Big E's Cassidy elected chairman of International Association of Fairs and Expositions

Jan. 26, 2021 | Ryan Feyre
rfeyre@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com

Eugene Cassidy
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Eugene Cassidy, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition, was elected chairman of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) early last December.

The IAFE is a not-for-profit trade association for the fair industry across the globe, according to Cassidy. The organization provides products and services to its members, in hopes of improving fairs and expositions in multiple locations.

The goal of the IAFE in 2021 is to grow fairs economically and agriculturally, particularly in a post-pandemic world. Aside from the Big E in West Springfield, the IAFE also represents fairs in Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Great Britain and Australia. Cassidy has served as a member of this board for a decade.

“It’s an interesting time to be chairman, because of course the world is dealing with the pandemic” said Cassidy. “So it gives me a front seat to see how three different continents are dealing with the pandemic.”

The reality, according to Cassidy, is a lot of fairgrounds across the world will end up closing due to financial stress. To try and alleviate this issue, Cassidy is optimistic that fairs can earn revenue outside of their immediate grounds. The hope is that with this added revenue, fairs can survive in the event of another catastrophic occurrence.

As fairgrounds continue to evolve, Cassidy believes that cleanliness will be one of the more important aspects of fair success. For decades, E-Coli bacteria has been a major problem when proper cleanliness is not accomplished.

“Fairgrounds have to be very clean in order to protect the fairgoer from E-Coli” said Cassidy. “We’re used to a level of cleanliness ... We even have to be better at it.”

Many fairs use contemporary devices to maintain cleanliness, whether they be mapping devices or fogging devices. According to Cassidy, many of these devices were even used 100 years ago to promote similar cleanliness and efficiency.

“We’ll continue to protect our patrons, and we have been all along,” said Cassidy.

The Big E is the fifth largest agricultural fair in North America, so its impact on the local economy is colossal, according to Cassidy. The fair itself generates 85 percent of the Eastern States’ yearly gross revenue. By the time fair season rolled around in 2020, the Big E had already lost $3 million in yearly revenue, due to the pandemic.

“Our impact on our regional economy is approaching three-quarters of a billion dollars,” said Cassidy. “People are feeling the effect economically of the fact that the fair wasn’t here.”

Charities, vendors, and entertainers have been hit the hardest with regards to fairs, as most people use places like the Big E to publicize their product or music. Smaller organizations, such as Lions Clubs and Rotary Clubs, are also trying to recover after a lost 2020. With that in mind, Cassidy said that understanding fairs’ economic impact is almost immeasurable.

“For me, I’m trying to help fairs get back on their feet,” said Cassidy. “We’re all struggling; we’re all trying to make payroll.”

The Big E plans to also become a site for mass COVID-19 vaccinations in the future. According to Cassidy, they are currently awaiting the state’s approval for this operation.

“Throughout our 105-year history, the Eastern States has always played an important role in fulfilling civic duty to help our fellow citizen,” said Cassidy. “This is a natural location, and we’re easily accessible to the commonwealth.”

Share this: