Over the summer, O’Toole found out another $60 million in renovations would be on the way, thanks to the Oklahoma City Council moving the park toward the front of the MAPS 3 construction timeline. Phase 1 wil commence in 2013, followed by phase 2 in 2014.

Beginning in 2013, the fair is due for another overhaul, after just recently finishing a complete renovation of its equine facilities.

“We’re pleased to be part of MAPS 3, and we’re looking forward to improving that part of the facilities, just like we’ve been able to improve the equine side of the facilities,” O’Toole says.

On consecutive days in May, State Fair Park announced major contract extensions with national horse shows.

The National Reining Horse Association reached an agreement with the city of Oklahoma City and State Fair Park to keep the NRHA Futurity and Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show at the park through 2013.

NRHA Executive Director Dan Wall says the park was a natural fit for his organization.

“NRHA has a long history with Oklahoma City, from moving our international headquarters here in 1998 to hosting the world’s largest reining event at State Fair Park,” he says. We look forward to our future together, and are absolutely thrilled to continue our partnership.”

According to State Fair Park numbers, the 2010 Futurity brought in more than 125,000 visitors and generated $16.9 million in direct spending in Oklahoma City.

The day before, it was announced the American Quarter Horse Association would continue to bed down its Built Ford Tough AQHA World Championship Show at State Fair Park through 2014.

“The exhibitors who qualify for the Built Ford Tough Youth World are the very best in the world,” Don Treadway, AQHA executive vice president said in a prepared statement. “Their accomplishments demand that we have the show in a facility that can properly showcase their talent. With the improvements made to State Fair Park, it is truly a world-class facility for a world-class event.”

O’Toole says the $70 million worth of improvements completed this summer were paid for through the city’s hotel-motel tax approved by voters in December 2004. One more bond project is slated for next year.

Bond funds paid for renovations to arenas and buildings, as well as improved air circulation and the ability to give show participants increased exercise facilities.

Without the bond projects, there simply would be no horse shows, O’Toole says.

“They were critical,” he says. “We are considered to be one of the better facilities in North America.”

While most Oklahomans look forward to those 10 days in September when the State Fair of Oklahoma is in full swing, many may not realize that State Fair Park is a year-round exposition and trade-show facility. And MAPS should only make it more attractive to those coordinating and presenting events.

“I’m certain it will be a dramatic improvement over what we have now,” O’Toole says. “Probably the single largest factor will be once the facility is completed. We will be on the radar screen for a lot of regional and small, national trade shows that never even look at our facilities, because they check our web pages or the chamber’s website and find we don’t have a facility in Oklahoma that will house a trade show of 200,000 square feet under one roof.”

The National Reining Horse Association’s 2010 Futurity brought in more than 125,000 visitors and generated $16.9 million in direct spending in Oklahoma City.

He says the lack of square footage (the largest building at State Fair Park measures 70,000 square feet) has been the No. 1 reason Oklahoma City has lost out on trade-show business.

“One thing I like to remind people is that this property and the events that come to this property are the largest single provider of hotel room nights in the state of Oklahoma,” O’Toole says. “This property generates close to 200,000 hotel room nights a year.”

Photo by Shannon Cornman