The Brussels Furniture Fair has appointed a new management team ahead of a larger show in November.
Lieven Van den Heede, who worked for the show for 16 years including the past seven as md, has decided to leave and has been succeeded by Glenn De Maeseneer.
‘The time had come to pass on the torch. Lieven is looking for a new challenge. We thank Lieven for his years of commitment and wish him all the best in the further course of his career,’ says Luc Meers, Brussels Furniture Fair chairman. ‘‘With an occupancy rate of plus 80%, we are already well above the capacity achieved last year.
‘With his years of experience as a sales and project manager at home and abroad, Glenn has the necessary skills to achieve our goals. In a short amount of time, he has managed to win back the trust of our exhibitors and his vision perfectly matches the path that the show wants to take. The sector itself is still fairly new to Glenn, but he has proven in other sectors what he can achieve. In addition, we as the Board of Directors are of course always ready to provide the necessary support.
‘Our goal remains supporting the market in a financially healthy way with the appeal our visitors and exhibitors deserve. The personal relationship with our exhibitors, visitors and suppliers remains extremely important to us. Therefore, our team will be expanded in order to be able to offer the necessary quality of service.’
Christine De Visscher has joined from the show’s venue Brussels Expo as operations manager. ‘Christine has been working for our biggest partner Brussels Expo during the past 28 years, where she was responsible for the coordination between exhibition organisers and exhibition venue. In recent years, she has been the main contact for the Furniture Fair. Christine knows better than anyone what is involved in the organisation of our fair,’ says Meers.
Thomas Hibert has become marketing and communications manager. ‘After a short break, Thomas is continuing his cooperation with the Brussels Furniture Fair. From now on, he will be in charge of strong marketing and communication campaigns. The furniture sector has gone through many changes in recent years, requiring a new, fresh approach. By linking his knowledge of the event and furniture sector to innovative ideas, Thomas will make an important contribution.’