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Subscribe to our newsletterNovember 2, 2023
CFA Appoints Ken Paul as Executive Director
COLUMBUS, Ohio (November 1, 2023) — The Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA) today voted to name Ken Paul as its next executive director. He will transition into the new role in early 2024. Paul will succeed Don Brown, who served as the FCCFA’s executive director for nine years.
Paul currently...
September 14, 2023
U.S. Figure Skating Championships Coming to Nationwide Arena in January
Early next year, Columbus will break new ground as a destination for marquee sporting events when Nationwide Arena hosts the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships. It’s the first time in Columbus for the 110-year-old event.
For seven days starting Jan. 22, the country’s top skaters will compete in the final...
September 13, 2023
Deshler: A Hotelier Who Embraced the Future (and wrote a letter to it)
As central Ohio’s hospitality industry leaders celebrate the Hilton Columbus Downtown as the first 1,000-key hotel in many decades, they have a historical source of inspiration in John Green Deshler. The grandson of an enterprising businessman who snapped up the northwest corner of Broad and High streets in Columbus’ earliest...
September 13, 2023
Central Ohio Hotels Enjoy Robust Weekend, Event Trade, But Business Travel Still Lags
The past year has brought much to celebrate about the lodging industry in central Ohio. We’ve expanded the state’s premier convention hotel and hosted some of the industry’s biggest and highest-profile events. But for the 75,000 people who make their living in hospitality and the many other businesses that count...
September 13, 2023
New CFA Board Chairman Savarise Aims to Maximize Return on Community’s Investment
The new head of the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (CFA) is clear-eyed about both the opportunities and the challenges the organization faces.
His day job — president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OHLA) — gives Chairman Joe Savarise a unique perspective. Having served as...
May 31, 2023
Columbus Ranked Among Top U.S. Cities for Sports Business
Columbus’ rising prominence as a locale for sports events and sports business has been clear for some time to those paying attention. Now, it’s even less a secret, with a recent study by a leading industry trade publication that puts Columbus well within the top 50 U.S. cities for sports...
May 31, 2023
91st Annual Event Brought Top City Leaders to Greater Columbus Convention Center
The big event at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in early June wasn’t the city’s largest convention ever, not by a long shot, but it was among the highest-profile gatherings the building has seen. The 91st U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting brought leaders of the largest U.S. cities to...
May 31, 2023
Team Hilton Celebrates Unprecedented Fifth Connie with Employee Celebration
The 450 or so employees of the Hilton Columbus Downtown are well accustomed to making guests feel welcomed, appreciated and taken care of. On May 16, it was their turn. The hotel management and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA), its owner, celebrated winning the company’s top award for...
April 6, 2023
The Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority Elects New Board Officers
The Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority has elected new officers on its Board of Directors.
Joe Savarise, President & CEO of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OHLA), has been elected chairman. Geri Lombard, vice president of operations for First Hospitality and an OHLA Board officer, is vice chair. Jacquelin R....