Key members of NORR’s staff were on hand April 23, 2008 with Toronto Mayor, David Miller, Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place, Joe Pantalone, for the ground breaking ceremony at The Automotive Building, Exhibition Place.The 162,000 sf, $46.88 million, redevelopment is designed to meet the IACC Universal Criteria for Conference Centres. Scheduled for completion in May 2009, the project, involves the restoration of the Automotive Building’s historic 1929 Art Deco facade and conversion of what is now a ‘bare-bones’ exhibition hall into a state-of-the-art conference and exhibition facility. Targeted for LEED® Silver certification, the importance of the new centre is significant. A 2006 Tourism Toronto study found that the existing trade and consumer shows generate in excess of $1.1 billion in direct expenditures in the Greater Toronto Area.