Plan Your Meetings

‘Event genius’ made history at Coca-Cola

Don Woollen, former Director of Strategic Events at The Coca-Cola Company for more than 20 years, died Dec. 24, 2007, in Central Florida after a heart attack. He was 56 years old.Woollen had an international reputation as a hospitality genius and was known as a global ambassador for The Coca-Cola Company. He helped build one of the most admired and respected corporate meeting and events departments in the world while at Atlanta-based Coca-Cola — designing, planning and overseeing customer hospitality programs for every Olympic Summer and Olympic Winter Games for the company from 1984-1998 (encompassing nine Olympiads). He also directed Coca-Cola customer hospitality programs associated with numerous NFL Super Bowls, The Kentucky Derby and NBA All-Star Games, as well as overseeing all hospitality programs at the company’s national and international Bottler and Fountain Meetings. When the company celebrated its centennial in 1986, Woollen orchestrated a three-day extravaganza in Atlanta for 14,000 worldwide Coca-Cola associates, including all air, ground, hotel, F&B, decor and entertainment arrangements, along with massive themed parties at The Omni arena and The Georgia World Congress Center, including one event featuring an indoor parade with floats and marching bands.

After graduating from Florida State University’s hospitality management program, Woollen began his career with Hyatt Hotels in Atlanta before joining The Coca-Cola Company to build the organization’s first Meeting & Convention Services Department, which was responsible for servicing the company’s senior management, worldwide bottler network, field associates and key customers. Considered an event genius who operated in a calm, professional and respectful manner towards all, Woollen also was known for his sincere appreciation of vendors and internal clients, often spending weekends in his office writing personal letters of thanks to all who contributed to an event’s success.

A scholarship fund, the Don Woollen Fund for Excellence, has been established at Auburn University through the Auburn University Foundation and will benefit students in the school’s Hospitality Administration and Management program. For donation information, contact Kristy Myers at 334-750-9710.

– Pete Foley