By Paul W. Pettas, APR

Sodexo Live!, the leading hospitality partner to the world’s most iconic venues, announced a multi-year renewal of its partnership with the Raleigh Convention & Performing Arts Complex. Sodexo Live! provides catering services to the Raleigh Convention Center and other venues that make up the Complex — Red Hat Amphitheater, Coastal Credit Union Music Park, and Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts — which together welcome nearly a million visitors each year.

Under the local leadership of General Manager Jamie Jenkins, the Sodexo Live! culinary team is a vital part of the Raleigh Convention Center’s award-winning sustainability efforts, which includes using 100% biodegradable food-service items; pledging to source a high amount of food from local vendors and farmers; donating excess food to community food banks; converting used cooking oil into biofuel; and
diverting 40% of its food waste from the landfill and into compost instead.

Sodexo Live! Executive Chef Phil Evans has spent years perfecting his craft in some of the country’s finest kitchens, including five-star and five-diamond resorts. From his beginnings working in the kitchen of three-star Michelin chef Marc Meneau in France, Chef Phil has also served as executive sous chef at the St. Regis in Houston, executive chef at the St. Regis in Aspen, and as executive chef at the North Carolina’s own acclaimed Umstead Hotel & Spa and Herons Restaurant.

The award-winning chefs on the team have prepared meals for four former U.S. presidents and world-renowned chefs Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Alice Waters, amongst others.

Through the extension of the current agreement, Sodexo Live! commits to providing significant capital contributions for enhanced guest services including new POS/CC systems, action stations, presentation items, and equipment upgrades.

Kerry Painter, CVE, Raleigh Convention & Performing Arts Director/GM, said, “We are happy to expand our work with Sodexo Live! as we invest in the guest experience for everyone who comes to visit our properties in Raleigh. Their long-term commitment to hire local employees and utilize local suppliers is important, as we mutually seek to be revenue drivers for the broader local economy through the calendar of events we host here on a regular basis.”

Sal Ferrulo, Executive Vice President, Sodexo Live!, added, “We look forward to continuing to provide our Raleigh partners with the unparalleled service experience they expect from us. We work with an ownership and a management team here in Raleigh that truly encourages us to focus on and innovate the guest experience as we invest together in culinary programs that will attract functions of all sizes to the City of Oaks.”

Paul W. Pettas, APR, is PR & Communications Director for Sodexo.

By Stadium Business

Real estate and construction company Suffolk has been selected as the construction partner for a major renovation project at Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.

The Patriots announced in December that Gillette Stadium, which also serves as the home of Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, will undergo its biggest revamp since opening in 2002.

The plans will focus on the north end of the stadium, with improvements to include the introduction of the country’s largest outdoor stadium video board.

Kraft Group, which owns Gillette Stadium, the Patriots and the Revolution, has now selected Suffolk as the construction partner for the renovation as work officially begins on the project this week.

The renovation includes a completely reimagined plaza leading into the stadium, including a new and enhanced lighthouse. Inside the stadium, a prominent new HD video board will be added, along with new and improved concession locations and other fan amenities.

The north end transformation will center on 75,000 square feet of glass-enclosed, year-round hospitality and function spaces. All levels of the stadium will also have 360-degree connectivity, a feature that is currently only available on the main concourse.

The HD video board will measure 370 feet by 60 feet and will be nearly double the size of the new south end zone video board, which debuted in July. The new board will provide game action, replays, statistics, and fantasy football updates.

The new development will also see Gillette Stadium’s lighthouse be replaced with a larger, more prominent structure that will stand 218 feet high, complete with a 360-degree observation deck at the top.

The fan entrance at the north end of the stadium will also be revitalized, with plans including a relocation of the entry gates to create a new fan activation area upon entry to the lower plaza. A landscaped staircase will lead guests up to the main concourse.

“Suffolk is thrilled to be chosen by the Kraft Group to manage this extensive renovation of the iconic Gillette Stadium,” said Jeff Gouveia, general manager of Suffolk Northeast. “We are honored the Kraft family has entrusted us with this important project, and we look forward to playing a key role in enhancing the experience for Patriots and Revolution fans and event participants at Gillette Stadium for many years to come.”

