Ask Tim Fennell, CEO and general manager for the 22nd District Agricultural Association, what he thinks of the San Diego County Fair and he’ll reply, “I think of it as a 22-day long party for 1,250,000 of my closest friends with thrill rides, entertainment, exhibits, livestock and unique food delights!”

The man with the joys and the responsibilities of managing a 350-acre multi-use entertainment facility, exhibit and horse racing facility, as well as the Del Mar Horsepark, a 64-acre equestrian facility for the 22nd DAA – the state agency that manages the Del Mar Fairgrounds – is celebrating his 15th year in this role.

Fennell’s contributions to the 22nd DAA during this period have been significant. “There were financial challenges, for the first few years,” Fennell explained in a recent interview. “The money that they had was all put into building the new grandstand so there was little money for the day to day operation.” But Fennell soon brought the fairgrounds back to fiscal health. “We were doing 100 events a year, so we bumped it up to 300 events very quickly. I did some reorganization, created some new jobs and an event department, hired sales people, created a security department with a head of security, automated all of my box office and, as a result, we bumped revenues up from 19.5 million to an estimated 60 million for this year – not including the live horse racing.” Three million people now visit the fairgrounds and horsepark complexes. Events include the 22-day summer county fair, the National Horse Show, Scream Zone and the Holiday of Lights Festival.

With the changes came a new operating mentality. “We set the tone of how we do business. Now we operate on a 24-hour basis. We started changing our culture to being more customer friendly, and we don’t miss a beat. Our staff have learned that their capabilities are greater than they think they are."

A horse lover, and experienced in the field of large scale multi-purpose facilities management, Fennell’s move to Del Mar in 1993 has an unusual story behind it.

It was the year before, when he was running the Portland Coliseum Stadium in Oregon, that Fennell visited San Diego to attend a conference for convention managers, stadium managers, arena managers, and performing arts center managers. “I came down and thought that I’d stay a few extra days; I brought my then teenage boys with me, Sean and Timothy. A little motel here in Del Mar was recommended for our accommodation. We were on the beach one day and we walked north across the river, walked up the hill, and watched opening day of the races. I thought to myself, ‘wouldn’t that be a great place to be associated with?’ But then I didn’t give it another thought.”

Back in his Portland office, a newsletter on his desk advertised that the 22nd DAA wanted to hire a general manager. “I put the newsletter in my out-box to be posted on the bulletin board for my staff members to look at. Then, interestingly, the newsletter found its way back in my in-box, so I popped it back in my out-box. Then the same thing happened again. This occurred three times, then I thought what the heck, I’ll apply. There were 73 applicants, shortened down to four, pretty soon it was down to two, and then it was down to me! Six months later I was here. Call it fate, destiny, whatever, but that’s how I got here.”

A father who worked as the director of parks and recreation for the city of Bridgeport, Conn., was an early influence that led Fennell to pursue his current work. “You look back over the years and you go, ‘Oh, now I get it!’ This career choice probably started by just hanging around my dad.”

Bridgeport was known as the Park City; it had 53 parks, arenas, stadiums, golf courses, and beaches. “As a kid I’d drive around in the car with my dad when he would have to check on various things and I’d tag along. Some of these experiences I think get into your system subconsciously, so basically in a lot of ways, I’m in a similar type business.”

Born in Bridgeport, Conn., raised in Trumbull, then moving to Tarrytown, New York, Fennell’s childhood was also colored by his father’s position as general manager for the famed Rockefeller family. “We lived on the Rockefeller estate, with stables and horses, and golf courses. They had 175 miles of groomed bridle paths on their property along the Hudson River, just outside of New York City. I felt like I’d died and gone to Heaven.”

Spending his later childhood years in Saratoga Springs, attending high school there, Fennell had his first personal taste of large centers when as a teenager he parked cars at a local performing arts center. His higher education earned him a degree in business management from St. Bonaventure University in upstate N Y. He also attended a Facility Management School in Wheeling, West Virginia, obtaining his certification in 1991, revisiting it just last month for a higher level course.

He has held executive positions at the Louisiana Superdome, the Washington Capital Center Sports Arena, and the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. Fennell is the secretary of the Del Mar Racetrack Authority and president of the Don Diego Fund. He has been on the boards for San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the North County Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has won several industry awards, and has facilitated the Del Mar Fairgrounds receiving more awards than any of the other 150 fairs within the Western Fairs Association, and its being ranked in the top 10 nationwide.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Fennell is excited about growth and sees great things for the future of the fairgrounds complex. “Part of the current master plan involves knocking down some of the old exhibit spaces, putting in new ones, and constructing a roof over the arena.” There are also plans for a hotel, convention center and a rail platform. “These proposed changes are currently going through the Environmental Impact Report process, and once they are approved then we’ll look at funding the project.” Fennell would like to see the hotel and convention center complex completed within five years, he said.

When asked about his love for his job, Fennell answered with a question. “Where else can you go, and you get to ride a bull, or you get to be a rodeo clown; or you can jump out of an airplane with the flying Elvises; or jump into a shark tank with live sharks; or compete in a demolition derby or ride some pretty scary rides? I’ve done all these things and each one is memorable, each one gives a natural high.”

Aiding him in his day to day work, Fennell has 175 permanent staff and anywhere from 200-1,800 part-timers and subcontractors. “The beauty of my job is that I have the best team of people you could wish for working alongside me. I really love this job, it’s wonderful.”
For more information about the Del Mar Fairgrounds' events visit www.sdfair.com