Top management at glasstec is about to change: Birgit Horn, aged 36, currently a sales manager at DsseldorfCongress, is to take over as project director for the world“s most important trade fair for …
Top management at glasstec is about to change: Birgit Horn, aged 36, currently a sales manager at DsseldorfCongress, is to take over as project director for the world“s most important trade fair for the glass industry from spring 2009. The event-management expert started her assignment at the company, which is part of the Messe Dsseldorf Group, nine years ago and has been a driving force in developing and enhancing the sales structures. DsseldorfCongress is one of the biggest event location providers in Europe and manages the congress centres at the Dsseldorf Exhibition Centre. Birgit Horn grew up in Berlin and studied business administration with a focus on tourism at the Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences. The current director, Marianne Ingenhoven, aged 49, who has been in charge of glasstec since July 2002, will leave Messe Dsseldorf at her own request as of 31 March 2009 in order to go self-employed. She has worked for Messe Dsseldorf for ten years, initially in the department for special events, later as the vice-director of the Protocol Department and finally as the project director of glasstec. Under her guidance glasstec has enjoyed extremely successful development and which was recently confirmed at glasstec 2008 in impressive style. Defying the international financial crisis, the event in October 2008 registered 55,000 visitors, over 1,300 exhibitors and 73,000 square metres of net exhibition space all impressive new records. Furthermore, under Marianne Ingenhoven“s glasstec project management an international “family of glass trade fairs” has been developed with spin-off events in India and China. Commenting on the change in leadership, Joachim Schfer, managing director at Messe Dsseldorf, said: “With her commitment and remarkable feel for people and ideas Marianne Ingenhoven has achieved something really great, making a major contribution to the further development of the projects she was in charge of. For this reason we deeply regret her decision to leave us. At the same time, we are happy to have found a successor in Birgit Horn who has already proven she has the necessary “wherewithal“ for success in her new position”. The next glasstec under Birgit Horn“s management will run from 28 September to 2 October 2010 in Dsseldorf.