News
Subscribe to our newsletterOctober 11, 2022
Artists of the CFA Collection Celebrated at Hilton Event
The unparalleled collection of local original art that adorns the Hilton Columbus Downtown hotel, the Greater Columbus Convention Center and the parking garages owned by the Convention Facilities Authority (CFA) will be captivating guests for decades to come, often without much thought to the artists who created it.
But for a...
October 11, 2022
Executive Director Don Brown Retiring
Even as the opening of Hilton Columbus Downtown’s 402 tower ushered in a new era for the central Ohio convention business, CFA officials and employees learned that another era is coming to an end: Executive Director Don Brown, after leading the CFA through a period of unprecedented challenge and accomplishment,...
October 11, 2022
ICMA Event Inaugurates Hilton, Kicks Off Fall Convention Season
With last month’s annual convention of the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA), central Ohio showed off a growing list of meeting destination advantages: the renovated Greater Columbus Convention Center, the ever-more-bustling Short North and Arena District, the brand-new Hilton Columbus Downtown 402 tower and unmatched Midwest-style hospitality.
The five-day event brought...
June 7, 2022
Thurber, Tech Highlight Local Art in Hilton Columbus Downtown 402
When 402, the new tower of the Hilton Columbus Downtown opens in August, the city will gain a lot more than 463 new first-class hotel rooms. Continuing a tradition that began with the first Hilton opening in 2012, Columbus will gain a stunning new gallery of local art.
Those familiar with...
June 7, 2022
Convention Business is Back
After two years of uncertainty and waiting, the convention business in Columbus is officially back up and running. The Greater Columbus Convention Center’s (GCCC) number of bookings is back to pre-Covid range with near-normal attendance at those events, several world-class events are on the calendar in the next year and...
June 7, 2022
ICMA National Conference in September to Showcase City, Hilton Columbus Downtown
In September, the Greater Columbus Convention Center will host its biggest international event since before the pandemic when the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) comes to town for its 108th annual conference.
As many as 5,000 local-government professionals from around the world are expected to attend for four days of education,...
February 3, 2022
The New Hilton Columbus Downtown Tops Out
Photo Courtesy of the Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
Hilton Columbus Downtown has surpassed the two-thirds point in construction of its 28-story addition. Expected to open this August, Hilton Columbus Downtown will be the city’s only 1,000-key hotel and Ohio’s largest overall.
Hilton Columbus Downtown will achieve this milestone by combining the 537 rooms...
February 3, 2022
NCAA Women’s Volleyballers Rocked the Arena — and the Convention Center, and the Hilton Columbus Downtown
Photo Courtesy of Joe Maiorana/Experience Columbus
Columbus once again showed the world what a top-flight women’s athletic event looks like when the NCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship came to town just before Christmas.
The city had plenty of help from the players and fans, who provided two nights of electric competition...
February 3, 2022
CFA Envisions a $22 Million Amtrak Station at the Greater Columbus Convention Center
No one knows yet when Amtrak passenger rail service will come to Columbus, the second largest city in America without such service. But when it does, the CFA is prepared to answer a key question: Where could passengers board the trains for departures and arrivals?
A feasibility study commissioned last year...
