For the first time ever, two team owners sat down during the NBA Finals to discuss organizational success: Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Joe Lacob, owner of the Golden State Warriors.

The full session at Chat Sports: The Minds Behind the Game is available above, and several anecdotes shared during the conversation highlight how leadership and technology are two major ingredients in building a connected culture.

The potential of court-side virtual reality (VR) seats for future revenue was mentioned, and the 39-minute mark includes a brief discussion on the Veritix (just merged with AXS) Flash Seats ticket environment and how “fair, liquid, visible markets” are good for everyone and can help eliminate fans showing up at the box office with invalid tickets.

But above and beyond specific technology, it was the opportunity to listen to customers through social media that Gilbert focused on.

“A guy the other day complained that the cupholder on his seat was broken,” Gilbert said. “He tweeted it to me and the Cavs, I forwarded it to our guy, and within six minutes we’re up there fixing it. If you use social media right, you can get that real, live customer feeling that you can’t get in the ivory tower.”

Building a culture of connectivity, evidenced by Gilbert’s example, is where organizational leaders play a massive role.

For example, Lee Zeidman (@LeeZeidman)—president of STAPLES Center, Microsoft Theater, and L.A. Live—tweets backstage pics and gives away tickets to games and concerts. Look at his feed, and you’ll see photos of Kanye’s birthday party, video of the Nokia-to-Microsoft name conversion, and a ticket giveaway for opening night games to the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings.

What are you doing to build a connected culture with your customers?

If you need a little nudge (or a loving shove) into your role as a culture builder in social media, register for VenueConnect and do not miss Tweets From the Top: How Venue Executives Are Excelling in the Social Stream (Aug 2, 3:30 p.m.).

The post A Connected Culture in Your Venue appeared first on International Association of Venue Managers.

Congratulations to Eric Hart, CFE, recipient of the 2015 Ray W. Ward Award, presented by the Regents of the Venue Management School (VMS) at Oglebay (which began 29 years ago with the generous support of the IAVM Foundation). The announcement was made by Regents Chair Michael Marion and was presented at the graduation banquet on June 11.

“I am honored and humbled by being named the recipient of this year’s Ray Ward Award,” said Hart, president and CEO of the Tampa Sports Authority. “Ray’s legacy with VMS is legendary, a person who has been a mentor to me since I become involved with the school. To receive the award named for this icon is the greatest recognition I could ever imagine.”

The award recognizes an individual associated with VMS whose dedicated service and extraordinary contributions over a period of at least six years have resulted in significant and long lasting improvements to the overall success and quality of the school. The award was created and initially  presented to Ward in August 1996.

“I’ve known Eric for many years, and his recognition is especially satisfying,” Ward said. “He has served in many capacities, all of which benefited the school, including as Regents Chair. He has served well, with great enthusiasm and has focused his considerable abilities and energy on expanding and improving all of the elements of the school.”

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The world of venue management evolves constantly. How do facility managers keep up with the latest techniques to deal with an onslaught of issues that affect our ever-changing society and certainly the daily demands on our venues? In light of recent incidents that deal with issues related to crowd  management, cybersecurity, home-grown terrorism, Wi-Fi, severe weather, and more, our members are able to respond swiftly to address the growing demands on staff personnel and to ensure patrons are protected. IAVM members are equipped to implement strategies so that attendees feel safe enough to attend live events.

To assist our members with the tools they need, IAVM offers a variety of critical networking opportunities throughout the year. Among the array of IAVM national educational events, sector conferences, and schools, IAVM Chapter Meetings have enabled local communities across all markets to convene and discuss trends that impact venues and share best practices. These events offer education, ideas to promote forward thinking, and of course, an exchange of information with peers. And sometimes, these meetings are just plain fun. Chapters offer local members and potential members an option to learn, grow your network and develop important relationships that can assist when there is a greater need. The moral of the story, meet your neighbors!

To create a chapter meeting in your city or community where several venues exist, basic hosting tips and resources are available at http://iavm.org, click on the About tab, select Regions and Chapters, select your region, then Chapter Meeting and check out the overview, and proceed to Hosting a Meeting. You will find steps you can take to start planning meetings in your community.

