By Jim Yeager

As the world continues to emerge from the two-year pandemic, ASM has announced plans six months in the making for an unprecedented three day international “collaborative job fair” encompassing four continents internationally Feb. 15-17.

Aimed at helping address the global staffing shortage that many companies in a variety of industries face, ASM leadership hopes that the unique global search will surface diverse talent and expand the company’s reach within its local communities and herald the return to the live-entertainment experience stilled by the COVID pandemic.

“The return to live is just what the world needs,” said ASM Global CEO and President Ron Bension. “There’s a thrill, an excitement, that makes this business feel communal for everyone involved. Our hope is that ‘ASM Global Presents: The Next Great Opportunity’ helps ignite that excitement.”

The event will enable venues to fill a wide range of roles from hourly to salaried levels with highly skilled and diverse candidates. The jobs include the areas of operations, business development, finance, food and beverage, human resources, sales, marketing, booking, security, guest services, audio visual tech, catering, and more.

U.S., Canada, and Latin America are scheduled for Feb. 15 and 16, United Kingdom Feb. 16 and 17, and APAC Feb. 16 and 17. Interested applicants can access the job fair through https://reg.ecareerfairs.com/e/asmglobal-us.

The list of stadiums, convention centers, theaters, and arenas that host over 160 million guests annually participating worldwide includes:

· Albuquerque Convention Center

· American Bank Center

· AO Arena, Manchester

· Avenir Centre

· Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre

· Barclays Center

· Bonus Arena

· Bridgewater Hall

· Brookshire Grocery Arena

· Broward County Convention Center

· Buenos Aries Arena

· COX Business Convention Center

· Destination El Paso

· DeVos Performance Hall

· DeVos Place

· First Direct Arena

· Greater Columbus Convention Center

· Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong

· Kentucky Performing Arts Center

· KFC Yum! Center

· Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum

· Las Cruces Convention Center

· Leon’s Centre

· Long Beach Convention Center

· Lynn Family Stadium

· Mechanics Bank Arena

· Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex

· Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center

· NRG Stadium

· Oakland Arena

· Ontario Convention Center

· OVO Arena, Wembley

· P&J Live

· Pennsylvania Convention Center

· Pensacola Bay Center

· PLAYHOUSE Whitley Bay

· Plowright Theatre

· Ring Center

· Shreveport Convention Center

· Sioux Falls Arena

· Stockton Arena

· Target Center

· Te Pae Christchurch Convention and Exhibition Centre, New Zealand

· The Baths Hall

· The Oncenter

· T-Mobile Center

· Toyota Arena

· Utilita Arena

· Van Andel Arena

Jim Yeager is with Breakwhitelight (for ASM Global)

By Sarah Burt

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is proud to be supporting OzHarvest’s Cooking for a Cause program.

The venue is partnering with OzHarvest to help deliver their Cooking For A Cause program by hosting the sessions in the MCEC commercial kitchens three days a week.

The popular team engagement program is led by OzHarvest chefs, who share their zero-waste cooking skills as they help corporate teams transform quality rescued food into hundreds of delicious and nutritious meals that OzHarvest then to deliver to local charities.

Chief Executive MCEC Peter King said it is the ideal partnership for the organisation. “At MCEC we are passionate about sustainability and being community-minded. OzHarvest’s Cooking for a Cause gives us the opportunity to tie all of that together with a team-building aspect, too. The events industry can contribute a lot of food waste, so this is the perfect way to try and reverse that cycle and give back to those in Melbourne who need it most.”

Bernado Tobias, OzHarvest Victoria State Manager, expressed his gratitude to MCEC. “A huge thank you goes to MCEC for their incredible support and providing their wonderful venue to host our program. This comes at such an important time as we are now finally out of lockdown. Cooking for a Cause is the perfect way for corporate teams to reconnect with each other in a fun and meaningful way. You get to see your impact immediately through the number of meals cooked and, of course, you get a taster too!”

Globally, one third of all food produced is wasted, with one in every six Australian’s experiencing food insecurity. The program highlights the national issues of food waste and hunger as well as OzHarvest’s vision and work for change.

Supporting the UN Sustainability Goals, OzHarvest is committed to halving food waste by 2030, while MCEC has developed an ambitious five-year sustainability strategy which seeks to achieve zero food waste by 2025.

