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Karen Totaro
On Sept. 9, Karen Totaro says goodbye to the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center, which she has helmed for Spectra Venue Management for the past several years. On Sept. 30, she begins her new job as senior vice president and general manager of the San Diego Convention Center. Totaro will report to Clifford (Rip) Rippetoe, president and CEO of SDCC.
Fran Rodowicz, who also manages Boardwalk Hall for Spectra in Atlantic City, will be the interim manager there.
Two other East Coasters are also making a change Sept. 30. Bob Beatty, who has spent 43.5 years in the box office at Madison Square Garden, New York, has seen it all. Now he is retiring, effective October 1, 2016. Beatty, who is currently SVP-Ticket Operations at MSG, was just named 2016 Box Office Professional by the International Ticketing Association (INTIX).
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Bob Beatty
"My right hand man, Mark Rasmussen, VP, MSG Box Office, will take over," Beatty said. Rasmussen has been with Madison Square Garden for 39 years in various rolls. Beatty and Rasmussen have worked together in ticketing for over 35 years.
Asked the highlight of his decades at MSG, Beatty was hard pressed to name one, but finally said, “the New York Rangers winning the Stanley Cup in 1994 and the Papal mass with Pope Francis in 2015.”
Alex Diaz, current GM of Madison Square Garden, also confirmed he is leaving at the end of September. Rich Claffey has been named the new GM (VT Pulse, Aug. 17, 2016).
Meanwhile, Totaro, who just stepped down from her role as chairman of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) in July during VenueConnect in Minneapolis, told Venues Today she has known Rippetoe through that organization for years, both through the International Convention Center Conference and committee work. SDCC is a premier building with 74 percent occupancy and great opportunity, Totaro said with enthusiasm.
She flew to San Diego shortly after Minneapolis and spent two days in the interview. “I’m a big believer in signs,” Totaro said. After a great interview and a great dinner, Rippetoe called and offered Totaro the position on the spot and at that moment, the San Diego Symphony was playing below her hotel balcony and fireworks lit the sky.
Prior to Atlantic City, Totaro was assistant general manager at the Duke Energy Convention Center, Cincinnati. Before that, she served as the assistant executive director at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland for nine years and the associate director at the University of Dayton (Ohio) Arena for five years. Totaro started in the business at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana as the marketing manager for the Assembly Hall Arena.
In the summer of 2015, Totaro was named a "Woman of Influence" by Venues Today and was the cover story of FM (Facility Manager) Magazine with an article on "Leadership." In 2016, she was awarded the "Elite Award" from Facilities and Destination Magazine for making a difference in the meetings industry. Most recently, Totaro was highlighted in Facilities & Destination Magazine on the "F & D A-List of Top 12 Women Convention Center Executives."
