Greater Columbus Convention Center Announces Hiring of Sue Graves and Ryan Thorpe as Assistant General Managers

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Greater Columbus Convention Center Announces Hiring of Sue Graves and Ryan Thorpe as Assistant General Managers

7/21/2016
The SMG-managed Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) announces the hiring of hospitality industry veterans Sue Graves and Ryan Thorpe as assistant general managers for the facility.

In her role, Graves will directly aid GCCC General Manager John R. Page in all aspects of daily operations, collaborative strategic planning and business development. She will also oversee elevation of the customer and guest experience, specifically stakeholder engagement involving the business and civic community, Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA) Board of Directors and staff, GCCC-operated parking facilities, Food Court & Shops merchants, collaborative model integration and communication strategies related to the expansion and renovation. She will guide the ambassadors, sales, event management, guest services and marketing departments and the manager-on-duty program. Graves will also serve as the management company liaison to the facility’s audiovisual services provider and exclusive caterer.

Sue Graves

A downtown Columbus resident, Graves joins the venue following a 28-year career with Marriott International, where she most recently served as the area general manager for the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center in Cincinnati. While in Cincinnati, she was a member of the Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Committee and Board of Directors, board member of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, president and board member of the Cincinnati Hotel Association, and chairperson of both the Greater Cincinnati Lodging Council and the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky Marriott Business Council.

A Certified Tourism Ambassador, Graves has also received the JW Marriott Award of Excellence and been named a YWCA Woman of Achievement in western Wayne County. She and the Marriott hotel properties she managed received the President’s Cup Award for outstanding sales achievement, gold and silver hotel ratings for guest satisfaction and the Pinnacle Award as a top meeting destination. A graduate of Central Michigan University, Graves earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in hospitality management and minor in food service.

“I’m looking forward to my time in Columbus,” said Graves. “Cincinnati taught me well. Columbus will teach me even more.”

“Sue is an acknowledged community and industry leader and we are thrilled to have a talent of her caliber join our team,” said Page.

Ryan Thorpe

Thorpe returns to the GCCC after most recently serving as regional director of operations/director of facility operations for another SMG-managed property, Chicago’s 9-million-square-foot McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America. There, he managed a $25 million operations budget, six department supervisors and 150 full-time employees, administered an $85 million capital improvement budget and mentored peers in 16 additional venues throughout the country. Prior to this, Thorpe served as director of operations for the Oregon Convention Center for four years.

A Westerville resident and veteran of the United States Navy, Thorpe joined the GCCC in 2000 as an engineering supervisor and was promoted to director of facilities in 2005. A graduate of Ohio Dominican University with a bachelor of science degree in business administration and the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Venue Management School at Oglebay, he is also chairman of IAVM’s Industry Affairs Committee, member of the governance committee and past leader of the sustainability committee.

Thorpe’s specific responsibilities include serving as the point person for SMG regarding the $125 million expansion and renovation project underway and slated for completion in July 2017, overseeing capital improvement programs and assisting with FCCFA Board of Directors and staff relations and GCCC client and stakeholder relations. He will supervise the engineering & maintenance, event conversion, housekeeping, parking operations, client utilities, finance, public safety and information technology departments. Thorpe will also serve as the management company liaison to the facility’s internet and decorator service providers and other entities.

“I appreciate the warm welcome home and I look forward to all the great things we will accomplish together,” said Thorpe.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Ryan back home to Columbus and the GCCC,” said Page. “He began his venue management career in Columbus, advanced to positions at other facilities and then returned here as an assistant general manager, a path which mirrors my own.”

The Greater Columbus Convention Center, located in downtown Columbus, hosted an estimated 2.5 million visitors in 2015. The facility is owned by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA) and is managed by SMG. The FCCFA’s development of the GCCC includes the $18 million Goodale Garage which opened in 2016 and the $125 million expansion and renovation in progress for completion in 2017, for a total of $143 million in recent facility enhancements.

Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 240 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theaters, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 15 million square feet of exhibition space and more than 1.5 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s NRG Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions and catering company SAVOR, currently serving more than 140 accounts worldwide.

Visit www.columbusconventions.com and www.smgworld.com for more information.

Contact:
jdavis@columbusconventions.com