Meet Our Team

Get to know our staff and all the talent, experience and knowledge behind your successful event.

Our expertise is just one of the many benefits to planning your next event at the Colorado Convention Center.

John Adams — John Adams

General Manager

John Adams

John Adams was fundamental in the programming and project development of the completed $310 million renovation/ expansion of the Colorado Convention Center and has personally participated and completed five facility expansions in his career. Prior to Denver, he was the Assistant General Manager of the San Francisco Convention Facilities which include the Moscone Center and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. In the Hospitality industry he is active with IAAM, IAEM, and ASAE. Locally he is active as a member of the Denver Chamber of Commerce and active and serves on a number of committees with the Downtown Denver Partnership.

Lance Zanett — Lance Zanett

Assistant General Manager

Lance Zanett

Lance began his career at Mile High Stadium in Denver in an operations and finance capacity. In 2000, he moved to the Colorado Convention Center taking the role of the Director of Finance. In 2006, he was named the Assistant General Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and an MBA. Lance is active in IAAM, he is involved in both regional and national programs and has participated in the Public Assembly Facility Management School at Oglebay. He is also a graduate of the S.E.S. program at Cornell University.

Cheri Wilbur — Cheri Wilbur

Director of Finance and Administration

Cheri Wilbur

Cheri joined the Colorado Convention staff as a Comptroller in 2005, was named the Director of Finance in 2006, and Director of Finance and Administration in 2017. Prior to her career with ASM Global Cheri worked in Commercial and Residential Real Estate Management. She was responsible for the budgetary control and management of more than 300 facilities nationally, with an average annual budget for each of $20 million and assets in excess of $200 million each. In her finance career, Cheri has developed and implemented new financial close and reporting processes and has implemented and overseen multiple accounting software conversions. In her career with ASM Global she has helped transitioned multiple buildings and aided in the setup and utilization of Microsoft Dynamics SL. Cheri oversees our Finance, Human Resources, IT, and Exhibitor Services departments at the Center. She is involved in the Downtown Denver Partnership and has her Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a minor in Computer Information Systems.

Rich Carollo — Rich Carollo

Director of Sales and Marketing

Rich Carollo

A 32-year industry Veteran, Rich began his career at the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. During his 12 years there he created systems to help support the Bureau’s sales team in booking 3 million room nights annually and established one of the largest DMO research departments in the United States. His efforts first quantified tourism and economic impact figures for the City of Chicago and he created the largest industry comparison report for DMOs. Rich moved to Oak Park Illinois in 2002 to run the DMO there which comprised 21 Cities and Villages. During his eight years there he rebranded the marketing efforts, increased Visitor Center sales by 208% and successfully lobbied government entities for an increase of 36% funding. Rich also ran/created successful Village/Area wide events including the nation’s largest Harry Potter Book Release Festivals in 2005 and 2007 and the Wright Ride; a bike ride of up to 60 miles through Oak Park and western Cook and DuPage counties. He successfully had Oak Park recognized as the official West Village for the 2006 Gay Games and was recognized by the Oak Park Area Gay and Lesbian Association with their highest honor; the OPAL Award. Rich is a former board chair of the Travel and Tourism Research Association International and committee chair of the Destination Marketing Association International. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Roosevelt University and his Masters of Business Administration with a focus in Marketing from DeVry’s Keller Graduate School of Management.

Jason Hiester — Jason Hiester

Director of Event Operations

Jason Hiester

Jason has been working in the entertainment/event industry professionally for over 30 years in venues all across the country and contributed to the successful completion on over 6,500 public ticketed events. In, 2017 he took over as Technical Services Manager at the Colorado Convention Center and has been an integral part of the Operations team since. In 2023, he was named as the Director of Event Operations. He is a champion for the environment, a staunch supporter of the arts and sits on the board for several local charities.

Leonard Boyer — Leonard Boyer

Director of Facility Operations

Leonard Boyer

Leonard has been involved in 3 startup companies and has contributed to all parts of an organization. He moved to Colorado in 2007 to start GE’s solar foundry and factory buildout. He has 30+ years of experience in equipment, process control, and building engineering and managed the maintenance and facilities departments at Emerson Micromotion in Boulder for 9 years. He holds a bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.

Leonard is a real foodie and visits at least one Michelin starred restaurant a year across the world. Other interests include live music (300+ shows), photography, fly fishing and Porsches.

Upcoming Events

Experience the Colorado Convention Center

The Colorado Speaker Series: Ambassador "Sully" Sullenberger

Bellco Theatre
Apr 20, 2024

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2024 Innovations Tradeshow

Colorado Convention Center
Apr 22, 2024 to Apr 24, 2024

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Downtown Denver Awards

Colorado Convention Center - Terrace Level
Apr 25, 2024

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Safe City Youth Summit 2024

Colorado Convention Center
Apr 26, 2024

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