The Board of Directors of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Corporation (MTCC) has announced the appointment of General Manager Lorenz Hassenstein to the position of President & CEO. The move is part of succession planning as incumbent Barry Smith steps down on 1 February, 2019.
Hassenstein joined as GM a year ago, and has more than 23 years of experience in general management, trade/consumer event management and strategic business development. He was previously GM in Philadelphia, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. He has also worked for 10 years as Vice-President and General Manager with Reed Exhibitions.
“Lorenz has deep industry experience, a track record of strong performance, and is a good fit with our organisation,” said Harald Thiel, Chair of MTCC’s Board.
During Smith’s term as President & CEO, revenues at the convention centre have doubled and generated a record-breaking US$594m in economic impact; the largest contribution to the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario in the facility’s history.
“MTCC customer satisfaction ratings have never been higher. As Barry departs, he will leave us with an assembly of top-notch professionals to continue achieving success,” Thiel added.
Over the past 34 years, the Centre has hosted over 20,000 events and has added $6.3bn in direct spending economic impact to the community. www.mtccc.com
