By Karen Caro

The Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority in Atlanta announced the hiring of Shawn Stinson to the position of Director of Food & Beverage at the Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Stinson has 25 years of experience in venue and food & beverage management. As Director of Food & Beverage, Stinson will provide strategic leadership and execution of the company’s food and beverage concepts.

“Shawn’s background and credentials bring a fresh perspective to our venues,” said Michele Swann, General Manager & CEO of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority. “She brings a depth of knowledge that will add to our already incredibly talented team and elevate the guest experience.”

Stinson, a Michigan native, began her career in country club management. Additionally, she spent 12 years with the Academy of Medicine at Georgia Tech and most recently was the General Manager of Proof of the Pudding at Savanna Hall (Zoo Atlanta). She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Hospitality Services from Central Michigan University.

Karen Caro is Marketing Manager for Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.

By Paul Kapusta

Stadium Tech Report would like to invite all IAVM venue managers to take our Stadium Connectivity Outlook survey, a short list of questions designed to provide the stadium management community with a snapshot of how venues are (or are not!) using technology to solve for fan pain points and to improve revenue opportunities. The survey, which only takes a couple minutes to complete (so short you can take it on your phone), covers topics including wireless connectivity, entry and security technology, concessions technology, and technology spending priorities.

Take the survey today by clicking here.

If there is one hallmark of the venue operations industry, it is the spirit of sharing information with others. Professionals in this field know their gained knowledge might help others, and when asked, they usually share willingly. In that spirit, we ask you to help your peers by adding your insight to our collaborative project.

In return, all participants in the survey will get a full set of results as well as our white paper analyzing the responses. All answers are completely anonymous, with no personal, team, or venue association attached to any results. As a way of saying thanks, we will also send a Stadium Tech Report ballcap to respondents who want one! For a deeper explanation of the survey attributes, as well as links to download last year’s report, please visit our website at

this link.

Paul Kapusta is Editor of Stadium Tech Report.

By Justin Tinder

Hospitality industry veteran Barbara Beaton has been appointed as General Manager of the Oklahoma City Convention Center. The ASM Global-managed venue opened in January 2021 and features a 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall with 45,000 square foot of meeting space and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom. The new center has already proven to be a hub for the meetings and events industry in the Heartland.

Beaton will immediately assume leadership of the overall management, promotion and operation of the facilities, leading a team of dedicated professionals at the OKC Convention Center while building on the key industry community partnerships. She will also work to support the overall mission of the OKC Convention Center, ASM Global and the City of Oklahoma City, who owns the facility.

“We are fortunate to have Barbara accept this leadership position to build an alliance with the local hospitality community, deliver on the brand promise and to provide customers with exceptional service,” said Bob McClintock, ASM Global Executive Vice President of Convention Centers.

While Beaton has been part of the ASM Global family for 17 years, the move from Assistant General Manager to General Manager is a significant promotion. She is a graduate of the University of Tulsa and began her career in the hospitality industry working in Convention Sales for the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. She has previously worked in various capacities for NRG Park in Houston, Fort Worth Convention Center, and the Fort Worth Convention Bureau.

“It is a very exciting time to be part of the meetings community in Oklahoma City,” Beaton said. “With an engaged hospitality community and the state-of-the-art convention center and working with a city that is committed to the meetings industry I am proud to be part of the dedicated professionals at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.”

Justin Tinder is Marketing and Public Relations Manager at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.

By R.V. Baugus and Nancy Seltzer

Ben Farrell, a legendary Nashville based-concert promoter has died at 76. He passed away on August 10th, surrounded by his family and so much love. The President of Varnell Enterprises, Ben was the longtime concert promoter for Garth Brooks, and had worked with Elvis, George Strait, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, The Osmonds, and many more legendary artists

Ben began his career in Country Music in 1970 and was proud to say he worked in the industry for 52 years. Ben was a very hands-on concert promoter always working directly with the venue himself. When Ben began his career with Varnell Enterprises, he initially worked alongside Lon Varnell, assisting Mr. Varnell with concert promotions, marketing and on-site supervision. The talent he was working with included Elvis Presley, Elton John, Lawrence Welk, and Guy Lombardo.

Ben independently established relationships with the country artists of the day, he brought the acts into Varnell Enterprises and ran with it. Ben remained at Varnell Enterprises his entire career, ultimately to become its president.

“I knew Ben for over 40 years, and he was one of the smartest and funniest promoters I ever knew,” said Michael Marion, CVE, general manager of Simmons Banks Arena in Little Rock, AR. “His wit, wisdom and story-telling were unmatched. Every arena manager has a Ben story that brings a smile to their face. There was no one like him and he will be sorely missed.”

Barbara “Mother” Hubbard, recipient of this year’s Charles A. McElravy Award at VenueConnect in Phoenix who at 95 knows a thing or two about the music business and is still active promoting shows, called Ben one of her mentors who paved her way during a recent interview with IAVM.

Most notably, Ben was Garth Brooks’ concert promoter for over 30 years, first joining Garth in 1989. “I love Ben Farrell. And like Chris LeDoux, Ben Farrell will continue to be the kind of man I want to be. Honest, fair, and hard working. I am lucky to have known him,” Brooks said.

Later in his long and storied career he worked with many great artists of the 20th century, including The Statler Brothers, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, The Osmonds, Charlie Pride, Ronnie Milsap, Barbara Mandrell and many, many more. In recent years, artists such as Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, and Chris Young.

