COBB-MARIETTA COLISEUM & EXHIBIT HALL AUTHORITY MOURNS LOSS OF FOUNDING MEMBER TRAVIS DUKE

Outside of his work on the Authority, Duke was the owner of Benefit Design Group. He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in the 1970s and served on numerous community boards throughout the years. Those include the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Mable House, American Cancer Society, Cobb County Boys Club, Open Gate Children’s Shelter, Department of Family and Children’s Services, South Cobb High School, Kennesaw State University, The Georgian Club, Ridgeview Institute, Cobb Hospital, Barnett Banks of Georgia and many more.

Duke also was the recipient of numerous awards. In 2006 the assembly hall at the Center for Family Resources was named in his honor, he was named South Cobb Citizen of the Year in 1990, and he was the first recipient of the Mack Henderson Public Service Award given by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

EXHIBIT HALL SETS RECORD OCCUPANCY IN JANUARY

Cobb Galleria Centre set a record for January occupancy in 2008. The 76% occupancy was the best for the month of January since the convention center opened in 1994. The impressive numbers can be attributed to several new conventions – mPact Events, PMD Furniture Direct and Beauty Expo – in addition to returning January clients Elite Events (Georgia Bridal Show), Atlanta Apparel, Georgia Health Care Association, Reliv, Oildom Publishing and CareerBuilder. Cobb Galleria Centre thanks our repeat clients whose loyalty plays an integral part in our continuing success.

The Atlanta Ballet is the newest resident company at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The company will relocate most of its performances to the Centre beginning with the 2008-2009 season.

Managing Director Michael S. Taormina, CFE, said Atlanta Ballet’s decision to move its performances to Cobb Energy Centre speaks to the venue’s versatility and to its special niche among metropolitan Atlanta’s performance venues. “The Centre’s John A. Williams Theatre is uniquely suited for Atlanta Ballet performances,” he said.

“The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a world-class facility, where the artists of the Atlanta Ballet will shine brightly,” said John McFall, Artistic Director of Atlanta Ballet. “The Centre offers production capabilities that will provide us extraordinary artistic and creative opportunities.”

Atlanta Ballet currently performs at the Fox Theatre, and one performance during the 2007-2008 season, In the Upper Room, was held at the Cobb Energy Centre in March. The Company’s 2008-2009 season will run October 2008-May 2009 at Cobb Energy Centre, with Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker remaining at the Fox Theatre.

In 1995 he became the Sous Chef and then the Executive Chef at the Peachtree Club in midtown Atlanta, and during that time he earned his Chef de Cuisine Certification from the American Culinary Federation. He followed with stints as Executive Chef at the Capital Plaza Hotel and Carole Parks Catering and even ran his own catering business.

In his four years in charge of kitchen operations at Cobb Galleria Centre, Maddox has won three bronze medals in culinary competitions sponsored by the American Culinary Federation. While working in a convention center can sometimes mean 16 or 20-hour work days because he is on site anytime there is a food function, Maddox said he enjoys the mental and physical challenges of the job.

“This has been one of the best culinary jobs I’ve ever had, not only professionally but personally,” Maddox said. “I love the challenge. It’s a great vehicle for my energy. It’s very challenging to take a small-scale dish and replicate it for a large-scale audience, and when you can do that, it’s very satisfying.”

Also satisfying for Maddox is having the flexibility to spend time with his family. “I’m one of those, ‘sit around the table and eat with your family’ kind of people,” he said, adding that his family is the most important part of his life. Maddox, his wife, 8-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter live in Tucker.

The Galleria Specialty Mall, located in the center court of Cobb Galleria Centre, will soon feature artwork designed by students and faculty from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) Atlanta.

Four dramatic sculptures, some as large as 10-feet long, will hang from the rafters of center court beginning in April. The sculptures – abstract interpretations of aerial flight – were originally commissioned by the Home & Design Show held at Cobb Galleria Centre in February as part of an art contest sponsored by the show. The artwork is being “reskinned” for permanent display in the mall.

Led by Sculpture Department Chair Susan Krause, the all-white sculptures began as a lighting assignment in the Interior Design Department and then were manufactured by the Sculpture Department. “It was a real collaboration of a lot of faculty and students,” said SCAD Atlanta Director of Academic Initiatives David R. Foote.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM

Cobb Galleria Centre was proud to welcome Oildom Publishing’s Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) in January. Three thousand professionals in the underground utility construction and rehabilitation industry – including general contractors, municipal government owners of utilities, engineers and manufacturers – attended the conference at Cobb Galleria Centre.

“We chose Atlanta because it is the hotspot for activity in our industry right now with more than $4 billion in sewer and water projects,” said Robert Carpenter, editor at Oildom Publishing.

Previously at the Cobb Galleria Centre in 2006, Carpenter said they returned because they had a good experience. “We like this facility because it’s a great fit for us. It’s very convenient having the Renaissance Waverly, the Sheraton, the Embassy Suites and the other hotels so close by. It’s a very convenient area. Our attendees like everything being on the same floor. We can eat here or downstairs in the Galleria Specialty Mall, or there are several options right out the door. There are a lot of things to do here, and it’s an upscale area.”