Please check out the FM June/July 2014 article online: Let’s Talk Chapter Meetings by Kathy Lowrey and Nick Zazal, IAVM membership committee. We hope to see you at VenueConnect this summer, August 1-4! Questions: contact IAVM’s membership director, Gina Brydson, at 972.906.7441, or via email at gina.brydson@iavm.org.

(Image: dirkb86/Creative Commons)

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“Getting an audience is hard. Sustaining an audience is hard. It demands a consistency of thought, of purpose, and of action over a long period of time.” –Bruce Springsteen

No matter what type of venue we work in—whether it is a 1,500-person club, a 50,000-person stadium, or a 80,000-music festival—as venue operators, we all share the same goal: to deliver the world’s greatest guest experience for our fans attending the event. Whether you are a performer on stage or the first baseman for an MLB team, we all have a role in delivering that experience.

At Nationals Park, we recognized a culture needed to be developed that unified all our game day team members (over 2,700) that instilled passion and pride that everyone is part of the Nationals family. Our goal was to find a way to connect our staff with our guests for every event we hosted, so they would continue to come back every time. Every guest we seated, every cash transaction, every car we parked, and bag we search is an opportunity for our staff to make a memorable and lasting impression for our guests. How do you teach your team the importance of  this?

TEAM Service was developed to create a culture of service excellence for all Nationals Park game day team members regardless of the company they work for. We are one unified team whose members work together to satisfy and delight our guests, creating a memorable experience for each and every one. Part of this commitment to our guests is that we expect all team members, regardless of their individual department or company, to go above and beyond to satisfy our guests and handle any conflict with care and respect for the individual. Do you have a program that all departments are a part of, that your game day team is a part of?

As we are building our program and still continue to improve it everyday, we hold monthly meetings with the 12 different department managers that make up our different game day staff departments consisting of:

• Guest Experience team
• Box Office team
• Ticket Services team
• 50/50 team
• Grounds crew
• Scoreboard team
• Tour Guides
• Food and Beverage team
• Parking team
• Security team
• Housekeeping team
• Entertainment team

It is important that in our monthly meetings we are asking questions of what is working well and what we need to improve upon. We speak directly with our game day team, listening to what they are looking for and what we can improve upon as leaders, too. In defining this program, it was more than just an awards and recognition program, but creating a family, with a mission statement, core values, and logo that were separate, but aligned with our organization’s core values. We created a game day staff brand.

Our logo, mission statement, powerful quotes, and core values are in our game day staff entrance (called the TEAM Service entrance), every break room, our training programs we call “work shops” and “Spring Training,” and some of our rewards such as length-of-service pins and MVP awards. By creating this brand, we were able to see our guest comments rise and our guests becoming apart of our TEAM Service rewards and recognition program where they vote for the MVPs of the Year. How do you reward and recognize your team?

We continue to find new ways to create that service excellence we all strive for, but remember that each time our game day staff are in the building to recognize them for going above and beyond the call of duty to help deliver the world-class guest experience we want for every event.

(Image: Joseph Gruber/Creative Commons)

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Our next recipient spotlight of the IAVM Foundation’s inaugural class of 30|UNDER|30 is Sarah Fieger, house and volunteer services manager at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, Texas (home of the 2016 Performing Arts Managers Conference).

“What venue managers need to do is communicate the possibility and excitement of seeing a performance or game live so we can build that sense of community within our audiences and keep them coming back,” Fieger said.

Please watch the video above to learn more about Fieger, and thank you to SearchWide and Ungerboeck Software International for their generous support of the IAVM Foundation’s 30|UNDER|30 program.

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Does your venue operate at a loss? If so, how does your deficit compare with venues in your competitive set? Does your venue finance and budget for major construction or expansion costs the same way as other venues like yours?

The VenueDataSource 2015 Capital Funding Survey obtained the answers to those questions and many others from more than 150 of IAVM’s member venues. Here are a few of the survey results:

• In their most recently completed fiscal year, 64 percent of the venues reported they operate at a deficit – We know the average deficit, and we share that with you.
• Nine out of 10 facilities that operate at a deficit receive additional funding from non-operating revenue sources – And we tell you those sources.
• In the past 15 years, 62 percent have undergone major construction or renovation – We tell you how those projects were financed.

