2019, WHAT A
YEAR
1
YEAR IN
REVIEW
All hands on deck.
What does it take to bring home the best? A group effort and every single one of our amazing employees—some of the very best in the industry.
Here are just a few highlights from our best year yet:
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Reached the largest gross revenue in our 17 year history
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Executive Chef, Tim Freeman, joined our culinary team
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Generated record breaking revenue in audio visual
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Enhanced the outdoor landscape with florals
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Named Best Small Convention Center in North America by EXHIBITOR Magazine
"Our vision statement is to 'be the best…that’s it,' and our employees are why we were named the best by EXHIBITOR Magazine. Everyday they live our core values of relationships, integrity, stewardship and excellence. We are family, not coworkers. We have friends, not clients. We welcome guests, not react to patrons. We are Overland Park and this is the Overland Park way."
- Brett C. Mitchell, General Manager
Overland Park Convention Center
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Brett C. Mitchell, General Manager
HAPPY
CLIENTS
Excellence
2
CLIENT
SURVEYS
A close up of 'Chouteau Bridge' by John English, an oil on canvas installed in 2019 at the convention center.
What can we say?
We love our clients and they seem to love us back. See what they have to say about their events with us.
"The experience at Overland Park Convention Center always exceeds my (high) expectations. National speakers rave about the food. Guests' special requests at a multi-day conference are magicked into being. Wi-fi, oh, the glorious wi-fi! All the while I enjoy clear communication from the staff and their teams, and a venue that is clean and comfortable with inclusive amenities you don't find anywhere else. They make me look good and I never hesitate to recommend them for an event. It just doesn't get any better than the Overland Park Convention Center."
- Tracy Nice, Owner/Event Specialist
Stancy Events
Tracy Nice, Stancy Events
SIGNATURE
EVENTS
It's been a busy year.
In 2019, the convention center welcomed new and repeat events to Overland Park.
Here are just a few featured events that impacted the city.
3
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"It's not a job, it's something we are passionate about. We want to make every event individual and unique, and provide all of our clients with excellent customer service. We are willing to do whatever it takes to make an event a success and an experience people remember."
- Scott Riesterer, Director of Events & AV
Overland Park Convention Center
NOTE-
ABLE
EVENTS
LET'S TALK
FIGURES
4
ACTUALS
Recipe for success.
In partnership with our city officials, clients, visitors and the hospitality community, we have generated the largest gross revenue in our 17 year history, over $13 million.
Mmm, now that tastes good!
Number of Events
Attendance
Total Revenue
Total Expense
313
385,596
$13,744,089
$(12,897,621)
Event Mix
Room Nights
Income
"The main focus is booking conventions and destination business that will bring economic impact for the City of Overland Park. Our sales team is great about strategizing all of our business and proper placement. It is like a jigsaw puzzle, you have to have the right mix of events and figure out what fits best where, it’s all about balance. That is why we continue to surpass revenue year after year."
- Tracy Roberts, Director of Sales & Marketing
Overland Park Convention Center
Tracy Roberts, Director of Sales & Marketing
"We have highly qualified, intelligent and educated people from the top down. It's attention to detail, there's no guessing when it comes to our team."
- John Healy, AV Technician
Overland Park Convention Center
Another record breaking year.
It's been a busy year for audio visual with $1.4 million in revenue. Excellent service, a great team and a product that can be trusted...that's what keeps our clients coming back year after year.
Now that's music to our ears.
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John Healy, Audio Visual Technician
SET THE SCENE
AUDIO VISUAL
REVENUE
5
Change tastes good!
In 2019, we welcomed Executive Chef, Tim Freeman. And with a new chef comes innovation and new cuisine.
Check out some of our new favorite dishes.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
MENU
6
TASTY
UPDATES
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"Cooking at a high level is as much about people as it is about food. What makes us the best is the care and respect for each other like a close knit family. We pick each other up, encourage each other, and hold each other accountable. Accountability is what drives performance, and performance drives results."
- Executive Chef, Tim Freeman
Overland Park Convention Center
Executive Chef, Tim Freeman
Beauty inside and out.
With little modification done to the venue's grounds since opening, one could say the landscape came with the building. This changed in 2019 with the addition of beautiful perennials and elegant, robust flower pots.
Bringing a new definition to the phrase "Bloom where you are planted."
"We decided to beautify the landscape, something that would add to the client experience and enhance the building. We worked with several designers, went through several designs and we finally found one that we liked best. They did a fantastic job."
- George Middleton, Director of Operations
Overland Park Convention Center
George Middleton, Director of Operations
OUTDOOR
SPACE
7
EFFICIENT
EVENTS
EVENT SERVICES
Full-time efficiency.
With reduced reliance on contracted event staffing, efficiency has gone up and so have savings—$24,490 in event labor savings to be exact.
That means more knowledgeable, reliable hands on deck when you need it most.
8
New, sleek buffet tables and modern, oversized buffet decor were purchased in 2019 to enhance food and beverage set up, as well as the overall look and feel of events.
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EVENT SERVICES
Tracey Jones, Event Services Manager
"Our full-timers are well- trained, efficient and don't require a lot of supervision. We like the building, we like what we do here and we like our reputation, so we stick around. We take pride in what we do and we get it done right."
- Tracey Jones, Event Services Manager
Overland Park Convention Center
9
CHARITABLE
INVOLVEMENT
A heart for the community.
We are proud to serve not only our local community, but the greater Kansas City area.
In 2019, we had our biggest collection year yet with 3,000 toys and $6,190 in monetary donations for Toys for Tots. We couldn't be more proud.
See what other organizations we were involved in.
"If all of my organizations in eastern Kansas were as supportive as the convention center for Toys for Toys, we would be knocking it out of the park. They are the largest collection site in the area and we couldn't be more grateful for them—they are the very best in all that they do."
- Bill Clinton, Eastern Kansas Coordinator
Marines Toys for Tots
GIVING
BACK
BE THE
BEST... THAT'S IT
Have You Heard?
We've been named the Best Small Convention Center in North America by EXHIBITOR Magazine and we couldn't be more thrilled! Learn more about this award and others.
AWARDS &
RECOGNITION
10
"2019 was an exceptional year for the award-winning Overland Park Convention Center. OPCC rounded out the year with an industry honor like no other. Another well-deserved achievement that highlights the true excellence of the OPCC staff members. There’s no question that this accommodating facility exemplifies what a community expects from a good neighborhood partner, which is a nationally recognized venue located right in our own backyard. I know we can look forward to continuing success and service in the years to come."
- Carl Gerlach, Mayor
Overland Park
COLLAB-ORATE
"The Overland Park team led by Brett Mitchell prides itself on two key metrics; customer service and the guest experience. As a partner of the convention center we value the long standing relationship Fern has with OPCC and wish them continued success."
- Jim Kelley, VP of Marketing
Fern Expo
GOOD,
BETTER,
BEST-EST?
FUTURE
OUTLOOK
What's in the future?
We can't wait to show you what our venue has to offer. Book your next event with us and see for yourself what makes us the Best Small Convention in North America.
Feel free to give us a call or submit your information, we'd love to chat with you!
