By Christine Susa

Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Pasadena) welcomes destination marketing veteran Kristin McGrath as the organization’s new Executive Director.

“We are delighted to welcome Kristin McGrath as the new Executive Director of Visit Pasadena,” said Michael Ross, CEO of the Pasadena Center Operating Company, which oversees the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau, Convention Center and Civic Auditorium. “Kristin has the experience and ability to lead the organization through the tourism recovery and into the future. She’ll be a great asset for the city as we continue to promote Pasadena as a world class destination.”

McGrath steps into the role of Executive Director at a critical time as the tourism industry rebuilds from COVID. In this role, McGrath will function as the chief administrative officer for the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau and be responsible for its management, organizational development, planning, and direction.

“Pasadena is such a beautiful destination,“ McGrath said. “The vibrant downtown coupled with an exceptional convention center set Pasadena apart. I’m thrilled to join the team at this exciting time.”

McGrath brings more than 20 years in the tourism industry, specializing in destination management, sales and marketing. For the past five years, she served as the Vice President of Sales, Services & Sports at Visit Albuquerque. Prior to that, McGrath served as Vice President of Sales & Services at the Richmond Region Tourism and Vice President of Sales & Services at Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau. She also held positions at Westin Copley Place Boston and the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

McGrath is a graduate of Emmanuel College in Boston and is a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME). She is active in Destinations International and currently serves as a Board Member of the Certified Destination Management Executive Program and the Professional Development Committee.

Christine Susa is Director of Marketing & Communications for Visit Pasadena.

Fern, a leading provider of exhibition and event services, announced a partnership with Stephan Murtagh, The Exhibition Guy, to launch the Fern Exhibitor Success Program. This collaborative effort provides a series of custom webinars that event organizers can provide to exhibitors to help them have a more robust and rewarding event experience.

The Fern Exhibitor Success Program offers three levels of engagement and training options. Key components include:

The 7 Steps to Exhibition Success, which takes the exhibitor on the journey from pre-show planning to onsite and post-show follow-up to enhance their ROI/ROO.

The 9 Key Things for Last-Minute Trade Show Marketing Success, which builds on the seven steps by focusing on the small yet hugely essential things an exhibitor can do in advance of the show to attract key buyers.

All These Leads, Now What—What to Do After the Show, which focuses on post-show strategies and best-practices for lead follow up and conversion.

In addition to the webinars, event organizers have the option of purchasing blocks of 1:1 coaching that they can make available to exhibitors.

“We are delighted to have developed a strategic partnership with Fern. Having followed Fern for a long time, it’s clear that our visions for exhibitor and exhibition success are very much aligned,” said Murtaugh. “This made it an obvious choice for both businesses to not only add value to their clients but to make the exhibition industry an even better platform for all stakeholders. We look forward to working with the team at Fern on this unique & exciting partnership.”

“The success of an exhibitor’s experience at an event is something that also benefits the organizer. With more than 28 years in the exhibition business, Stephan understands what it takes to be successful on both fronts,” said Jim Kelley, Vice President, Marketing and Industry Relations for Fern. “Now our event organizer clients can pass his expertise along to their exhibitors to provide a meaningful and a tangible return that will result in higher exhibitor satisfaction levels, retention and new sales.”

By R.V. Baugus and Office of the Governor

IAVM Director of Safety & Security Mark Herrera served on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Task Force on Concert Safety that was formed last November 10 in response to the tragedy at Astroworld Festival in Houston that killed 10 concertgoers and injured more than 300. On April 19, Gov. Abbott announced that the task force released their final report which includes recommendations and strategies to ensure the safety of concertgoers in the Lone Star State. (To see the final report, click here.

“Collectively, we all worked to provide resources and information that would guide our venue executives and others to provide safe and secure events,” Herrera said. “It was truly a pleasure being a part of this task force and happy to have contributed.”

The task force was led by Texas Music Office Director Brendon Anthony and consists of safety experts, law enforcement, fire fighters, state agencies, music industry leaders, and others. The task force held several meetings and one-on-one discussions to analyze concert safety and develop ways to enhance security at live music events in Texas.

