 SMG remains at the helm of one of leading meeting facilities in the Midwest, the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. SMG has accepted the contract renewal agreement offered by Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA) Board of Directors to continue managing the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The three-year contract renewal period begins January 1, 2012 and is followed by a two-year option.
“SMG and the FCCFA have amassed a number of shared accomplishments since our affiliation began in 1997,” said Craig M. Liston, SMG Regional General Manager. “We are gratified by the vote of confidence the FCCFA Board of Directors and Executive Director Bill Jennison have shown in the SMG brand.”
“We continue to be very pleased with SMG’s management of the facility,” said FCCFA Executive Director William C. Jennison. “The facility staff and the SMG corporate office continue to provide exemplary support of our convention center operations and shared goals.”
Jennison mentioned that the management firm over saw several successful improvements to the venue. “SMG managed operations through the expansion of the facility in 2001 and most recently the $40 million renovation of Battelle Grand.”
 The 1.7 million-square-foot Greater Columbus Convention Center, winner of 13 consecutive Facilities & Destinations Prime Site Awards, offers four contiguous exhibit halls (410,000 square feet of total exhibit space), 65 meeting rooms and three ballrooms, including the 74,000-square-foot Battelle Grand, the largest multi-purpose ballroom in Ohio, which opened in 2010 and features 50,000 square feet on the main floor, 24,000 square feet on the mezzanine, and floor-to-ceiling windows with wide views of the city and blackout curtains and sunshades. A high-tech ceiling system with signature LED lighting is capable of an astounding 65,000 color combinations and an innovative wall system divides the ballroom into five configurations. The ballroom is the result of a 16-month long, $40-million renovation that transformed the Battelle Hall—which was built in 1980 as part of the Ohio Center and used for conventions, trade shows, arena football and concerts—into the spectacular new ballroom, the largest in Ohio and one of the largest in the Midwest.
The facility also boasts an on-site Food Court, ARAMARK catering, The UPS Store & Business Center. Columbus has 2,500 committable hotel rooms downtown; 22,000 citywide; dozens of restaurants, bars, theatres and galleries within walking. A new $140-million Hilton full-service convention hotel to be built adjacent to the Convention Center is scheduled to be completed by 2012.
“SMG’s management and the ongoing reinvestment in the venue by the FCCFA have been the primary catalysts in enhancing the continual success of this facility,” added FCCFA Board Chairman John S. Christie.
 The Greater Columbus Convention Center, located in downtown Columbus, is one of the busiest convention facilities in the U.S. Owned and developed by the FCCFA, the facility hosted an estimated 2.5 million visitors in 2010, along with 347 events and 844 event days. Events range from the Arnold Sports Festival, a multi-sport festival attracting more than 175,000 attendees and more athletes than the Olympics, to the OFA Short Course, a horticultural show that is one of the nation’s Top 200 trade shows. Other ecent events hosted by the Greater Columbus Convention Center include: 2nd Annual Columbus Beerfest, Midwest Haunters Convention, Ohio Valley Region - Kaepa USA 2011 Girls’ Volleyball Championships, the Precision Machining Technology Show, Ohio Tournament of Champions, Midwest Veterinary Conference, the Easyriders 2011 National Invitational Bike Show Finals, the 2011 National Reading Recovery & K-6 Classroom Literacy Conference, and the 2011 eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference.
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