Category Archives: Board of Directors

Monday, April 27, 2020 (9:52 am)

The OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors voted unanimously today to cancel the 2020 OC Fair, one of the most anticipated and enduring summer celebrations in Southern California for 130 years. The Board considered ongoing guidance and updated information from State and County health care and government officials about the status of the coronavirus pandemic and the improbability that mass gatherings like the OC Fair could safely and responsibly take place this summer.

In addition to the regularly scheduled monthly meeting, the Board called a second April meeting specifically to review all options and discuss whether or not to move forward with the 2020 OC Fair. The action comes amid unprecedented community stay-at-home and social distancing orders and will protect guests, vendors and staff during the COVID-19 crisis.

“The decision to cancel the 2020 OC Fair was not taken lightly by the Board. As Governor-appointed representatives the Board has a responsibility to provide a safe experience to the community-at-large, the hundreds of people who depend on county fairs for their livelihood, fairgoers and OC Fair staff,” said Board Chair Sandra Cervantes. “While many of our guests have expressed extreme disappointment over the idea of the 2020 Fair being canceled, we strongly believe it is the right thing to do in this current situation. However, we will keep the spirit of the OC Fair alive with virtual fair concepts such as contests, competitions, entertainment and concessions to bring the fair experience to guests through ocfair.com and social media.”

The 23-day OC Fair welcomes more than 1.3 million fairgoers each year and has an estimated economic impact of $350 million annually. The Fair was canceled 1942-1947 during wartime, but otherwise has been a summer staple since 1890. Information on refunds for concert tickets and Super Passes that have already been purchased can be found at ocfair.com/refunds.

“We love the OC Fair as much as our guests do. And, while it’s disappointing that the Fair can’t take place this year, we fully support the Board’s decision,” said Michele Richards, OC Fair & Event Center CEO. “But please know OC Fair & Event Center will still be here to serve the community as we plan for the next OC Fair and the eventual return of our wonderful events.”

Wednesday, April 15, 2020 (3:34 pm)

The OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors has scheduled a meeting on April 27 to discuss whether or not to cancel the 2020 OC Fair amid coronavirus pandemic concerns. The meeting agenda is here.

This meeting is in addition to the board’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting which will be held on April 23. The meeting agenda is here. 

Public input is invited and encouraged at all OC Fair & Event Center board meetings. Video and audio feeds of the meetings will be available and members of the public may also attend in person with social distancing precautions in place. Information on how to participate in the meetings will be posted on the public meetings page prior to the meeting date.  

Thursday, March 12, 2020 (7:16 pm)

(Updated June 11, 202o) 

Out of an abundance of caution and to help stem the spread of coronavirus, OC Fair & Event Center announces a full public closure of the facilities, including Heroes Hall Veterans Museum, Centennial Farm, Equestrian Center and the administration building lobby until further notice.

OC Fair & Event center will continue to follow public health directives.

The following events previously scheduled to take place at OC Fair & Event Center have been impacted: 

• Orange County Market Place – weekends, canceled until further notice
• Farmers Market – Thursdays, canceled until June 18
• OC Wine Fest – June 13-14, canceled
• BrideWorld – June 14, canceled
• OC Market Place Taco Fest – June 20, canceled
• Costa Mesa Speedway – June 20, canceled
• FamFest – June 20-21, canceled
• Pacific Symphony – July 4 & Aug. 21, canceled
• 2020 OC Fair – July 17-Aug. 16, canceled
• SoCal World Guitar Show – Aug. 22-23, canceled
• Irish Festival – Sept. 5-6, canceled

The following is a list of events originally scheduled for earlier this year that have been rescheduled for a later date: 

• AAOC Trade Show and Conference – March 26, postponed to Sept. 10
• Mom Made Market – March 28-29, postponed to Oct. 10-11
• Fight Club – April 9 & June 11, postponed until Oct. 15 & Nov. 12
• OC Marathon – May 1-3, postponed to Nov. 6-8
• OC Night Market – May 8-10 & May 15-17, postponed to Oct. 23-25 & Oct. 30-Nov. 1 

For a complete list of upcoming scheduled events, please visit ocfair.com/events. 

Tuesday, March 3, 2020 (7:07 am)

After serving on the OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors since 2018, Andreas Meyer has decided to leave his position on the Board. Meyer most recently served as Vice Chair of the Board and was a member of several Board committees, including the Governance Committee, the Safety & Security Committee and the Branding Project Ad Hoc Committee.

At the Board’s Feb. 27 meeting, Meyer announced his intention to step down and submitted his resignation this week to the Governor’s Office.

There are currently two vacant positions on the Board. Click here to apply to become a member of the Board of Directors.

Monday, January 14, 2019 (3:09 pm)

Help us evaluate our brands:

• OC Fair & Event Center
• Pacific Amphitheatre
• Heroes Hall
• Imaginology
• Centennial Farm

We have begun to evaluate out family of brands to determine current value in the marketplace and whether or not changes are warranted. We have grown and it is time to reassess.

In addition to our OC Fair & Event Center brands, the exercise will include discussions about our property partners: equestrian center, OC Wine Society, Orange County Market Place and Spectra.

Public participation is being sought during this process – community input is important as the fairgrounds looks toward the future.

The advertising firm IMW of Costa Mesa has been contracted to perform the brand assessment and to offer recommendations. They began with meetings with staff groups and a workshop with the board of directors. A meeting of property partners and stakeholders has also been scheduled.

The public is invited to participate in a branding assessment workshop – options are:

• • Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2-3 p.m. at OC Fair & Event Center OR
  • Wednesday, Jan. 30, 6-7 p.m. at OC Fair & Event Center

The OC Fair & Event Center is located at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. These workshops will take place in the administration building.

Those who are unable to attend one of the public meetings will have the opportunity to participate by completing an online survey that will be posted here following the workshops.

Please continue to check ocfair.com/branding and @ocfair on social media for the latest updates on this project.

A little about brands …

Brands are not just logos. A brand is more than what a product does or what it might communicate. Brands are the total perception of the entity’s “persona” in the marketplace, including an implied promise to customers that the facility and service will consistently meet their expectations. Brands evoke emotions. They delight us and make us feel that they are familiar and reliable. Branding differentiates a product from its competitors and creates added value for partners.

Monday, October 2, 2017 (9:00 am)

Community Forum

Be a part of OC Fair & Event Center’s Strategic 5-Year Business Planning Process

In conjunction with the 10-year Master Site Plan, OC Fair & Event Center will be launching a Strategic 5-Year Business Plan to develop our organizational goals.

We will be seeking input at two open community discussions on how OC Fair & Event Center can further support our mission of developing programs focused on community, education and agriculture.

If you’re an interested neighbor, educator, member of the agricultural community, non-profit leader or business associate, we value your input.

Join us:

Wednesday, October 18
2:30-4:30 p.m.

or

Thursday, October 19
7-9:30 p.m.

OC Fair & Event Center
Administration Building
Corner of Fairview & Arlington in Costa Mesa
(714) 708-1500

RSVPs are not required. If you’re unable to attend but would like to provide input, please email your thoughts and ideas to CommDept@ocfair.com.