FORUM TRISHA TATRO
DIRECTOR, AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER DEPARTMENT
BY ANTHONY BILDEN
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risha Tatro was appointed Director of the Austin Convention Center Department (ACCD) on June 30, 2021. Tatro, the first woman to serve in the Director position, brings more than 19 years of experience with the ACCD, including her most recent positions of Interim Director (since February 2020) and Assistant Director (appointed in 2018). Among her past achievements, Tatro directed the department’s pandemic relief efforts and managed the $74 million budget for its Capital Improvement Project.
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Congratulations on your new position. What are some of your initial priorities as Director of the ACCD?
I am focused on providing exceptional services to our customers as we begin hosting events again while getting back to what we do best. We will continue with our vision to build upon the strengths that make Austin extremely attractive as a place to meet and convene. We also want to move forward with the redevelopment of the Austin Convention Center, adding more available rental space and position the center to compete for the next tier of convention business, and build the convention center of tomorrow.
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As Interim Director, what do you consider to have been your major successes in helping to navigate the COVID-19 crisis?
I am proud to say that we were able to quickly begin cost-containment measures that allowed us to still employ, retain and care for all of our full-time staff during this crisis. We achieved the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation and our staff was trained to clean and sanitize our facilities so that we can provide the best services to our customers. We were also able to provide critical services to our community by serving as an Alternate Care Facility with medical beds and power, and supporting the EAT initiative that provided 500,000 meals for people experiencing homelessness. We
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also provided space for the Dell Face Shield Project, which made 10,000 face coverings for healthcare providers.
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What are some of the first conventions that have or will be held at the Austin Convention Center since the pandemic began?
Some of the first events that returned and were hosted at the Austin Convention Center and Palmer Events Center included a Junior Volleyball Regional Tournament, a bodybuilding qualifying event, a CrossFit fitness competition, a CBD Expo, Bridal Extravanganza, Alternative Energy Show, a General Dentistry Conference, a Cornhole League Tournament, a retro gaming festival, and a local and popular boutique sales event.
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“Our outlook and confidence are extremely high for 2021 and beyond. Year-to-date for events, 2020 versus 2021, we have seen an increase of 210 percent.”
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Have your bookings seen a significant increase this year with the vaccines becoming available?
Yes. Our outlook and confidence are extremely high for 2021 and beyond. Year-to-date for events, 2020 versus 2021, we have seen an increase of 210 percent. We held 22 events in 2020 and currently have 46 for 2021, including tentatives and contract requests. Our leads comparison between 2020 and 2021, year-to-date are up 133 percent based on the monthly average.
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Please describe the Austin Convention Center’s hybrid event capabilities.
Our level of hybrid event capabilities includes Internet services provided at typically one-third the cost of competing centers. Our clients are equipped with 24/7 direct contact to an in-house event IT coordinator throughout their entire events process from planning to build-out to support. Our network is completely owned and operated by the Austin Convention Center Department; we’re able to provide flexible and customizable
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Continued on page 64 FACILITIES & DESTINATIONS 2021 SUPERBOOK
