Thom Connors Named General Manager of New Irving Convention Center

The announcement was made by Pennsylvania-based SMG, a leader in facility management.  SMG will be the center's operator under the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau's (CVB) direction, and will share sales and marketing responsibilities for the facility with the CVB staff.

Connors will continue to serve as SMG’s regional vice president, which includes overseeing business operations in Puerto Rico, where he most recently served as the general manager of the Puerto Rico Convention Center.

Connors, a 35-year industry veteran, joined SMG in 1982. In Puerto Rico he was responsible for starting up SMG's Latin American division, which now includes facilities in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Chile, as well as catering and concessions operations in Puerto Rico.

Prior to moving to Puerto Rico, Connors was senior vice president of SMG's Convention Center Division, following assignments as southeast regional vice president and director of development of SMG Europe.  In 2005 and 2006, Connors was named “One of the 100 Most Influential People in the Industry” by Trade Show Week magazine.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to provide the Irving Convention Center and the Irving CVB with such a knowledgeable and experienced General Manager,” said Wes Westley, president and CEO of SMG. “We are certain that Thom will be an invaluable resource, a committed leader, and a welcome addition to the Irving community.”

Connors has a long history with this major project in Irving, having served as the lead consultant for SMG during the original development planning that began in 1999.

“Thom has been part of the vision for this project from its first phases, nearly 10 years ago,” said Maura Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau.  “The select of a top-level executive to oversee the Irving Convention Center further reinforces SMG’s commitment and strong belief in this new type of meeting environment.”

Designed as a multi-functional building with high-end touches, the 275,000 square-foot Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas takes a bold new design direction in a landscape of traditionally “institutional” facilities.

The center includes a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall; a 20,000 square-foot ballroom; and 20 meeting rooms of approximately 1,000 square feet each. Clad entirely in a natural copper, the building stands approximately 130’ high, the equivalent of a 13-story building, with the grand ballroom on the top floor offering panoramic views of the area’s skylines. 

The facility is registered for LEED certification, and incorporates a number of unique sustainability features, including the use of water from nearby Lake Carolyn for the building’s greywater needs. Designed by New Jersey-based RMJM Hillier, the project’s architecture has already won a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architecture. 

In addition, Las Colinas Association Architectural Control Committee recently presented the Irving Convention Center its 2009 Award for Excellence in Project Design. The award promotes the values in design, construction and architectural enhancement to the Las Colinas Community.

“As in our experience in Puerto Rico, we again have a chance to bring to the market a project we had the privilege of working with in the conceptual and design stages” Connors stated. “The Irving center will be a prototype for future facilities in terms of scale, flexibility, design and internal service capability.

“It is an exciting addition to the competitive landscape and will be a unique product in the marketplace.  The longer-term development goals of the City will provide ideal synergies to create a very marketable 'destination within the destination'."