Robert Johnson, president and general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, announced his retirement effective September 2017. Johnson has served as the facility’s senior director since 2007.

Johnson has led the nation’s 6th largest convention and exhibition hall through numerous renovations and improvements, including the addition of the $52 million Great Hall and Julia Street entry plaza. Most recently Johnson has been the primary visionary and driver behind the facility’s planned renaissance of Convention Center Boulevard to include a more pedestrian-friendly linear park, as well as the development of a series of mixed use hotel, residential, entertainment and hospitality and retail complexes onto upriver acreage owned by and adjacent to the convention center. These over $1 billion in improvements and investments are expected to be game changers in New Orleans’ effort to stay competitive in the meetings and convention industry.

“Bob Johnson has been instrumental in every major advancement undertaken by the Convention Center over the past 10 years,” said Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Chair Melvin Rodrigue. “The entire state’s hospitality industry is deeply indebted to Bob for his leadership and tenacity in helping to make our convention center one of the most utilized and recognized in the country.”

Among Johnson’s notable accomplishments are his leadership of the convention center’s recovery and ultimately, the city’s hospitality industry’s recovery following the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. The Center’s occupancy has returned to pre-Katrina levels and the city’s recently announced record number of visitors reflects that level of business improvement. Johnson has led several industry- pioneering initiatives including Center owned and produced events, a widely recognized customer excellence program and owning its own UPS Store franchise among others.

“I’ve had the most enriching career a venue manager could want through my early years at the dome and culminating with my time at the convention center,” Johnson said. “Through my work, I’ve traveled around the globe but promoting New Orleans has always been my passion. I could not be more proud of what we have accomplished during my tenure at the center, which is blessed with the most dedicated staff of any venue.”

Johnson’s venue management career spanned 46 years beginning in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he graduated from Wake Forest University. Prior to joining the convention center staff, Johnson opened UNO’s Lakefront Arena, which became recognized nationally as a leading concert venue of its size. He had a distinguished career with global facilities management company SMG, including a 10- year stint in New Orleans as the general manager of the Superdome, where he oversaw the hosting of NCAA Final Four Tournaments, Super Bowls, a Republican National Convention and the Papal visit.

Johnson is a long-time IAVM member and was a founding member of the New Orleans Sports Foundation.

Fort Worth, Texas, otherwise known as Where The West Begins, will add to its portfolio of venues with the planned opening of a $450 million arena that will be called Dickies Arena. The naming rights partner is an appropriate one for “Cowtown” as the locally-based Williamson=Dickie Manufacturing Co. will open in 2019. Groundbreaking began on April 18.

“We’re proud that Dickies Arena will redefine what local entertainment means to our neighbors in Fort Worth,” said Philip Williamson, chairman and CEO of the workwear maker most known for their jeans. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The venue will sit near the Will Rogers Memorial Center in the city’s historic museum district. The first piece of business has already been secured when the first and second rounds of the 2022 March Madness tournament comes to the city. It marks the first time since 1970 that Fort Worth has hosted the prestigious event.

Dickies Arena is a public-private partnership. Local philanthropist Ed Bass, whose name adorns the Bass Performance Hall, is helping raise half of the total from private donors. Public participation is anticipated to top out at $225 million and will be funded through a combination of user taxes approved by voters in 2014.

Many of the events currently held at the Will Rogers Coliseum will relocate to the new facility with the exception of equestrian events. The coliseum was built in 1936 and is home to a famous stock show that brings one million visitors to the city.

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) announced a significant increase in its Wi-Fi capabilities at the Charlotte Convention Center. The update is part one of a two-phase investment to make extensive upgrades to the venue’s interconnectivity. It’s designed to keep the venue competitive and attractive to meeting planners. As part of the first phase, the new Wi-Fi bandwidth expands complimentary access previously available only in public areas to also include meeting rooms and ballrooms in the facility. In partnership with Smart City Networks Charlotte has also tripled the available upload download speed in all of these areas.

“The CRVA is committed to creating a convention experience that is best in class at the Charlotte Convention Center,” said CRVA CEO Tom Murray. “Fast and readily available digital access is something that both planners and attendees are looking for, and we’re confident our venue meets those needs. Our team will continue to actively evaluate the next generation of digital needs to provide the best service for those who visit us here in Charlotte.”

Enhanced connectivity is now available across the center’s flexible configurations of 126,500 square feet of meeting space, which includes 37 meeting rooms, the 35,000-square-foot Richardson Ballroom and the 40,000-square-foot Crown Ballroom for a total of 41 breakout rooms. Additionally, the coverage extends to pre-function space totaling 90,800 square feet surrounding the Richardson and Crown Ballrooms, 43,000 square feet of concourse space for registration or other event components, and the 4,000 square feet of space in the Delish Food Court, which features Einstein Bros. Bagels, Buon Cibo, Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits and Starbucks.

The enhanced Wi-Fi coverage enables attendees to have access to their digital needs, ranging from checking social media channels or email to exploring websites that may be relevant to the events or programs they are experiencing.

