Arabian show a boon for city’s economy

The city will gain hundreds of thousands of dollars in economic activity this month because of Canada’s National Arabian Championship, a representative from a destination marketing organization said.

Jenn Watson, executive director of Brandon First, said the horse show currently underway at the Keystone Centre will provide benefits to numerous businesses in town not directly connected to the event.

“It’s huge, any time that a large event like this comes,” Watson said. “When there’s a big event on, especially something like this, people are staying in the hotels, people are eating in the restaurants, people are out shopping, people are taking in the things that there are to do here.”

Beyond the immediate benefits, the stage is also set for continued momentum in Brandon, Watson said.

“Every event like this that we host successfully sets us up to land the next big one,” she said. “There’s that reputation, it gets the word out.”

She added that the rising tide of dollars in town “raises all ships” — with one example being that employees in the community can see more shifts at work.

The Brandon Chamber of Commerce recognizes the benefits to local businesses and supports the work of destination marketing groups like Brandon First, chamber president Emelio Brown said on Friday.

The chamber will refer event organizers whenever possible to Brandon First and will also help businesses prepare for the surge in customers, he said.

“We mainly work on advocacy and so on. So we have the conversation with government as to what supports we may need,” Brown said. “Whether it’s promotion, whether it’s ensuring that the members, or just businesses in general, are ready for the high influx of traffic, we can play our part in that.”

The Arabian horse show brings in new dollars to the area, rather than having money changing hands within the local economy, representing a net gain to the community, Brown said.

“That’s bringing folks across the continent — all the way down from Oregon, or even down in Rhode Island, for example — that’s bringing new revenue to our local economy here,” he said.

“We love seeing this. And from what I gather, this is millions of dollars every year when we do have (horse shows at the Keystone Centre).”

Keystone Centre CEO Connie Lawrence said a lot of work was expended to get the event back in Brandon. The championship returned in 2025, having last been held in the city in 2019, she said.

It was “the result of a great deal of collaboration, relationship-building, and persistence,” she said in an email on Friday.

Lawrence, and the facility’s agriculture centre manager, Devin Epp, led the process in 2024 to bring the event to Brandon, she said.

“We emphasized the value of returning the show not only to the Keystone Centre but also to Brandon and the entire Westman region,” she said. “We are incredibly proud to have welcomed this prestigious event back to its home, where it continues to generate meaningful economic benefits.”

She said the show this month stretches beyond hospitality and food service businesses.

“This particular show goes even further, supporting retailers such as Home Depot and RONA, as well as local businesses like Green Spot and Pinnacle, which supply decorations, materials, and other resources needed for the event.”

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com