Issue #143 | February 14, 2024 View as Webpage

UPCOMING EVENTS AT EXPLACE

Exhibition Place is proud to be hosting the following events:   The Motorcycle Show – February 16 to 28 in Enercare Centre I Heart Beer and Taco Festival – February 17 in Enercare Centre Toronto CATstravaganza – March 2 to March 3 in Queen Elizabeth Building National Home Show – March 8 to March 17 in Enercare Centre Cann Expo – March 22 to March 24 in Enercare Centre  Planted Expo Toronto – March 23 to March 24 in Enercare Centre One of A Kind Spring Show – March 27 to March 31 in Enercare Centre 

VALENTINE'S & FAMILY DAY

Sending warm Valentine's Day wishes to our outstanding team! You're the heart of Exhibition Place. ❤️ Don't forget, Family Day is this Monday, February 19th. Get your calendars marked and gear up for some exciting plans with your loved ones. The City of Toronto will be bustling with family-friendly events. We're eager to hear about your adventures - don't hesitate to share your experiences with us at sm@explace.on.ca.

CHECK OUT OUR GLOW-UP!

“Tower Head Lights” at Enercare Centre

Dufferin Gate

We’re excited to share that our “Tower Head Lights” at Enercare Centre have been upgraded to LED Smart Technology. We will also be lighting the Dufferin Gate every night from now on. This will create a welcoming atmosphere for those entering and passing through our grounds. We’re all about keeping Exhibition Place - our 192-acre hub for all things events and entertainment - in top-notch shape. This is just the start of the great projects we’re rolling out in 2024, stay tuned for more! Huge thanks to our Operations Department, General Manager Mark Goss, Director Paul Torkan and our Electrical and Energy Services Coordinator Frank Metallo.

EXPLACE QUICK RESPONSE TEAM TO THE RESCUE

We had a little more excitement than we bargained for during the Toronto International Boat Show when a 30 x 20 inflatable pool for kiddie boat rides sprung a leak and flooded Hall D! Yikes!   Nancy Kloek called the problem in to Ryan Hickson at around 12:30 PM on January 19. On his way to assess the situation, Ryan placed a call to Nelson DaSilva to deploy scrubbers. Upon arriving in Hall D, Ryan quickly determined that we’d need more staff and more equipment than just scrubbers. All members of the Facilities team were contacted and instructed to report to the area, STAT!   Staff's response to the flooding was a great team effort. Even staff who were not assigned to Hall D were picking up the slack in other areas of the building, as doors were open for the Boat Show and we were down to a skeleton crew. Many thanks to Carmen Campagna for looking after opening the rest of the Halls to the public while the Quick Response Team focused on the flood.  Andrew Landrigan and team members from other departments all assisted with pulling up carpets to expose floor drainage so that the Housekeeping team could access them. Laura Purdy helped to direct visitors away from the flooding while staff utilized scrubbers, carpet extractors, mops and squeegees to contain and drain the wayward water. Many thanks Camila Morais, Matt Buckles, and Barbara Macedo for coordinating everyone’s efforts.   After draining the water fans were brought in, some of which were borrowed from our tenants (CNE); we’re grateful for the speedy cooperation in an urgent situation. Big thanks to our Labour Department, particularly Matt Weldon, for responding so quickly and taking multiple trips down the road to pick up and deliver the required equipment. Seeing how fast our Quick Response Team was assembled and how responsive everyone was to an unexpected situation was really gratifying. More than a few staff got wet feet and smiled right through it. In addition to those mentioned above, we send huge thanks to the rest of our amazing staff (in alphabetical order) who helped save the day:

Joshua Bettencourt Matt Buckles Carmen Campagna Rodrigo Chaves Mark Froment Barbara Macedo Geopaul Jaison Steven O’Brian Tiffany Roach Nemesio Rodrigues Penny Stuffels  Russell Stuffels Steve Sutman Cipriano Tomines

