A week after the roar of the crowd has died, Oregon Jamboree manager Peter LaPonte said the 2003 event “was better than I had hoped for…it will be a hard one to beat.”
Alan Jackson’s show on Friday, August 1, set the tone for the three-day event, attracting a record 9,000-plus fans and turning the ball loose for a highly-profitable show.
“We would have to hand-count tickets but we know there were more than 9,000 paid on Friday, about 8,000 on Saturday and 6,000 on Sunday,” LaPonte said. “Of that, 1,200 tickets were for Friday only.”
Although Jackson cost about $200,000, LaPonte said the approval rating he and the Jamboree received made it worthwhile.
“We’re busy right now paying out tens of thousands of dollars in expenses but I can tell you already that we doubled our beer revenues,” LaPonte said. “Nearly all of our vendors reported increased sales. Some didn’t but that’s the case every year. There are many variables.”
LaPonte called Jackson’s performance “fantastic…his fans got exactly what they had hoped for.”
The search for talent for the 2004 event will begin in about two weeks.
“It’s a balancing act to get the big talent and still make a profit,” LaPonte said.
He noted that the biggest names need a 15,000 to 20,000 seat venue to make expenses.
“The point is to raise money for economic development,” LaPonte said.
Organizers were worried going into the event that they might be overwhelmed because the biggest crowd was on Friday evening.
“None of our fears played out,” LaPonte said. “We did a lot of preparation and training before hand.”
There were some rough edge, he admitted, such as patrons sitting in a holding area for up to two hours before gates opened.
“Once we figured out what we happening, we fixed it,” he said.
A crowd management effort paid off, LaPonte said, enforcing his belief that the Jamboree at its current site, could handle 10,000 patrons per day.
“It was perfect on Friday. It wasn’t overcrowded,” LaPonte said.
Jamboree patrons must have felt the same, as ticket sales for the 2004 event have topped $210,000 well ahead of the December 2002 pre-sale tally.
LaPonte said the school district’s athletic fields came through in good shape.
“We inspected the fields on Thursday with Dr. Cook from Oregon State University,” LaPonte said. “The fields should recover nicely with fertilizer and water.”
Camping was especially popular this year, with more than 1,000 sites sold out.
“Everyone should be proud of this festival,” LaPonte said. “We have received many compliments. Credit has to be given to those with the vision to stick with it over the years.”