Among recommendations and findings, the Texas Music Office announced the creation of an online Event Production Guide that can be easily promoted and accessed through the Texas Music Office website. This centralized resource will outline and encourage best-practice recommendations and serve as a one-stop shop for promoters to access existing legal requirements.

“I thank the Texas Task Force on Concert Safety for their commitment to safety and security for all concertgoers and for their collaboration with stakeholders on this critical report,” said Governor Abbott. “The recommendations, findings, and solutions detailed in this report will help the State of Texas prevent another tragedy like that at Astroworld Festival from happening again.”

Herrera called the experience to represent IAVM and the public assembly venue industry positive in “pushing the legislation for action,” which was accomplished through the final report.

“That (legislation) would have an effect on the operations and revenue potentially with some of our facilities,” Herrera said. He added that he sat on the task force in a non-partisan political role and that one of his points of emphasis throughout was to vet with venue managers to review any final draft.

“Here is what we don’t need. We don’t need regulations,” Herrera said. “I said we need resources and funding. So, I talked a lot about what we’re (IAVM) doing with the crowd management training and how we’re training teams. It went well. When the governor’s final report came out, nothing in it was regulatory.”

“They appreciated IAVM helping from a revenue concern or on the operations side. I told the governor’s office I also appreciated them listening to me through all this, aggregating all these resources and information for our industry. The final draft is great.”

In addition to the responsibility to sit on the task force, Herrera also presented at Globe Life Field — home to MLB Texas Rangers — about how the public assembly venue industry is managing the crowds in today’s environment.

“I developed a team of venue executives and said, listen, the one thing I want to do is bring in Brendon and we want to talk with the venue executives about our progress and how we’re trying to aggregate resources and the importance of permitting and the importance of unified command structures,” Herrera said. “What we’re doing as a task force will positively affect the entire industry as they’re managing these situations and these crowds to prevent a catastrophic event like in Houston.”

Unified On-Site Command and Control (UCC): The task force strongly supports a requirement that event promoters determine which EMS, fire, and police agencies would respond to a 911 call on the site of their event and that those agencies be employed as UCC members.

Permitting: The task force strongly recommends that mass gathering events permitted by municipalities should follow permit guidelines and best practices for unincorporated areas that are outlined in state statute. The task force also recommends that local authorities stop the show when it is determined that an event has been organized without a permit or has breached the bounds of the issued permit. Additionally, the task force recommends implementation of a universal permitting template and that any template include a standardized checklist for County Judges responsible for issuing permits.

Training: The Event Production Guide will include a list of robust training resources for promoters, staff, and first responders for site walkthrough drills, security briefings, communication trees, show-stop triggers and responses, and more.

Planning with Risk Assessment: The task force recommends a Concert Attendee Code of Conduct which should be part of the ticketing process and make clear what behaviors will lead to ejection. The task force also recommends that venues communicate with other venue representatives that have hosted the artist before. Event promoters should partner with artists to encourage safety, since messaging from the artist can be uniquely persuasive for fans. In addition, the Event Production Guide will include best practices for event design and crowd control.

Centralized Resources: The Event Production Guide will host the large collection of resource documents that information many of the task force’s recommendations.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body, announced that State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and an award-winning sports and live entertainment venue, earned TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Platinum certification. With this achievement, State Farm Arena is now the only and world’s first sports and live entertainment venue in the world to receive TRUE certification. When beginning this journey in 2019, State Farm Arena diverted only an average of 10 percent of total waste. Since May 2021, the venue has consistently diverted a minimum of 90 percent of fan-generated waste from landfills.

According to the GBCI, buildings can earn four levels of TRUE certification: Certified (31-37 points), Silver (38-45 points), Gold (46-63 points) and Platinum (64-81 points). State Farm Arena received the Platinum designation, the highest of four classifications of green buildings. In achieving TRUE Platinum, the venue earned near the maximum number of points from a variety of categories including redesign, reduce, reuse, compost (re-earth), recycle, zero waste reporting, diversion (min. 90%), zero waste purchasing, leadership, training, zero waste analysis, upstream management, hazardous waste prevention, closed loop system, and innovation.

“We are honored to receive TRUE Platinum certification from GBCI as we continue to set the standard as a global leader in the sports and entertainment industry,” said Brett Stefansson, Hawks’ EVP and General Manager of State Farm Arena.

