More Meeting Space OK'd in Toronto
-- Tradeshow Week, 1/7/2008
Direct Energy Centre & Exhibition Place in Toronto will soon have another building with meeting and convention space.
The Toronto City Council recently approved the $46.88 million redevelopment of the 160,000 square foot Automotive Building in the complex to create a conference center that will open in April 2009.
“We knew that we required additional meeting rooms and ballrooms for our venue,” said Laura Purdy, director of sales and marketing for Direct Energy Centre & Exhibition Place. The building now is used only for exhibit space.
The finished building will have 119,000 sq. ft. of ballroom and pre-function space on the first floor and more than 32,000 sq. ft. of meeting space on the second floor, Purdy said.
“We are going to be making improvements to the facade of the building,” she added. The renovation includes upgrades that will meet environmental standards, which should qualify it as the first silver-certified LEED (Leadership Energy and Environmental Design) conference center in Canada, Purdy said.
Since 2004, Exhibition Place has had environmental stewardship initiatives in place, including construction and operational measures.
“The conference center is really adding to that vision,” Purdy said.
