Ball, a veteran of 20 years in the hospitality industry, joins the Caribe Royale staff just as a $30 million expansion of its Grand Caribe Convention Center is opening.  The expansion more than doubles the property�s meetings and convention space to 150,000 square feet and makes it the largest independent meetings resort in Orlando.

�As we open the expanded Grand Caribe Convention Center, we wanted a senior manager to oversee all aspects of its operation.  David Ball is extremely well suited for that responsibility.  He has experience in both convention services and food and beverage operations, and his talent is well known to many meeting planners who frequent Orlando,� Rosenbaum said.

Ball, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, most recently was associate director of convention services and catering at the Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.  He started at that property in 1985, then the Buena Vista Palace, as a restaurant and banquet chef.  He has worked in convention services since 1990.

As director of convention center operations, Ball is responsible for all aspects of the convention center including convention services, banquets, setup and the day-to-day maintenance of the facility.

�I�m fortunate in that I can relate directly to meeting planners and at the same time relate closely with the banquet and kitchen staffs.  We have a great team and great facilities at the Caribe Royale, and filling clients� needs is what drives us,� Ball said.

The Caribe Royale�s meeting facilities includes three ballrooms�the largest is the new 40,000-square-foot Grand Sierra Ballroom�51 breakout meeting rooms, three executive boardrooms and 25,000 square feet of pre-function space. It has 1,218 one-bedroom suites and 120 two-bedroom villas.