Michele Swann, General Manager & CEO of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority, will receive the Women of Influence 2016 Award from Venues Today magazine
Swann has led the Cobb Galleria Centre, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Galleria Specialty Shops, and ArtsBridge Foundation through tremendous growth in facilities, programs, and services. First hired in 1995 as assistant general manager, Swann was promoted to general manager/CEO of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority in 1999. Swann has worked in public venue management for more than 30 years. She is a past Trustee of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Foundation and past Vice President of Region Five.
Venues Today is the leading source of original reporting for live entertainment and events, serving management, owners and suppliers to music, sports and meetings venues internationally. According to the magazine, Swann “exemplifies qualities of leadership, integrity, dedication, motivation, and teamwork, all while inspiring other women to achieve their own goals as well.” Venues Today offers a number of annual awards to honor excellence in the venue industry. Considered to be one of Venues Today’s most prestigious honors, the Women of Influence are given out each year during the International Association of Venue Manager’s annual conference and tradeshow, VenueConnect.
About the Authority
The Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority owns and operates the Cobb Galleria Centre, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, ArtsBridge Foundation and Galleria Specialty Shops and is governed by seven members, appointed to seven posts. The Authority is a body corporate and politic created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1980 for the purpose of acquiring, constructing and maintaining facilities for the general purpose of promoting cultural growth, education and welfare.
About Cobb Galleria Centre
The Cobb Galleria Centre is located in the beautifully landscaped 88-acre Galleria complex in prestigious northwest Atlanta. Cobb Galleria Centre is Atlanta’s premier convention facility with 320,000 square feet of event space, four exhibition halls, 20 meeting rooms, four executive boardrooms and a grand ballroom. Cobb Galleria Centre had more than 348,000 visitors to 635 events in 2015, resulting in an overall economic impact of $123 million. For more information, visit cobbgalleria.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/CobbGalleria, on Twitter at @CobbGalleria and on Instagram at instagram.com/cobbgalleria/.
About Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is located at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway in northwest Atlanta, inside the Perimeter. Cobb Energy Centre is a premier venue for opera, concerts, Broadway shows, ballet, educational shows, family shows and corporate meetings and events. The Centre hosts
two resident companies, the Atlanta Ballet and The Atlanta Opera. The facility includes the 2,750-seat John A. Williams Theatre, 10,000-square-foot Kessel D. Stelling Ballroom and other meeting spaces, 1,000 parking spaces including a 700-space parking deck, and full-service food and beverage capabilities. For more information about the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, visit cobbenergycentre.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/CEPAC, on Twitter at @CobbEnergyPAC and on Instagram at instagram.com/cobbenergypac/.
About ArtsBridge Foundation
ArtsBridge Foundation is dedicated to providing quality arts education and community engagement programs that engage, motivate, inspire, and elevate the next generation of artists and arts supporters. ArtsBridge forms connections with students in grades K-12 by providing arts education opportunities through field trip programs to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, master class workshops, artists-in-schools, and the annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards. Since our inception in 2007, ArtsBridge has served more than 300,000 students and educators from 54 Georgia counties, plus students from Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina. To learn more, visit artsbridgega.org and follow us on Twitter at @ArtsbridgeGA, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArtsBridgeGa and on Instagram at instagram.com/artsbridgega/.
About Galleria Specialty Shops
Located in the beautifully landscaped 88-acre Galleria complex in prestigious northwest Atlanta, the Galleria Specialty Shops is one of Atlanta’s premier shopping locations with one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants. For more information on the Galleria Specialty Shops visit galleriaspecialtyshops.com.