By NBA.com

The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm gathered 5,000 volunteers at State Farm Arena to pack one million meals as part of the Million Meal Pack. Hawks CEO Steve Koonin, State Farm Senior Vice President Dan Krause, City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, NBA Hall of Famer and Hawks Legend Dikembe Mutombo as well as Congresswoman Nikema Williams welcomed and thanked the volunteers for donating their time in support of the team’s largest single-day community service initiative.

Individuals, families, community groups, schools, churches and businesses gathered on the floor of the award-winning State Farm Arena and packed alongside volunteers from U.S. Hunger and executives from the Hawks and State Farm, reaching a final count of 1,019,232 meals.
The six 90-minute shifts of the event yielded:
• 169,872 bags of food
• 130,943 pounds of food
• 3,539 boxes of food
• 288 meals per box
• 48 bags per box

“We are very grateful for all of today’s volunteers and extremely proud of the results from today’s Million Meal Pack in partnership with State Farm,” Koonin said. “We understand that it is a huge undertaking to tackle food insecurity throughout Atlanta, and we believe that this one-day community service initiative will make an incredible impact and also inspire our communities throughout metro Atlanta.”

The more-than-one million meals packed will be distributed throughout the metro Atlanta area with the operational support of U.S. Hunger, a hunger relief organization with innovative programs designed to help feed people struggling with food insecurity. Additionally, ten other local organizations will help distribute the meals: Atlanta Community Food Bank, CHRIS 180, City of Refuge, Fountain of Hope, Georgia State University Panther’s Pantry, Goodr, Meals On Wheels Atlanta, Mimi’s Pantry and Second Helpings Atlanta.

“The Million Meal Pack event makes a real difference in the lives of Atlanta residents facing food insecurity,” said Dan Krause, Southeastern Market Area Senior Vice President at State Farm. “Our local State Farm agents and employees were proud to be part of this effort as State Farm is dedicated to giving back and strengthening communities. We’re grateful to all the volunteers and thank State Farm Arena and the Atlanta Hawks for our partnership.”

Statistics provided by the Atlanta Community Food Bank show that nearly one in eight Georgians are living with food insecurity, including one in six children.

“There is nothing like the energy from 5,000 Atlantans coming together to take care of their community, taking a bold stand in the fight against hunger. After three years of being apart, we’re honored to be invited back by the Hawks and State Farm to help pack one million meals for families in need,” said Rick Whitted, CEO of U.S. Hunger.

As part of accomplishing various packing milestones throughout the day and after completing a lone volunteer shift, attendees celebrated on State Farm Drive with games, refreshments, music, and fun.

Continuing to operate as the world’s first TRUE Platinum certified sports and entertainment venue, this event is also marked as the first zero waste Million Meal Pack. As part of this event, State Farm Arena diverted more than 90 percent from landfills that includes all materials generated from load-in to load-out. In an intentional effort, the packaging also uses messaging to encourage recycling within the recipients’ communities.

The Hawks and State Farm hosted their first Million Meal Pack in 2019 where more than 5,000 volunteers filled State Farm Arena and prepared more than one million meals. The meals were then distributed to local Atlantans through seven community food bank organizations.

Additionally, both organizations have led efforts in multiple community-focused initiatives to better serve metro Atlanta. In addition to Million Meal Pack, the two organizations have collaborated on high-impact endeavors such as providing free pop-up grocery stores in partnership with Goodr Inc., for elderly and underserved citizens in metro Atlanta and enhancing the Snack Pack Program, which gave over 24,000 snack packs to youth throughout the school year and during summer break.

As part of the 2021-22 regular season, the Hawks Foundation and State Farm presented a check of $122,000 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank as an effort to help combat childhood hunger and fight against food insecurity throughout metro Atlanta.

The ‘Good Neighbor Giveback’ campaign raised $100 for every point the Hawks scored over 100 in each game during the 2021-22 regular season (originally up to $100,000) and was generously extended from State Farm.

Photo by Steve Schaefer

By Stacie Bauer

Ungerboeck, the world’s leading provider of event and venue management software, announced the launch Ungerboeck Payments, a fully integrated, end-to-end payment solution built specifically for events businesses.

