Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon created a joint board of directors to oversee both the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA) and the Baltimore Convention Center (BCC).
BACVA President and CEO Tom Noonan and BCC Executive Director Peggy Daidakis will report to the new board, which will now be known as the Baltimore Convention & Tourism Board. Both Noonan and Daidakis will continue to run their organizations, and their staffs will remain separate. Currently, BACVA reports to a board and the BCC reports directly to a deputy mayor in the Mayor’s Office.
Under this new structure, the convention center staff will remain city employees but will report to the expanded Board, whose mission will include destination sales and marketing as well as maintenance and operations of the convention center.
Edwin F. Hale, chairman and CEO of 1st Mariner Bank, will serve as chairman of the Baltimore Convention & Tourism Board; Hale has chaired the BACVA Board of Directors for more than two years.
“With the recent expansion of major attractions, substantial renovations at many hotels, and the August opening of the publicly funded convention center hotel, the role and success of BACVA and the Baltimore Convention Center are more critical than ever,” said Mayor Dixon in a statement. “We must ensure the continued expansion of hospitality and tourism in Baltimore, and, to succeed in this highly competitive marketplace, we need to maximize collaboration among our partners and provide seamless service to our customers.”
