By Mary Klida

As events return to convention centers after the pandemic, the Huntington Place, Detroit team regroups led by three strong industry leaders, all women. The venue’s three top executive positions are filled by Karen Totaro, CVE, general manager of Huntington Place/ASM Global; Becky Bixby, assistant general manager of Huntington Place/ASM Global and Lisa Canada, chair of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA, the five-person governing body of the center.)

“Huntington Place is coming out of COVID faster than many convention centers across the country due to our strategic mix of business and we see a strong return of business,” said Totaro. “Fall is looking good as we are already seeing a robust spring and as we continue to reach pre-COVID numbers for some shows.”

Currently, Huntington Place is the only convention center in the country where women serve in the top executive roles including Chair of the DRCFA and the two top leadership positions for venue operations, general manager, and assistant general manager. The convention center is the 16th largest in the country with over 723,000 square feet of exhibit space and more than one million square feet in overall event space.

“We are so proud of this strong leadership team in Huntington Place,” said Bob McClintock, executive vice president of convention centers of ASM Global. “They are paving the way to success as the venue rebuilds business while reinforcing the three pillars of ASM Global Acts: Invest in People; Protect the Environment; Strengthen Our Communities. They represent the best of the best at ASM Global.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2021, women held just 21% of all facility management positions in the country, but in Huntington Place women are leading the way.

Totaro was named general manager in April 2021 and is nationally recognized as an industry leader who held previous executive positions in convention centers in San Diego, Portland, Atlantic City, and Cincinnati. She took over the Detroit job in April 2021. Believing that inclusive and equitable teams are essential for success, as the venue began to rehire after being closed during the pandemic, gender equity quickly unfolded. Today, out of 35 managerial jobs (supervisors, managers, and directors) at Huntington Place, 17 are held by women.

“Diversity and inclusion make for a better world and hence better business. Our voices at the table bring a different perspective,” said Totaro. “I recently read an article talking about why women entrepreneurs are more successful in some respects than men. It showed how female-owned firms generate higher revenues, create more jobs, and showcase women as more effective leaders with a larger appetite for growth. We have been society’s secret superpower all along. No more secrets, we are right here.”

Additionally, women hold three of the five DRCFA posts with Canada as Chairperson for the first time since its inception. The authority was created in 2009 by the Michigan Legislature, along with City of Detroit and Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, as each appoints a person to the five-member board.

“It’s exciting and refreshing to see more women in a position of power,” said Lisa Canada, DRCFA Board Chairperson and Political and Legislative Director for the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. “Women bring a wealth of leadership skills that represent more than 50% of the population. Understanding the perspective of our all our clients and customers is a win for everyone.”

All three Huntington Place women leaders agree that to create more gender parity in facility leadership, executives need to promote women with a diverse background and train facility leaders on what a diverse workforce brings to the culture and how to cultivate success.

According to Becky Bixby, assistant general manager Huntington Place/ASM Global, “Women create team environments that are inclusive and diverse. It’s within these types of environments that the best ideas organically transpire because they are encouraged and cultivated.”

And Bixby would know. In Huntington Place, she is responsible for all day-to-day operational aspects of the venue with a key role in ensuring that all clients’ needs are understood and met. She leads the effort for LEED certification and all sustainability initiatives that cross over multiple departments. She also maintains all emergency response plans and establishes safety and security measures to create organic and appropriate responses that secure public safety at all times. She works toward resolving any client or staffing concerns. She ensures all operational departments are on track with their budgets and financial goals for the year. No small job, and one that requires extensive collaboration with all concerned.

“Women thrive on multi-tasking,” said Bixby. “Motivating a team to achieve a goal, providing guidance to manage a project, figuring out the details of an event when hitting a roadblock, and stepping away to keep it all in perspective of the overall picture. It’s what we do as women.”

Huntington Place was built by the City of Detroit, opened in 1960 and originally named after the mayor, Cobo Hall. In 2019 the center was renamed TCF Center after the naming rights were sold to TCF Bank for $30 million over a 20-year contract, the largest financial deal for a convention center naming rights contract at the time. Dec. 9, 2021, the venue was again renamed Huntington Place, after Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (“Huntington”), the parent company of The Huntington National Bank, and TCF Financial Corporation the parent company of TCF National Bank, combined in an all-stock merger.

The venue completed a $279 million renovation in 2015 and is in the planning stages of another $350 to $500 million expansion that will include a new 60,000 square foot ballroom with a possible theater set and 2500 more parking spaces. Most importantly the plan includes a 750-room hotel connected to the center. Details to this plan are expected to be announced later this year.

