FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gateway Center Arena @ College Park Names Arena Manager
Yanous Barner will manage forthcoming Arena, slated for fall 2019 debut
College Park, GA (June 28, 2019) – Yanous Barner, Operations Superintendent for the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) for more than 16 years, has officially been named Arena Manager for The Gateway Center Arena @ College Park, set to open its doors this fall as home the College Park SkyHawks – the Atlanta Hawks G-league basketball team. With a 30-year career in the hospitality industry, Barner has spent 22 years of those years working in hotel food and beverage, holding positions as food and beverage director, assistant banquet manager, convention service manager, restaurant manager, room service manager and sales support.
Active in the community, he has served as a board member with Atlanta Technical College Hospitality Board advocating for the continued growth of adult education. He is currently an active board member of the Old National Merchant Association, the Camp Creek Business Association and the Cascade Business Association, committed to creating and maintaining sustainable businesses for the Southside community as a whole. Barner is also a member of International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM).
As Arena manager, Barner will direct and schedule all operational aspects, including engineering, technical services, security, maintenance, custodial and contracted services. He will be responsible for the capital budget, the implementation of the business blueprint, personnel, sales and marketing goals, risk management and compliance, as well as attendance and revenue projections.
Earlier this month, the Arena announced its partnership with The Fox Theatre as the venue’s exclusive booking, marketing and consulting partner.
“Yanous is an astute hospitality professional. When it was confirmed that College Park would be building the new Arena, I set my sights on Mr. Barner as he totally grasps our concept here,” explains executive director of the GICC, Mercedes Miller. “He has great rapport with not only our clients, but also with staff. He was the natural choice to step in and manage the new facility.”
About the Georgia International Convention Center
The Georgia International Convention Center is the second largest convention center in Georgia, uniquely positioned to offer its guests and clients unprecedented convenience for conferences, expositions, convocations and more. Directly connected to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport via the ATL SkyTrain, the GICC is the world’s only convention center with such access, set alongside three hotels, class-A office space, the BMW Training Center and the forthcoming Gateway Center Arena @ College Park, set to open in fall 2019. The GICC is located at 2000 Convention Center Concourse, College Park, GA 30337. For more information, please visit www.gicc.com.
About College Park:
Encompassing 11.1 square miles, College Park is home to the world headquarters of Chick-fil-A, the most traveled airport worldwide in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and has the largest and one of the most prestigious K-12 private schools in the continental United States – Woodward Academy. College Park has one of Georgia’s most vibrant historical communities, while the city moves boldly ahead in new technologies and alternative fuel and energy platforms. College Park’s progressive mission focuses on economic development, hospitality and entertainment. The city-operated Georgia International Convention Center boasts the largest ballroom in the state of Georgia, and a new multipurpose arena to be built next door is slated to open this fall as the home court for the Atlanta Hawks’ Developmental League team, the College Park SkyHawks.
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