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Each February, the City of Toronto is proud to produce and support events and exhibits during Black History Month, inviting the public to explore and celebrate the heritage, traditions and culture of Black Canadians. In 1979, Toronto became the first municipality in Canada to proclaim Black History Month through the efforts of many individuals and organizations such as the Ontario Black History Society. Black History Month is an opportunity for the City of Toronto to recognize the contributions that Black Canadians make to the life of Toronto in such areas as education, medicine, art, culture, public service, economic development, politics and human rights. Check out the 2024 City of Toronto events and activities here. All exhibits and events are free unless noted. More from the ExPlace DEI Committee As we celebrate Black History Month, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is thrilled to cast a spotlight on the remarkable black talent within our Exhibition Place community. Through their stories, we celebrate the vibrant stories and unique perspectives that make our team so extraordinary. Last week, the DEI Committee released the first of this LinkedIn series featuring featuring Shawna-Gaye Alexander, Transportation Coordinator. Tune in on LinkedIn every Thursday in the month of February, as we continue to introduce another member of our team.

UFI GLOBAL CEO SUMMIT 2024

Laura Purdy recently attended the UFI Global CEO Summit in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from January 31 to February 2, 2024. UFI is the global association of the world’s leading tradeshow organizers and fairground owners, and Exhibition Place has been a member for over 20 years. This year’s summit hosted 120 leaders from 35 countries to connect and look ahead at the year to come.  Laura serves on the UFI Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. While at the Summit, Laura was also a speaker on a panel entitled Key Takeaways – Reflections From the Events Ecosystem, and spoke about how Exhibition Place supports food sustainability initiatives. As the Chair of the UFI North American chapter Laura joined her counterpart from the South & Central America chapter to formalize the collaboration to organize a dual- chapter conference for The America’s later in 2023.

GOAL! TORONTO SCORES SIX MATCHES AT FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

On February 4, FIFA announced that the City of Toronto will host six matches in the FIFA World Cup 26™, kicking off on June 12, 2026, with the first-ever FIFA World Cup ™ match on Canadian soil and featuring the opening match of Canada's Men's National Team. Toronto and Exhibition Place are also proud to host a round of 32 match on July 2, 2026, adding to the pride and exhilaration of hosting this extraordinary global event.

BMO Field will temporarily be named Toronto Stadium for the duration of the World Cup and will be expanded from its current capacity of just under 31,000 with the addition of temporary seating that will bring the facility up to FIFA's 45,000-seat standards. The City and Exhibition Place will kick off hosting duties with the first match at the Toronto Stadium on June 12, 2026. Joining 15 other cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States, we are prepared to be an outstanding host in the soccer spectacle. The tournament is set to have a total of 104 matches. We’re so excited!!! Learn more here: FIFA World Cup 26 Toronto™ – City of Toronto

FROM THE ARCHIVES: ATTENTION CAT LOVERS!

In a few weeks (March 2 and 3), Exhibition Place will welcome Loving Cats Worldwide to the Queen Elizabeth Building for the pawesome Toronto CATstravaganza. There is a long history of cat shows at Exhibition Place; from 1929 to 1938, several cat shows were held at the RAWF by the Royal Canadian Cat Club and various cat organizations have hosted their annual shows at the CNE over the years. This seems the purr-fect moment to revisit some of the fantastic felines that have been featured at Exhibition Place:

CNE Cat Show – Unknown cat and owner c 1980 – From EP Archives

CNE Cat Show - Snow-Boy of Crystal, Mrs. J. Spielman, Buffalo - August 26, 1930

RAWF Cat Show - Blue Viking of Kershion, Mrs. H. C. Baker, Buffalo- November 21, 1929

** Thank you to Fiona Crawford for this content **

OFFICE JENGA

Did you know that we have a giant JENGA in the second floor management offices? Finding that elusive loose piece and planning your strategy to extract and re-stack it is such a good mental break and has provided endless entertainment for us. We want to share the fun; stop by and take a turn! Rules are posted by the game – no cheating!

STAFF CHANGES

We are thrilled to welcome the following new staff to the Exhibition Place Team: Jessica Law, Scheduler, Andrew Dacosta, Casual Security Guard Welcome, Jessica and Andrew; we’re happy to have you on board!

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Are you following us on social media? Get instant updates on all excitement happening on-site through the Exhibition Place Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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