By Justin Tinder
Hospitality industry veteran Barbara Beaton has been appointed as General Manager of the Oklahoma City Convention Center. The ASM Global-managed venue opened in January 2021 and features a 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall with 45,000 square foot of meeting space and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom. The new center has already proven to be a hub for the meetings and events industry in the Heartland.
Beaton will immediately assume leadership of the overall management, promotion and operation of the 
facilities, leading a team of dedicated professionals at the OKC Convention Center while building on the key industry community partnerships. She will also work to support the overall mission of the OKC Convention Center, ASM Global and the City of Oklahoma City, who owns the facility.
“We are fortunate to have Barbara accept this leadership position to build an alliance with the local hospitality community, deliver on the brand promise and to provide customers with exceptional service,” said Bob McClintock, ASM Global Executive Vice President of Convention Centers.
While Beaton has been part of the ASM Global family for 17 years, the move from Assistant General Manager to General Manager is a significant promotion. She is a graduate of the University of Tulsa and began her career in the hospitality industry working in Convention Sales for the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. She has previously worked in various capacities for NRG Park in Houston, Fort Worth Convention Center, and the Fort Worth Convention Bureau.
“It is a very exciting time to be part of the meetings community in Oklahoma City,” Beaton said. “With an engaged hospitality community and the state-of-the-art convention center and working with a city that is committed to the meetings industry I am proud to be part of the dedicated professionals at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.”
Justin Tinder is Marketing and Public Relations Manager at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.
