At Overland Park Convention Center

(May 30, 2008 – Overland Park, KS) Global Spectrum, the “fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field” and operator of the Overland Park Convention Center, this week hired Kelly Barnes as Event Manager of the 237,000-sq.ft. Overland Park Convention Center.

Barnes will be responsible for planning and coordinating multiple events and serving as a primary liaison between event organizers and facility staff and services.

“Kelly has the experience and customer service focus to be a great asset to our team,” said Global Spectrum’s Ken Gillespie, Director of Events for the Overland Park Convention Center.

Prior to joining Global Spectrum, Barnes spent two years with the Kansas City Chiefs as Sales Account Executive and Event Coordinator. Previous to this, Barnes worked as an intern at Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS (2004-2005). Barnes holds a Bachelor of General Studies degree in Sociology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS.
The OPCC sits on a 26-acre site in the heart of Overland Park, the largest suburban city in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the second largest city in Kansas. The mid-sized convention center features a 60,000 square-foot exhibition hall that connects to the 25,000 sq. ft. Edwin C. Eilert Ballroom. Additionally, the OPCC provides an additional 15,000 sq. ft. of event space and 40,000 sq. ft. of pre-function space that proudly houses a collection of selected works of art created by renowned Midwestern artists.
Overland Park offers visitors a wide variety of lodging accommodations and boasts a total inventory of more than 5,000 guest rooms. Of these, 1,000 are within walking distance of the OPCC, including the 412-room Sheraton Hotel. There are also 3,000 hotel rooms within five minutes of the facility.

Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) is the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field with more than 70 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies, Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League, Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, a regional sports programming network, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, and Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company and 3601 Creative Group, a full-service in-house advertising agency. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.
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Contact: Kelly O’Hagan, Marketing Manager
Global Spectrum-managed Overland Park Convention Center
(p) 913.339.3067
kohagan@opconventioncenter.com

Friday, May 30, 2008