July 2025
Editor's Note
The dog days of summer are upon us! But what are the dog days exactly? The dog days are referring to the hottest days of summer which run from July 3-August 11. The dog days originated from the ancient Grecian belief that the Sirius star (aka the “Dog Star”), which rises with the sun in the summer, added to the heat of the sun, and made the days hotter.
The Sirius star, or “Dog Star”, gets its nickname from being a part of the constellation Canis Majoris- “the Greater Dog.” The Sirius star does indeed rise with the sun during the summer months, but does not add to the summer heat because it is 8.6 light years away from Earth, which is way too far to affect us with its heat.
The Sirius star can be seen at night during the winter or If you want to catch a glimpse of the star this summer, you will need to wait until the end of July, when you can see the bright star just before sunrise.
The zFairs team also rises with the sun, so if you are in need of assistance with setting up your event, we are here 9am-5pm across the nation.
Let us know how we can help!
Stay cool this summer!
Team Notes:
Summer is our team’s chance to really improve the zFairs software. We have a long list of updates, fixes, and new features that we are excited to show to you in the fall.
We want to remind all of you, that if you have any suggestions, frustrations, or just don’t know how to use zFairs to the fullest, reach out and let us know!
Because of the many updates we have implemented since January, there are a few videos on our YouTube that are in need of updates as well. We leave older, but relevant videos up and we take note of what videos are being viewed to try and base the new videos around who is checking us out. We try to implement videos that are relevant to the viewers wants, and we would love to get some feedback from you.
What are some features you want a video of? What are things you would like to see that may help you be a better event planner? Would you like to be interviewed and featured in our Meet Up videos?
Write to me at Anna@zfairs.com and let me know what you think!
New and Improved
Making zFairs better every day. Here is what was added or fixed this month:
- Added sort option to Rounds
- Report Update:
- School Info with Participant Counts: lists every school that is added to your event, their information (address, principal, etc), and how many registered participants are from that school.
- Schools with Participants: Only lists schools that have participants who have registered.
- Users email is their username: automatically assigns email addresses to be the default username.
- Participants- account users password: allows fair directors to remove password requirement for participants.
- API update - participant info now includes: if feePaid, holdharmlessSigned, mediareleaseSigned.
- Colors now coordinate with primary color
- Icons now shown next to menu items
New Configurations!
You might notice some style changes:
zFairs Tip: Basic vs. New Style
In 2024, zFairs rolled out a new style for your event’s sites. Many of our renewing clients are still using the basic site. Here are your questions about making the switch, answered!
Why should we switch? The new layout is designed to not only look like it fits in this decade, but it also makes it easier to navigate. The sleek lines and simple color coordination helps guide users to find the information they need without adding more “noise” to the site. The most important reason for the switch is that the new site is formatted to fit all screen sizes without cutting off vital information.
How do we switch our site over? We made it remarkably easy! Navigate to All Settings> search for “Basic”> and toggle the switch to off.
What if we don’t like it and want to switch back? Do we have to start over? Of course not! The new style and the basic style, as far as CONTENT is concerned, operate on different configurations.
You will need to add new content to the new style, but any content you currently have in the basic style will stay in the basic style. All other configurations for registration, forms, judging, and set up, operate the same regardless of which site you use and will remain the way you currently have it set up. The main difference to the basic style and new style is formatting and the layout.
What are Widgets? Widgets operate as an additional window that shows on the home page. These Widgets are extremely useful to help users locate schedules, maps and necessary links, quickly and easily. You can choose to have them or not by simply toggling them off or on.
If you have more questions about making the switch or need some assistance, contact us at support@zfairs.com
POP! Young Inventor Challenge
The Young Inventor Challenge® is a competition where students aging from 6-18 invent new toys and games and have the opportunity to pitch their innovative ideas to industry professionals.
POP (People of Play) is a division of the Toy Association. POP offers resources and events, like the Young Inventor Challenge®, to help foster innovation and creativity in the game and toy industry.
The Young Inventor Challenge® is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and has been an essential part of showing children that their ideas and voices are important in shaping the future of play.
Ahren Hoffman is the director of The Young Inventor Challenge®, and says her favorite part of the competition is “watching the kids pitch their inventions live…watching them pitch live, with so much passion and confidence, is truly inspiring. It’s a highlight every year!”
The Young Inventor Challenge® takes place in Chicago, Illinois in November 2025.
July 2025 zFairs.com | 800.252.0903 | Support@zFairs.com
