FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — ASM Global has appointed industry veteran Charles Beirne as general manager of the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
Beirne has worked with the company since 2006, most recently as general manager of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in California.
His joining comes as a $1.3 billion expansion project is well underway at the all-new Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
“After overseeing a $60 million capital improvement project at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Charlie is the perfect candidate to manage the exciting new expansion at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center,” said ASM Global executive vice president, convention centers, Bob McClintock. “He also led the opening of the Irving Convention Center in Las Colinas, so he is uniquely qualified to bring his expertise to this vital development project in Broward County.”
Beirne also served as the general manager of the Atlantic City Convention Center, a position he held from 2006 to 2012. As general manager of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center since 2012, Beirne spearheaded an expansion project that featured the renovation of the 13,500-seat arena.
“I am deeply honored for this next-step opportunity in my ASM career, one that will allow me to move back to the East Coast where I started my career,” Beirne said. “I look forward to working closely with our clients and municipal partners in Broward County to support the hospitality community and provide customized solutions that are the hallmark of ASM. I’m excited to work with Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, and our convention center leadership team to leverage ASM Global’s industry-leading innovations to deliver exceptional experiences for organizers, attendees, and exhibitors.”
“Our convention center expansion makes Greater Fort Lauderdale highly competitive in the national meetings landscape, and we are delighted to be working with Charlie as we move toward the project’s completion in 2025,” said Ritter. “His experience with expansion projects and openings of major convention centers is the perfect complement to our sales and marketing teams, and we’re all excited to welcome him to the destination.”
Expansion highlights include:
- An extension of the main exhibit hall for a total of 350,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space
- A new 65,000-square-foot ballroom facing the Intracoastal Waterway
- An additional 50,000 square feet of flexible meeting space to accommodate multiple event or breakouts
- An 800-room connecting headquarter hotel operated by Omni Hotels
- Multiple upgrades including forward-thinking technologies, new dining concepts, multipurpose pre-function space, and modern décor
- A waterfront plaza with multiple group event spaces
- Gold certification from Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)