To learn more, contact Frank Ingoglia at frank.ingoglia@iavm.org to arrange purchasing the 2015 Capital Funding Report. You can also purchase informative reports on Management Salaries, Operating Expenses and Revenues, Sustainability and Safety and Security at the VenueDataSource website.

The post The 2015 Capital Funding Report Now Available appeared first on International Association of Venue Managers.

The Oregon Convention Center plans to place 160,000 square feet of solar panels on its roof by mid July. SolarCity will build and own the two-megawatt system and sell the power wholesale to the center in a 20-year deal.

Matt Uchtman, the center’s director of operations, told the Portland Tribune that the system will fulfill approximately 25 percent of the venue’s annual energy needs.

The convention center currently uses 7.6 megawatts to 8 megawatts of energy annually.

“Our utility usage is dropping, but we’re not done,” Uchtman told the paper.

The venue is one of only two U.S. convention centers to be certified LEED platinum.

“We are committed to ongoing LEED certification and continually looking at ways to drive positive change at the convention center, and always hope to be sustainable,” Scott Cruickshank, the center’s executive director, told the Tribune.

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I’m about to tell you two great things about chocolate and cats. You’re probably thinking, “Those two things are already great; how much greater can they be?”

Well, according to research published in the journal Heart, eating up to 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk.

Researchers tracked the health of more than 20,000 people over 12 years before concluding their findings, which showed that higher levels of chocolate consumption were associated with younger age and lower weight (BMI), waist: hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, inflammatory proteins, diabetes, and more regular physical activity. The calculations showed that compared with those who ate no chocolate, higher intake was linked to an 11 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 25 percent lower risk of associated death.

Also, the researchers said that there doesn’t appear to be any evidence showing that chocolate should be avoided in those who are concerned about cardiovascular risk.

Now, let’s talk about cats.

Jessica Gall Myrick, an assistant professor at Indiana University, surveyed approximately 7,000 people about their cat video viewing behaviors and how that affects their moods.

“Some people may think watching online cat videos isn’t a serious enough topic for academic research, but the fact is that it’s one of the most popular uses of the Internet today,” Myrick said. “If we want to better understand the effects the Internet may have on us as individuals and on society, then researchers can’t ignore Internet cats anymore.”

Myrick found that participants in the study

—were more energetic and felt more positive after watching cat-related online media than before.
—had fewer negative emotions, such as anxiety, annoyance, and sadness after watching cat-related online media than before.
—often view Internet cats at work or during studying.

“Even if they are watching cat videos on YouTube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward,” Myrick said.

So, grab a chocolate bar and watch more cat videos online. Your health will thank you.

(Image: Justina Kochansky/Creative Commons)

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Our next recipient spotlight of the IAVM Foundation’s inaugural class of 30|UNDER|30 is Matthew Boring, marketing and sales manager at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“You have to have a great experience for your patrons,” Boring said when asked what he deems necessary for success in the industry. “When they come to the venue, it’s not just the performance—it’s their ticket buying experience, it’s the concessions your provide, it’s your lounge areas, what type of premium services you’re able to offer. You have to constantly be evolving and using patron feedback, otherwise you end up with a stagnant venue”

Please watch the video above to learn more about Boring, and thank you to SearchWide and Ungerboeck Software International for their generous support of the IAVM Foundation’s 30|UNDER|30 program.

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Voting is now open and will remain so through July 20, 2015. The complete slate, including biographical information and photos, can now be viewed through the ballot site.

All voting members should have received an email titled “2015-2016 Board of Directors Election-login information below.” The email contains a generated user name and password to use when logging in to submit votes.  If you haven’t received the email, please contact Rosanne Duke via email or by calling 972.538.1025.

Once again, the ballot is available through Survey & Ballot Systems, allowing complete confidentiality and security to our members.

The results of the voting will be posted following the closing of the ballot on July 20. However, join us in Baltimore for VenueConnect, Aug. 1-4 and have the opportunity to meet the new board members in person. Every minute of this year’s program is distinct, offering new dynamic sessions, topic round-tables, and the largest industry trade show and networking events only possible in a city like Baltimore!

The post Voting for IAVM’s 2015-2016 Board of Directors is Now Open appeared first on International Association of Venue Managers.

