By Cara Vanderhook

The Event & Arena Marketing Conference (EAMC) announced that Vanessa Kromer will be honored with the 2022 Gigi Award of Excellence, Kosha Irby and Rosanne Kozerski Brown will be inducted into the EAMC Hall of Fame, and Kelly Lovell-Taylor has been named the 2022 Impact honoree. The honors will be presented at the annual EAMC Awards Luncheon taking place during the conference, June 15-18, 2022, in the Twin Cities, where EAMC will also recognize the most innovative and strategic professionals in the live entertainment industry.

Each year EAMC recognizes professionals for their contributions to the live entertainment industry. The top honor is the Gigi Award of Excellence, named after the late Gigi Pilhofer, one of the founders of EAMC. This year’s honoree is former EAMC President and Hall of Famer, Vanessa Kromer. Kromer is Senior Director of Publicity at SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater, and Hollywood Park and has actively contributed to the conference for over 20 years. During her tenure she has hosted conferences in Anaheim (1999) and Los Angeles (2015), served as the President, Vice President of Agenda, a Board Member, and created the EAMC Awards.

Kosha Irby is EAMC’s 2022 Hall of Fame inductee being recognized for his impact on the live entertainment industry, support for the conference, and influence in marketing trends. Irby currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Professional Bull Riders (PBR), where he is responsible for all aspects of PBR’s consumer and live event marketing. A longtime supporter of the annual conference, Irby has participated in several panel discussions and sponsored events through his current and previous companies including WWE, a publicly traded (NYSE: WWE) global media company.

Rosanne Kozerski Brown, a participant in the earliest years of the conference, is the 2020 EAMC Hall of Fame recipient. Beginning in the mid-1970s, Kozerski Brown was a rising star in a relatively new profession, event and sports marketing, serving as Director of Public Relations and Marketing at the legendary Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. Her career took her on a year-long tour with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Australia and Japan, before ultimately becoming Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing for the Detroit Red Wings. She continually supported EAMC and assisted on the planning committee.

Kelly Lovell-Taylor is the Marketing and PR Officer for the Tempe Center for the Arts and will receive the 2022 Impact Award for her positive influence and contributions within the community. She is currently Vice President and a founding member of the City of Tempe’s Black Employee Alliance (TBEA). TBEA helps connect, influence, empower, and strengthen the relationships of Black employees with each other and city staff at-large, with the goal of fostering inclusion. She has also been involved with EAMC for over 25 years as an attendee, a panelist, and as a sponsor representative.

These honorees, along with the winners for “Marketing and Publicity Campaigns of the Year,” “Best Artist Gift” and “Artist Welcome of the Year” will be recognized at the annual EAMC Awards Luncheon in Minneapolis held on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Register HERE.

Cara Vanderhook is Vice President Marketing & Communications for Crypto.com Area, Microsoft Theater & L.A. LIVE.

By Martin Gammeltoft

With venues reopening following the pandemic, we at Activity Stream are thrilled to expand our team in the US once again. Evelyn Ingram, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, will be joining the team as VP of Commercial Sales for the North American live entertainment industry.

With her many years in the live event industry, Evelyn comes with a passion and drive for pushing the boundaries of digital marketing and ticket sales by working with tools that support venues in making data-driven decisions and delivering fan-based intelligence to customers.

“I am thrilled to join Activity Stream and work with an exceptionally forward-thinking and inventive team, coupled with an innovative marketing intelligence product,” Ingram said. “Tools that help venues make data-driven decisions are crucial, even more so since COVID. Activity Stream goes even beyond that and delivers fan-based intelligence that is usable, actionable, and impactful. The platform is unique and ground-breaking. I’m very thankful to be a part of it!”

Evelyn’s strong professional background consists of long-term work in the venue software industry at EventBooking and Ungerboeck. Her 20 years with venue management software has garnered over 1,000 client venues from around the world. Evelyn’s deep industry commitment is shown through her past service on the IAVM Membership Committee, IAVM Allied Committee, and IAVM Executive Leadership Committee, while today serving on the IAVM Diversity and Inclusive Leadership Committee.

Evelyn’s professional capabilities landed her a prestigious title within the event and venue industry, with VenuesNow Magazine naming her a “Woman of Influence,” in 2018.

Martin Gammeltoft is Chief Business Officer for Activity Stream.

By Colum Coomey

Global leader in venue and event management, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust, has been confirmed as the operator for the new Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCEC) that will open in 2026.

As the existing Government operator of convention and exhibition services in the state of Victoria, the Trust already manages the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and will manage both GCEC and MCEC to leverage expertise and opportunities to collaborate.

GCEC will be developed on the Geelong Waterfront precinct as part of the Geelong City Deal – a partnership between the Australian and Victorian Governments, together with the City of Greater Geelong.

