Second time the Experience Columbus director of convention services has been honored

COLUMBUS – Experience Columbus is proud to announce that its director of convention services, Bill Behrens, CMP, CTA, has been named 2016 Convention Services Manager (CSM) of the Year by the Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA) and Successful Meetings Magazine.

The award accepts nominations from meeting planners and honors individuals who have done an exemplary job servicing meetings. Nominees are evaluated on the nominator’s comments on their service mentality, how effective they were as a meeting partner and instances of going above and beyond what is expected. Each year, one winner each is selected from a convention and visitors bureau, a hotel and a convention center.

“Bill is a major asset to our team,” said Dan Williams, CTA, Experience Columbus vice president of convention sales. “We consistently receive praise from clients thanks to his hard work and attention to detail. He is a major reason many of our clients continue to return each year.”

Behrens was nominated this year by Dr. Janiece J. Sneegas, Ph. D., with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) for his work on the 2016 General Assembly. The convention welcomed 5,000 attendees to Columbus and took place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) June 20-27, 2016. During this time, the GCCC was halfway through a $125 million renovation and expansion project.

“You never know what can happen during a major construction project, but Bill was with us every step of the way and did his best to make our entire group feel comfortable during our time in Columbus. He is more than deserving of this award,” said Sneegas.

Behrens has been with Experience Columbus for 18 years and has served as director of convention services for the past 15 years. His responsibilities include managing a department of four staff members and providing services to conventions throughout the planning process, including promotional materials, referrals to local businesses, onsite welcome programs and more. This is the second time Behrens has been honored in the award’s 38-year run. He was first honored in 2003. 

Find more information and a list of past winners, visit www.espaonline.org/csm_oftheyear.html.  

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As the convention and visitors bureau for Ohio’s capital city, Experience Columbus’ mission is to sell, market and promote the best of the destination to visitors. For more information about all Columbus has to offer for meetings, conventions and trade shows, go to meet.experiencecolumbus.com.