Recently, the Ole Seagull did a series of articles on Angie Teel, the General Manager of the Branson Convention Center. As part of his due diligence, he came across a 2020 Facebook post by Teel in which she said, “So excited today. It’s been a year in the making. World, meet the new Cox Business Convention Center! Diverse City, Diverse Crowds, Diverse Spaces Today we celebrate TULSA.”
The city of Branson is currently conducting a feasibility study on expanding the Branson Convention Center. The post seemed connected to a celebration that Teel was involved with four years ago at a convention center in Tulsa. Because, in an Ole Seagull’s opinion, an expansion of the Branson Convention Center is going to start with Teel as the convention center’s manager, he thought a deeper look into what happened when the “World met the new Cox Business and Convention Center” in Tulsa would be appropriate.
In checking on the context of the post, he discovered that on the day before Teel’s post, the Convention Center had published a release on their site entitled, “TULSA’S CONVENTION CENTER REBRANDS TO COMMUNICATE VENUE’S GOALS AND DIVERSITY. Among other things, it said, “Tulsa’s Convention Center has been known by various names since opening its doors over five decades ago, and now the venue announces a new name to better communicate its goals and diversity. Cox Business Convention Center (CBCC) debuts today after a year-long rebrand, and with the new name comes a visual look to solidify its role in the city and place Tulsa as a must-stop destination for meetings and events.” It continued, “Both the renovation and the addition of ‘convention’ in the venue’s name are part of our goal of making Tulsa a strong contender when it comes to state and national events and to further contribute to the city’s overall economic impact,” said Assistant General Manager Angie Teel, CMP. “The rebrand campaign slogan is ‘Diverse City, Diverse Crowds, Diverse Spaces’ and this captures not only the essences of the venue, but the ever-growing spirit of Tulsa.”
He wondered how successful the Cox Business Convention Center had been since its rebranding and came across a 2022 article. It said, “The Cox Business Convention Center (CBCC) has been honored as one of North America’s best convention article for trade shows and corporate events for the third year in a row. Out of more than 100 venues, CBCC placed among the highest qualified facilities in EXHIBITOR Magazine’s Centers of Excellence list.”
Teel has been in Branson for a relatively short time, but the Ole Seagull thought to himself, “Wow, the assistant manager must have had something to do with that success. “How blessed and lucky Branson is to have someone of her caliber to help expand our convention center and take it to new heights of success.
But it goes beyond mere professional competence. Her answers to a couple of questions the Ole Seagull asked her during the interview for the articles show him a spirit in lockstep with the values Branson holds dear.
When asked, “What do you enjoy most about being the manager of the Branson Convention Center?” she replied, “It’s not just the building but the people… Everybody’s just been so welcoming… It’s not like that in a lot of cities. They see the convention center as a loss leader, and it kind of just sits over there, and they just have to figure out how to fund it… but with this property, you can really feel the community support behind it.”
Her reply to the question, “What advice would you give someone looking to enter Venue Management?” was remarkable and touched an Ole Seagull. She didn’t just spout off a list of list technical and professional qualifications.
Instead, she spoke from the heart, saying, “When I first entered the industry, I jumped in with both feet. It was incredibly overwhelming. I missed the time with my husband and with my kids. Then, as I got older and wiser, I realized that what’s important is spending time with my family, not necessarily the work I do. There’s always somebody that can replace me at work, but there’s no one that can replace me at home. So make sure that you understand that balance and fight for what it means to you.”
As we move forward with the expansion of the convention center an Ole Seagull is so happy that Branson is fortunate enough to have someone of Angie’s professional ability and Branson spirit on the team to help us make the Branson Convention Center all it can be.
“Now hold on Seagull, the study is still in process yet and you talk like the expansion of the Convention Center is a done deal, but it isn’t, is it?” “Surely that’s a rhetorical question?”
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