WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Big E and its sister events held at the Eastern States Exposition grounds generated $1.167 billion in economic activity last year.
That translates into more than 8,000 jobs — 5,140 in Hampden County alone — and more than $439 million in personal income. The Eastern States Exposition generates more than $6.2 million in income taxes, too.
“We stand here in this historic space to draw attention to an historic and important cultural and economic asset in our region,” Eugene J. Cassidy, The Big E president and CEO, said. “We are the fourth-largest public event that takes place in North America. And I think that’s something that all who are members of the community should take pride in and celebrate. And I think it’s something that oftentimes gets overlooked.”
Eugene J. Cassidy, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition, speaks Tuesday at the fairgrounds. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
The $1.167 billion measures total sales attributed to The Big E, spread out over participating companies across New England and New York. About a third of the earnings, $485 million, is generated just in Hampden County, according a new report.
Both numbers are likely an undercount, said Billy Leung, an economist and senior vice president for REMI , Regional Economic Models Inc. of Amherst, authors of the report.
“What we didn’t model in this particular scenario is the businesses that come here and market themselves, so they continue to grow, when they’re back in Pennsylvania, when they’re back in Maine,” he said.
The Big E, along with REMI, and state and local leaders, released Tuesday the results of the new economic impact study.
Eugene J. Cassidy, left, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition, and West Springfield Mayor William C. Reichelt speak of the effects that The Big E has on businesses and the community at the Brooks Memorial Building on Tuesday. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
The fair reported a $750-million-a-year annual impact prior to the COVID shutdowns in 2020.
Leung, who grew up in Agawam and often visited the fair, said he and his team arrived at the $1.167 billion number by calculating not only visitor spending at The Big E, but also Storrowton Village, an RV show, home show, the Poultry Congress and myriad other events. REMI also took into account the effect those dollars have as they move through the local economy.
Billy Leung, senior vice president of Regional Economic Models Inc., speaks of the economic effects that The Big E has for businesses and the community at the Brooks Memorial Building on Tuesday. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
It’s not just the carpenter who sets up the trade show booth, but the hardware store, the coffee shop and everyone else that the carpenter does business with, officials noted.
John Robison, vice chairman of The Big E’s board of trustees, said the $1.167 billion also represents the effects on people’s lives.
“That number is too big a thing, really, for any of us to grasp. But I would wager that every single one of you knows somebody who has become wealthy by taking part in this fair,” he said. “Look at the people who are out there selling swimming pools, who are in our local communities selling snowmobiles, selling cars, selling sweaters, selling hats.”
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Food vendors at the fair are all small businesses, he said. Many are owned locally.
“You think, ‘How well can you do as a food vendor?’ Well, out there we have people who have delivered millions of hot dogs and hamburgers and funnel cakes over the years,” Robison said. “They have more economic power by operating at our fair than any stand-alone restaurant in this area.”
The Big E itself takes in about $30 million a year, Robison said. Of that, it keeps about 20% or 30% each year to maintain and improve its grounds.
At the base of The Big E Wheel last year was this fairgoer, who posed with this event staple. (Sebastian Restrepo / MassLive.com, File)Sebastian Restrepo
The Big E — a nonprofit institution — pays West Springfield 1% of its gross revenue each year, funding a community grant program. Last year, the total was $249,013.
West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt said that fund, along with other miscellaneous taxes generated on the grounds, makes the Expo the fifth largest taxpayer in West Springfield.
West Side benefits in other ways, too, the mayor noted.
“The businesses and the hotels, the extra Dunkin’ Donuts and gas stations, those things wouldn’t exist on (Memorial) Avenue without the fair driving people down here ... to spend their money in these areas,” Reichelt said. “And it’s also important, because it brings people from outside the region into the region to spend their money, whether it be here in West Springfield, in Springfield, in the neighboring communities.”
John Robison, Eastern States Exposition trustee, wants it to be acknowledged that he and the other trustees work with The Big E as volunteers and that it is still a nonprofit organization. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
Cassidy said The Big E has five full-time employees, but during fair season, it has about 1,000 employees on its payroll and about another 3,500 on the grounds.
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