An event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fraser Valley Trade and Exhibition Centre (Tradex) takes place on Thursday, July 28.
The celebration is hosted by Tourism Abbotsford, which is throwing a party for 150 invited guests.
Guests will enjoy food prepared by Chef Michel Gagnon, piano melodies by Lisa Adrianne Witt, and a few speeches, including a visit from former Tourism Abbotsford executive director Dan Stefanson.
With 120,000 square feet of space, Tradex is the second largest facility of its kind in B.C.
Since its inception in 1991, Tradex has acted as a gathering place for millions of visitors and has proved to be an important community asset, providing Abbotsford residents with multiple activities to experience while injecting millions of dollars into the local economy.
Tradex has been the site of large-scale events such as the Vancouver Motorcycle Show, the West Coast Women’s Show, the B.C. Classic and Custom Car Show, and many others. It also hosts weddings, movie shoots, gala award event and corporate functions.
Brad Styba, managing director of business development for Tradex, said the facility continues to host some of the top events in the Lower Mainland.
“There are no secrets to the success of Tradex. It is the result of preparation, hard work, a strong team environment, and learning from mistakes,” he said.
“Twenty-five years is both a long and short time in our industry as this sector is constantly changing. The fact that Tradex continues to thrive is an achievement we can be proud of.”
Tourism Abbotsford executive director Craig Nichols said many different events have occurred at Tradex over the years.
“With this increase in demand for different types of events as our inspiration, we see a lot of potential in evolving the usage of the building,” he said.
“Our dedicated team has operated Tradex safely and professionally on behalf of the city since 2003, and although we are proud of our track record, we are consistently investigating how we can improve the services we provide. Plain and simple, our goal is to be industry-leading and to make Abbotsford proud.”
The celebration will continue all year. Beginning in September at the MCC Relief Sale, several thousand “scratch and win” tickets will be given to event attendees at each fall event. Prizes include soft drinks, concession items, parking passes and event tickets.
Awarded via the Tradex website will be a grand prize package consisting of a one-night stay at the Sandman Abbotsford Airport, breakfast for two, and a $75 gift certificate to the Greek Island Restaurant. The draw date is March 6, 2017.
Bi-weekly blog posts are also being posted on the Tradex and Tourism Abbotsford websites.
Visit tourismabbotsford.ca or fvtradex.com, or search #exploreabbotsford on social media channels, for more information.
Tradex is located at 1190 Cornell St. adjacent to the Abbotsford International Airport.