Mitchell Takes Wheel at Messe Duesseldorf North America
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 3/13/2006
Thomas Mitchell has succeeded Frank Thorwirth as president of Messe Duesseldorf North America.
Thorwirth had been president of the Chicago-based division of the German exhibition company for four and one-half years. He is now vice president of alliances at Deutsche Messe in Hannover, Germany. According to Messe Duesseldorf, Thorwirth's contract in Chicago was up for renegotiation, and the German native saw the offer from Deutsche Messe as a way for him and his family to return home.
The 35-year-old Mitchell joined MDNA in 1993, working his way up from sales and marketing to vice president of the organization last August. Along the way, he opened a New York office and, for a time, oversaw the company's information systems infrastructure.
Mitchell said he doesn't expect to make any changes, but as a new manager, will review company operations.
"I'm happy with the way things are working here, and I want to continue to try to grow the business in Duesseldorf as much as I can," he said, noting that everyone on the small Chicago-based team has been there a long time. "I think (Duesseldorf-based managers) recognize that we are running a pretty smooth office here and working diligently on the events we have, and they wanted that to continue."
He added that he expects to have increased focus in the United States on the company's international business, particularly in Russia and China.
Replacing Mitchell in the role of MDNA vice president is Eva Rowe, former vice president of marketing.
The German messes have seen a spate of personnel changes in recent months. Last fall, former ConvExx COO David Audrain replaced Roland Bleinroth as president of Messe Frankfurt's North American division, while Bleinroth took a seat on Messe Stuttgart's board of management in Germany. Longtime Han-nover Fairs USA President and CEO Joachim Schaefer will become managing director of Messe Duesseldorf on June 1. Art Paredes has replaced Schaefer in the top U.S. job for Hannover Fairs.
