Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center Hosts Tourism Day for Center for Independent Living of Broward

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The SMG-managed Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County
Convention Center recently welcomed members of the disability community to an all-day program on
Broward's tourism industry as part of the Center for Independent Living of Broward’s Leadership CIL
Broward program.

Attendees spent the day interacting with industry speakers and hearing presentations that covered
the key engines driving Broward’s tourism industry, including an overview of the Convention Center,
Broward County Convention and Visitors Bureau, destination and hotel management, and the port and
cruise industry.

Speakers representing the Convention Center included General Manager Mark Gatley, Deputy
Contract Administrator Carlos Puentes and Operations Manager Gerry Braud. Other speakers included
Vice President of Strategic Client Services of the Convention and Visitors Bureau Kelly Tortoriello,
General Manager of the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina and Board Member of the Convention and
Visitors Bureau Carlos M. Molinet, and Cruise Market Specialist at Port Everglades Jean Elie.

"The Convention Center team is deeply rooted in Broward's tourism industry," said Convention Center
Regional General Manager Mark Gatley. "We were pleased to share our knowledge with the Center
for Independent Living of Broward, and in return, we received valuable feedback and suggestions from
Leadership CIL Broward participants."

"The program presenters really connected with our group," said Danny Murphy, marketing consultant
for the Center for Independent Living of Broward. "Their interaction was fantastic. Broward County is
developed in its understanding of diversity and disability in particular, and the future appears very bright
for Broward's tourism industry."

About Leadership CIL Broward:
Leadership CIL Broward is the first leadership program of its kind nationwide with the objective to
create future advocates within the disability community. The program will build community leaders
with disabilities while simultaneously developing their personal and professional abilities. The Center
for Independent Living of Broward is a cross-disability advocacy organization, one of more than 700
throughout the nation, whose mission is to offer assistance to people with disabilities in fulfilling the
goals of independence and self-sufficiency. For more information, visit cilbroward.org.

About Broward County Convention Center:
The Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center is located on 17 acres at the
northern end of Port Everglades, the world’s second largest cruise port. It has been operated by SMG,
since 1989. For additional information on the Convention Center, call (954) 765-5900 or visit the facility
online at FtLauderdaleCC.com.

About SMG:
Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility services to 195 venues in 41 states, Puerto
Rico, Mexico, Canada and Europe, controls more than 1.5 million entertainment seats worldwide,
and manages more than 10 million feet of exhibition space. For additional company information, visit
smgworld.com.

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