Mr. O'Neal is Chairman and co-founder of Conventional Wisdom Corp. As an advisor to designers, builders, and governmental owners, he has helped develop strategic implementation plans, operational design criteria, review management practices, policies, and procedures; and analyze facility markets. He has served as a strategic planning and programming consultant to the major convention centers in Boston, Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, and Seoul. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, where he oversaw two expansion projects and developed the master plan for two additional expansion phases, bringing that facility to 1.1 million square feet of exhibition space.
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Education Professional Affiliations Asia
Pacific Exhibition and Convention Council
One
of the leaders of the Feasibility, Programming and Design team
for a new telecommunications center, funded by the State of Mississippi,
and placed in the home of Worldcom and a new Nissan truck assembly
plant. The Telcom Center will serve as a multimedia center to
support the training activities of three distinct market segments:
local and regional businesses, educational institutions, and the
meetings/convention industry. The facility is designed to become
integrated with the first phase of the planned Jackson Convention
Center, and will serve as its technological hub.
Provided organizational, logistical and legislative input for the development and operation of the convention center district. The 100-acre district is a mixed-use development containing a 500,000 square foot convention center, 1,600 hotel rooms, a World Trade Center, commercial, retail, office and residential spaces. The first phase of the project combines $450 million in public and private investment and is underconstruction. Subsequent phases will permit the tripling of the areas contained within the initial phase. .
Administrator of one of the nation's largest and most-successful convention centers. Initiated and implemented long-range facility planning and programming; which increased the size of the convention center to over one million square feet of exhibition space. Established innovative marketing and promotional strategies; set new industry standards for quality and levels of client servicing, staff development, lease agreement terms, pricing for space, personnel, and services. Created and revised organizational structure, lead facility master plan programming, provided direction to design and construction teams as project director during two expansion phases.
Headed
a multi-disciplined consulting team that produced an implementation
plan that included a complete market and economic assessment,
operating proformas for the three public assembly facilities located
in the County, updated tax collection projections, provided financing
strategies and alternatives, established programmatic, cost and
schedule information, and created a public/private partnership
process that caused the development of a 500,000-square-foot convention
center along with an 800-room headquarters hotel. Development
teams were solicited to provide the land for the hotel, convention
center, parking and future expansion. The County provided funds
to cover the cost of building the convention center. The Development
teams were given the option of constructing and operating the
convention center. This innovative approach was one that could
only work within a few selected markets nationwide.
Directed consulting team comprised of twenty firms charged with performing a multi-disciplined development plan for a new convention and exhibition center for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Boston. The two-phased report discussed market, economic, site, facility, community, financing, construction and operating strategies. The 1.8 million square foot center includes 600,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 60,000 square foot ballroom, 175,000 square feet of additional meeting space and parking for 2,000 cars.ers for lighting, audio/visual and telecommunications.
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Project
Experience
Project
Executive
Phoenix
Civic Plaza
Project Executive
Osceola
County Convention Center
Project Executive
Mississippi
State Teleconference Center
Operations and Marketing Consultant
Virginia Beach Convention Center
Operations and Marketing Consultant
Greater
Tacoma Convention & Trade Center
Operations and Marketing Consultant
Connecticut Convention Center
Operations and Marketing Consultant
Corpus Christi Convention Center
Operations and Marketing Consultant
Dallas Convention Center
Project Executive
Koyang
International Exhibition Center
Project Executive
Puerto
Rico Trade & Convention Center
Project Executive
Austin
Convention Center
Project Executive
Boston
Convention & Exhibition Center
Provided strategic development and planning assistance for the new convention center located adjacent to the University of Washington - Tacoma, in the revitalized Thea Foss waterfront area. In addition to facility planning and design review, CW has provided an extensive list of management support services for the new facility including organizational and staffing analysis, marketing assistance, operational policies and procedures, pricing strategies and competitive analysis.
Led a nine-firm, multi-disciplined consulting team to study the various site and configuration alternatives for the long-term expansion of the Phoenix Civic Plaza. The viable project alternatives had to meet pre-determined criteria for program space, expandability, project budget, and phasing, at minimal disruption to clients, surrounding developments and the hospitality infrastructure that depends upon the operation of the facility. The Consulting Team included all past work and studies, as well as new information in preparing the alternatives. The information was presented in a logical progression that allowed all parties to make informed decisions. The team interacted on a regular basis over a one-year period with City staff members, community leaders, elected officials, various user groups and clients, and representatives of the hospitality community to discuss the alternatives available to meet the project criteria and build a consensus. Through this process, unanimous support was given to the master plan documents and the implementation strategy that accompanied them.