Business View Magazine | July 2019

209 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2019 OKLAHOMA STATE FA I R PARK infrastructure, servers, wireless access points, and everything to do with internet access,” adds Jason Eddy, Vice President of Information Technology, “We’ve installed over 325 access points and we have complete coverage in all of our exhibit buildings. We have coverage in most of our barn facilities and then we have some outdoor coverage just depending on the area.” “There is also a large video board inside the Jim Norick Arena and inside one of our barns,” Eddy continues, “We call it the Performance Arena but secondary events happen in there quite a bit, kind of like the main arena. So we have a live video board in there, plus events scoring, and a lot of other technology that wraps around hosting different kinds of events like horse shows, and high school basketball, and wrestling. We have large outdoor LED signage at the intersection of the two highways. And in the Bennett Event Center, we have installed 6’ tall, 6-millimetre pixel pitch LED column wraps for advertising promotions inside that building. Like a lot of facilities, we are constantly expanding our LED signage footprint.” Costs for capital improvements to the Fairgrounds are underwritten by Oklahoma City, while the State Fair is responsible for maintenance and the day- to-day operation of the facilities; since 2005, it has reinvested $16.5 million, while the city has made over $75 million in equine improvements, after voters approved an increase in Oklahoma City’s hotel-motel occupancy tax, from 2 to 5.5 percent. Currently, the city and the Fair are lobbying to replace the 55 year-old Jim Norick Arena with a $95 million replacement facility. “I guess there are many things that make us stand out,” Munz concludes. “But a big part of that is the staff. Bill has been here 37 years and Jason for well over 30. I have been here over 30, and Gina has been with us for 19. I think it really speaks volumes to our clients that when they come to town, they see familiar faces who know what they’re doing.”