A new CEO will be in place at the OC Fair & Event Center just in time for the return of this year’s 23-day fair.
The fair board announced Monday that James Canfield has been chosen to fill the CEO role beginning July 1.
Canfield was most recently the senior director and general manager of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in Alabama. But he is no stranger to California.
He previously held executive roles for convention centers in Palm Springs, Pasadena and Long Beach and has 30 years of experience in the venue management and live events space, according to a news release
Board chair Nick Kovacevich said they chose Canfield because they believe he could continue the momentum of growing the organization and “think outside of the box” for bringing in more guests to the OC Fair and the other events held at the Costa Mesa fairgrounds throughout the year.
“We had a lot of great candidates,” Kovacevich said, “but James really stood out to us because of his background, the leadership positions that he’s had and what we heard from him in terms of his vision.”
In Alabama, Canfield managed convention space, multiple concert venues and a football stadium, Kovacevich said.
Kovacevich said most people know about the OC Fair, but “the reality is there’s also 11 other months where there’s not a fair. We provide a lot of value to the community.” Canfield, he said, will be able to guide the organization in adding more events for the community during non-fair times.
Former CEO Michele Richards retired in May after having the job for five years. Kovacevich said the board was sad to see her go, but her team that remains is capable of executing and delivering the fair and Canfield will now be able to learn from them in the coming weeks.
“(Richards) did a great job in curating and developing her team to be so capable and competent when it comes to the fair,” Kovacevich said. “In a sense, we’ve got that covered.”
The OC Fair returns this year from July 18 to Aug. 17. The event is one of the oldest traditions in the county and is entering its 135th year. More than a million people attend annually.