OAK VIEW GROUP FACILITIES NAMES KENTUCKY NATIVE LAURA ALEXANDER VP CONVENTION CENTER SALES AND OPERATIONS FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER
SEASONED CONVENTION CENTER SPECIALIST TO LEAD EFFORTS TO LURE EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS TO NEWLY RENOVATED 200,000-SQUARE-FOOT CONVENTION CENTER
Laura Alexander, General Manager for the Owensboro Convention Center and Owensboro Sportscenter, is taking a new position with Oak View Group Facilities, managers and operators of Lexington’s expanded and renovated 200,000-square-foot Central Bank Center. She will become Vice President, Convention Center Sales and Operations on February 7, 2022, and lead Oak View Group Facility’s efforts to reopen and rebrand the convention center.
Alexander spent 10 years at the Owensboro Convention Center and Owensboro Sportscenter. During her time in Owensboro, she increased gross profit and bottom-line revenue year-over-year for both buildings, including creating 35 self-promoted events that generated over $500,000 in annual gross revenue and negotiated over $1.9 million in building sponsorship income.
“Laura has been a tremendous asset to the Owensboro Convention Center and the city over the last 10 years,” said Tim Ross, City of Owensboro’s Director of Public Events. “Her vision and drive to reestablish Owensboro as a regional convention and meeting destination when we first opened the facility have proven successful with the multitude of groups that now bring their meeting to Owensboro. Her leadership as GM of the facilities over the last 3+ years has further expanded the breadth of events while increasing revenues and hotel stays. She will definitely be missed, but she has built a strong team that can continue the growth and trajectory that she has established.”
Alexander is a previous Generation Next recipient by Venues Now Magazine – an award given to young professionals who have made a difference in sports, music, conventions, family shows, and festivals. She is also a graduate of the International Association of Venue Management (IAVM) Venue Management School.
She also received the first Greater Owensboro Chamber Young Professional of the Year award in 2014 for the design and development of providing free wi-fi to the revitalized Smothers Park in Owensboro. In addition, she has served on the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a former Chair of Chamber Young Professionals. She is also a board member of Friday After 5, a 16-week free concert series hosted on Owensboro’s downtown riverfront.
She is a 2003 graduate of Western Kentucky University where she majored in Corporate & Organizational Communication with a minor in Marketing. Her first position post-college was at the Executive Inn Rivermont, where she was Director of Sales.
Oak View Group recently acquired Spectra, the provider of venue management services at the Owensboro Convention Center and Owensboro Sportscenter, to create one world-class, full-service live events company. OVG Facilities is successful in delivering new event content and programming opportunities for its clients. The company is experiencing a 587% growth since 2018, including opening the Seattle Kraken’s Climate Pledge Arena, and the New York Islanders’ UBS Arena, both of the National Hockey League; and developing the new arena in Manchester, England Co-op Live, the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, the Coachella Valley Arena in Coachella Valley, CA, and the new 9,500-seat Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA.