IN BRIEF CONVENTION CENTER WATCH
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Whitfill has previously been with Spectra in the Food and Beverage department. He graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from Brescia University in 2018. Megan Howard began her
Jacob Whitfill and Megan Howard
career in the event industry while studying integrated strategic communications at the University of Kentucky. She has worked for country clubs and wedding and event planning companies, as well as property management in Owensboro. “We are excited to welcome our new team members and look forward
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to their valuable contributions to continue our success here at the Owensboro Convention Center,” stated Spectra’s Dave DiSalvo, Director of Sales. SAVANNAH, GA — The Savannah Convention Center recently signed the National Beta Club to host its 2024 National Convention, making them the first group to sign for the expanded space. The citywide event will take place June 9-20, 2024, and will have an estimated total of 14,820 room nights. The National Beta Club is the largest independent, nonprofit, educational youth organization in America. “When we first learned
about the planned expansion of Savannah’s Convention Center,” says Bobby Hart, Executive Director of the National Beta Club, “we began planning then for our return in 2024. The city takes excellent care of us and our attendees, and the larger convention space allows us to keep growing in the future.” For details on the Savannah Convention Center expansion, see pages 15 and 58. SEATTLE, WA — Opening in mid-2022, the Washington State Convention Center’s (WSCC) Summit building was topped out in June. When open, the additional building will double the existing capacity of WSCC, adding approximately 255,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, 120,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms, 60,000 sq. ft. of ballroom space and a 14,000-sq.-ft. open-air Garden Terrace.
The WSCC will host its first large-scale convention in the existing building, Arch, when ReedPOP holds PAX West in Seattle, Sept. 3-6. Microsoft customers were the first clients to experience a hardhat tour of the new facility on July 1. After the tour, Denise Begley, Microsoft’s Director, External Events, said, “The thought of how beautiful the Summit building is, how functional the space is and how to move people through it in ways that create opportunities for connecting and learning and showcasing our beautiful city, I can’t help but imagine how the space can be used.” “We’re at an exciting stage of building construction,” added WSCC President/ CEO Jeff Blosser. “You can now see how the efficiency of the urban site, with its stacked configuration, effectively brings interior and exterior spaces together.”
Seattle welcomes Microsoft planners as the first customers to tour the Washington State Convention Center Summit Building. (Front row): PeiHua Yen-Roy, Senior National Sales Manager, WSCC; Anita Cerana, National Account Director, Visit Seattle; Vivian Eickhoff, Senior Director, Global Events, Microsoft; Kelly Saling, VP Convention Sales and Services, Visit Seattle; and Denise Begley, Director, External Events, Microsoft. (Back row): Jeff Blosser, CEO & President, WSCC, and Michael McQuade, Director of Sales, WSCC. FACILITIES FACILITIES & & DESTINATIONS DESTINATIONS 2021 2021 SUPERBOOK SUPERBOOK
