Convention Center Names Director

September 21, 2012

News Release

Fort Wayne, Ind. -- Following a nationwide search, the Grand Wayne Convention Center has selected Barton Shaw as its new director of operations. Shaw is currently Director and Operations Manager of the Dayton Convention Center, and Director of the Dayton Airport Expo Center.

Grand Wayne Convention Center Executive Director Bob Lister said, “We look forward to introducing Bart to Fort Wayne. Out of all the candidates we considered, he has the combination of facility management experience and commitment to client satisfaction that fits best with the Grand Wayne Center’s reputation in the convention and trade show industry.”

Barton was hired to manage Dayton’s municipal convention centers in 2004. Prior to that he was director of operations at the SMG Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and has also managed a 16-thousand seat arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Shaw says he’s pleased to be moving to a center so well-equipped to compete for convention business. “The Grand Wayne is an impressive facility,” says Shaw. “Fort Wayne has done a great job bringing together the assets that meeting planners value most when selecting a site for their convention. My family is happy to be staying in the Midwest, and I’m pleased to be joining a successful team with an impressive number of meetings and conventions already booked into the near future.”

Shaw will be responsible for daily operations of the Grand Wayne Convention Center and its staff of 21 full-time and 100 part-time employees. Shaw begins his new position October 22nd.

He replaces Gary Wasson, who retired as director of operations in 2011. Wasson had held that position since the Grand Wayne Convention Center opened in 1985.

Source: Grand Wayne Convention Center