A few of the highlights that led to State Farm Arena’s TRUE Platinum certification was diverting a minimum of 90% of all waste from landfills and incineration during basketball games, concerts, and events. The venue diverted more than 500,000 lbs. of waste during Hawks’ home games throughout the 2021-22 NBA Season. Lastly, the Hawks and venue worked closely with one of their proud sustainability partners, Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, who provided guidance and operational knowledge to organize, sort, and recycle aluminum and other materials.

“By pursuing zero waste, State Farm Arena and the Atlanta Hawks recognize the positive impacts of reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfills helping us build a sustainable future,” said Peter Templeton, President and CEO of U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI. “Waste impacts all facets of business and changing the way that we use resources will deliver public health benefits, reduce our environmental impact, and advance a greener economy. Sports leagues and teams reach large audiences and have the power to expose everyday audiences to sustainability strategies like zero waste.”

Throughout this milestone accomplishment, the Hawks and State Farm Arena were assisted by local vendors such as CompostNow, who provides commercial composting solutions, and Haulin’ Glass Recycling, which provides glass recycling services. Venue partners such as Levy Restaurants, the official venue’s food and beverage partner, helped in the supply chain process, and Pritchard Sports & Entertainment, the venue’s official housekeeping partner, also assisted operationally with the collection and sorting of all materials. Other businesses who were integral in the effort include Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Salvation Army, WestRock, Waste Management, SA Recycling, Lighting Resources LLC, and Rubicon Global.

“Accomplishing this was only possible with an entire team effort,” said Geoffrey Stiles, Hawks’ Senior Vice President of Facilities and Events for State Farm Arena. “When we began our zero-waste journey, we knew that the vision would take buy-in from everybody – our fans, partners and staff – night after night and event after event to make this happen. We are incredibly grateful to share this monumental achievement with them.”

Local organizations such as the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) aided in creating various recycling solutions for State Farm Arena. In addition, the venue activated dozens of volunteers throughout the season, such as teachers from Atlanta Public Schools, employees from State Farm® and students from University of Georgia’s Department of Sustainability, who joined at various events as zero waste volunteers. In their roles, they aided guests at the venue in the process of properly sorting materials to reduce contamination.

“As a community asset, we know how important it is for us to practice what we preach when it comes to being a good corporate citizen,” said Sofi Armenakian, Director of Sustainability and Operations for the Hawks and State Farm Arena. “While this is a great accomplishment, we believe this is just the beginning of a forever journey. We know fans, artists, and staff want to come to a venue that’s making a difference in the world and practicing sustainability at a high level.”

The Hawks and State Farm Arena continue to lead the way in sustainable practices for sports and live event venues. In Feb. 2022, State Farm Arena teamed up with Billie Eilish and Live Nation to produce the first zero-waste sold-out event on Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever, The World Tour”. In Jan. 2022, State Farm Arena announced that it diverted more than one million pounds of waste from landfills. In Nov. 2021, Novelis became the official aluminum recycling and proud sustainability partner on State Farm Arena. In June 2021, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body, announced that Game 4 of the Atlanta Hawks’ first-round playoff series last May against the New York Knicks earned TRUE Silver certification, marking the first time a sporting event has received the designation. The game was sold out with 16,458 fans in attendance. In June 2019, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced State Farm Arena, received the LEED Gold certification. At the time, then-USGBC and GBCI President and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam presented Hawks and State Farm Arena CEO Steve Koonin with the designation plaque during the Greenbuild Atlanta Cultivation event at the venue.

To learn more about how the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena are leading the way in sustainability efforts across the sports and entertainment industry, visit StateFarmArena.com/sustainability.

By Mary Klida

As events return to convention centers after the pandemic, the Huntington Place, Detroit team regroups led by three strong industry leaders, all women. The venue’s three top executive positions are filled by Karen Totaro, CVE, general manager of Huntington Place/ASM Global; Becky Bixby, assistant general manager of Huntington Place/ASM Global and Lisa Canada, chair of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA, the five-person governing body of the center.)

“Huntington Place is coming out of COVID faster than many convention centers across the country due to our strategic mix of business and we see a strong return of business,” said Totaro. “Fall is looking good as we are already seeing a robust spring and as we continue to reach pre-COVID numbers for some shows.”

