Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in August 2022. Thank you for being a part of the association! Also, let us get to know you better by participating in the I Am Venue Management series. Please visit http://www.iavm.org/i-am-venue-management-share-your-story to share your story and photo.

 

Kailee Ayers, First National Bank Arena, State University, AR

Noelle Baddeley, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ

Andre Bennington, Dayton Live, Dayton, OH

Rebecca Beyer, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Alexandra Black, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ

Mike Bober, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Christina Brown, Rogers Arena | Canucks Sports & Entertainment, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Kelly Bryl, Georgia International Convention Center/GICC, College Park, GA

Megan Caldwell, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Steve Carl, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

William Code, Georgia International Convention Center/GICC, College Park, GA

Joe Collins, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ

Isabella Correa, Enterprise Center/Stifel Theatre, Saint Louis, MO

Austin Crawford, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Brian Cummings, Gordon Field House & Activities Center, Rochester, NY

Matt Cunningham, Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO

Jaron Davis, Georgia International Convention Center/GICC, College Park, GA

Ryan Dunne, Barclays Center, Commack, NY

Marc Feldman, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Tijuan Fletcher, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Jose Flores, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO

Stacey Flores, City of Dallas, Dallas, TX

Davin Gaddy, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Tasha Gandy, Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston, SC

Michelle Gebhart, American Tower Corporation, Cary, NC

John Gilbert, AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas, TX

Sam Giordano, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO

Michelle Gustafson, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Emily Hamm, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

Darrin Harrje, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

Jeremiah Hayward, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Sydney Heidegger, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Madeline Hollyfield, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Jackie Horvath, Horvath Communications, South Bend, IN

Kevin Kahn, Joffe Emergency Services, Santa Monica, CA

Sean Kenny, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ

Ron Larson, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Leslie Lee, Rogers Arena | Canucks Sports & Entertainment, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Julian Matos, Ping Communications, Piscataway, NJ

Tabitha Mayers, Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island, GA

Michael Mell, Theater Design, Cold Spring, NY

Santonio Moore, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Julio Moreno, ExtraMile Arena, Boise, ID

Kendra Moyars, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia, SC

Steve Nebehay, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Jonathan Newell, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

Emily O’Neill, Rogers Arena | Canucks Sports & Entertainment, Vancouver, BC

Jason Olsen, Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham, NC

Justin Peckham, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Liz Peralta, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ

Jocelyn Perez, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Joseph Ralston, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Baylee Richter, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia, SC

Steve Roberts, Three Rivers Campus, Kennewick, WA

Stephen Rorai, Performing Arts Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX

Johnny Sanchez, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ

Lindsey Sanchez, H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Cedar Park, TX

Doug Schaub, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ

Brayden Sherman, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Vikram Singh, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

Ronnie Sparks, Georgia International Convention Center/GICC, College Park, GA

Danyhl Stanley, Georgia International Convention Center/GICC, College Park, GA

Audrix Tamarez, Barclays Center, Yonkers, NY

Elena Thornton, L-Acoustics, Westlake Village, CA

Lisa Trainor, Sodexo/Centerplate, New Orleans, LA

David Treber, Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, Salisbury, MD

Jordan Urban, INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS

Andrew Vecere, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Celeste Villegas, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, Dallas, TX

Diana Walcott, Georgia International Convention Center/GICC, College Park, GA

Casey Warnick, Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston, SC

Christina Wenger, The Juilliard School, New York, NY

Tosha White, INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS

Emma Whitlock, Swiftel Center, Brookings, SD

Angel Wilson, San Diego Theatres/San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA

Travis Winters, ExtraMile Arena, Boise, ID

Theresa Yvonne, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA

By Jude-Anne Spencer-Phillip

Vivian Freymoyer, Michelle Linahan, and Daniella Sirleaf were announced as recipients of the inaugural ASM Global Stars Scholarship Program, along with 22 other students from across the United States. Freymoyer is an incoming freshman at Saint Joseph’s University, and Linahan and Sirleaf are both business majors at the Community College of Philadelphia.

The scholarships awarded to the Philadelphia students through the Program were matched by the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, allowing more students to benefit from the award and further supporting their education and career goals.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award and I truly appreciate the support from ASM Global and the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority,” said Freymoyer, a Food Marketing major. “I am looking forward to attending Saint Joseph’s University in the fall and am eager to begin my next chapter.”

“The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority is committed to investing in the future of the hospitality industry,” said John J. McNichol, President and CEO, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority. “Initiatives such as the ASM Global Stars Scholarship Program are closely aligned with the overall mission of the Authority and provide a wonderful opportunity to make education more accessible for all. We are proud to support the academic pursuits of these three scholars.”

The ASM Global Stars Scholarship program is a part of ASM Global Acts, a corporate social responsibility platform launched in 2021, and provides educational and career development opportunities through scholarship awards and prospective internships to diverse and under-resourced communities.

“One of the key pillars of the ASM Global ACTS initiative is investing in people, and at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, we are committed to creating opportunities for the youth in our communities to have access to the resources they need to build their skills for a meaningful career in the hospitality and tourism industry,” said Kelvin D. Moore, Regional Vice President, ASM Global and General Manager at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. “We also thank the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority for their continued partnership and the shared mission of making a difference in the communities in which we serve.”

Jude-Anne Spencer-Phillip is Senior Communications Manager at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

By Emily Eades

The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) announced the promotion of Eric Blanc, Sr., CMP to Deputy Director. In his new role, Blanc will oversee the OCCC’s Sales, Marketing, Event Management, and Exhibitor Services divisions.