The $294 million project includes the construction of a purpose-built Convention and Exhibition Centre, incorporating a 1,000-seat plenary venue and at least 3,700 square metres of flexible event space to allow large and small events to run concurrently.

The centre will be a major driver of jobs and economic growth for the City of Greater Geelong and surrounding areas, supporting 600 jobs during construction and an additional 270 ongoing jobs through operation.

Every event at GCEC will benefit a local ecosystem of hoteliers, event organisers, food providers, chefs and casual wait staff, cleaners, technicians, logistics, transport operators, and more.

The Trust will work closely with the local community, businesses, and key stakeholders in Geelong and the wider Bellarine region to secure as many local jobs, produce, and supply chains as possible in the centre’s ongoing operation.

“We have more than 25 years’ experience hosting and delivering world class business events and we’re excited to start operating in Geelong and the Bellarine,” said Peter King, Chief Executive of MCEC. “We look forward to engaging the local community, businesses, and event organisers as the Centre is developed.

“The new facility will expand Geelong’s annual events offering and provide extraordinary experiences to the community and wider region.”

Colum Coomey is Corporate Communications Manager for the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
M: 0435 659 082

Fern, a leading provider of trade show, exhibition, and event services, announced two additions to its management team. Kathy Cox, SHRM – SCP, SPHR, is the new Director of HR & Payroll and Joey Becker has joined the company as the General Manager of the Columbus, Ohio branch.

With more than 25 years in the human resources field, Cox has HR and payroll management experience in a variety of industries, including technology consulting and manufacturing – most recently with Standard Textile. She is excited to join the expositions and events industry and to help Fern’s managers and team members across the country continue the company’s reputation for providing unsurpassed service.

“We are excited to add Kathy and her years of professional experience in Human Resources to the team at Fern,” said Aaron Bludworth, CEO. “As we continue to expand our teams across the country Kathy will be taking on a critical role in the areas of recruiting and the on-boarding of new team members.”

Becker comes to Fern with a diverse background in the trade show, exhibit, and event management space. Most recently he was with EXHIBITPRO where he managed a wide range of tradeshow and branded environment programs. Earlier in his career, he was President of Becker Communications, a marketing communications company that focused on tradeshows and corporate event marketing. Becker prides himself on developing long-term relationships with his clients by becoming an extension of their brand management – knowing and understanding their needs, products, and services.

“Joey brings a fresh perspective rooted in 20+ years of successful experience in the trade show industry with a deep foundation of helping his clients achieve their business objectives. We look forward to seeing him do the same with Fern clients as he moves forward in this role,” said Steve Larsen, Chief Operating Officer.

By Stacie Bauer

Ungerboeck, the leader in event and venue management software, has added two roles on its chief executive leadership team to better position the company for accelerated growth and scale.

Jim McPherson has been promoted to the newly created role of Chief Customer Officer (CCO), and Mike Besecker joins the company as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective immediately.

Ungerboeck spent the past several years making significant changes and investments to ensure the success of its customers, including expanding the Customer Success team, launching the Learning Center and professional certifications, acquiring other organizations, and leading product development.

That time was also spent on a deep look into the organizational structure with a focus on growing the business and better serving our clients as the industry evolves. Adding the new roles will elevate the company’s ability to invest in the future.

As the company’s first CCO, McPherson is responsible for the global efforts of Ungerboeck’s Professional and Technical Solutions and Customer Success Management teams.

“Customer success is more than one team or one department – it’s our compass heading and ethos,” said McPherson. “Establishing the role of CCO further emphasizes and crystallizes that, company-wide, everything we do is to help drive successful customer outcomes and experiences.”

With over 22 years of experience leading software companies and building sales and revenue management teams, Besecker is a transformational revenue leader and operating executive with a passion for building, leading, and scaling global sales and account services organizations.

As CRO, he will focus on sales development and growth in the market segment strategy and building sales and business development globally.

Besecker will lead a global team of account executives, account managers, solution engineers, sales development representatives, and commercial operators responsible for the entire customer revenue lifecycle.

“I’m thrilled to be joining such a passionate team dedicated to customer success and the entire customer journey,” Besecker said. “I look forward to extending our lead position in the event management SaaS industry while living our mission of ‘empowering people who bring people together.’”

Ungerboeck President and CEO Manish Chandak said adding the two roles reflects the company’s commitment to investing in growth and customer success. Having the right team in place will take Ungerboeck to the next level in its evolution.

“Mike as Chief Revenue Officer, with his deep expertise in sales and revenue management, will help us scale our customer acquisition and account services by building a global team with tools and techniques that make us efficient and effective,” Chandak said.

“And Jim as Chief Customer Officer, with his passion for customer success, will help us further elevate customer satisfaction,” he continued. “Jim brings market-leading practices, knowledge, and training that will enhance the services our knowledgeable and experienced Customer Success team provides.”

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