Saturday, December 7, 2024 (2:48 pm)

OC Fair and Event Center’s Ken Karns named board chair of industry group IAFE

At its annual conference this month in Phoenix, the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) announced that Ken Karns, chief operating officer  at OC Fair and Event Center, was
elected as board chair for 2025.

The industry association based in Springfield, MO, is a nonprofit serving state, provincial, regional and county agricultural fairs, shows, exhibitions and expositions.

Karns, who has been at OC Fair & Event Center (OCFEC) since 2016, started his career in the fair industry in the early 1990s at Western Fair in London, ON, Canada, where he began as the project supervisor working on its first master site plan.

Karns had many roles his 25-year career and is currently working on 
a master site plan for OCFEC. Over the years, he has been on many industry boards and committees and has served as a faculty member for IAFE’s Institute of Fair Management.

IAFE serves a large sector of the fair industry and members include state and provincial associations of fairs, nonagricultural expositions and festivals, associations, corporations and individuals engaged in providing products and services to its members.