Sarah Burt is Media and Content Specialist at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

By Max Strauss

Following the release of her album ‘Happier Than Ever,’ Darkroom/Interscope Records artist Billie Eilish made a stop at State Farm Arena for the first leg of her ‘Happier Than Ever, The World Tour.’ Thousands of fans attended the sold-out show at Atlanta’s award-winning venue for the tour’s second stop, and the venue announced that approximately 92 percent of fan-generated waste was diverted from landfills by either being recycled, donated, composted, or reused.

“We are proud to continue our TRUE zero-waste journey with Billie Eilish’s stop at State Farm Arena,” said Sofi Armenakian, Hawks and State Farm Arena Director of Sustainability and Operations. “Billie Eilish and her fans were instrumental in making this stop another successful green event. For this show, we are grateful for our partners at Levy, Pritchard and Novelis, as well as the assistance from University of Georgia’s Office of Sustainability, who helped us raise awareness in the venue on the importance and the positive impact sustainability has on future generations.”

As part of her show, State Farm Arena teamed up with University of Georgia’s Office of Sustainability to help fans properly dispose items into the correct diversion streams: recycling, compost, or landfill, to reduce contamination. The venue also provided vegan options throughout different locations on-site such as a vegan burger (at the same price as regular hamburgers), as well as salad options. All of this was in accordance with Billie Eilish’s mission to make her tour as eco-friendly as possible.

Across the entire tour, fans can enjoy the Billie Eilish Eco-Lounge hosted by Reverb, an environmental non-profit organization that will “green” the entire tour and create an activation on the concourse at each show allowing every guest that purchases a ticket to visit for free. The Billie Eilish Eco-Village showcases five non-profits including Support + Feed, along with local non-profits in each city that will be providing information on how to best help the climate in the healthiest ways.

The Hawks and State Farm Arena continue to lead the way in sustainable practices for sports and live event venues diverting more than 90 percent of fan-generated waste throughout its 2021 slate of Hawks’ basketball games, concerts, and ancillary events. Throughout 2021, the Hawks and State Farm Arena diverted more than one million pounds of waste from landfills. At the end of last year, Novelis became the official aluminum recycling and proud sustainability partner on State Farm Arena’s journey to becoming a TRUE zero-waste venue. TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) is a standard set by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body.

Max Strauss is with State Farm Arena PR.

Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California has appointed Marcus Kroulik as vice president of ticketing ahead of its opening later this year.

Kroulik’s appointment was announced by arena operator Oak View Group. He will begin his new role immediately and report to John Bolton, senior vice president of entertainment – facilities and general manager of the arena.

Kroulik will be responsible for planning and implementing the ticketing strategy, including all day-to-day ticket operations for Acrisure Arena and the Coachella Valley Firebirds ice hockey team, which will play its home games at the venue. Acrisure acquired naming rights to the 11,500-seat arena last month.

Kroulik previously served as ticketing director at Target Center, home of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, and prior to that was director of ticketing operations for the NHL’s Florida Panthers.

By Kelly Luecke

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group announced the promotion of Kevin Kulas to Vice President, Global Tour Planning and Booking at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group (CDSEG).

As former SVP of VStar Entertainment Group – a leading entertainment company and producer of live experiences – Kulas was part of the executive leadership team who oversaw the company through its 2018 acquisition by CDSEG. During that time, his role grew to include tour planning and booking responsibilities for the entire Affiliate Shows Division of CDSEG, including Cirque Dreams properties; Blue Man Group; The Works; and the portfolio of VStar productions (PAW Patrol Live!, Nick Jr., Live!, Trolls LIVE!, etc.).

Prior to his involvement with VStar (formerly VEE Corporation) which began in 2005, Kulas served as a promoter and market manager for Live Nation in Minneapolis, presenting over 300 concerts/festivals annually in the upper Midwest. Prior to that, Kulas led the booking department for 10+ years at the Target Center Arena in Minneapolis, where his career began.

Mike Newquist, President of the Touring Shows Division of CDSEG, said, “Kevin’s extensive experience with VStar and Live Nation among others, as well as his network of promoters around the world, will be essential in developing a more integrated approach to our planning strategy. As a 30-year veteran of the live event industry, Kevin’s leadership, industry knowledge, and large network will be considerable assets to our team. We are looking forward to this new chapter of Kevin’s career with Cirque du Soleil.”

In his new role, Kulas will be overseeing the entire CDSEG touring portfolio, and will optimize the coordination and planning strategies for all Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group touring shows around the world, under the guidance of Mike Newquist.

Kelly Luecke is Director of Public Relations, Affiliate Shows Division, for Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group.