Page 16 - BusinessWest September 2, 2024

Kids of all ages will find rides to enjoy at the Big E midway. Photo courtesy of the Big E
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“If you plug the $15 admission ticket in 2010 into an inflation calculator,
it actually translated to $20.65 in 2023. We loathe raising our ticket prices, which is why we waited so long to do it, but it saved us; had we not had the increase in the ticket price, we would have had red ink last year.”
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ed to make an appearance, though, as she did last year, Cassidy said, adding quickly that he is more focused on the general popula- tion than elected officials.
And he expects this year will be a solid one for the fair, despite widespread concerns about the economy and inflation, some rising COVID numbers, and ever-increasing competition for the family’s leisure and entertainment dollar.
Big E
“I won’t say the Big E, and fairs in general, are recession-proof. I don’t want to jinx myself; I know people are feeling the pinch,” Cassidy said, while hinting strongly that the fair can withstand eco- nomic headwinds, and has historically. “People may postpone a vacation, but they won’t postpone atten- dance at the fair.”
That track record includes the ticket-price increase, which, he noted, was met with little pushback.
“If you plug the $15 admission ticket in 2010 into an inflation calculator, it actually translated to $20.65 in 2023,” he told BusinessWest. “We loathe raising our ticket prices, which is why we waited so long to do it, but it saved us; had we not had the increase in the ticket price, we would have had red ink last year.”
What the fair can’t withstand is rain like last year, which pushed attendance down to 1,427,234, off considerably from the 1,603,000 in 2022, the second-highest attendance on record, behind only 2019 at 1,629,000, Cassidy noted, adding, again,
that the weather cannot be controlled.
The music lineup can be, but putting together a slate of perform-
ers is becoming increasingly difficult, due primarily to mounting competition for acts from casinos and other venues, and the subse- quent rising demands from in-demand performers.
“Buying entertainment gets more difficult annually,” he said. “When I say difficult ... prices are off the charts. And the type of tal- ent that we foster today in the entertainment business is not unlike hiring people for entry-level jobs.
“Everyone wants a corner office coming out of college, and they want to work at home in their pajamas,” he explained, adding that, in the entertainment
world, performers want what
amounts to the equivalent.
“They want gobs and gobs of
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16 SEPTEMBER 2, 2024
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