Venue News
The Marriott Owings Mills Metro Centre officially cut the ribbon on its AAA Four Diamond-appointed property located within Metro Centre. On May 25, 2022, representatives from David S. Brown Enterprises, Crescent Hotels & Resorts, and Marriott International participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially welcome the full-service hotel and its restaurant, The Tillery, to Owings Mills Metro Centre after experiencing a series of COVID-related postponements. Following the ribbon cutting, guests were invited upstairs to the main event area for an extravagant grand opening celebration. Food, drinks and entertainment flowed throughout the second-floor event space of the hotel, into the ballroom and out onto the terrace overlooking Metro Centre.
America’s Center Convention Complex has begun breaking ground on its new multi-million expansion project, AC Next Gen. 72,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space with high windows is the first phase of the addition. The expansion will also add loading docks, a new entrance, and a garden to the Center. Other phases of the project will include adding a 61,000 sq. ft. Grand Ballroom and an 80,000 sq. ft. green space with a tiered amphitheater. “The last few years have been very challenging for the industry, and that makes today even more important: We are back and building something new that will benefit St. Louis and event planners for many years to come,” said Kitty Ratcliffe, president of Explore St. Louis.
People on the Move
Joele Brew Hatton has been hired as Director of National Accounts for the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau. An accomplished hospitality sales professional with over 15 years of experience, she most recently served as Associate Director of Sales for the Omni Dallas Hotel. Hatton will support the sales efforts and operations of the Arlington CVB Sales Team to achieve objectives for the sale of hotel meetings and other Arlington venues and will assist in developing and implementing strategies that deliver return on investment in convention sales. Prior to the Omni Dallas Hotel, she served in positions of increasing trajectory with the Omni Fort Worth Hotel and has been awarded both “Omni Sales Associate of the Year” and multiple “Presidents Circle Awards” during her tenure with Omni Hotels & Resorts. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
