Baltimore City Wire

Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced he is nominating Matthew "Mac" Campbell, CVP to serve as the executive director of the Baltimore Convention Center. Campbell, a certified venue professional, spent ten years at the Baltimore Convention Center - first as Director of Client Services from 2012 to 2017 and then as Deputy Director from July 2017 to November 2021. For the last 13 months, Campbell served Vice President of Operations at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland.

"I am excited to welcome Mac back to Baltimore and look forward to seeing him lead the Baltimore Convention Center," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "Coming out of the pandemic, it's clear that our city's tourism industry is bouncing back better than ever and it's important that someone with Mac's experience and innovative approach to venue management be here to keep the momentum going."

During his time as Director of Client Services for the Baltimore Convention Center, Campbell was responsible for developing, leading, and managing the Convention Center's largest division, which manages logistics for setting up and breaking down events. In this role he implemented new building greening and cleaning programs. As Deputy Director of the Convention Center, Campbell helped develop and manage the Convention Center's $21.3 million budget while leading a senior leadership team responsible for the facility's daily operations as well as ongoing sales and promotion activity. Campbell also served as the primary liaison between the Convention Center and members of the International Alliance for Stage and Theatrical Employees (IATSE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) unions. Campbell also played a major role in driving the Convention Center's economic development impact to the community by maximizing the utilization of space to allow for over 120 additional conventions and meetings to be hosted at the Convention Center, which represented more than $70 million of economic impact to the City of Baltimore and State of Maryland.

Campbell is replacing Peggy Daidakis, who retired in September after 44 years with the Baltimore Convention Center. In 1978, Daidakis was appointed by then Mayor Donald Schaefer to be part of the team that opened the convention center in 1979. In July 1986, Daidakis was appointed by Mayor Clarence "Du" Burns as the first female director of a national convention center and was instrumental in planning the Convention Center's expansion, which tripled its size to be the largest public assembly meetings and exhibition venue in the State of Maryland attracting upwards of 500,000 visitors annually. Campbell credits Daidakis with teaching him a lot about the business and is excited to build upon Daidakis' legacy.

"The Baltimore Convention Center is not just a major part of the tourism industry here in Baltimore, it's a major player in the economic engine that drives Maryland," Campbell said. "Through this venue, we have the potential to create jobs for local residents and help business and leisure travelers see just how wonderful of a city Baltimore truly is. I'm thrilled to have an opportunity to take the torch from Peggy and lead the charge to really showcase and expand the work happening to make this jewel of Baltimore shine even brighter."

Campbell earned his Bachelor of Arts from Elon University in 2005 and became a Certified Venue Professional in 2016.

Original source can be found here.