While still in planning, phase two of the plan will address updating existing fiber, increasing upload and download speed, and developing a high-density (HD) network to accommodate a larger number of users simultaneously. Other recent technology upgrades at the Charlotte Convention Center have included new operable walls in the exhibit halls and new LED lighting in the exhibit halls, which yields a reduction in wattage per fixture from 1000 W to 471 W, resulting in an energy usage reduction of 53 percent.

David Osterhout, known universally as simply Dave O, is turning in his keys after nearly three decades as the facility manager for one of America’s largest meeting places, Houston First’s George R. Brown Convention Center.

Osterhout, 69, retires on April 28 with a celebration joined by coworkers, clients, partners and many other friends. His first order of business in the new life of leisure will be to head to his lake house north of Houston to gather with family, including his daughters and grandchildren.

“Dave O is irreplaceable. Someone will succeed him but nobody will replace him,” said Luther Villagomez, Houston First’s chief operating officer who opened the GRB in 1987 and has worked side-by-side with Osterhout since 1989.

“There is not one square inch, not one aspect of operation, in this convention center that Dave is not intimately familiar with,” Villagomez said. “He has been the driving force in every capital project over the years and his input has been critical to the success of new construction projects and operational improvements.

“Dave is widely respected by colleagues in the industry, appreciated by our clients and admired by his coworkers. We will miss him.”

Osterhout’s tenure in the George R. Brown started when the downtown convention center had four exhibit halls totaling just 450,000 square feet. Today, the building has 1.8 million square feet under roof, including 770,000 square feet in seven exhibit halls.

He was integral in both the Phase II expansion in 2004 and the most recent Phase III renovation. Being a key liaison with the George R. Brown’s construction partners as well as administering in-house partner contracts, Osterhout’s keen insight and operational knowledge was unparalleled.

Osterhout was also a mastermind of operational efficiency. Through his guidance, the George R. Brown earned its original LEED certification in 2011, under the requirements set for existing buildings. To retain that status in 2016, the George R. Brown had to meet recertification criteria for energy savings, CO2 emissions, waste recycling and indoor environmental quality.

Not only did Dave O. manage every aspect of the GRB’s operation, but he has also touched countless events. He was a warehouse of knowledge about the behind-the-scenes workings of large-scale events and kept their many moving parts on track. He was essential to the success of the massive Super Bowl NFL Experience in 2004 and 2017, Texaco Grand Prix, American Public Transportation Expo, and International Deli Dairy Bakery, just to name a few events.

Dave is a proud graduate of Purdue University, holding an associate degree in food service technology & design and a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management. He was a general’s aide in the U.S. Army before going to work for Aramark (previously known as ARA Services). His tenure at Aramark started at the Indianapolis Convention Center in 1973 as the assistant manager of food service and ended in 1983 as the general manager of food service at the Summit/Compaq Center. He had stops along the way at Houston’s Astroworld, Astrohall, Astro Arena, San Francisco’s Cow Palace Arena and London’s Wembley Stadium complex, where he was the opening general manager.

SMG announced that it is bringing a piece of New York history to Jacksonville, Florida. The private management firm has secured a traveling exhibition dedicated to telling the groundbreaking story of Dance Theatre of Harlem. Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts, will be on display at the Ritz Theatre and Museum for an extended stay that began on April 15.

In the aftermath of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, African-American dance pioneer Arthur Mitchell co-founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem School in 1969 to ignite positive social change and dispel the belief that ballet could not be performed by those of African descent. The Dance Theatre of Harlem company officially debuted in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum in 1971. It has since grown into a multicultural dance institution of unparalleled acclaim, with a legacy of providing opportunities for creative expression and artistic excellence that continues to set standards in the performing arts.

In the last 44 plus years, the professional touring company has performed in 41 states and 40 countries on six continents. The renowned ballet company, school’s history, powerful social and artistic impact is brought to life through the exhibit’s more than 165 rare costumes, set pieces, historical photographs, tour posters, video excerpts and design sketches. The exhibit also includes four dramatically-staged ballets that are iconic to the company: A Streetcar Named Desire, Creole Giselle, Dougla and Firebird.

“It is a true honor for the Ritz Theatre and Museum to host an exhibition that shares such a compelling story of empowerment and defiance of racial stereotypes,” said SMG Jacksonville General Manager Bill McConnell. “Northeast Florida is home to many prolific dancers who helped pave the way as members of this iconic troupe. The Ritz Theatre and Museum is proud to provide Jacksonville with the opportunity to learn more about these artistic trailblazers and this storied dance company.”

The exhibition is thoughtfully divided into sections that allow the viewer to walk through a history of Dance Theatre – from photographs and stories about co-founders Mitchell and Karel Shook, to the forming of the school and progression to a professional company, and a repertoire that includes contributions from a myriad of choreographers over the years, including George Balanchine.

Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts is organized by Dance Theatre of Harlem, California African-American Museum and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C. The exhibition will be on display at the Ritz Theatre and Museum through July 31.