Long to-do list for World Congress Center boss

When Frank Poe takes the helm of the Georgia World Congress Center on April 1, he’ll have plenty of challenges to tackle.

The nation’s fourth-largest convention center is expected to finish fiscal 2010 in the red because of declining convention attendance and slumping demand by exhibitors for rental space.

Officials at the center laid off 27 staffers this month — the first staff reductions in more than five years — to help lessen the deficit.

And the nearby Georgia Dome, while in good physical shape, is one of the oldest professional football arenas in the country and will need to be replaced if the city wants to attract another Super Bowl, industry leaders say. To make that happen, Poe will have to negotiate a deal that will satisfy Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and legislators for the state, which owns the property.

On Tuesday, Poe, director of the Dallas Convention Center since 2004, was named executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The authority oversees operations of the GWCC, the Dome and Centennial Olympic Park.

He replaces longtime executive director Dan Graveline, who stepped down at the end of last year after more than three decades at the facility.

Poe, 59, said the GWCC is considered a “premier organization” in the industry and he made it clear to the board that he will stick around as long as it will have him.

“This is where I’m going to end my career,” he said.

Poe will receive a base salary of $240,000. He can earn a bonus of up to about 15 percent based on performance.

The GWCC campus is one of the biggest drivers of visitor numbers in metro Atlanta’s $11 billion hospitality industry.

The convention center, Dome and Centennial Olympic Park brought in 6.4 million visitors in fiscal 2009, the most recent figures available. Total economic impact from those visits was estimated at $2.2 billion, with tax revenue generated at $171 million.

The similarities between Dallas and Atlanta helped Poe land the job, said Bob Prather, who as chairman of the GWCCA will be Poe’s boss.

The cities have nearly identical populations and while the GWCC is bigger, the Dallas Convention Center has had mirror attendance and rental problems.

That helped Prather focus on how Poe would meet the changes in the industry.

“I told him it looks like it’s going to more meeting rooms [rentals] and less big open exhibit space,” Prather said. “We also talked to him about the challenges of stadium issues.

“The governor, by the way, asked him the same question, ‘What is your vision for the next five years?’ ” Prather said.

Others say Poe is eminently prepared.

Graveline, who has known Poe for years, said, “He’s a proven commodity, so he’ll offer a lot of stability. And he’ll bring some new ideas to the table. As good as we like to think we are in most things, somebody new can bring some fresh ideas and things we hadn’t thought about.”

Meet Frank Poe

Title: Director, Georgia World Congress Center. He begins April 1.

Hometown: Bloomington, Calif.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, political science and history, East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce)