Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies

What Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies does

The Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies (OAAS) is a provincial nonprofit association, founded circa 1850 and headquartered in Stirling, Ontario, that serves as the umbrella body for more than 210 agricultural societies across 15 districts in the province. Its primary customers are local agricultural societies — incorporated entities regulated under Ontario's Ag & Hort Act that organize annual fairs and exhibitions — supplemented by individual associate members and youth participants. OAAS generates revenue principally through recurring membership fees, supplemented by convention fees, a small merchandise shop, and grants/funding programs. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

OAAS's core offering is an integrated ecosystem of member services rather than a technology product: a searchable Fairs Directory of Ontario's 210+ annual fairs, a Judging Program with certified judges and standardized competition rules, an Awards Program (Hall of Fame, Meritorious Service, Years of Service, Accomplishment, Outstanding Youth, and the Len & Ida Patterson Award), Youth Programs (including the OAAS 175th CCEA Scholarship and AAAS Exchange), an annual Convention (next scheduled February 18-20, 2027), a multi-year Webinar series, a Resources hub (forms, grants, safety/animal-health guidance, emergency planning), and the First Impression Program for fairground improvements. There is no proprietary technology stack or AI component disclosed; service delivery is supported by a conventional website, Facebook page, email, and webinars.

The organization operates a community-led go-to-market, growing through member recruitment via district committees, the annual convention, webinars, and youth programs. It maintains a regulatory and collaborative relationship with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and is governed by an OAAS Board and 15 District Committees. With only six employees, OAAS is a small association whose strategic posture is best characterized as stewardship of a 175-year-old provincial mandate rather than active commercial expansion.

Name

Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies

Legal name

Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies

Website

https://ontariofairs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies is a provincial nonprofit founded around 1850 that represents 210+ agricultural societies across 15 districts in Ontario, providing standardized judging programs, awards, youth initiatives, conventions, and resources under the Ag & Hort Act.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM)

Keywords

• Agricultural fair association
• Agricultural society support
• Fair judging programs
• Youth agricultural programs
• Agricultural events coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Stirling

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: OAAS generates revenue through membership fees collected from Agricultural Societies and Associate members. Fees are structured as per the OAAS Membership Fees schedule.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies is a nonprofit provincial membership association that represents and supports more than 210 annual agricultural fairs and exhibitions across Ontario, organized into 15 districts. It provides a coordinated portfolio of services to its member societies, including a province-wide Fairs Directory, a standardized Judging Program with certified judges and judging schools, multiple award and recognition programs, an annual Convention, year-round Webinars, Youth Programs including scholarships and exchanges, and the First Impression Program for improving fairgrounds.

Product overview

The Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies (OAAS) is a membership-based association serving agricultural societies across Ontario, not a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of programs and services centered on supporting and promoting agricultural fairs: the core Fairs Directory provides Ontario-wide visibility for 210+ annual fairs; the Judging Program standardizes competition judging; the Awards Program recognizes outstanding contributions; the Youth Programs foster next-generation involvement; the Convention provides annual education and networking; Webinars offer ongoing learning; the Directory & Resources hub provides operational support; and the First Impression Program helps societies improve facilities. These offerings function as an integrated ecosystem supporting agricultural society operations rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fairs Directory A searchable province-wide directory of Ontario's more than 210 yearly agricultural fairs and exhibitions, filterable by name, month, district, date, and location. Available to the public through the OAAS website to help users locate fairs across Ontario.
• OAAS Convention Annual convention held in February serving as the primary gathering for OAAS member agricultural societies, featuring seminars, speakers, district/provincial competitions, and networking. Convened annually with documented 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 editions and a scheduled 2027 convention.
• Judging Program Comprehensive judging program covering agricultural competitions, including judges lists, judging schools, apprenticeship exemption forms, instructor apprenticeship forms, district judging information, and ongoing judges webinars and presentations. Standardizes competition judging across OAAS member societies in Ontario.
• Youth Programs Youth engagement initiatives including the OAAS 175th CCEA Scholarship, Youth of the Month recognition, Youth Involvement within Agricultural Societies Program, OAAS AAAS Exchange 2027, Outstanding Youth Recognition Award, OAAS Convention Ambassadors Program, and CNE Ambassador Program. Designed to develop young leaders in Ontario agricultural societies.
• Awards Program Recognition program offering Hall of Fame Award, Meritorious Service Award, Years of Service Award, Accomplishment Award, Outstanding Youth Recognition Award, and the Len & Ida Patterson Award for outstanding contributions to agricultural societies and the Ontario agricultural fair community.
• OAAS Webinar Series Educational webinar series with recordings available for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, covering topics relevant to agricultural society operations, board member training, judging, and other association matters. Provides ongoing professional development to member societies.
• First Impression Program Program designed to help agricultural societies improve visitor first impressions of their fairgrounds and facilities, supporting member societies in upgrading and enhancing their physical event spaces.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOAAS maintains information and returns-related resources from OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), indicating a regulatory and collaborative relationship. The association also references OMAFA Information pages on their website.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• British Columbia Association of Agricultural Fairs and Exhibitions: BC's provincial association of agricultural fairs and exhibitions, providing member services, governance support, and advocacy to BC fair societies. Closely comparable to OAAS in role and operating model, but serving a different provincial territory.
• Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies: Provincial counterpart to OAAS serving agricultural societies in Alberta with a comparable mandate of advocacy, training, and youth programming. Structurally and functionally parallel to OAAS, just operating in a different Canadian province.

Emerging players

• Canadian National Exhibition (CNE): Toronto-based major exhibition and member of the OAAS ecosystem through the CNE Ambassador Program. Operates at a much larger scale than typical OAAS members but is connected via OAAS youth programming.
• Western Fair Association (Western Fair District): London, Ontario-based fair operator and district that is itself an OAAS member society. Comparable in that it runs a major agricultural exhibition, though as a single operator rather than an umbrella association, making it a partial peer rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Federation of Agriculture: National umbrella organization representing Canadian farmers and agricultural producers, with overlapping provincial-member structure. While broader in scope than fairs, it serves as the national agricultural policy voice that OAAS interfaces with through OMAFRA channels.
• Ontario Federation of Agriculture: Largest general farm organization in Ontario, advocating on behalf of Ontario farmers. Shares OAAS's Ontario focus and government-relations orientation but represents farm operators directly rather than fair societies.

Direct peers

• Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (CAFE): CAFE is the national-level trade association representing Canadian fairs and exhibitions, directly analogous to OAAS but operating at the federal rather than provincial level. Both organizations serve as coordinating bodies for fair operators, providing advocacy, training, and industry programs.
• International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE): IAFE is the US-based international trade body for fairs and exhibitions, offering member services, certification, and conventions comparable to OAAS's programming. It is the most analogous peer in terms of scope (judging programs, youth initiatives, awards) and represents the cross-border benchmark for OAAS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ontagsocieties
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ontario-association-of-agricultural-societies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies