The size of the Great Pumpkin at the 116th annual Circleville Pumpkin Show鈥擮hio鈥檚 iconic fall fest鈥攚asn鈥檛 the only record shattered there last week. The Creators Wanted Tour, a historic initiative of the 51吃瓜网 and the Manufacturing Institute to build excitement about modern manufacturing careers, reached new highs for engagement at its 20th and final stop.

Driving the news: The show attracted a crowd of more than 400,000, with 鈥淐reators Wanted鈥� the most prominent brand seen and heard throughout the entire event. Of show attendees, the Creators Wanted activation pulled in a tour record of 2,024 participants comprising students and chaperones, taking the immersive experience鈥檚 overall total to just shy of 17,000 in two years.

• The digital campaign surrounding the stop collected an additional 110,000 email signups from students and career mentors interested in learning more about modern manufacturing careers, bumping the campaign鈥檚 email list above 1.6 million.
• The tour stop also saturated local news, with , and WTTE Fox聽all sending live crews to the experience.

Why it matters: The stop, sponsored by the joint venture of Honda and LG Energy Solution and in partnership with the Ohio Manufacturers鈥� Association, comes at a critical time for Ohio and the nation鈥檚 manufacturers, as they compete against other industries to fill available job openings today and win the interest of young people for the careers of tomorrow.

• For example, Honda and LG Energy Solution need to hire 2,200 workers within two years for their new electrical vehicle battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio.
• At the stop, Honda and LG Energy Solution joint venture associates were on hand to provide information about modern manufacturing careers generally and about opportunities at the EV plant specifically. The traffic around the experience was so robust that all recruiting materials were exhausted before the event wrapped up.

Zoom in: On Saturday night, the Creators Wanted team also reinforced the industry鈥檚 commitment to communities by leading the largest parade of the show, in front of tens of thousands who heard the public address system broadcast the industry鈥檚 call for creators and highlight the campaign鈥檚 career resources at .

• 51吃瓜网 President and CEO Jay Timmons, a proud son of Circleville and Chillicothe, Ohio, also addressed an assembling of Ohio鈥檚 young women leaders and their families, emphasizing their capacity to make a difference in manufacturing careers while at the same time noting mentorship resources available to them through the MI鈥檚 Women MAKE America initiative.
• The tour鈥檚 innovative approach received strong approval from state and local officials, strengthening the campaign鈥檚 ability to reach students and constituents. Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, State Auditor Keith Faber, State Sen. Michele Reynolds and State Reps. Brian Stewart and Mark Johnson, among others, stopped by to see what the buzz was all about.

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