ElChico
New Member
Green sells...this will get people down there.
Also I was thinking of Rockton's World's Fair. The big finale there is the Demolition Derby. Imagine all the ricers that Fantino confiscates banging into each other on BMO field.
|
|
|
HELP! Let's go to the EX!
- Thread starter FutureMayor
- Start date
Green sells...this will get people down there.
Also I was thinking of Rockton's World's Fair. The big finale there is the Demolition Derby. Imagine all the ricers that Fantino confiscates banging into each other on BMO field.
alklay
Senior Member
My parents use to tell me of stories of going to the Food Building and coming home with shopping bags full of free food.
ShonTron
Moderator
Member Bio
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 12,460
- Reaction score
- 9,244
- Location
- Ward 13 - Toronto Centre
Absolutely. My mom used to go into the Food Building and have lunch, then dinner, and leftovers aplenty. I still remember the goodies in the mid 1980s.
The CNE needs to go back to go forward. Play up the tradition of the "Grand Old Lady" by re-introducing some of the things we miss (I'd love to see at least, the Sky-ride thing return, even the wooden Flyer). Lots of suggestions here.
The CNE needs to go back to go forward. Play up the tradition of the "Grand Old Lady" by re-introducing some of the things we miss (I'd love to see at least, the Sky-ride thing return, even the wooden Flyer). Lots of suggestions here.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
I used to get a pass in the early to mid '80's. We'd stuff our faces with free food and drink, visit the inevitable exhibition of cheap junk from some Commie country or other, check out the cute boys working on the Midway, and then take the streetcar home. Our big night out.
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Free food.
That'll keep 'em coming.
That'll keep 'em coming.
JasonParis
Moderator
1. Describe the CNE in three words?
End of Summer Fair.
2. If you were to visit the CNE this year what attractions would you come to see?
-Casino (although it's horrid), Food Building (although it's not even close to what it was), the Midway (although all the "famous" rides like the Alpine Way and the Wild Mouse are gone), the Cat Show, the Air Show, etc.
3. What are your (3) three ideas to promote the CNE?
-As said, it needs to go back to go forward. It's not quite sure what it is anymore. It should be an annual celebration of the best that both Toronto and Canada have to offer. The federal government should be very visible, but it isn't really. Same with the City. WaterfronToronto, the TTC, The Mayor's Office, TEDCO, etc. should all have small city-buliding showcases of the future. Get people excited! Also, celebrating "the best" of our city and country should be done by partnering with all those successful festivals that fill Toronto year round. Everything from TIFF to Taste of the Danforth. Perhaps a little "best of" showcase each night. Also, rebuilding some classic rollercoasters, the Bulova Tower, the Food Building Spire, the Alpine Way, etc. would be money well spent. What happened to the featured country? Why tear down people's fond memories when they still seem fresh on most people's minds?
-The western half of the grounds are increasingly a ghost down. Get more events on that side. The Bandshell (for example) could be home to some indie rock showcase to help promote Toronto's ever-impressive music scene. Beer gardens could take-over most of that grassy area too. Make it an adult playground. More beer please!
-Have a "Gay Day @ The Midway." Hey it's one thing that seems to work in this town. A big foam party in Medieval Times could follow.
End of Summer Fair.
2. If you were to visit the CNE this year what attractions would you come to see?
-Casino (although it's horrid), Food Building (although it's not even close to what it was), the Midway (although all the "famous" rides like the Alpine Way and the Wild Mouse are gone), the Cat Show, the Air Show, etc.
3. What are your (3) three ideas to promote the CNE?
-As said, it needs to go back to go forward. It's not quite sure what it is anymore. It should be an annual celebration of the best that both Toronto and Canada have to offer. The federal government should be very visible, but it isn't really. Same with the City. WaterfronToronto, the TTC, The Mayor's Office, TEDCO, etc. should all have small city-buliding showcases of the future. Get people excited! Also, celebrating "the best" of our city and country should be done by partnering with all those successful festivals that fill Toronto year round. Everything from TIFF to Taste of the Danforth. Perhaps a little "best of" showcase each night. Also, rebuilding some classic rollercoasters, the Bulova Tower, the Food Building Spire, the Alpine Way, etc. would be money well spent. What happened to the featured country? Why tear down people's fond memories when they still seem fresh on most people's minds?
-The western half of the grounds are increasingly a ghost down. Get more events on that side. The Bandshell (for example) could be home to some indie rock showcase to help promote Toronto's ever-impressive music scene. Beer gardens could take-over most of that grassy area too. Make it an adult playground. More beer please!
-Have a "Gay Day @ The Midway." Hey it's one thing that seems to work in this town. A big foam party in Medieval Times could follow.
EnviroTO
Senior Member
Expensive commercialized mediocrity. I don't see anything that makes the CNE more superior to the Western Fair in London other than perhaps the airshow.
