
Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA) Executive Director Don Brown accepted the award on behalf of the GCCC. The FCCFA owns and develops the GCCC.
More than half of the publication’s subscribers voted in this year’s poll, according to Sue Ann Shetler, a representative of Columbus CEO.
In each category, nominations were offered to five to 10 choices that placed highly in previous polls, with write-in votes also welcomed. Businesses were grouped in the categories of business support services, education, financial, food and beverage, health care, legal, meetings and events, personal perks, real estate, workforce and “Best of the Rest.”
The GCCC previously won the same award in 2013. Additional honors bestowed upon the facility during 2015 include Facilities & Destinations’ Prime Site Award, Columbus Business First’s “Top of the List” accolade for meeting & event facilities and being featured among Trade Show Executive’s World’s Best Convention Centers.
“This honor is particularly significant because it is bestowed upon us by business leaders who are the ‘best of the best’ in their own industries,” said Greater Columbus Convention Center General Manager John R. Page. “We are grateful for their support and look forward to their continued visits as our facility is transformed by a $125 million expansion and renovation that will be completed in July 2017.”
The Greater Columbus Convention Center, located in downtown Columbus, hosted an estimated 2.5 million visitors in 2014. The facility is owned by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority and is managed by SMG.
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.