Mary Bogert, the seemingly tireless general manager of Knoxville Convention Center, Worlds Fair Exposition Hall, Knoxville Civic Auditorium & Coliseum and Chilhowee Park—all Legends Global-managed venues—originally thought she was bound for a career behind an easel. She graduated from the Atlanta College of Art. Then she discovered the beauty of hospitality and her skill for leading.
Now she is leading an executive team filled with empowered women running four distinct venues from Assistant General Manager Misti Satterfield, Human Resources Manager Kristy Todd and Director of Food and Beverage Lynn Armstrong to Director of Finance Tiffany Reyes and Director of Sales Marketing and Event Services Kristi Sowards.
“I fell into hospitality working in restaurants during school,” she said. After a dozen years with Hyatt, she moved from Atlanta to Houston to Knoxville, Tennessee, and found that despite an initial plan to return to “the big city,” this was where she could be most effective.
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After the 2001 terrorist attacks and the change in ownership in 2007, she took on the general manager role and built a team as the operation expanded to include two more city buildings and all food and beverage operations.
“I have been influenced by amazing leaders—male and female—and I try to pay that forward,” she said.
One of the ways she has given back was by participating in starting a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) school in 2013. The impetus to take on this task was born at an event. Then-Mayor Bill Haslam (later Governor Haslam) made a speech at a Chamber gathering about the importance of education reform and she felt as if he were talking to her.
The result was Clayton-Bradley Academy, a parent-led program that started in 2013 with 77 students and has grown to 500 future contributors to society.
“Servant leadership needs to be part of everyone’s makeup,” she said. “It’s something I am passionate about.”
A Creative Challenge
Bogert still finds a need to call on her artistic tendencies. “I can’t tell you how frequently we have to be very creative,” she said.
Even her management style requires thinking out of the box, pushing the team to exercise their own innovative muscles. “Oh, my goodness, we’ve had a lot of fun doing chef tables and client parties,” she enthused. Bogert described times when she was in a back hallway painting a tarp with Edgar Allen Poe-styled ravens for National Poetry Month as an example of her artistic approach to events.
Building the Next Generation of Event Professionals
Bogert is constantly growing and developing the team. Every day at the office is different with diverse clients. She sees trade show planners at the convention center, entertainers and agents at the arena and community-centric social planners and citizens running spay and neuter clinics in between. “We plan citywides, but we also do everything that supports the community.”
When Bogert started, executive level management was predominantly male and women in leadership roles typically didn’t have families. “That has changed a lot,” she reported. She has seen more women getting their degrees, entering the industry, growing their careers and getting promoted. “Female leadership styles seem to offer a little bit more grace, more forgiveness and kindness,” she observed.
Bogert has been able to hire more young people out of college and helped them grow their careers. “A nurturing management style is very helpful. It allows people to feel like they’re part of a team and you care about them; It creates a more loyal employee.”
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Bogert believes if you hire the right people, give them the tools to do their job, empower them to make decisions and then get out of their way, they will actually improve the final product.
Security Changes
A lot has changed in the last 38 years, including expectations of what a venue offers in the way of security, F&B and technology.
“We’re having to grab our meeting planners by the hand and take them down the security road,” said Bogert. In the past, news of a shooting would be isolated and rare. Now, wherever there are crowds of people, we have to implement heightened security measures.” That includes metal detectors and bag checks at ticketed events, concerts and shows. “People expect that, and the venue is set up for that,” she said.
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Some days the job is harder than others. At a cosplay event in the convention center with 30,000 people, screening for weapons amid the fake guns and knives can be tricky.
Today’s meeting professionals also have to consider the costs associated with increased scrutiny but are becoming accustomed to it because it is the standard everywhere. “We want to protect ourselves, our attendees and, ultimately, our clients. Once we explain it that way, most are accepting,” Bogert reports. To streamline entry, Legends invested in upgraded technology that makes screening faster and takes on some of the financial burden.
Dining Upgrades
Food and beverage is something else that has come a long way since Bogert started. While she always avoided serving “chamber chicken” and tried to be creative, the bar has been set even higher. LEED-certified, locally sourced, farm-to-table, even herbs grown on site—Knoxville was an early adopter. “We were doing all of that back before it was cool,” she said. Her team is continuing to push the envelope on sustainable and biodegradable sourcing.
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Bogert worked extensively with HGTV and the Food Network when they were located in town and really enjoyed the innovative approaches to menus. The department also benefits from the proximity of University of Tennessee University’s culinary program in Knoxville’s backyard. The continuing education department hosts wine tastings with ideas for alternative menus and zero proof mocktails to satisfy modern preferences. All done with an eye to practicing the art of meeting at the highest levels.