I would come primarily for the food building honestly. Friends would come for the games and gambling.
1. Install a couple of permanent rides, namely one big coaster (perhaps on the south side accessible to Ontario Place when CNE is not running) and a large ferris wheel (a la the London Eye). Western Fair has its big roller coaster as a permanent installation which only runs during the fair so a big roller coaster which could be tied into Ontario Place outside the CNE period should be feasible.
2. Improve and increase the number of exhibits.
3. Highlight what makes the CNE different than other local fairs and an amusement park.
junctionist
Senior Member
I remember about 5 years ago, there was a roller coaster with two loops, it was very fun. It was there for a number of years, but then it never returned. What happened? Was it a matter of cost or safety?
To answer the questions:
1. Describe the CNE in three words?
Lively, habitual, traditional
2.If you were to visit the CNE this year what attractions would you come to see?
The midway, the games, the international shopping.
3. What are your (3) three ideas to promote the CNE?
-Showcase the TTC vehicles, army and air force vehicles, a classic car show
-make the ferris wheel closer to the skyline
-Wine tasting from the Niagara regions (a new twist to the country fair roots)
To answer the questions:
1. Describe the CNE in three words?
Lively, habitual, traditional
2.If you were to visit the CNE this year what attractions would you come to see?
The midway, the games, the international shopping.
3. What are your (3) three ideas to promote the CNE?
-Showcase the TTC vehicles, army and air force vehicles, a classic car show
-make the ferris wheel closer to the skyline
-Wine tasting from the Niagara regions (a new twist to the country fair roots)
AnarchoSocialist
Active Member
1. Describe the CNE in three words?
Outdated, tired, unoriginal.
2.If you were to visit the CNE this year what attractions would you come to see?
None. Everything at the CNE I have allready seen as a kid at other fairs or the CNE itself.
3. What are your (3) three ideas to promote the CNE?
- Modernize it. Make it relevant to what people desire today and not what they enjoyed 20 or 30 years ago.
- Integrate it into the city better. It is basically in the center of a major city yet this seems to be totally ignored. It would be much more interesting if it were to spill into the streets and take over some parts of the city as well.
- Showcase really cool stuff. Shiny trinkets and gadgets always attract people. Have Apple or Bombardier showing off their latest phones or high speed trains. That I would consider going to see.
Outdated, tired, unoriginal.
2.If you were to visit the CNE this year what attractions would you come to see?
None. Everything at the CNE I have allready seen as a kid at other fairs or the CNE itself.
3. What are your (3) three ideas to promote the CNE?
- Modernize it. Make it relevant to what people desire today and not what they enjoyed 20 or 30 years ago.
- Integrate it into the city better. It is basically in the center of a major city yet this seems to be totally ignored. It would be much more interesting if it were to spill into the streets and take over some parts of the city as well.
- Showcase really cool stuff. Shiny trinkets and gadgets always attract people. Have Apple or Bombardier showing off their latest phones or high speed trains. That I would consider going to see.
That's the problem though isn't it. You'd be able to see the Apple phone at the Apple stores already so what would be special about that. That's why the Better Living Centre sucks these days. All the new gadgets can be found in a million different places hence the reason it resembles a flee market. But the Bombardier idea, and things like that, are one way to go.
Observer Walt
Senior Member
The Ex needs entertainment / concerts. If bigger acts can't be booked (maybe because the place now lacks an appropriate location, with the stadium torn down?), get smaller acts from the local scene, as Darkstar suggests. There should be a concert every night.
The food building should be made into a better "food court" experience, with samples of every kind of food you could imagine from everywhere you could imagine. Let people do a tasting for 0.50 or $1.00 per shot. Some companies might be willing to do freebies, especially those introducing new products. Imitate Taste of Danforth, but more broadly based in terms of types of food. The suggestion of wine tasting is a good one. Promote our Ontario wines!
The food building seems to have good memories for lots of people.
I don 't know if it's realistic to say bring back the roller coaster. It would be great, if feasible. Apparently it's another favourite memory for some people. I remember being on it.
I'm not a marketer, but a slogan (3 words?) needs to be devised that plays off the nostalgia while updating it to the current decade. The strength of the Ex seems to be good memories, even to those who haven't been there recently, as in some posts here.
The food building should be made into a better "food court" experience, with samples of every kind of food you could imagine from everywhere you could imagine. Let people do a tasting for 0.50 or $1.00 per shot. Some companies might be willing to do freebies, especially those introducing new products. Imitate Taste of Danforth, but more broadly based in terms of types of food. The suggestion of wine tasting is a good one. Promote our Ontario wines!
The food building seems to have good memories for lots of people.
I don 't know if it's realistic to say bring back the roller coaster. It would be great, if feasible. Apparently it's another favourite memory for some people. I remember being on it.
