MIAMI
The Miami Beach Convention Center, which is at the tail-end of a $620 million renovation and expansion, named Freddie Peterson as its new general manager. Peterson, who recently concluded a two-decade tenure leading the highly successful Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA), will take the helm in Miami Beach to oversee day-to-day operations at the center.
As a seasoned and innovative convention and hospitality executive, Peterson will provide strategic leadership to position Miami Beach competitively in the national and international meetings and events community and manage the final touches on the expansion of the state-of-the-art facility.
“During my time with the MCCA, I developed a deep understanding and appreciation of the positive impact, both economic and cultural, that a dynamic venue can have to support and enhance a premier global destination,” said Peterson. “I’m thrilled and humbled to have this wonderful opportunity to come on board in Miami Beach and use my passion and experience within the industry to bolster the convention center’s reputation among the elite in the world.”
He added, “I’m also looking forward to getting to know my new neighbors and working closely with the community and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, just as I did in Boston and Springfield.”
For the past two and a half years, Peterson has been the contract administrator for the MassMutual Center and the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau and its Sports Commission. Spectra provides food services and hospitality to the MassMutual Center venue.
“We hit the jackpot with Freddie,” said Dave Anderson, senior vice president of Spectra’s Convention Center Division. “His 20-year track record in the convention industry and his distinctive leadership approach positioned him as the perfect candidate to run the Miami Beach Convention Center.”
Located on a 52-acre campus in the heart of Miami Beach, the Miami Beach Convention Center is undergoing a $620 renovation that will modernize the facility and make it one of the most technologically advanced convention centers in North America. The project, which will feature 500,000 square feet of exhibit space, includes a 60,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom that is the largest in the region.