Currently, Huntington Place is the only convention center in the country where women serve in the top executive roles including Chair of the DRCFA and the two top leadership positions for venue operations, general manager, and assistant general manager. The convention center is the 16th largest in the country with over 723,000 square feet of exhibit space and more than one million square feet in overall event space.

“We are so proud of this strong leadership team in Huntington Place,” said Bob McClintock, executive vice president of convention centers of ASM Global. “They are paving the way to success as the venue rebuilds business while reinforcing the three pillars of ASM Global Acts: Invest in People; Protect the Environment; Strengthen Our Communities. They represent the best of the best at ASM Global.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2021, women held just 21% of all facility management positions in the country, but in Huntington Place women are leading the way.

Totaro was named general manager in April 2021 and is nationally recognized as an industry leader who held previous executive positions in convention centers in San Diego, Portland, Atlantic City, and Cincinnati. She took over the Detroit job in April 2021. Believing that inclusive and equitable teams are essential for success, as the venue began to rehire after being closed during the pandemic, gender equity quickly unfolded. Today, out of 35 managerial jobs (supervisors, managers, and directors) at Huntington Place, 17 are held by women.

“Diversity and inclusion make for a better world and hence better business. Our voices at the table bring a different perspective,” said Totaro. “I recently read an article talking about why women entrepreneurs are more successful in some respects than men. It showed how female-owned firms generate higher revenues, create more jobs, and showcase women as more effective leaders with a larger appetite for growth. We have been society’s secret superpower all along. No more secrets, we are right here.”

Additionally, women hold three of the five DRCFA posts with Canada as Chairperson for the first time since its inception. The authority was created in 2009 by the Michigan Legislature, along with City of Detroit and Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, as each appoints a person to the five-member board.

“It’s exciting and refreshing to see more women in a position of power,” said Lisa Canada, DRCFA Board Chairperson and Political and Legislative Director for the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. “Women bring a wealth of leadership skills that represent more than 50% of the population. Understanding the perspective of our all our clients and customers is a win for everyone.”

All three Huntington Place women leaders agree that to create more gender parity in facility leadership, executives need to promote women with a diverse background and train facility leaders on what a diverse workforce brings to the culture and how to cultivate success.

According to Becky Bixby, assistant general manager Huntington Place/ASM Global, “Women create team environments that are inclusive and diverse. It’s within these types of environments that the best ideas organically transpire because they are encouraged and cultivated.”

And Bixby would know. In Huntington Place, she is responsible for all day-to-day operational aspects of the venue with a key role in ensuring that all clients’ needs are understood and met. She leads the effort for LEED certification and all sustainability initiatives that cross over multiple departments. She also maintains all emergency response plans and establishes safety and security measures to create organic and appropriate responses that secure public safety at all times. She works toward resolving any client or staffing concerns. She ensures all operational departments are on track with their budgets and financial goals for the year. No small job, and one that requires extensive collaboration with all concerned.

“Women thrive on multi-tasking,” said Bixby. “Motivating a team to achieve a goal, providing guidance to manage a project, figuring out the details of an event when hitting a roadblock, and stepping away to keep it all in perspective of the overall picture. It’s what we do as women.”

Huntington Place was built by the City of Detroit, opened in 1960 and originally named after the mayor, Cobo Hall. In 2019 the center was renamed TCF Center after the naming rights were sold to TCF Bank for $30 million over a 20-year contract, the largest financial deal for a convention center naming rights contract at the time. Dec. 9, 2021, the venue was again renamed Huntington Place, after Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (“Huntington”), the parent company of The Huntington National Bank, and TCF Financial Corporation the parent company of TCF National Bank, combined in an all-stock merger.

The venue completed a $279 million renovation in 2015 and is in the planning stages of another $350 to $500 million expansion that will include a new 60,000 square foot ballroom with a possible theater set and 2500 more parking spaces. Most importantly the plan includes a 750-room hotel connected to the center. Details to this plan are expected to be announced later this year.

Mary Klida is Senior Marketing & Communications Manager for Huntington Place.

Pictured from left: Lisa Canada, Karen Totaro, Becky Bixby