Blanc became a part of the OCCC family in 2019 when he was hired as the Assistant Director of Sales. In February 2020, he was promoted to Senior Director of Sales.

Prior to joining the OCCC’s Sales Division, Blanc was the Director of Sales, Marketing and Convention Services for the Tampa Convention Center, where he spent 15 years of his career. Blanc’s background spans across various top organizations in the industry, including The Freeman Companies and GES Expositions, where he was a National Sales Manager for both companies.

“I am honored to take on the role of Deputy Director would be an understatement,” Blanc said. “I am eager to lead our team forward, maintaining a highly visible presence in the convention industry and within Orange County to secure continued convention group bookings well into the future.”

Blanc graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business – Marketing and holds a certificate from the IAVM’s Venue Management School.

Emily Eades is Public Relations/Information Officer | Marketing & Communications for the Orange County Convention Center.

By Celebrity Access

Ticketmaster announced the launch of new technology that will provide event organizers with a new way to integrate collectible NFTs into the fan experience.

According to Ticketmaster, event organizers who sell tickets to live events through Ticketmaster will now have the ability to issue collectible NFTs before, during, and after live events.

The new system has already caught on and Ticketmaster reports ‘minting’ more than 5 million NFTs for event organizers on the Flow blockchain.

The NFTs can be shared online or activated to access loyalty rewards around an artist or event through digital keepsakes, including VIP engagement opportunities and more.

The technology is powered by the Flow Blockchain, which has been designed as a commercial product and has already delivered programs experiences like NFL ALL DAY, NBA Top Shot and UFC Strike.

As well, the Flow Blockchain consumes less energy than traditional blockchain technology and according to independent auditor Deloitte, NFTs minted through Flow consume less power than a post on a social media site.

Ticketmaster is no stranger to the Flow technology and has already used the platform to distribute more than 70,000 one-of-one virtual commemorative ticket NFTs at Super Bowl LVI with each attendee’s unique seat location on the NFT itself. For the 2022 season, the NFL will offer Flow-minted NFTs to every attendee at more than 100 games, including at least 3 home games for each team.

“Event organizers who choose to offer fans an NFT with their ticket have a real opportunity to make this new technology relevant and relatable at scale,” said Brendan Lynch, Ticketmaster EVP of Enterprise & Revenue. “This is why we are partnering with Flow, because their blockchain is custom-built for fan engagement and frictionless consumer experiences.”

“Our partnership with Ticketmaster will enable millions of live event fans to immortalize, share and enhance their IRL experiences through digital collectibles,” added Mickey Maher, SVP Partnerships of Dapper Labs. “Ticketmaster has quickly become a leader in this space, so we’re excited to support their work in empowering event organizers to deliver even greater value to fans through the benefits of blockchain.”

By R.V. Baugus

The Events Industry Council (EIC), the global voice of the business events industry, has announced the recipients of its annual Global Awards, which celebrate and honor exemplary achievements and focus on leadership at all levels and areas of focus within the global business events industry.

Among this year’s EIC Hall of Leaders inductees is Bob McClintock, Executive Vice President Convention Centers for ASM Global. McClintock joins 143 previous recipients, each of whom has had a significant legacy impact on the
global business events sector. The recipients will be honored on October 10 at the Global Awards Celebration at ARIA Resort & Casino, Las Vegas.

“I confess this is a bit surreal – when one looks at the list of previous honorees it is impossible not to be humbled to be on the same list as a Tom Mobley, Frank Poe, John Christison, Peggy Daidakis and Cliff Wallace, McClintock said in sharing the names of some of the industry’s biggest difference-makers. “And these are just some of the names from our world! It is not false modesty to quote Big Bird – ‘one of these things is not like the others!'”

McClintock was nominated by IAVM Director of Education Greg Wolfe, who received the good news from EIC Chief Executive Officer Amy Calvert that McClintock indeed was worthy of the honor.

“It brings me great joy to announce that Mr. Bob McClintock, Executive Vice President, ASM Global was selected to be inducted into EIC’s Hall of Leaders,” Calvert said. “The Events Industry Council is thrilled to present Mr. McClintock with this special honor – a true testament to his lifetime achievements and the meaningful work endeavored to support and to lift up this industry and its workforce. Mr. McClintock will be rightly placed among a distinctive group of individuals distinguished by leadership, legacy impact, innovation, perseverance, and vision.”

McClintock has more than three decades in the public assembly venue world, starting in 1990 through 2011 as Senior Vice President with SMG. He has been in his current position since October 2019.

“I have reflected on this over the past few days and have realized the incredibly good fortune I have had to be surrounded by some of the most talented, dedicated, and hard-working people I could have ever imagined,” McClintock said. “I made a conscious decision over my career to stay with SMG (now ASM Global) because I know that they made me better at my job – and allowed me to enjoy every minute. Whether it was mentors like Matt Brown and Thom Connors, peers like John Adams and David Causton, or my partner in crime for over 20 years, Gregg Caren, I was blessed to be able to learn, be motivated, and challenged by them every day.

“But most important has been those who are the actual engine that powers our industry. Maz, Rickey, Bumpsie, etc. (that is a Philly thing) are the ones we lean on day in and day out. I was reminded this week how much the pandemic hit them the hardest and how many of them haven’t come back. I think that this is the mission that we all have to embrace now – to rebuild our industry stronger and more resilient so that we can again offer the careers that those men and women can rely on.”

Registration for the awards October 10 is now open.

From all of your friends at IAVM and in the industry, congratulations on a well-deserved honor!