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 Krista Daniel, CMP
Director of Event Services,
Washington State Convention Center
A banquet for 4,000 association meeting delegates? No problem. Crowd management of 10,000 consumer show attendees in a single day? Seamless. Meetings and conventions attract thousands and pump millions of dollars into the regional economy each year. But for Krista Daniel, volume business is just business-as-usual.
What does your job entail?
I oversee the direct client interaction and the experience of our convention attendees. We make sure the event is serviced as promised. Actually, we look for ways to exceed their expectations.
How many people and departments do you oversee?
I manage 132 full-time and on-call staff from three different departments, who include admission attendants who provide front line customer service, transportation attendants who manage 18 truck bays at our two loading docks and the set-up department staff which provides equipment installation and facility cleaning during events.
What are some of the challenges of your job?
You need to know a little about a lot of things, from electrical service to food service. When you have one show moving in and another moving out, you have to balance the needs of both. I want to make sure that each event feels valued, regardless of other event activity or whether they are a large or small show.
How far in advance of a meeting do you work?
Three to six months ahead, sometimes a year in advance. Still, things turn on a dime and you’ve got to be flexible. We can have room set changes for 5,000 people with just a couple of hours notice. It’s show business. There’s a lot of moving parts.
Why do meetings and conventions matter?
So much event activity contained inside the center is not visible to the average person. But when you think about the economic impact associated with services and entertainment for thousands of national convention-goers — from taxis to dining, tours, AV contractors, freight servicing companies, décor suppliers, food growers — that’s all local. Businesses can be made or broken based on that activity.
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