To thrive in a post-COVID world, venues and event organizers must take advantage of new opportunities to maximize revenue and streamline financial operations. Ungerboeck Payments makes it possible to accept electronic payments directly within the Ungerboeck platform, creating easier and safer payment experiences. The revolutionary payment system will help Ungerboeck customers improve cash flow, increase repeat business, and generate more revenue. For the first time, customers have a centralized view of all payment activity on a single platform that is fully supported by Ungerboeck.

“Good payment experience is critical to good event experience,” said Manish Chandak, President

and CEO of Ungerboeck. “With the launch of Ungerboeck payments, we now offer a truly integrated, best-in-class payment solution to our customers. Partnering with Stripe, our customers will have an end-to-end seamless payment and reconciliation experience while providing payment choices and ease of use to their planners, vendors, exhibitors, and visitors.”

Ungerboeck chose Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, to support Ungerboeck Payments. Stripe helps millions of companies accept payments, grow their revenue, and accelerate business opportunities. Ungerboeck Payments is powered by Stripe Connect, which lets businesses facilitate purchases and payments between third-party buyers and sellers.

“We’re thrilled to help Ungerboeck move money from event organizers to venue operators through Stripe Connect,” said Jeanne DeWitt Grosser, Head of Revenue, Americas at Stripe. “As physical spaces become increasingly important for businesses and their customers, Stripe’s infrastructure ensures platforms like Ungerboeck can power payments and financial operations at scale.”

Chandak said the Ungerboeck team is just as thrilled about the new agreement.

“We are excited about our partnership with Stripe, an industry leader, and using their infrastructure to deliver the best possible payment experience for our customers and their customers,” Chandak said.

Customers are enthusiastic about the new payment solution as well.

“It was an easy decision for us to choose Ungerboeck Payments,” said Kerry Painter, CVE, General Manager at the Raleigh Convention Center. “We are excited to offer our customers a modern, integrated payment experience that also eliminates manual processes for our teams saving substantial time and effort.”

“Ungerboeck Payments is the perfect solution for us,” said Gary Firlit, Director of Accounting at Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center. “Increasing usage of electronic payments is a top priority due to the many efficiencies they bring to our finance team and the significant improvement in customer satisfaction. Ungerboeck Payments is essential to achieving our financial objectives.”

Stacie Bauer is Event & Sponsorship Coordinator at Ungerboeck Software International.

Region 6 Newsletter

Over the past few months, AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas has hired and promoted multiple individuals to fill vacancies on their outstanding team of venue managers. These new hires and promotions include:

Warrren Tranquada, President & CEO
Mr. Tranquada recently transitioned from his successful tenure as the Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ to lead the Center in Dallas. Mr. Tranquada will replace Debbie Storey, who has shown tremendous leadership as President and CEO since 2017.

Kit Westerman, Director of Operations
Mr. Westerman has been promoted from the production management team to Director of Operations and will oversee food and beverage, parking and public safety, along with resident company relations and carry producing responsibilities. Kit brings a multitude of successes from theaters, arts centers, festivals, and education programs throughout the country, but most recently from the award-winning National Dance Institute education program in New York City, bringing dance, music, and performing arts to over 6,500 public school children each week free of charge.

Weston Keifer, Director of Production
Mr. Keifer returns to ATTPAC as Director of Production after spending a year and a half with the Plano Independent School District, helping to establish their operations and procedures for the highly anticipated opening of the Robinson Fine Arts Center. Having served as Technical Director during some of the Center’s most formative years beginning in 2011, Weston’s institutional knowledge, leadership and skills add a great deal of additional strength and depth to the operations team. His career has crossed the country from Boston, Massachusetts to Las Vegas, Nevada and has covered positions from stagehand to technical director and even educator.

