Mandie McKenzie, CMP, Brings ‘Passion of Excellence’ to New Role
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 18, 2016 – The Jacksonville Public Library welcomes Mandie McKenzie, CMP, as the newly appointed manager of the Conference Center at the Main Library. McKenzie will oversee sales and marketing and operations for the downtown destination venue, which encompasses 20,000 square feet and includes ballroom/multipurpose space, meeting rooms, a courtyard, auditorium, and more, available for public library events and for private rental.
McKenzie, who’s lived in Jacksonville since 2006, has spent the past two years as the executive director of Friday Musicale, a nonprofit presenting arts organization and event and wedding venue in the Riverside community of Jacksonville. She joined Friday Musicale in 2010, and during her tenure increased venue rentals by 53 percent. She helped establish policies and procedures to redirect the course of artist selection, and expanded the concert series to reflect more diversification of age and ethnicity and musical genres.
McKenzie’s long list of accomplishments at Friday Musicale include supervising the renovation of the organization’s Victorian home, a space used for nonprofit office space, securing a long term tenant, and seeing that Musicale’s other venues received significant improvements. McKenzie also acquired an Arts Ventures Grant from the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida for 2014 – 2015 summer programming, increasing the organization’s funding.
Prior to her Friday Musicale experience, McKenzie served more than three years as an event manager for Destination Planning Corporation, where she worked with a myriad of clients and handled everything from concept proposal to event completion. She also assisted the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce in logistics and on-site coordination for annual leadership trips to Kansas City and Indianapolis.
McKenzie received a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida. With a “passion for excellence” for the meetings and hospitality industry, she earned her Certified Meeting Professional designation from the Convention Industry Council in 2014. She currently serves as immediate past president on the board of directors for the North Florida Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and volunteers on a steering committee for the MPI Southeast Educational Conference.
McKenzie will report to Mark Merritt, deputy director of Administration and Finance at Jacksonville Public Library.
About the Conference Center at the Main Library
The Conference Center at the Main Library hosts events for local, national and international groups as well as many private parties. With a variety of beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces available for rent, the Conference Center can accommodate small parties or receptions for 400 people and offers a catering kitchen, variable lighting, audio/video support, and a dedicated team of professionals. It is a popular choice for weddings, receptions, parties and seminars. Visit jaxpubliclibrary.org/Conference-Center or call 904-630-1947 to learn more.
About the Jacksonville Public Library
The mission of the Jacksonville Public Library is to enrich lives, build community and foster success by bringing people, information and ideas together. Last year, more than
3.4 million visits were made to Jacksonville Public Libraries, items were checked out more than 5.9 million times, and nearly 11,000 programs and services were offered to Duval County residents at the Main Library and 20 branch locations. For more information about the Jacksonville Public Library, call 630-BOOK (2665) or visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.
Image: Mandie McKenzie, CMP, JPL Conference Center Manager
JACKSONVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
303 Laura St. N.
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
630-2665
jaxpubliclibrary.org
630-BOOK
