Councillor Mark Grimes, chair of The Board of Governors of Exhibition Place, announced that after 33 years with the City of Toronto, including 22 years as chief executive officer of Exhibition Place, Dianne Young has decided to retire.
During Young’s time in the CEO role, she has been the executive lead for the transformation of Exhibition Place and the implementation of the Board of Governors’ Development Plan. Following the 1997 opening of Enercare Centre, Young drove the expansion of the Board’s convention facilities, completing the renovation of Beanfield Conference Centre and attracting Hotel X Toronto to the site. With the demolition of the stadium in 2000, a return to professional sports was a key direction of the Board; today Exhibition Place is proudly the home to professional teams for soccer, hockey, basketball and football. Throughout this period, major private sector enterprises have formed long term partnerships with Exhibition Place and contributed substantial capital investments into the city infrastructure, making Exhibition Place the largest entertainment and convention site in Toronto.
“It has been an honor to work for The Board of Governors and to lead the Exhibition Place team,” says Young. “Exhibition Place is truly a ‘jewel by the lake’ and my sincere thanks to the many clients, events, tenants, partners and communities who care so much for these grounds and continue to support Exhibition Place! Our organization is well poised for continued success. The Board’s 2017-2019 strategic plan sets out clear priorities. We have a strong leadership team and a group of dedicated employees who will continue to focus on delivering the Board’s vision to ‘Serve as a Gathering Place’ for the city of Toronto.”
“I want to thank Dianne for her many years of dedicated service,” says Councillor Grimes. “The Board of Governors of Exhibition Place has begun to put together a search process for a new CEO and will share more details about the transition in the coming weeks. In the interim Dianne has agreed to continue in her role until decisions on the new direction are finalized.”
Exhibition Place is Canada’s largest business and entertainment venue, attracting more than 5.5 million visitors a year. The 192-acre site is an integral component of Toronto and Ontario’s economy, particularly with respect to conventions, sport, festivals, recreation, culture and tourism. Located at Exhibition Place are the award-winning Enercare Centre, Canada’s largest LEED Gold exhibition and convention Centre, and the Beanfield Centre LEED Silver conference venue. Since 2004, Exhibition Place has undertaken an environmental stewardship initiative, entitled GREENSmart; which includes the promotion of sustainable development, environmental initiatives and leading edge green technologies and practices across the site. For more info, visit www.explace.on.ca.
