New Project Director at glasstec

Top management at glasstec is about to change: Birgit Horn (36), currently a Sales Manager at DüsseldorfCongress, is to take over as Project Director for the world’s most important trade fair for the glass industry from spring next year. The event-management expert started her assignment at the company forming part of the Messe Düsseldorf Group nine years ago and has been a driving force in developing and enhancing the sales structures there since. DüsseldorfCongress is one of the biggest event location providers in Europe today and manages the congress centres at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre in addition to six other venues in Düsseldorf including the LTU arena, the ISS Dome and the PHILIPSHALLE.

 

Birgit Horn grew up in Berlin and studied business administration with a focus on tourism at the Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences. Before joining DüsseldorfCongress she worked for an organiser of management conferences in Frankfurt am Main. Current Director, Marianne Ingenhoven (49), who has been in charge of glasstec since July 2002, will leave Messe Düsseldorf at her own request as per 31 March 2009 in order to become self-employed. She worked for Messe Düsseldorf 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 and A+A, the Occupational Safety & Health trade fair. Under her guidance glasstec has undergone extremely successful development – growth that was recently confirmed at glasstec 2008 in impressive style. This event drew to a successful close in October defying the international financial crisis with 55,000 visitors, over 1,300 exhibitors and some 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” was developed with spin-off events in India and China.

 

Commenting on the leadership change Joachim Schäfer, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf, 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 Düsseldorf.