I'm not a marketer, but a slogan (3 words?) needs to be devised that plays off the nostalgia while updating it to the current decade. The strength of the Ex seems to be good memories, even to those who haven't been there recently, as in some posts here.
Ontario Place has a stage that's large enough for most acts.
There were lots of big shows over the years. As a kid I remember the teenagers going to see T-Rex. They all returned wearing the famed Marc Bolan top hat. It seemed magical to me.
PukeGreen
Active Member
The Ex is fine, in theory, and I have no animosity towards it. But I rarely end up going. The last time I went, about 4 or 5 years ago, it was an underwhelming experience.
Part of the problem may be that the Ex relies too much on fond memories and its long history. But over the past decades, the demographics of Toronto have changed drastically. Many newer arrivals likely don't share a history of these types of fairs and exhibitions. They would need to be sold on the Ex and given a good reason to go.
Also, the options for things to do have also grown enormously in Toronto over the past decades. There is now almost nothing that you can do at the Ex that you can't do many other places in Toronto, for free, any time you want.
- Food? There's a huge food court in every mall, and a food festival almost every weekend in the city. Taste of the Danforth, Little Italy, Harbourfront. What makes the Ex food building different? With profit margins the way they are these days, expecting copious amounts of free food is pointless.
- Amusement Park? Kids and teens who are into rides have probably already spent half the summer using their season's pass at Wonderland, where the rides are far superior.
- Gambling? We have real casinos now, open 24/7 year round at Rama, Windsor, and Niagara.
- Junk for Sale? There are antique markets every weekend at St. Lawrence Market. Not to mention E-Bay.
- Technology showcases? We are inundated with new technology every day, in ads, and on the Web. Apple stores, Sony stores, Futureshop, Best Buy. I highly doubt any major tech manufacturers are going to hold off for the Toronto Ex to release something new.
- Animals! Okay, this is something you don't see often in Toronto. The one thing I enjoyed at the Ex on my last visit was the Eukanuba trained dog show. That was pretty cool. But I'm not convinced a few more animals would really be enough to revive the Ex to the extent it needs.
I hate to be a pessimist, but I think Toronto has changed around the Ex to the point that it probably can't be saved, at least not in any form that we recognize.
Part of the problem may be that the Ex relies too much on fond memories and its long history. But over the past decades, the demographics of Toronto have changed drastically. Many newer arrivals likely don't share a history of these types of fairs and exhibitions. They would need to be sold on the Ex and given a good reason to go.
Also, the options for things to do have also grown enormously in Toronto over the past decades. There is now almost nothing that you can do at the Ex that you can't do many other places in Toronto, for free, any time you want.
- Food? There's a huge food court in every mall, and a food festival almost every weekend in the city. Taste of the Danforth, Little Italy, Harbourfront. What makes the Ex food building different? With profit margins the way they are these days, expecting copious amounts of free food is pointless.
- Amusement Park? Kids and teens who are into rides have probably already spent half the summer using their season's pass at Wonderland, where the rides are far superior.
- Gambling? We have real casinos now, open 24/7 year round at Rama, Windsor, and Niagara.
- Junk for Sale? There are antique markets every weekend at St. Lawrence Market. Not to mention E-Bay.
- Technology showcases? We are inundated with new technology every day, in ads, and on the Web. Apple stores, Sony stores, Futureshop, Best Buy. I highly doubt any major tech manufacturers are going to hold off for the Toronto Ex to release something new.
- Animals! Okay, this is something you don't see often in Toronto. The one thing I enjoyed at the Ex on my last visit was the Eukanuba trained dog show. That was pretty cool. But I'm not convinced a few more animals would really be enough to revive the Ex to the extent it needs.
I hate to be a pessimist, but I think Toronto has changed around the Ex to the point that it probably can't be saved, at least not in any form that we recognize.
Bogtrotter
Senior Member
Seems to me that a lot of the appeal is based on nostalgia; my GF used to go with her grandfather so the memories are very fond for her. For me, a non-Ontarian originally, I just found it noisy and tacky. Last time I went we spent most of the time sitting in a beer garden drinking overpriced commercial beer and counting the mullets that walked by. Personally I found the Royal Winter Fair to be a lot more interesting than the Ex, probably to do with the animals and judging etc -which I new little about.
FutureMayor
Active Member
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond!
The many great ideas and suggestions will be forwarded onwards to CNE staff.
Remember to mark your calendars. The EX opens August 17 and run until labour day.
http://www.theex.com/
Yours for an even stronger and better EX!
Louroz
The many great ideas and suggestions will be forwarded onwards to CNE staff.
Remember to mark your calendars. The EX opens August 17 and run until labour day.
http://www.theex.com/
Yours for an even stronger and better EX!
Louroz