The annual Green Sports Alliance Summit quickly approaching. This year, the wonderful McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, plays host to the event, June 29-July 1.

In addition to all the great speakers and sessions offered, attendees are provided the opportunity to tour some of the city’s iconic sports venues. This year’s tours include

• Soldier Field
• DePaul University
• Allstate Arena
• Toyota Park
• The University of Illinois at Chicago
• Loyola University Chicago – Lake Shore Campus
• U.S. Cellular Field

Please visit the Green Sports Alliance Summit’s tours page to learn more about the tours.

The post Tour Some of Chicago’s Iconic Sports Venues appeared first on International Association of Venue Managers.

The Mobile Sports Report recently published a story about how Levi’s Stadium San Francisco, California, received $802,791 in revenue from having a mobile app for in-seat food and beverage delivery. Over in Oakland, Golden State Warriors go-owner Peter Guber is working on way to put millions of people courtside at a basketball game via virtual reality.

“It doesn’t replace being here,” Guber told CNBC. “That’s still a different experience. But it is a phenomenally new and exciting method to bring basketball to disparate communities all over the country.”

We could then talk about drones, live streaming, or any number of new technological advancements that are currently—or will—affecting venues and the guest experience. And that’s just what we’ll do at this year’s VenueConnect in Baltimore, August 1-4.

For example, there will a technology showcase during the conference trade show where companies will present seven-minute quick demos of a new or existing product. Companies participating in the showcase include Daktronics, Eventbooking, and Sherpa Solutions, among others.

We’re offering several sessions, too, on new technologies and trends. Here are some of the highlights:

Understanding the Right Mobile Mix for Your Venue
This session will cover the differences between DAS, Wi-Fi, microcells, picocells, other small cells, and which technology is best suited for your venue environment.

Wi-Fi Expectations, Bandwidth, and Regulations
IAVM, IAEE, and the IAVM Wi-Fi Coalition dive into current issues centering on high-density Wi-Fi environments and how recent collaborative efforts to standardize how Wi-Fi performance can be effectively measured and maintained by venues.

Tweets From the Top: How Venue Executives Are Excelling in the Social Stream
Learn the 101 of not just sending a tweet, but leveraging your role in the organization in creative ways that builds new audiences and helps grow your business.

Revenue Generating Technology for Convention Centers
Understand how business strategy and technology can best sync with each other, and review new technologies, with a focus on venue-wide geolocation, iBeacon, and location analytics.

Big Data: How to Measure Success
Explore the world of big data as it applies to more effectively managing venues—everything from marketing and ticketing to risk management, human resources, and HVAC maintenance.

We hope to see you at VenueConnect, where we call experience new technologies together and consider how they will influence the venue management industry.

The post Enter the World of Tech appeared first on International Association of Venue Managers.

Super Bowl XLIX, the 2015 Pro Bowl, and related events produced a gross economic impact of $719.4 million in the region, according to a study by the L. William Seidman Research Institute at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. The 2015 Super Bowl and Pro Bowl were held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

“This is tremendous news for our economy and a strong testament to the exceptional work of everyone involved,” said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. “The eyes of the world were on Arizona, and we delivered in a big way. I look forward to our state hosting many more successful championship games and major events in the future.”

The study focused nine days (Jan. 24-Feb. 1, 2015) and measured the direct amount of spending by visitors and organizations from out of state, including indirect and induced impacts from the spending. Resident and local business spending was not included.

Here are some of the findings from the study:

• An estimated 121,775 visitors came to Arizona for Super Bowl XLIX and/or the 2015 Pro Bowl; those visitors stayed an average of 3.99 nights.
• An estimated 5,033 out-of-town media members came to Arizona and stayed an average of 7.1 nights (up from 4.1 nights for Super Bowl XLII in 2008).
• The $719.4 million economic impact for Super Bowl XLIX represents an increase of 30.8 percent over Super Bowl XLII in Arizona (adjusted using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, or BLS CPI, inflation calculator which expressed that the 2008 economic impact dollars have the same buying power as $550.1 million in 2015).

