Soon after Cody Lund started setting up tables and chairs as an entry-level operations staff worker at the Boise Centre in Idaho, he was hooked on the event business. “I almost instantly fell in love with the industry, the people, [and] the work,” Lund says. That was 18 years ago. Now, Lund is executive director of the Boise Centre and its governing authority, the Greater Boise Auditorium District—and he loves it more than ever. “Every day is always something different and unique, and gives me an opportunity to help deliver those unforgettable event experiences.”
The new role shifted Lund from focusing on operations to being a visionary. “I’ll be helping [Boise Centre and its team] find future potential projects that are going to help take Boise or Boise Centre to the next level as a convention or event destination,” he says. As executive director, Lund oversees a senior leadership team responsible for the facility’s daily operations. He manages Boise Centre’s $9 million annual budget and ongoing sales and promotion activity. He succeeded Pat Rice, who retired from the position at the end of this year.
The convention center has almost fully booked its highest-demand dates through the 2024 fiscal year and into early 2025. Why has Idaho’s capital become so popular? “Boise is super clean and safe, very walkable,” Lund says. The convention center is close to the airport and four blocks from the 25-mile Boise River Greenbelt trail. Lund takes pride in the center’s audiovisual production crew and in-house catering team, which creates custom menus with local products.
One of Lund’s proudest accomplishments at Boise Centre is the creation of an internal culture program known as “WOWgistics.” The program drives employee involvement through a committee of staff at many different levels who plans employee events, provides feedback to decision-makers, and devises ways to improve the center’s workflow.
Lund’s love of sports—and having a dad who was a baseball coach—influences his leadership style, which includes many sports analogies. “I tend to take more of a coaching approach to leadership,” he says. “I try to support and coach individuals.”