In Gillette Stadium’s first 20 years, the Kraft family invested more than $300 million on stadium enhancements. The Patriots said the new project, including the south end zone improvements made last offseason, will total an additional $225 million investment.

The construction is scheduled for completion prior to the 2023 NFL season.

Overland Park is the first convention center in the world to open a KultureCity approved sensory room for neurodiverse, autistic and disabled attendees.

In partnership with non-profit KultureCity, the sensory room is a dedicated space created by medical professionals with reduced lighting and noise for guests who may feel overstimulated and need a more secure environment.

The certification process equipped venue staff by training with leading medical professionals on how to recognize those attendees with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. Sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions.

One of the major barriers for these individuals is over stimulation and noise, which is an enormous part of the environment in event venues. With this new certification, the convention center is now better prepared to assist guests with sensory sensitivities so that all can attend and feel comfortable.

Sensory bags, equipped with noise canceling headphones (provided by Puro Sound Labs), fidget tools, verbal cue cards (produced in conjunction with Boardmaker), and weighted lap pads are also available to all guests at the convention center who may feel overwhelmed by the environment.

Prior to attending an event, families can download the free KultureCity App where they can view what sensory features are available at the convention center and where they can access them. The apps ‘Social Story’ feature also provides a preview of what to expect while at the venue.

“To know that you soon will be able to see families attend a basketball game, a true community binding experience, with their loved ones who have a sensory challenge and who were not able to previously attend, is truly a heartwarming moment,” said Dr. Julian Maha, Co-Founder of KultureCity. “Our communities are what shapes our lives and to know that the Overland Park Convention Center is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that everyone, no matter their ability, is included in their community is amazing.”

By Celebrity Access

AEG Presents has tapped industry veteran Brett Williams as the company’s new Senior Vice President, Global Touring and Talent.

While at AEG Presents, Williams will be tasked with identifying, signing, and booking talent for the company’s Global Touring and Talent division.

Williams joins AEG Presents from Los Angeles-based management company Monotone, Inc., where he spent more than 15 years, serving most recently served as General Manager. While at Monotone, Williams worked with a diverse roster of artists that included The Chicks, Foster the People, Cold War Kids, Miike Snow, Dirty Projectors, BANKS, Ratatat, Still Woozy, Empress Of, and Briston Maroney, among others.

In addition, Williams played a key role in the company’s expansion, growing their client roster from four creatives to more than 20, along with a staff that expanded from six employees to more than 20.

“Brett brings an incredible breadth of knowledge and experience to the position,” said Gary Gersh, AEG Presents President of Global Touring and Talent, to whom Williams reports. “His management background, keen eye for spotting and developing talent, and superb artist relations skills are perfectly aligned with our core strategy. I’m thrilled he’s joining the team.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining such a well-respected and innovative company and look forward to working with Gary and the entire Global Touring and Talent team, who are best in class,” Williams says of his new role at AEG Presents. “I started my career in music because of my obsession with artists, and the company’s mission mirrors my own — namely, to build, support, and serve world-class artists and their vision.”

By R.V. Baugus and Hurricanes.com

The public assembly venue industry and IAVM friends mourn the passing of long-time industry veteran Davin “Dave” Olsen, who passed away January 31 from a heart attack. He was 62.

Olsen served more than two decades as the general manager of PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, home of the National Hockey League Carolina Hurricanes as well as home to North Carolina State University sports.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of Dave’s passing,” the team said in a statement. “Dave was an enormous part of this organization from the construction of PNC Arena through nearly 22 years of operating and maintaining it as one of the premier entertainment venues in the Southeast. He was a dedicated, popular employee who will be dearly missed by so many of our employees, past and present.”

Olsen worked in arena management for more than 30 years, including the last 24 years with the Hurricanes and PNC Arena. Most recently, he was working as the interim manager of the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Prior to joining the Hurricanes, Olsen served as the director of recreational facilities at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Olsen had also overseen Germain Arena in Estero, FL, Compuware Arena in Plymouth, MI, the New Haven Coliseum, and the Hartford Civic Center during his distinguished career.

His name is engraved on the Stanley Cup with the 2005-06 champions.

Dave is survived by his wife, Marci, and his sons Davin and Jason.