Roger Swanson has been named executive director of the Sanford Center,
VenuWorks President/CEO Steven L. Peters announced. The Sanford Center
is managed by VenuWorks. Swanson has been the interim director of the
venue since mid-October, 2011. He will officially take the helm
full-time beginning Monday, January 2, 2012.
Peters cited
Swanson’s experience managing both convention centers and arenas, along
with experience in ticketing and food and beverage, as important factors
in selecting him for the Sanford Center position.
“Roger
has had great success, not only in managing convention centers and
arenas throughout North America, but also stepped up in corporate sales
and sponsorship, personally being responsible for delivering over $6
million in sales in the last year alone,” said Peters. “He has proven
experience in building audiences with venue-created events while
attracting conventions and touring acts as well.”
Swanson succeeds Robert LeBarron, who resigned in October.
“I
appreciate VenuWorks’ fast response to filling the executive director
position during this transitional period,” said City Manager John
Chattin. “I am especially pleased that Roger will be bringing the kind
of senior management experience that will serve us well as he assumes
the leadership of the Sanford Center.”
“I’m thrilled to be
permanently extending my stay with the Sanford Center team and eager to
continue the growth we’ve seen in the past several months,” said
Swanson. “With the addition of the upcoming new hotel project and being
able to continue to build upon the past success of the facilities, we
have a very exciting future ahead of us and I’m very happy to be part of
the next stage.”
Swanson brings over 25 years of facility
management experience to the position. He began his facility management
career in 1983 in Alaska with Ogden Entertainment working box office,
facility operations and food and beverage before becoming general
manager of the William Egan Civic and Convention Center. He eventually
took on additional management responsibilities for Ogden as their
regional director of sales and marketing for five venues in Anchorage
and Fairbanks. Swanson left Ogden to work for Tickets.com as their
statewide general manager, Alaska Region.
In 2005, he was
named vice president, operations for Encore Facility Management, a
division of Global Entertainment, with offices in Phoenix AZ, overseeing
the construction and opening of four hockey arenas around the US. Most
recently he has worked for VenuWorks as the director of business
development, working in both Bemidji and Evansville, Indiana on
sponsorship, signage, and naming rights sales projects.