event will fall one day before the nearby Perenjori Show on Saturday, August 10 — meaning some travellers and exhibitors could be inclined to visit both Mid West events. Expo chair Andrew Cosgrove — a local farmer — said the decision was made after extensive consultation with exhibitors, community members and the event’s board. “We have had a lot of exhibitor feedback and community feedback, that people would like to be able to make a long weekend of Expo,” he said. “We are trying to get more people through the front gate and we believe the market in Geraldton includes a lot of people more inclined to come through the door on a Friday.” Expo is one of three major agricultural field days held in WA each year and celebrated its 40th anniversary on August 9 and 10 this year. More than 200 exhibitors attended the event to showcase the best in farming, machinery and lifestyle displays, attracting thousands of people through the gates for two days of fun. It was a return to the two-day format for Expo — which in 2021 trialled a one-day version to ease the load on the community post-COVID-19, with a bigger focus on guest speakers and networking. Among the events were fashion parades, the Young Farmers Challenge, the much-loved tractor pull, guest speakers, the Women in Better Business brunch, working dog competition, cooking demonstrations, and much more. Mr Cosgrove said he hoped local schools would also jump on board and make Friday a pupil-free day in 2024. “We would love to see parents take their kids down to the event,” he said. “Overall, we are trying to make it more accessible to the public. “People are more inclined to take more time off on a Thursday and Friday ... and to turn it into a long weekend.” Mr Cosgrove said the possibility of holding the event on a weekend had also been discussed but “for now” it had been deemed that move would be impractical with winter sports consuming locals’ weekends at that time of year. The Mingenew Midwest Expo is one of three major agricultural field days held in WA each year, with the 2024 Dowerin Machinery Field Days set to be held on August 28 and 29 and the Newdegate Machinery Field Days planned for September 4 and 5.