John Peco Named the CNEA’s Chief Officer, Business Development & Innovation

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For immediate release
Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Toronto, Ontario … John Peco has been appointed the Canadian National Exhibition Association’s Chief Officer, Innovation and Business Development, the CNEA announced today.

“This is a new position, which has been created to fulfill the exciting and evolving needs of our 138 year-old organization.” stated Virginia Ludy, the CEO of the Association.  “Since we are now an independent entity, we are seeking to expand our business model beyond our 18-day fair.  John brings a solid business background, excellent entrepreneurial skills as well as “hands-on” experience in the fair industry to our Association,” she elaborated.  “We are very thrilled to have him on board to guide us through this transformative period in our history!”

Peco, who joins the CNEA on January 3, 2017, is currently 1st Vice President of the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (CAFE). He comes to the CNE directly from the Markham Fair where he has served as General Manager since 2011.  Previous to his time in the fair industry, he flourished as an entrepreneur and owner of several businesses in the corporate consulting and IT sectors.

Peco is also a Lecturer at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management in courses that include market planning and analysis, information technology, business/IT strategy and eMarketing.

He has an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Information Science from the University of Toronto.

In his new role, Peco will oversee a number of important areas at the CNEA including New Business Initiatives and Business Development, Strategic Planning, Corporate Partnerships, Product Development, Exhibitor Sales as well as Marketing and Communications.

About the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)

The Canadian National Exhibition, which this summer attracted 1.54 million visitors, is Canada’s largest fair and one of the top five exhibitions in North America.  Founded in 1879, the CNE generates an economic impact of approximately $69.3 million for the Greater Toronto Area and $102.3 million for the province of Ontario each year.  It is celebrated as the “greenest” fair in North America.

In April 2013, the CNEA became an independent not-for-profit organization.  From 1983 to March 2013, it maintained its status as an Agricultural Society and also functioned as a program of Exhibition Place, a board of management of the City of Toronto.

The 139th Canadian National Exhibition will take place from August 18 to September 4, 2017, at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada.

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