ATLANTA (Nov. 26, 2001) - Dan Graveline, executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, was named the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau Member of the Year during the Night of a Thousand Stars ceremonies at Swissotel Atlanta in November.

  "The ACVB Member of the Year is usually awarded to the one individual who most embodies the spirit of promoting the hospitality of the city," said Spurgeon Richardson, president of the ACVB.

     The success of the ACVB is due in large part to the partnerships between the bureau and its members - including the Georgia World Congress Center. Atlanta is consistently ranked as one of the top convention destinations in the country, bringing more than 3.5 million conventioneers annually.

     As executive director of the Georgia World Congress Authority, Daniel A. Graveline serves as chief executive officer for the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park. He is responsible for the overall planning, organization, staffing and operations of these state-owned facilities.

     Mr. Graveline was named executive director of the World Congress Center in 1976, while the facility was under construction. He led the center through its official opening in September 1976 and oversaw the completion of two expansions, in 1985 and 1992, which tripled the size of the Congress Center. He also oversaw the construction and 1992 opening of the adjacent Georgia Dome, as well as the development of Centennial Olympic Park. The 21-acre park is the largest urban park established in the United States in the last 20 years.

     The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau's Member of the Year is selected from a flurry of nominations received from the ACVB staff and membership. Nominees are elected based on their commitment to the spirit of hospitality.

     Sharing the award with Graveline this year is Penny Brasington, director of national accounts at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center - located adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center and a partner in the city's convention and tourism industry.