Commission approves master entertainment contract for 2026 fair with Romeo Entertainment Group

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on July 8 approved a one‑year master entertainment management agreement with Romeo Entertainment Group to centralize artist procurement for the 2026 Deschutes County Fair.

Fair staff explained the contract replaces a prior approach of executing many artist agreements shortly before the fair and instead consolidates procurement and artist contract authority under a single master services agreement. One staff presenter described the rationale: “The context for this agreement is is not a new arrangement with Romeo Entertainment. We’ve had it for years,” and explained the consolidated agreement was recommended to avoid last‑minute, ad‑hoc artist contracts that previously created legal and risk management difficulties.

Board members asked about contract duration, cost caps and future procurement: staff said the item on July 8 was a one‑year, site‑specific agreement and that the county will pursue an RFP process after the fair to evaluate longer‑term options. The board moved approval of contract 2026‑0463 with not‑to‑exceed language discussed in the staff exhibit and voted unanimously to approve.

Next steps: staff will execute the contract to finalize artist agreements for the 2026 fair; procurement staff indicated an RFP will be used post‑fair to solicit future proposals.