News for the Hospitality Executive |
Frank Poe, Former Director of the Dallas Convention Center,
Appointed
Executive Director for the Georgia World Congress Center
and Georgia Dome
ATLANTA-(February
23, 2010) The Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced today that
Frank Poe, a 38-year convention center veteran from Dallas, was appointed
GWCCA executive director. Poe will assume the reigns at one of the world�s
largest convention, sports and entertainment complexes which includes the
Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park
on April 1, 2010.
Prior to accepting the GWCCA position, Poe was director of the Dallas
Convention Center where he started his career in 1972 as a part-time laborer.
He was appointed General Manager of the Orange County Convention Center
in Orlando from 1979 to 1980 and found his way back to Dallas for the next
17 years holding several leadership positions in the center�s Event Services
and Cultural Affairs departments. The convention center veteran was appointed
to the position of executive director of Alabama�s Birmingham-Jefferson
Convention Complex in 1997, which he held for seven years until moving
back to Dallas in 2004 to assume the director position for the next six
years.
�We are extremely pleased to have someone with the credentials, leadership and experience that Frank brings to the Georgia World Congress Authority,� said Bob Prather, GWCCA board chairman. �He is a welcome addition to our strong leadership team,� Prather added. Poe will take over the executive director position that Dan Graveline held for 33 years. Graveline announced his retirement in late July and retired at the end of 2009. Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park welcomed more than 6.4 million visitors in FY 2009. Those visitors directly injected over $1.4 billion new dollars into Georgia�s economy and generated $2.2 billion total economic impact as well as $171 million in new tax revenue. |
Contact:
Mark Geiger
|
Also See: | Frank Poe, Director of Dallas Convention Center, Distinguishing Dallas from its Competitors- Including the new Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center / January 2005 |