Derek Penne has spent almost the entirety of his career with the Phoenix Convention Center. Working at the PCC for the last 15 years, he is an expert in all things Event Services. As the Event Services Lead, Penne is responsible for making sure events are set up and torn down efficiently and effectively. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, 3D modeling, 3D printing and all things mechanics. He’s a dad to two kids and loves playing videos and watching his favorite show “Stargate.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about your role at the Phoenix Convention Center?
I love meeting all the new people that come through the Convention Center. I have an outgoing personality and I like to talk to people. When you’re here, you always run into people from out of town, out of the state or even out of the country. It keeps things interesting.
Q: What is a favorite memory you have of your time at the Phoenix Convention Center?
We had a show here a long time ago and one of the guest speakers was under 4-feet tall. And our team were trying to see how we could get a microphone to the guest speaker on the podium. We do have ADA lecterns that lower and so I took it to the guest speaker and they said “Oh that’s perfect!” It was really nice to meet her where she was at without making her feel awkward.
Q: What is a skill you’ve had to sharpen in your role at the Phoenix Convention Center?
A skill I’ve had to sharpen is multitasking. I have to supervise, delegate and take phone calls while also doing various tasks every single day. I was already pretty good at it, but here I’ve really had to do it more. I think I originally worked on my multitasking from playing video games.
Q: Do you have any restaurant or coffee shop recommendations near the PCC?
Taco Boys is a great restaurant and it’s just off of 7th Street and Roosevelt. If you like Mexican food it’s really good.
Q: What’s your favorite feature of the PCC?
The Sky Bridge is my favorite feature. You can look out toward South Mountain, and especially on the rainy days it’s pretty nice.