Mary Klida is Senior Marketing & Communications Manager for Huntington Place.

Pictured from left: Lisa Canada, Karen Totaro, Becky Bixby

Kennesaw State University has named Joe Skopitz, CVE, as the general manager of Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. Skopitz will also serve as deputy executive director for KSU’s Department of Event and Venue Management. David Bennett, MBA, CVP, was promoted to director of event operations and assistant general manager for the stadium.

Skopitz has served at KSU for four years and Bennett for six years. Both will continue to report to the executive director of Event and Venue Management, Zach Kerns.

Before joining Kennesaw State, Skopitz spent 14 years with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority in Atlanta, Georgia in a variety of roles, including AGM of Centennial Olympic Park. Bennett, a former IAVM 30 Under 30 recipient, was previously with the Charlotte Bobcats/Time Warner Arena and began his career at Clemson University.

“Joe and David have now worked together for nearly five years and have formed a great relationship. They are team players, customer focused and student advocates,” Kerns said. “I’m looking forward to what they will do for the stadium, our Night Owl student employees, and our patrons in the future.”

Additionally at KSU, Kristin Evans has moved from director of business operations to director of resource planning and management, Ann Schroeder from compliance and support manager to director, youth programs compliance, and Brittany Bailey from senior business operations manager to director of business operations. All moves were strategically designed to best support the department, the University and the greater Kennesaw community, Kerns said.

(Joe Skopitz, pictured right; David Bennett, pictured left)

By Jeffrey Chabon

The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, welcomed Andrea Austin-Thomas to the team as a new Event Coordinator. Andrea’s first show with the Alamodome will be for Disney on Ice, starting April 28 through May 1, which is somewhat ironic because she used to be a skater for Disney on Ice.

“I loved traveling with Disney on Ice,” she said. “I got to go all over the world. I’ve been to Australia, New Zealand, and many parts of Southeast Asia and Europe.”

Andrea started skating when she was seven-years-old living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It’s when Andrea was in college skating as an amateur figure skater that she saw a sign at her ice rink offering auditions for Disney. She was offered a skating position with the show and toured with them for five and one-half years.

“This is definitely a full-circle moment in my life,” she said. “I loved performing with Disney on Ice, but I always wanted to know more about the planning of the show. Now as an event coordinator I get to go behind the scenes and help with event production in real time.”

Andrea, who has lived in San Antonio for two years, says she hasn’t completely hung up her skates. She still occasionally gets to the ice rink, just not as often as she’d like to. She looks forward to working on her first show this April and many more in the future.

Jeffrey Chabon is Sales & Marketing Administrator at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

By Nadia Vanderhoof

The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), in partnership with Orange County Government, hosted a week of sustainability-focused events for the community and employees honoring Earth Day during April 18-22.

The OCCC leads the way in the development of sustainable practices with its designation as one of the largest LEED Gold certified convention centers in North America. The OCCC has continuously demonstrated industry and community leadership through its pioneering stewardship that models how large venues can achieve sustainability goals.

Starting the week with mosquito abatement demonstrations hosted by the Orange County Mosquito Control Department, the event displayed the resources and equipment used for sustainable and environmentally friendly mitigation, including the control of mosquitoes and algae blooms.

On Earth Day, the OCCC hosted the inauguration of a new monarch butterfly garden on its campus and a commemorative tree planting pre-celebration for Arbor Day, observed this year on April 29. Orange County sustainability experts explained how milkweed plants in the garden support the growth of the monarch butterfly population, a vulnerable species. The Orange County Utilities Department demonstrated its rain barrel program, which teaches customers who are residents of unincorporated Orange County how they can repurpose rainwater.

“The Center believes in fully integrating environmental education, sustainable practices and donations through robust corporate social responsibility programs with our non-profit partners,” OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester said. “Earth Day reminds us that sustainability, conservation, and smart and environmental practices are important to the convention industry. Together with our clients, we are collectively taking positive action to support and conserve our precious resources in Orange County.”

Sustainability remains a top priority for clients as groups focus on expanding corporate social responsibility practices and green meetings. During the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the OCCC supported clients’ sustainability efforts by donating nearly $220,000 in merchandise and about 13,725 pounds of food to local organizations. Beneficiaries include United Way, Habitat for Humanity, A Gift for Teaching, Clean the World, Great Oaks Village, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, and
Orange County Public Schools. Since 2013, approximately $14.42 million has been donated to local charities through conventions at the OCCC.