Previously released data relative to the success of the events include

• Broadcast by NBC, Super Bowl XLIX was the most-watched program in the history of U.S. TV and averaged 114.4 million viewers.
• More than one million people visited Verizon Super Bowl Central in downtown Phoenix and 500,000 people enjoyed events in downtown Scottsdale during the week.
• Verizon Super Bowl Central was the first reduced waste event of its size at a Super Bowl; the Kick the Waste Initiative resulted in 73 percent diversion rate from landfill to recycling.
• 177,000 people attended the NFL Experience, a record attendance at the Phoenix Convention Center.
• On the day before Super Bowl XLIX, 126,000 people rode Valley Metro Light Rail, doubling the previous single-day high. Throughout the week, Light Rail ridership totaled 389,500 (also a record).
• Sky Harbor Airport served 175,000 passengers the day after Super Bowl, a single day record for Sky Harbor.
• Super Bowl XLIX was televised live in more than 170 countries and territories. More than 23 countries provided onsite coverage from Arizona and the game was broadcast in nine languages from University of Phoenix Stadium (Mandarin Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish).
• Arizona was the first host community to offer a website and social media in Spanish and to create cross-border partnerships with Mexico business and tourism entities.
• More than 100 stations broadcast live from Radio Row at the Super Bowl Media Center in downtown Phoenix.
• Legacy Grant Funds in excess of $2 million were awarded to 27 Arizona non-profits to benefit over 400,000 kids; this was made possible by sponsors of the Super Bowl Host Committee, the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL.

(Image: Super Bowl 50/Creative Commons)

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We’re back for another edition of The Venue, IVAM’s monthly call-in show about the issues you face every day. The show will take place at 2 p.m. (CST).

Follow this link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/50090377894186342

Joe Durr, director of event services for PORTLAND’5 Centers for the Arts, was supposed to be our special guest on the first episode. However, he unable to appear, but we’re happy to say he’ll be the special guest for this edition.

Durr, Greg Wolfe, and I will be talking about a few subjects that have popped up on VenueNet, such as ideal outdoor row and aisle spacing, theatre houselights LED retrofits, staff plans for concerts (security, admissions, medical), service animals, volunteer recruitment materials, fountain drinks vs. bottles/cans, and Palcohol.

We hope you join us on Friday by calling in or listening.

We also recorded a special show at Venue Management School, and we’ll post it soon. And if you want, you can still listen to the first episode online.

The post The Venue Podcast Returns appeared first on International Association of Venue Managers.

The mobile app VenueNext has raised $9 million in Series A financing from Causeway Media Partners with participation from Live Nation Entertainment, Twitter, Aruba Networks, and others.

The technology made its debut during the San Francisco 49ers season this past year at Levi’s Stadium. The platform, according to a release from the company, has the ability to tie together isolated venue systems such as location services, ticketing, points of sale and concessionaire services to help venue operators make real-time, data-driven decisions, and then seamlessly surface these through a context-aware mobile app.

“The investment in VenueNext seems to imply Twitter may want to get involved with other aspects of live events, too, like ticket sales or concessions or merchandise,” Kurt Wagner wrote on Re/code. “Imagine getting an exclusive offer on Twitter for a T-shirt, which is then delivered to your seat. Or tweeting somebody a beer at an NFL game. Twitter is starting to expand its commerce offerings beyond the occasional ‘buy’ button that appears in your feed, and this is another way it might do that.”

There were some impressive results with the app at Levi’s Stadium in 2014. For example, the venue reduced its food and beverage costs by 5 percent through better inventory management; it sold more than $1.25 million in mobile in-app purchases of food, beverage, merchandise, and parking; and it expanded its unique visitor database from 17,000 to more than 200,000.

“It has been an exciting run since September, where we have received unprecedented interest from all types of venues globally, from live sporting and entertainment event locations, to hotels, transit centers and theme parks,” said John Paul, CEO and founder at VenueNext, in a statement. “The market is ready for what we are offering, and we will use the funds to expand the team and deploy our proven approach to unifying systems at over 30 different types of venues alone in 2015.”

(Image: VenueNext)

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The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) and the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon recently conducted a study to discover how to get students into stadiums and keep them there until the event is over.

