On May 4th, Craig Hoffend announced his departure from Gielissen Interiors | Exhibitions | Events on LinkedIn. “After five incredible years,” he says, “I am stepping down as CEO of North America at Gielissen: Interiors, Exhibitions, Events. It has been an honor to lead and build a company that truly embodies the core values of Gielissen.”
A part of the international tradeshow industry since 1937, Gielissen committed to a fully operational facility in Atlanta in 2019. Expanding into Las Vegas soon after, Gielissen brought in Hoffend in 2021 to lead the North American expansion.
“We have transformed the company into a premier boutique exhibit builder delivering outstanding custom builds, rental systems, and portable programs,” Hoffend says of his time with Gielissen.
Hoffend graduated St. Bonaventure University with a Bachelor of Arts, Mass Communications in 1987. He quickly joined the family business, Hoffend Xposition, and served for 14 years as executive vice president, responsible for the Chicago division.
In 2001, Hoffend joined Freeman as national sales manager. He spent well over eight years there, the last two as national accounts director / ADOS. 2010 to 2012 saw Hoffend wearing many hats, as he was president of Hoffend Management Services, trade show specialist with IMEX, and during 2011, served as vice president, Sales & Event Services at National Trade Productions.
Joining GES in 2012, Hoffend would receive the GES 2013 Gold and 2014 Platinum sales achievement awards as vice president, Sports Event & Marketing. Then he would return to Freeman for four years before opening AllClear Events during the Covid pandemic, providing onsite testing and vaccination services, as well as consulting on safe and healthy services post lockdown.
It was in May of 2021 that Gielissen came calling. The next five years would see not only growth for the company, but Hoffend himself. In his post he comments, “I am grateful to Bart Wigman, owner of Gielissen, for the opportunity to lead this amazing company, and to Andre Hoeben, Global CEO, for his unwavering support, guidance, and friendship. Andre has been not only an exceptional leader but also a mentor to me, and I am thankful for the impact he has had on my journey. As I move forward, I carry with me the memories and lessons from this remarkable chapter. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey.”