Throughout his entire career he remained a fixture on many “Promoter of the Year” lists.

Ben Kerby Farrell was born on July 17, 1946, in Jackson, Tennessee. Ben’s father, Kerby Farrell, was a professional baseball player and manager. The family traveled for years, and Ben soon developed an early love of baseball. He lettered all four years on the Chester County High School baseball team. He attended David Lipscomb University on a baseball scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1966, Ben was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and went on to play with the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox farm clubs. In 1968, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and proudly served for two years of active service, in which he trained troops for Vietnam. In 1970, he began his career in Country Music.

He met his wife, Autumn, in 1998 and they married in 2001. In 2003, the Lord blessed them with the most precious gift of all, their daughter, Ella Grace. Ben was very passionate about sports, especially hockey and University of Tennessee football. He loved maps and geography and would study any chance he got. He was very patriotic. He loved his country and its military. He was such an avid reader and researcher, always trying to improve, innovate and encourage those in the Country Music world. His memory was like none other. He could recall dates, numbers, cities, radio/tv call letters, seat capacities/charts, all at the drop of a hat. He could remember exact ticket sales from any random city, on a random date, at a random building upon command and all the way back to the 1970’s!

He truly loved the Country Music business and cherished the relationships he made over his 52 plus year career. Every relationship at every level, artist management, building managers, radio and TV station managers and their staff, his extensive media contacts, all the musicians, road crew members, Ticketmaster staff, everyone.

More than anything he loved his family. He loved being home with his wife and daughter. They will tell you, to know Ben was to love him, he was the most brilliant, driven, hard-working, honest, loyal, dedicated, humble, sincere, funny, loving, thoughtful, and unique man ever known. One of his many gifts, a masterful storyteller, he could capture a crowd and fill the room with laughter as he shared stories from the past. He was cherished and will be missed dearly and remembered often.

Visitation and Funeral details are below:

Visitation:
Tuesday, August 23, 2022, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Celebration of Life (Funeral):
Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 11:00 AM

Location:
Woodmont Christian Church
3601 Hillsboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37215

Nancy Seltzer is with Nancy Seltzer & Associates

By Stacie Bauer

Ungerboeck mourns the loss of its co-founder, Dieter K. Ungerboeck, who passed away August 16 at the age of 80.

“The event software industry has lost a pioneer today, but the trend of using technology to drive events will continue, and for that this industry will be forever grateful to Dieter,” said Manish Chandak, President and CEO of Ungerboeck. “His legacy lives on in most large event spaces across the world.”

Born in Vienna, Austria, Dieter moved to St. Louis in his twenties. Urban legend or not, he was caught in a snowstorm in St. Louis while deciding whether to go to San Francisco or New York to pursue his master’s degree. Instead, he happened upon the steps of St. Louis University and struck up a conversation about the school with a man who turned out to be Dean of the Business School. The Dean offered Dieter a scholarship who accepted on the spot, enrolled, and went on to raise a family and found two companies in his adopted hometown.

In 1985, he and his late wife Catherine co-founded Ungerboeck Systems, Inc. (USI), with Catherine leading software development and Dieter heading up client relations. The concept of a single software system connecting all event stakeholders and making financials simple and clear was Dieter’s passion. USI released Event Business Management Software (EBMS) in 1989, putting the company on the map for event professionals around the globe.

Over the next three decades, the small startup founded by Dieter and Catherine pivoted, evolved, and grew into one of the most recognized and respected brands in the event industry. In 2021, Ungerboeck acquired Eventbooking, Priava, ShoWorks, and Risk Sense Technologies, bringing those successful products and teams into the Ungerboeck family. Today, Ungerboeck is the leading provider of event and venue management software in the world, serving customers in over 50 countries and employing almost 500 people in the United States, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, China, and India.

“Dieter built an incredible business,” said Steve Mackenzie, CVE, Ungerboeck Executive Vice President, and Dieter’s longtime friend. “He had amazing vision for this industry and could predict where technology needed to go to suit the market. His whole concept of one unified system from booking to balance sheet was fundamental to the way the product evolved. Dieter was a true pioneer in the event management industry and very passionate about building a global business in the city he loved St. Louis.”

Dieter retired from the company in 2009, but he continued to make waves – literally, by founding the Ozark Yacht Club in Lake Ozark, Mo., that same year.

“He built a very successful marina business when he was supposedly ‘retired,’” Mackenzie said. “But that was Dieter. He could never sit still.”

Mackenzie will especially miss Dieter’s larger-than-life charm and sense of humor.

“Everyone Dieter interacted with has a Dieter story,” he said. “You couldn’t help but laugh once he started telling a story and got that boyish grin and belly laugh going. I know he would want us all to remember him as someone who cared deeply about his family, his business, and his sailing – probably in that order.”

“He was like family to me. His trust, continuous encouragement, and advice helped me thrive,” Chandak said. “He always got excited hearing about product innovation and customer wins. I am forever grateful to Dieter and his family for entrusting me with the opportunity to run their amazing company.”

Dieter leaves behind four sons, Krister, Justin, Ryan, and Daren, all of whom have worked to continue their parents’ legacy by guiding the company into the future. The thoughts and condolences of Ungerboeck employees all over the world are with them, their families, and Dieter’s second wife, Peggy.

To see the company’s video announcement of the passing of Dieter Ungerboeck, please click here.

Stacie Bauer is Event & Sponsorship Coordinator, Marketing, for Ungerboeck.