As part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Venue Management School (VMS), we will occasionally post some special reflections of the school as submitted by IAVM members. One such member is best known as the man who carries a slew of accreditations after his name, which of course would be Larry Perkins, CFE, CPP, CMP. He also carries the title of IAVM president (now chairman) in 2006-07.
Perkins, vice president of guest relations/assistant general manager of PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, took some time to speak about the value of the school and what it has meant in his professional career.
“My first remembrance of Oglebay,” Perkins said, “came in the form of a phone call that I received while I was at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, from a member of those starting up the school. I wish that I could remember who, and believe that it was Frank Russo or Pat Fitzgerald, who wanted to know if I would share material on policies and procedures, which I was happy to do.
“Subsequently, I attended and serve as a class president. After graduating, I was the first person to go through a formal interview 
process that the Board of Regents had instituted. In 2004 I was fortunate enough to be selected as the Chair of the Board of Regents. During my term, I realized that IAVM referred to the school as Oglebay, which is the name of the venue. We had not developed a logo to identify the school, and I drafted a logo design (right) that was subsequently approved by the Regents. Additionally, it was during my term that we started the VMS Graduate Institute, and I appointed Ray Ward, CFE, as its first Dean.”
