Ag Society announces construction of new luxury rodeo suites

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore and District Agricultural Society is excited to have announced a new expansion to their rodeo grounds, which will begin following this year’s rodeo season.

President and CEO of the Ag Society, Ryan Schmidt, said the construction, once completed, will see 12 new infield suites added to the grounds situated over the bucking shoots.

“They will have a tremendous view of the arena, and these are going to be high end suites, really providing a new and higher level of accommodation for people who are interested in that,” he said. “We will also have a rooftop patio on top of the suites with a 360-degree view of the rodeo arena, the chuck wagon tracks, and that will be available for corporate parties and things like that.”

Schmidt added he believes the addition of the new suites will effectively catapult the Strathmore Stampede “to the next level” and allow the Ag Society to better compete with similar and larger events in Alberta.

The idea, he explained, has been on the table for the Ag Society for some time now and was included in their recently released five-year strategic plan. 

“We noticed a growing and growing wait list for our existing suites and it was getting so long that there was not really a lot of hope for people to get a spot when they really want one,” Schmidt said. “We also saw an opportunity to reach a new type of client as well by increasing the level of luxury with these suites.”

He explained the suites will be comparable to what a client might experience booking a similar accommodation with the Calgary Stampede.

The suite bookings will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and whoever is interested will be able to book them – be it corporate, or larger bodies, or private individuals.

According to Schmidt, the Ag Society team has yet to even start marketing the suites, and have already been receiving calls from interested parties seeking to learn more about them.

“We have been getting calls in as word has spread from people asking about them and wanting to get on a wait list,” he said. “We are looking for people or companies to sign three-year agreements to give us some certainty on the rentals of the suites, and all indications are that we will have them fully booked before we even finish off spring and head into summer.”

Construction on the suites will officially begin in October, with the project intended to be complete prior to the start of the 2024 rodeo season, operating on a budget just shy of $2 million.