SMG Renews Partnership with DRCFA and Cobo Center

Continuing a long-standing relationship between SMG and the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA), the authority has approved renewal of SMG, the world’s leading convention center management firm, to continue operational management of Cobo Center for another three-year term. 

“We are pleased to have finalized this agreement with the authority,” said Claude Molinari, general manager of Cobo Center for SMG. “We’ve come a long way in rebuilding the brand, reputation and operations of Cobo Center and look forward to continuing in the next chapter of Detroit’s historic comeback.” 

The DRCFA first entered into a contract with SMG to manage center operations in 2010, prior to the start of the facility’s recently completed $279 million renovation. Remaining open during the five-year construction period, the SMG operations team rebuilt the business model, resulting in a $20 million reduction in operating deficit, quadrupled the number of major events held annually in the center, and completed a transformation of the customer experience to one that is “centered around you,” the new tagline of the brand. More info here