“It’s definitely a huge concern to capture their attention and get them to games while they’re in school because once you lose them, it’s that much harder to increase that fandom,” lead investigator Andrew Guerra to USA Today. “You can get fans there but if they’re not engaged in the game, not only does it deplete the fan experience but it depletes the home-field advantage that these teams have.”

The report, “Student Attendance at Collegiate Sporting Events,” used survey data from 18,876 students at schools in 32 conferences and focused on attendance at football and men’s basketball games. Study participants were asked what influences them to attends games, viewing preferences, and social media habits, among others.

Some of the key findings from the USA Today story include

— Average student affinity was 7.1 out of 10, with 81 percent of students attending at least one live sporting event.

— Interest in the sport, game time, ticket price, opponent, and team record were the most influential in students’ determination whether to attend a sporting event.

— Students indicated their favorite parts of the game-day experience were watching live game action (23 percent), in-stadium atmosphere (17 percent) and tailgating (15 percent). Of overall respondents, 28 percent chose stadium and concession food as the most enjoyable part of attending home games, with that option ranking first among Power Five and FBS schools.

— Of students who follow the team on Facebook, 72 percent attended three or more home football games. Of those who didn’t, 44 percent attended three or more games. Facebook followers of teams were 63 percent more likely to attend three or more home games than students who didn’t follow the team on Facebook, and that trend held for other social media. Twitter (61 percent), Snapchat (47 percent), and Instagram (48 percent) made students more likely to attend three or more home games.

— Students who said Wi-Fi connectivity was not important in their decision to attend games did so at a higher rate than students who said it was.

— Although 67 percent of students agreed watching games is “more comfortable at home,” it scored lower than 2.5 on a scale of 5 on how likely it would be to prevent game attendance.

— Personal errands, hanging out with friends and family, and using the Internet were the biggest competing interests in deciding whether students attended three or more games.

— Nearly a quarter of respondents reported leaving before a game is 75 percent complete. Potential incentives for them to stay for the entire game included free T-shirts, a sponsored post-game party, loyalty points, and concession discounts, in that order. Loyalty points and meet and greets with players yielded the strongest results.

Check out our article, “How to Increase Student Attendance at Games” for more ideas on this subject.

(Image: Erik Drost/Creative Commons)

The post Students Sound Off on Game Attendance appeared first on International Association of Venue Managers.

I graduated college in 2005 and was lucky enough to get a gig at Strathmore, an arts complex in Bethesda, Maryland, where I had interned the year prior. I’m certain I bombed the interview. They still poke fun at me about how I was expecting to have “more time to play video games” now that I was out of the college grind. WHAT A MORON! I guess I was lucky enough to have the other, more interview-ready competition get other job offers. I still remember the offer call. You ready for this? I accepted under the condition that I could have my already scheduled beach week one week after I was to start. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!! If I was my boss, I not only would have laughed on the other end of the phone, I would have retracted the offer. Yet I think he was desperate. Yup. He must have been because he agreed. He never let me forget that either…but I still had a job. So far so good.

As a communications and music double major, I didn’t have the foggiest idea of what venue management entailed, and as Strathmore had just opened a new concert hall, there wasn’t a whole lot of past practice for me to learn from. I made my way…somehow…and went from a glorified paper-pusher to operations manager after about 16 months. I think at the time, my only real qualifications were that I managed to not get lost in the building and didn’t get anyone killed.

Shortly after the promotion, I was told that I was signed up for IAAM. Boy was I stoked for the new magazine subscription! When I got my first issue and started to look at the pictures (I’m not much for words), I realized what I really had been given—an opportunity to right all my previous bone-headed, immature, wrongs and actually learn how to be a venue manager. I jumped at the opportunity.

I read each FM issue from cover to cover. I remember the day I saw the ad for the Mentoring Program. I was 23 and living in my mom’s basement and it said “free” so sign me up! The experience got me in touch with a wonderful mentor, Terry Genovese, CFE, who I will never forget for the advice, the connections, and the opportunities she afforded me. She encouraged me to apply for PAFMS (now Venue Management School). She called ahead to industry pillars like John Siehl, CFE, and Adina Erwin to warn….I mean…let them know that a rookie who she was humoring as a mentee was headed their way and to try not to let me do anything stupid. They took time to seek me out, introduce themselves, and offered their support in finding my niche. After that week in Oglebay, I think I knew this was in my blood. From that moment on I was drinking the Kool-Aid and preaching the gospel to anyone who would listen.

