The Board of Directors of IAVM exists to ensure that RESULTS are delivered to the members of the Association. On behalf of the dedicated volunteers who make up the Board, I offer this report of what we have been focused on as your representatives.
The Mission of IAVM is “to educate, advocate for and inspire public assembly venue professionals, worldwide.” On our recent member survey, many of you told us Education and opportunities for professional development comprise the No. 1 reason you join IAVM. A large percentage of you also told us that you are very happy with the opportunities currently provided. Exciting things have been happening in this area: The Academy for Venue Safety and Security (AVSS) has been co-located with “GuestX,” a customer service focused version of the former Crowd Management event. As I write this, registration is strong for both at their new home in Dallas. I just returned from a highly successful Performing Arts Managers Conference in San Francisco, where we didn’t just learn how to be better venue managers but we also learned about the city’s fascinating history as related to its arts facilities (it involved a lot of things burning down). Congratulations to the Performing Arts Program Committee for an excellent event.
We have been Advocating on your behalf in several areas. When the Ebola scare arose, Fred Peterson and his Industry Affairs Committee sprang into action and presented a webinar led by Russ Simons. Other topics under its close scrutiny include drones, Wi-Fi blocking, and food labelling. If it impacts you and your ability to successfully operate your venue, we are on it.
Inspiration abounds at IAVM thanks to the IAVM Foundation and its new focus on Building an Amazing Future. The Joseph A. Floreano Scholarship + Internship Program kicked off recently by recognizing and supporting five future leaders at PAMC. Congratulations to the first scholarship and internship recipients Annie Salamunovich, Laura Kendall, Jennifer Smart, Justin Sullivan, and Kendall Judy. The 30|UNDER|30 program is now accepting nominations – thanks to the generous support from SearchWide and Ungerboeck, this program provides 30 venue professionals with the ability to attend VenueConnect 2015 in Baltimore, year-round continuing education plus a one-year Young Professional Membership.
You can help us further inspire by showing your support though a variety of Foundation initiatives including your $100 donation to the “100 Women of IAVM”, by your volunteer service on committees, and your dedication to excellence. Please consider applying on behalf of your venue for this year’s Venue Excellence Award in your sector category.
Worldwide, we are in discussions to extend our affiliation with the Venue Management Association (Asia Pacific) in Australia. Each year, our respective venue management schools participate in an instructor exchange program, and this past November welcomed the success of the inaugural Australian Graduate Institute. We look forward to our continued partnership.
As a Board, we have been working to shift our efforts to the strategic direction of your organization, to make sure we are laser focused on ensuring you as members receive the benefits you expect from IAVM. At the mid-year board meeting in January, the Board went through a strategic evaluation, facilitated by our consultants (and board governance experts) from the Aspen Group.
Our first assignment was to create a picture that represented our current organizational structure. We identified several issues:
– Size of the current board is large (over 20 members)
– Half of the board turns over every year
– Board meets face to face only twice a year
– Board would like to be able to move with flexibility, adaptability and speed
We then asked ourselves the question, if we had the luxury of rebuilding the organizational structure from the ground up, what would it look like?
Knowing the challenges as identified above, and calling upon your vast experience dealing with boards in your own workplace, what are YOUR thoughts on how we could address the issues? How can we be more effective while being transparent and reflective of our membership? The Leadership Development and Nominating Committee is currently led by Past Chair John Bolton, and he would like to hear from you. Your Board representative will also reach out for your thoughts and suggestions.
Finally, Jason Judy, IAVM’s director of marketing, led the Board through a brand discovery exercise. He asked us to consider a couple of questions I will leave you to ponder:
– What is one enduring truth about IAVM for you?
– What is your best IAVM moment?
I hope you will join us this August in Baltimore for VenueConnect—registration is now open for the 90th annual conference and trade show, where you will be sure to add to your long list of “best IAVM moments.”
