Convention center has new leadership

The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center enters its fourth year this month with some new players and a long-sought missing link.

The center celebrated its third birthday Friday with a public drop-in. The building officially opened its doors on Sept. 21, 2004.

Ric Luber, a lawyer and former director of three convention and visitors bureaus — Austin, Texas, Rochester, N.Y., and Columbus, Ohio — became president and CEO of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports and Tourism in July.

The authority oversees the convention center, Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, Columbia Metropolitan Visitors Center and the Columbia Regional Sports Council.

Luber replaced Steve Camp, the former director of the Charlotte Coliseum and convention center, who oversaw the construction and opening of the Columbia convention center.

Dave Zunker, the region’s chief salesman, also left his post as vice president of the Midlands Authority to become president of the tourism bureau in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Zunker had applied for the top job after Camp left.

Since coming in Luber has put the authority in a more aggressive marketing posture to better sell not only the convention center but also the region as a whole.

“I felt we needed a more structured marketing and public relations department,” Luber said. “I have strategically placed individuals in positions that will best suit the needs of this organization and the community. Their efforts will be solely to push the name Columbia Riverbanks Region to visitors and event planners nationwide. We are going to hit the ground running and make things happen for this community,” he said.

To that end, Luber implemented what he termed a major restructuring.

• Kelly Barbrey was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for the authority,Zunker’s old post. She was director of sales for the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

• Barbara Haggray was named vice president of finance and human resources.

• Crystal Morris, a 17-year veteran of the organization, was promoted to director of sales for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. She will focus on the corporate and association markets.

• Twila Jones was named senior sales manager for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. She will focus on the religious, multicultural and social markets.

• Barbara Chambers, who has been with the organization for 16 years, was promoted to co-manager of visitor services with an emphasis on interaction with area attractions and restaurants.

• Jill Asouzu, who has been with the authority for three years, was also named a co-manager of visitor services. She will focus on community organizations.

• Mandi Engram was named director of Internet marketing for the authority.

• Nicole Smith was promoted to director of media relations and publications.

The convention center continues to be overseen by vice president and general manager Mack Stone.

The reorganization is designed to make the authority more proficient in the way it markets Columbia and the Riverbanks Region both regionally and nationally to visitors, convention groups and sports event planners.

It also should allow the region to begin capitalizing on the convention center, now that a convention center hotel has opened across the street.

For years, Camp and others touted the need for the hotel before Columbia could begin to attract national conventions. The $32-million Hilton Columbia Center opened last month.

Through its first three years, the convention center has done well, but not nearly as well as it would have done with a hotel. Much of the business has been local or in-state.

According to the authority, since the convention center’s opening:

• Nearly 400,000 people have attended events.

• More than $6.4 million has been generated in regional economic impact from out-of-town or overnight guests.

• Space rental has increased each year, up 23 percent from both year one to year two and from year two to year three.

• More than a quarter of all groups booked by the Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau in fiscal 2007 used the convention center for all or part of their meeting.

This week the convention center will host a National Hydrogen Association Topical Forum on “Hydrogen Uses in the Military.”

The spring of 2009 will see the National Hydrogen Association’s annual meeting, the first national convention to be held in the building.