Tyler Cureton, Technical Director
Mr. Cureton takes the helm as Technical Director of ATTPAC’s many events and spaces. Tyler holds a BA in Theater, a minor in Communications, and holds a certificate in mediation. Previous experience includes Stephen F. Austin University as Technical Director and Production Manager; Temple Civic Theater as Technical Director, and East Texas Baptist University at Technical Director. Tyler has also volunteered in his community from Youth Pastor to the Timber Creek Youth Dream Team.

Francisco “Frank” Cortez, Theater Automation & Rigging Manager
Mr. Cortez has experience in all realms of theater. Most recently he was the Production Supervisor at The Apollo Theater, and just prior to that spent 12 years at The Long Center for the Performing Arts as the Head Carpenter/House Head Rigger overseeing all aspects of performance rigging and maintenance. He is certified as a CM entertainment hoists technician, and OSHA 10 certified.

The Philadelpha 76ers announced they are planning to build a new arena in Philadelphia’s Center City located on a piece of its Fashion District. The project will be funded privately and run by the newly created 76 Devcorp.

“The Philadelphia 76ers are a storied Philadelphia institution with a proven track record of investing in their community. That’s why we’re committed to building a world-class home in the heart of the city and creating a privately funded arena that strengthens ties within the local community through investments that prioritize equity, inclusivity, and accessibility,” Sixers owner Josh Harris said in a statement.

The total cost of the new arena is expected to be around $1.3 billion with the expectation that it will produce $1.9 billion in “overall economic output” and $400 million a year to help Philadelphia’s “economic growth and stability.”

The Sixers and Flyers currently play in the Wells Fargo Center, an arena that first opened in 1996 and is located in south Philadelphia. According to Harris’s plan, this new arena would move the Sixers north, closer to the center of the city.

Harris named David Adelman, the CEO of Campus Apartments, Co-Founder of FS Investments and Founder of Darco Capital, as the leader of this new arena. Adelman said the team decided on the new location after deliberation for over two years.

“The chosen location is a key step in the process of developing a destination that provides Center City and surrounding communities with an economic engine generating activity through 76ers and youth games, concerts, events and more,” he said.

By Stadium Business

The Sodexo Live! division of catering and facilities management provider Sodexo has signed a new agreement with the French Tennis Federation (FFT) to serve as the exclusive marketing partner for the hospitality programmes of the French Open and Paris Masters tournaments.

The multi-year agreement will begin in 2023, with Sodexo Live! working in association with existing FFT partners, French agencies Factory Sport & Entertainment and Quarterback, to deliver the contract.

Sodexo Live! said landing the contact is testament to its dedicated sports travel and hospitality

division, which has expertise in designing and marketing hospitality programs for leading sporting events such as the French Open’s fellow grand slam, the Australian Open, and the last five Rugby World Cups.

Through the new deal, the three parties will seek to enhance the international reputation, especially as it pertains to the live experience, of both Paris-based tournaments.

Tennis fans will have the option to extend their experience outside the Roland Garros grounds with easier access to venues like Le Jules Verne and Madame Brasserie at the Eiffel Tower as well as the Yachts de Paris and the Bateaux Parisiens on the Seine, all also served by Sodexo Live!

The FFT deal comes after Sodexo last year rebranded its Centerplate hospitality services unit as Sodexo Live! as part of a plan to accelerate growth in Spain and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Nathalie Bellon-Szabo, worldwide CEO of Sodexo Live!, said: “I would like to thank the FFT for its trust as it backs our strategy through which we serve our customers from the sports industry.

“Our ambition is to develop our ticketing and hospitality services and to attract new customers thanks to a full experience designed from end-to-end within sports venues around the world in addition to the services we already offer. This will enable them to offer their audiences a more immersive and memorable experience.”

Factory is co-owned by former French tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who retired from the professional game at this year’s French Open.

Tsonga, CEO of Factory, and Bruno Balaire, CEO of Quarterback, said in a joint statement: “Factory and Quarterback are honored to have been the historical hospitality partners of the French Tennis Federation for over 25 years.

“Aware of the commitment and confidence shown once again by all the FFT teams and its president Gilles Moretton, we are very pleased to be able to offer French and international company’s exceptional moments of emotion and to contribute to the success and influence of the French Open and the Rolex Paris Masters.”