With approximately 1.6 million visitors each year, the CNE is Canada's largest annual community event and one of the top fairs in North America.

The site includes a football and soccer stadium, basketball practice facility, green space, fountains, plazas, a rose garden, statues and parking lots.

In the 1950s, the site was expanded south of Lake Shore Boulevard by landfill, and reduced in size on its northern boundary by the construction of the Gardiner Expressway.

The Canadian International Air Show on Labour Day weekend has been a major feature of the fair since 1949, held over Lake Ontario just south of the CNE grounds.

[citation needed] Several buildings house exhibits and displays from vendors, government agencies and various industry associations.

These include the International Pavilion of products from around the world, and the Arts, Crafts and Hobbies Building which features unique items and collectibles.

The Kiddie Midway is located in the northwest corner of Exhibition Place, with smaller rides suitable for children under 12.

The midway for older youths and adults is situated west of the Enercare Centre and south of BMO Field.

Including high-wire acts, skating, and the RCMP Musical Ride in the past, most recently was an aerial and acrobatic show featuring Olympic skater Elvis Stojko.

At Coronation Park, located across Lake Shore Boulevard, to the east of the Princes' Gates, the CNE holds two baseball tournaments.

It is an outdoor venue in the west end of the park, with a stage reminiscent of the Hollywood Bowl and bench seats in a park-like setting that gently slopes down to the Bandshell.

Today, the Budweiser Stage south of Lake Shore Boulevard in Ontario Place hosts large live concerts during the Ex and all summer long.

Exhibition patrons were introduced to electric railway transportation in 1883, to "Edison's Perfected Phonograph" in 1888,[11] to "wireless telegraphy" at the 1899 fair,[12] radio in the 1920s, to television in 1939, to plastics and synthetics in the 1940s.

Those troops remaining either continued their regular administrative duties or participated in CNE displays and events aimed at promoting the Canadian war effort.

During the military occupation of the grounds, virtually every CNE building, large or small, was used by the Canadian armed forces.

[17] The CNE added the Better Living Centre, the Queen Elizabeth building and the Shell Oil Tower in the post-war period.

In the 1990s, an economic downturn and the leaving of the Blue Jays and Argonauts meant the City had no money to restore old buildings on the site.

In 2012, Canadian Olympic gold-medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir performed in La Vie: Aerial Acrobatics & Ice Skating Show during the first 15 days of the fair, and three-time World Champion and Olympic silver-medalist Elvis Stojko closed out the show on Labour Day weekend.

[22] The same year also saw the introduction of the CNE Innovation Garage in partnership with Ryerson University, featuring a pitch competition for young inventors and displays of new inventions and projects such as ZooShare biogas.

With funds from pro sports, BMO Field was built, which also necessitated the moving of the Hockey Hall of Fame downtown.

In the south-west corner of the site, the Hotel X was built and the Automotive Building converted to year-round meeting space.

The bandshell's entertainment included Dionne Warwick, Jann Arden, Amanda Marshall, Kim Mitchell, Tynomi Banks and Kardinal Offishal.

[32] A 2009 study by the same corporation showed that the 2009 CNE attracted more than 275,000 out-of-town visitors to the city, and that fair-related hiring created an equivalent of 633 full-year jobs in the region.

[28] The CNE hires approximately 1,200 people starting in the spring of each year to assist in the planning and production of the annual fair.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlined the various administrative, financial and operational services to be provided to the CNEA by Exhibition Place.

These contributions were included in consolidated annual financial results from the CNEA and BOG for the benefit of the City of Toronto.

The CNEA is a non-share capital corporation and a tenant of Exhibition Place, to which it pays rent for the use of the grounds and buildings for the annual fair, as well as fees for operational services.

The CNEA has over 125 member individuals and associations representing each of the following sectors: Municipal, Manufacturers and Industry, Agriculture, and General and Liberal Arts.

President Suzan Hall explained "Darrell Brown has been central to the stabilization of our organization, having secured substantial funding from both the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario that has enabled the CNEA to survive".

He has practiced law and consulting on employee benefits issues in Canada, lead international development projects and created acclaimed art exhibitions.