A few years ago I heard a taskforce was being assembled to promote and add value to the Young Professionals membership; I immediately threw my hat in the ring to be a part of it. Now as the chair of the soon-to-be Young Professionals Committee (read—“HERE TO STAY!!”), I couldn’t be happier to be in the position to help younger folks to utilize what IAAM, now IAVM, has to offer to the future of this industry. I owe my livelihood to getting that first chance at employment and then working every last ounce of opportunity I could out of that “magazine subscription” called the International Association of Venue Managers.

If you’ve read this far (thanks for that btw), I ask two things, 1: If you are still early in your career in this crazy industry we love so much, reach out to me or anyone involved in the Young Professional Committee, Mentoring Program, or Universities Committee as soon as you can. We’ll find you some way to get involved, and we’ll drop what we’re doing to give you the guidance and resources that so many of us benefited from. And 2: If you have the opportunity to recognize staff or students in your organization that just might need a taste of what IAVM has to offer, get them to us. Let us speak in you classrooms, or send them to us for a shadow experience or internship. The future VMS instructors, committee chairs, and mentors of this industry need to start their journeys today!

To put a spin on a famous Jack Nicholson quote: “We want you on that wall…We need you on that wall.”

If I managed to make something of myself through IAVM, anyone can.  Help me make some more Kool-Aid, and if you’re thirsty, we’re serving!

Hope to see everyone in Baltimore!

(Image: Bre Pettis/Creative Commons)

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We continue with spotlighting recipients in the IAVM Foundation’s inaugural class of 30|UNDER|30. This time, we feature four from the class and ask them, “What influenced you to get involved in the venue industry?”

Laura Doyle
Guest Relations and Event Security Manager
SMG – Chesapeake Energy Arena & Cox Convention Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

“When I was growing up, I wanted to be the quarterback for the Washington Redskins. When I was a little older, I realized that probably wasn’t going to happen, so I set out to find another way to get involved in sports. I decided to go to the University of South Carolina, where I studied sport and entertainment management. I had the opportunity to really get into the venue focused side of it. I learned from some really great professors, had mentors there, and I got to see more about how events are run and how buildings are run.”

Joe Giordano, Jr.
Booking and Marketing Manager
SMG – Santander Arena and Santander Performing Arts Center
Reading, Pennsylvania

“From the time I was very little, I remember my mom was the kind who always wanted to be involved in every event or fundraiser that happened in my town. She always took each event to the next level with her creativity to ensure everybody was happy. No matter how much time it took her—or how much floor space it took in my house—she always made sure every detail was wrapped up. I loved seeing the hard work translate to what it did for the patrons who attended those events. I always wanted to work in an event-driven industry where the ultimate goal is to make people happy and create lifelong memories. For that, I can thank my mom.”

Sean Loyst
Assistant Supervisor, Events and Guest Services
Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
Kitchener, Ontario

“The reason I got involved with the venue industry is because I studied sports and entertainment, majoring in sport management. I also volunteer my time quite a bit with minor pro hockey, as well as coaching minor league hockey. Just being around an arena a lot of the time really helped me focus my intentions on getting into the venue industry.”

Alicia Ruach
Event Operations Coordinator
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario

“As a lifelong sports fan and competitive athlete, I was naturally drawn to an industry that would keep me in the game. What I have discovered, much to my delight, is that my passions, skills, and success on the soccer pitch could translate to producing winning events. My first big test came two years ago as the game operations and events coordinator at BMO Field for Toronto FC, our city’s Major League Soccer team. Right out of the gate, I was on the field directing the ceremonial pre-game march onto the pitch, which included not only players and officials but more than 100 kids, some as young as five-years-old. It was a blast, punctuated by an explosion of fireworks.”

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Wimbledon has begun and with it some biometric measurements from fans.

Luxury car maker Jaguar is the official car sponsor of the tournament and it gave fans wearables and installed court sensors to measure moods, emotions, heart rates, and movements. The company is sending out the results via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #FeelWimbledon. You can also view the results online.

