Spring has been an exciting time at the Oncenter Complex! Our buildings have been full of entertainment, celebrities and new business. We were excited to host six playoff games for the Syracuse Crunch - it was their best season ever and we are so proud of them. The community truly rallied around every game. We are already looking forward to next season.

We also hosted the 32nd annual Hiawatha Council BoyPower dinner, where more than 1800 supporters attended, and we welcomed Don Shula as the guest speaker. Governor David Paterson visited the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center for the first time for the Metropolitan Development Association luncheon.

I served on the Governor's 2008 Tourism Conference that was held in Lake George in May. The "I Love New York" campaign was redeveloped, updated and re-launched at the conference. There are new variations of the "I Love New York" logo, which will be previewed in upcoming advertising.

Probably one of the things we are most excited about is the pending hotel financing; it looks promising that the county will fill the financial gap of $10 million and the developer, Wilmorite, will break ground this summer for a 365-room Westin Hotel. A significant amount of time and effort went into securing the financing and I would like to thank all the Oncenter Board of Directors, the County Executive's office and the County Legislature's office for the continued efforts to make this a reality.

Sandy Baker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, will be receiving a distinguished award at the upcoming Women in Business luncheon by the CNY Business Journal. We are very happy and proud of her accomplishments.

Business has been very strong during the first and second quarter. Total Operating Revenue is up 24% over last year and we feel very confident that booking will stay strong for the remaining part of 2008 for another stable and productive year.

Enjoy your summer - hope to see you here soon!

As proud residents of the "Emerald City," the 17th greenest city in the United States, we at the Oncenter feel a strong connection to green practices and technology.

Lately we have taken even greater strides than before toward incorporating green initiatives at our facility, and encouraging clients to follow our lead when planning events. We have seen an increase in environmentally conscious conferences and conventions interested in coming to Syracuse, and we stay current with some of the latest opportunities for providing green meetings.

Some of our daily practices involve recycling paper, plastic, and event nametags; using cloth napkins, china and flatware; minimizing the use of disposable products and limiting the amount of paper used by exhibitors; and also composting both pre- and post-consumption waste.

When it comes to composting, the Oncenter has already had a plan and a deposit site for the waste produced by our daily events, however we have not taken the process further, to close the natural composting cycle. Until now, that is.

The Oncenter Complex recently started working with Upstate Worm Farms (UWF) to really make a difference.

UWF was founded in 2001 by Brenda Lotito, to address the absence of our community's ability to compost food waste. Lotito has a mobile composting unit (currently the only one in the northeast!), which processes all waste using high heat for 3-5 days to eliminate bacteria. This mobile unit makes it possible for her team to work on-site with Oncenter, our clients, and conferences.

Most recently, UWF processed all the waste from the WISE (Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) Conference and turned it into a useful, natural product. The planning team for WISE was very excited about working with the Oncenter and UWF on the composting efforts.

"We are so happy that the Oncenter is supporting green initiatives," said Lindsay Wickham from the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship. "The Oncenter staff was eager to work with UWF on the WISE composting project-it was such a success, and I believe that every event should compost their leftover and unused food!"

The Oncenter was offered the recycled product, and jumped at the opportunity!

"We deposited the compost into our water saving landscaping along Adams Street. The nutrients from the UWF compost will help the perennial plants thrive downtown, and will close the circle on the conference-derived waste," said Eric Schuster (see picture), Vice President of Operations. Schuster was recently reappointed as a member of the Sustainability Committee for the IAAM (International Association of Assembly Managers).

To find out more about upcoming green events and how we continue to green up the Oncenter, click here.

Once again, the Oncenter Complex proudly welcomed the Boy Scouts' annual BoyPower dinner to the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center!

Attendance was high in the Exhibit Hall on May 7, 2008, and it only helped audience numbers that former NFL head coach Don Shula (see picture) was the guest speaker. Shula coached more than 300 winning NFL games, including two Super Bowl Championships, and spent 25 years leading the Miami Dolphins.

The BoyPower Dinner is the event during which the Council raises 26% of its annual budget, and the Oncenter is thrilled to be a part of such a great event year after year. This year, more than $600,000.00 was raised!

In Oncenter Staff News, we have had an exciting spring!

Many of our employees have been rewarded, as well as awarded, both internally and within the Syracuse hospitality community. We have also welcomed several new team members during the last few months.

Patrick Sheftic (see picture) was recently announced as the Director of Sales. Sheftic joined the Oncenter in January 2007 as an Account Executive, and was quickly promoted to sales manager. In 2007, he led the sales team to an unprecedented year in sales, and has been instrumental in bringing new events and trade shows to our facilities.

This spring was a successful one for Sheftic. Along with his promotion to Oncenter management, he was nominated and honored as one of Central New York Sales & Marketing Executives' (CNYSME) "best and brightest" in local sales and marketing. David Marnell, Sandy Baker, and the sales team attended the 32nd annual Crystal Ball/ Sales & Marketing Excellence Awards Banquet on April 8, 2008, in support of Sheftic's nomination.

Also at the banquet, the 2008 Crystal Ball Award was presented to John MacDougall (with Sheftic in picture), Owner, President and CEO of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes. Annually, CNYSME bestows this esteemed award to a local businessperson or group of business people for hard work in the areas of community development and support.

Carol Duerr is Oncenter's new Catering Sales Manager. A few years ago, she was our Banquet Manager, and, before then, learned the ins and outs of the local hospitality business during ten years in management at the Century Club of Syracuse. We are all very excited to have her back, and have confidence that our clients are in excellent hands!

Jessica Russ has moved from the Event Coordination team to the Assistant Banquet Manager position. Within her previous job description, working with daily event management, Russ worked closely with the Food & Beverage department, and will now, undoubtedly, successfully mix her event planning and customer relations with her new responsibilities.

We also welcome Frank Sommers as our new Banquet Manager, and Kathleen Boyle and Megan Svoboda as Event Managers!

"If you liked Menopause, you're going to LOVE Viagara Falls!"

When it first opened at the Indian Wells Theater in Palm Desert, CA, Viagara Falls was an immediate hit, and when it moved east to Connecticut, it once again proved its popularity and staying power, garnering even more standing ovations for the cast and crew.

The comedy play is now announced to come to Syracuse and the John H. Mulroy Civic Center Theaters, opening Wednesday, August 6th and running through Sunday, August 10th.

The plot revolves around two life-long Korean War buddies and widowers, Charlie and Moe, who gather to celebrate Charley's 77th birthday. Wanting one last fling, Charley obtains a bootlegged "little blue pill" and through the Internet finds Jacqueline Tempest, a call girl whose company caters to the older-than-60 set. The storyline leads to multiple surprises and a twist ending!

Event Details

Start Date: August 6, 2008
End Date: August 10, 2008

Times: Wed-Fri: 7:30 p.m.; Sat: 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.; Sun: 2:00 p.m.

Location: John H. Mulroy Civic Center Theaters

For tickets, please contact the Oncenter Box office at (315) 435-2121, or visit Ticketmaster.com

Adult Price: $35.00