From First Bid to Lasting Bonds: Inside a Chuckwagon Partnership

When Rob Gray first decided to bid on a chuckwagon canvas at the 2025 Canvas Auction, it wasn’t about visibility; it was about creating something for his clients that would genuinely make them feel part of the action.

“I always thought the barn experience is such a rare opportunity to really get a cool, real Stampede feel,” said Gray, CEO of Panorama Advisory Group. “We wanted to create that experience for our clients.”

That vision took shape when Panorama successfully bid on Jamie Laboucane’s canvas last April. What followed was more than an advertising opportunity; it became a shared experience rooted in connection, storytelling and time spent behind the scenes of one of Stampede’s most iconic events.

For Laboucane, these kinds of partnerships are what make the experience stand out year after year. “We work together, and it becomes a really unique experience that you don’t get anywhere else,” he said.

That experience goes far beyond race time. While the wagons are on the track for only minutes, the time spent in the barns, meeting the team, learning the sport and getting close to the horses is what stays with people.

“You can wine and dine clients all you want, but if you want to give them something really memorable, something that sticks with them, this is it,” said Laboucane.

For Gray, that immersive environment created something even more meaningful than a client event. Over the course of Stampede, his family became part of the experience, with his children spending time in the barns alongside Laboucane’s crew.

“They thought this was one of the coolest things their parents had ever been involved in,” Gray shared.

Behind the scenes, those partnerships also play a vital role in the sport itself.

“They’re an asset — they really help and support you and work with you, so it works for the best for both parties,” Laboucane said.

For both driver and advertiser, the experience works best when it’s built on mutual respect—understanding the demands of race day while making space for connection. When that balance is right, the result is something far more lasting than the 10 days of Stampede.

The next opportunity to be part of that experience comes on April 9 at The Big Four Roadhouse on Stampede Park, when the 2026 Calgary Stampede Canvas Auction returns. Learn more and apply to attend as a bidder here, or attend the event as a spectator and celebrate the iconic sport of Chuckwagon Racing through the live auction, a marketplace, artwork displays, sampling and more, with a general admission ticket here.