Additionally, the Center’s innovative sustainability strategies stretch from growing and harvesting more than 44,000 fresh, non-GMO plants, directly from the OCCC’s Center-to-Table Gardens, to supporting sustainable energy by maintaining the largest municipal solar array in the Southeast United States. Covering an area equivalent to five football fields, the energy produced by the OCCC’s stunning solar setup has the ability to power more than 200 homes each year.

Learn more about the Center’s pioneering sustainability practices by visiting, https://www.occc.net/About-UsSustainability.

Fast Facts on OCCC Sustainability Practices

District Energy Program – The OCCC is part of an innovative chilled water production agreement with OUC Cooling which provides energy efficient and environmentally friendly air conditioning to Convention District hotel participants.

Renewable Energy – The OCCC campus provides five different solar energy programs used by clients and other stakeholders for demonstration, training and research.

Building Efficiency – The OCCC incorporates natural lighting, advanced technology, and employee ingenuity to achieve buildings which are 87% more energy efficient per square foot than similar buildings.

Waste Reduction – OCCC works with clients and contractors to reduce event waste by 53% since 2004.

Recycling Receptacles – Our recycling and waste bins on campus were made from used plastic milk jugs and 100% solar energy.

Water Efficiency – Bathrooms use 15% less water than building codes mandate and 100% reclaimed water is used to irrigate the OCCC’s 400-acre campus.

Nadia Vanderhoof is Chief Marketing Officer for the Orange County Convention Center.

(L-R) OCCC Sustainability Coordinator Katerina L. Chagoya; OCCC Capital Planning Manager Crystal Mudd; Orange County Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer Jeff Benavides; OCCC Facility Operations Manager Hector Clemente; OCCC Facility Operations Assistant Manager Bob Foster; OCCC
Executive Director Mark Tester; Deputy Director Terry Devitt display a proclamation for Arbor Day observed on April 29.

By StadiumBusiness.com

Paul Brown Stadium is suitable to remain the long-term home of the NFL Cincinnati Bengals but will require a minimum of $493 million in upgrades, according to the findings of a study by design and architecture firm Gensler.

Hamilton County in Ohio hired Gensler in September 2020 to assess the state of Paul Brown Stadium, which opened in August 2000, ahead of the Bengals’ current lease deal expiring in 2026.

Gensler issued its first report into the stadium stating that unlike other NFL venues that are currently in the process of being replaced, Paul Brown Stadium is suitable for redevelopment.

Gensler was appointed to assess long-term capital repair, replacement, and improvements and offer design options for the next 20 years. The firm looked into 15 different areas of the stadium and provided a suggested priority list and timeline for repairs. The $375,000 cost of the study was split equally between Hamilton County and the Bengals.

Demetra Thornton, principal for Gensler, said that unlike Riverfront Stadium, the Bengals’ former home, Paul Brown Stadium was designed with improvements in mind. “The original design was meant to be expanded,” said Thornton, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We learned from Riverfront. I don’t want this building to be imploded. I want it to stand the test of time.”

The first of two studies have focused on what might need to be done to Paul Brown Stadium after the Bengals’ lease expires, with a further one set to look at improvements relative to what is happening in the wider NFL stadium space.

The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders are all currently drawing up plans for new stadia, but Thornton maintains this is not what is needed for the Bengals. “It’s been well maintained over the last 20 years,” Thornton said of Paul Brown Stadium. “What we say in the construction and architecture industry, it has good bones.”

The report focused on stadium needs such as roofing, electric, and plumbing, with a masterplan due later this year set to highlight potential future upgrades and means to enhance the fan experience.

“This piece is the first building block related to what we need to do in the future for this stadium in conjunction with the Bengals, and it leads into (lease) negotiations with the Bengals,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, according to local broadcaster WCPO.

Commenting on the release of the study, the Bengals said in a statement: “The Bengals are proud to call Paul Brown Stadium home. With respect to this report, the Bengals will study it. We are encouraged by the conclusion that Paul Brown Stadium was well-designed, well-constructed, and has been well-maintained.

“The condition reflects the care and attention that the Bengals and Hamilton County have taken in maintaining the building to protect the taxpayers’ investment. Because of that, it looks like Paul Brown Stadium can continue to be our home for decades to come at far less cost than seen elsewhere.

“Today’s report is a first step, and the club looks forward to studying the report and exploring with the County ways to make the coming decades memorable ones for our hometown.”