“There’s no other tournament like Wimbledon and the experience gets better each year,” pro tennis player Tim Henman said in a statement. “The drama, passion and excitement, shared by both players and fans alike, is what makes Wimbledon the No. 1 tennis tournament in the world, and it’s great to see Jaguar celebrating these unique qualities as part of their #FeelWimbledon campaign.”

The effort is also a way to celebrate products.

“With 500,000 people attending Wimbledon this year, it provides Jaguar with incredible exposure in London, and a fantastic platform to showcase our products, especially the Jaguar XE,” said Laura Schwab, UK marketing director at Jaguar Land Rover, in a statement.

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FFMA Board of Directors

More than 200 attendees representing arenas, theatres, convention centers, and stadiums throughout Florida gathered last week for the annual Florida Facility Managers Association (FFMA) conference along with sponsors and guests for networking, programming, and learning. FFMA celebrated its humble beginnings 30 years ago in Amelia Island when a few venue executives gathered to discuss common issues among the various in-state venues. It is believed this is the only statewide organization in existence that meets annually while also having a legislative lobbyist and executive director to handle day-to-day business.

The meeting began with an opening reception sponsored by Spectra Food Services on Sunday, June 21, at the Palm Beach Convention Center, an FFMA member and host. The conference continued on Monday with an educational session titled “The Role of the Inspiring Leader,” led by Mary Gardner of Winter Park. Other sessions included “Capital Planning,” presented by Mitch Silverman, a Ticketmaster presentation, venue-specific roundtables, and a discussion on facility signage. The afternoon concluded with an annual business meeting, which included updates as well as a by-law revision to increase the number of directors at large from three to five, which was approved.

Kim Stone, executive vice president and general manager of the Heat Group/American Airlines Arena, moved to become immediate past president. Jason Rittenberry, president & CEO of IRG Sports & Entertainment, ascended to president, while Scott Glaser, University of South Florida Athletics, became vice president, and Dave Anderson, Palm Beach Convention Center, became the secretary and treasurer. New board of directors at large serving a one-year term are Zane Collings, SMG Jacksonville Venues; Renee Musson, Stephen O’Connell Center at University of Florida; Mitch Silverman, Florida Atlantic University; Trent Merritt, SunDome at University of South Florida; and Orlando Castellano, War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale. Additional board members are comprised of former FFMA presidents including Ron Spencer, retired; Mary Bensel, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall; Mike Lapan, retired; Bill Becker, ex-officio; Lionel Dubay, University of Florida; Rick Hamilton, Tampa Convention Center; Roger Englert, Donald Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee; Mickey Farrell, Tampa Sports Authority; and Allen Johnson, Orlando Venues.

Tuesday’s sessions began with networking opportunities at the Raymond F. Kravis Center accompanied by Florida Presenters, FFMA’s sister organization. The final session included a distinguished panel of promoters, agents, and presenters including Kristine Marshall, agent at ICM Partners; Jeff Meyer, senior vice president, Feld Entertainment; Dave Pitman, director of touring arenas, Cirque du Soleil; John Valentino, president of AEG-SE; and Mario Tirado, agent at CAA-NY. The well-attended session included discussion of current industry trends including festivals, the need for more programming, and how to work better together.

The FFMA conference ended on Tuesday evening with a traditional dinner where Feld Entertainment and other partners donated merchandise so that all attendees left with a gift. Next year’s conference is set for June 20, 2016, returning to the Four Seasons in Palm Beach.

This year’s sponsors included AEG Live; Andy Frain Services; Aramark; Bigelow Companies; Centerplate; Clarin; Contemporary Services Corp.; Crossroads Consulting Services; Dade Paper; Daktronics; Delaware North Companies; Feld Entertainment; First Coast Security; GFS Associates; HOK; Hunt Construction Group; Hussey Seating; ISS Facility Services; Irwin Seating Company; Johnson Controls; Kravis Center; Levy Restaurants; OAI; OUI Vend; Owens Facility Services; Palm Beach Convention Center; POPULOUS; Pritchard Sports and Entertainment Group; Robbins Sports Surfaces; Sentry Event Services; Signs Now-Tampa; Spec Seating; Spectra Food Services; Staff Pro; StageRight; and Ticketmaster.

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