Mac Campbell succeeded 28-year executive director Peggy Daidakis, the first woman to lead a convention center in the country.
Mac Campbell is walking to the Baltimore Convention Center lobby, finishing up a business conversation before meeting a guest.
Next, another colleague needs to speak with him. They step outside for a chat.
“Mac is always busy,” says the receptionist.
Campbell, executive director of the Baltimore Convention Center, oversees an operation that draws nearly 500,000 people a year to the city and surrounding areas. They bring in $10-12 million a year in revenue for the state through taxes, all of which goes to the general fund that can be used anywhere in Maryland.
“It’s an exciting environment. Every day is different. We get to be the face of this destination to so many people,” he said.
The convention center often houses multiple events simultaneously. Sometimes one convention is in full swing while another is moving in and another moving out. Sometimes they are all there together.
In early August, the FBI, a Chinese Volleyball group and emergency call center operators all overlapped.
“What I love about my job is you can have the tattoo artists, fish scientists and cheerleaders all in the building at the same time,” Campbell said.
With constantly changing conventions, exhibitors often leave things behind that the convention center staff rehomes. Leftover food is sent to charities such as the Maryland Food Bank. Food that can’t be saved goes to Carriage House Farms in Baltimore County to feed their pigs. Plants and furniture left behind are donated to nonprofits.
Campbell is overseeing a $33 million renovation to the center, its first major upgrade since 1996. Among things customers might notice are new floors, digital signage and improved bathrooms.
“We are tackling the largest amount of capital reinvestment in this building since the mid-90s,” Campbell said. “That’s something we’re really excited about. That’s no small feat for us.”
In addition to facility upgrades, Campbell has implemented a data-driven event management system. In 2018, he put into place a separate system to track utility use by meeting room, an attractive feature for customers concerned with their carbon footprints.
Campbell sees the convention center as an introduction to visitors for what Baltimore has to offer. They carry products from the locally owned Matriarch Coffee, showcase mural artists on the center’s exterior and are in talks for “a major art institution” to loan them art.
They also help fill restaurants that have lost customers when workers began to telecommute. Atlas Restaurant Group told Campbell that they see more than a20% increase in revenue during conventions.
The center’s impact isn’t strictly within city lines. Its events fill rooms in hotels reaching out to Columbia, Campbell said. Most attendees arrive by air, passing through Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, making purchases there, renting cars or hiring transportation.
Campbell follows 28-year executive director Peggy Daidakis, the first woman to lead a convention center in the country. He worked under her in several roles, including as deputy director. She mentored him and impressed the importance of engaging people throughout the state so they understand why the convention center is important to them.
“I never dreamed I’d be able to have this opportunity, following in the footsteps of someone I admire so much,” Campbell said.
From the Baltimore Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2025/09/11/power-10-mac-campbell-convention-center.html
