DETROIT — Three industry leaders guide the Huntington Square Detroit Convention Center, and all of them are women, making it the only convention center in the United States where women hold top management positions.
Karen Totaro, CVE, General Manager, and Becky Bixby, Deputy General Manager, hold the two most senior positions within operations at Huntington Place, while Lisa Canada is chair of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA), which has operational control of Huntington Place.
From top to bottom, women lead at Huntington Place, with 17 of the 35 leadership positions held by women, underscoring the institution’s focus on a diverse and inclusive work environment. Having three female executives at one institution is a significant achievement, as Report from the United States Bureau of Labor Statisticsm that women held only 21% of all facilities management positions in the United States in 2021.
Totaro is a recognized industry leader and previously held leadership roles at convention centers in San Diego, Atlantic City, Portland and Cincinnati before taking the role of General Manager at Huntington Place in April 2021.
“I feel like I’ve climbed a mountain and now I can help more women get back up. It’s such a joy to see the young women I’ve mentored start to take flight. I feel so much pride and hope for their futures,” Totaro said.
Bixby is responsible for day-to-day operations, which include leading LEED certification, sustainability initiatives, and establishing safety and security measures across multiple departments.
““It’s a huge honor to have this opportunity and it shows how much the industry has evolved in the last few years,” Bixby said. “I really appreciate all the women who have come before me and are currently in positions. It’s an exciting time and I hope to pave the way for others to come.”
Additionally, for the first time since its creation in 2009, the DRCFA has three out of five positions held by women, including Canada, who has more than 20 years of experience working with the union world, politics and government affairs.
“We (DRCFA) are driven by the need to create the conditions for success at the centre and community level,” Canada said. “It takes compromise, tenacity and organic leadership to achieve goals on time. The importance of the task at hand shapes our leadership.”
Cultivating a high-performing and diverse team
The gender equity seen at Huntington Place is partly due to the rehiring process that followed the pandemic-induced closures, which was guided by the belief that inclusive and equitable teams perform best.
“Having voices heard that weren’t represented before helps cultivate new ideas and new ways of looking at things,” Bixby said. “It brings a fresh approach to convention center management. Sometimes a fresh perspective is exactly what it takes to make a difference. We live in a world that’s constantly changing, so it’s critical to have people with different experiences heard.”
The women-led convention center is expecting a strong fall season, with some shows reaching pre-COVID numbers and the return of the North American International Auto Show. “We just broke records in May and we’re expecting to break records in June,” Totaro said. “It’s been incredible. We base this success on the trust we’ve earned from our customers, our flexibility and, most importantly, our ability to deliver in a big way.”