World Dairy Expo Helping Shrink the Planet

World Dairy Expo Helping Shrink the Planet

Whether you’re on the grounds of the Alliant Energy Center in Madison or halfway around the world, it has never been easier to keep tabs on all the action and excitement of World Dairy Expo (WDE)—thanks to advances in technology.

ExpoTV is the centerpiece of Expo’s efforts along these lines. Produced by Token Creek Television, Waunakee, Wis. ExpoTV offers livestream coverage of all the breed shows taking place during the week, starting with the International Junior Holstein Show on Tuesday morning and continuing non-stop through the Parade of Champions and election of Supreme Champions gala on Saturday evening.

Expo attendees who find themselves on the Expo grounds, but outside the Coliseum during the week, can keep up on what’s going on in the Showring by heading to one of the monitors strategically positioned throughout the Trade Show and New Holland Pavilions.

Those who can’t make it to Madison can link up with the Dairy Cattle Show broadcasts by going to WDE’s home page (WorldDairyExpo. com) and clicking the ExpoTV icon. “The show can be accessed by anyone who has an internet connection,” says Liz Matzke, WDE Attendee Services Manager. “And unlike the broadcasts of a lot of other shows, ours is free.”

WDE data shows, in 2016, ExpoTV made connections with nearly 112,000 viewers. With an average viewing time of nearly 20 minutes per connection, these viewers watched more than 2.1 million minutes of Expo events. “That’s over four years of viewing time,” says Matzke, noting the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and France registered as the top countries for viewership. “The growth (in viewership) has been phenomenal.”

Matzke is quick to credit the Token Creek Television staff with helping build the growth. Before teaming up with WDE on ExpoTV in 2008, the company was known for its expertise in college sports programming.

“Over the past decade, they’ve really developed a knowledge and understanding of dairy cattle judging and the dairy industry in general,” Matzke says. “They know how to get just the right angles and deliver images of cows in the Showring that will mean something to knowledgeable show enthusiasts watching the broadcasts. They bring a tremendous amount of creativity and new ideas to the effort we’re making to build the ExpoTV brand.”

This year, ExpoTV will be expanding its coverage to include livestreams of other WDE events, including Expo Seminars, which feature top flight speakers offering presentations related to a widerange of timely dairy industry topics, and the Virtual Farm Tours, which highlight some of North America’s most successful dairy operations.

There will also be live broadcasts from the Trade Show featuring exhibitor profi les, special events and more. “Expo is more than just a cattle show,” Matzke says. “This expanded coverage will help us get that message across.”

As a supplement to ExpoTV, WDE will continue offering a texting feature focusing on breed show results. Introduced at last year’s show, the service enables Expo fans to receive updates on firstplace winners in every class with their mobile devices.

“It was well-received last year, and we’ve been working to get the word out about it,” Matzke says. “If you’re in the field to harvest corn silage, in the parlor milking cows or at another meeting or event at Expo, being near a screen to watch the show isn’t always possible. This feature will give you a quick glance of what’s happening in the Showring in real time.”

To access the feature, send a text with the message WDERESULTS to 727-493-3976 or 727-4-WDEXPO. Then, follow the prompts to choose any combination of breed shows, including the option to receive results from all breed shows.

Expo also uses a variety of social media platforms to provide content before, during and after the show. For example, WDE’s YouTube channel carries recordings of all breed show classes, Expo Seminars, Virtual Farm Tours and more, while Expo’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat carries a consistent stream of new information about the goings-on at the show.

“We’re able to keep messages about Expo in front of people, no matter where they are on the globe,” Matzke says. “Now, Expo is not something they think about for just five days in the fall while the show is going on; it’s something that they can connect with and enjoy for the other 360 days of the year as well.” 

 

Note: This story appears in the 2017 World Dairy Expo program.

 

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