Allen (TX) Event Center, one of the most diverse arenas in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, has a new
name and look. The 7,000+ seat facility is now called the Credit Union of Texas Event Center.

The seven-year naming rights agreement became effective on October 15. The deal is worth #2.2 million over seven years. Since 2018, Allen-based Credit Union of Texas has sponsored the city’s parks and recreation department, according to Allen City Council documents.

The arena unveiled its new brand at the Allen Americans Professional Hockey Club’s Home Opener on October 23. Fans were not only part of the first official event at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center, but they were first to experience the facility’s new lighting and audio/video systems. Upgrades include a new LED Musco Lighting system that allows the hockey team to turn the arena into a “Rink of
Red.”

In this time of gratitude and thanksgiving, I am asking you to join me in supporting the IAVM Foundation on this #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is an opportunity to solidify our industry by supporting the IAVM Foundation and their commitments. These commitments include those that help develop our future industry leaders. Programs like 30|UNDER|30 and other annual scholarships help bring these future leaders to industry events and aid in the their career growth. Your #GivingTuesday support is more than just a donation, it’s a chance to make a difference in someone’s future.

I am challenging us all, as part of the IAVM family, to give $25 (or more) to help us reach our goal of $5,000!

The challenge is simple…

• Click HERE and donate! Any gift, no matter how much, helps your Foundation provide opportunities for industry development.
• Challenge others! Simply copy and paste this message as your own challenge, or tag others on social media with the message – I accepted the IAVM Foundation #GivingTuesday challenge! Join me and make a difference too! Donate here! https://bit.ly/3x2OAAH
• Anyone who donates $100 (or more) will also be entered into a drawing for a Samsung 40″ Series 5 Full HD TV! (Special Thanks to Bill Bavirsha at University of Illinois Chicago for that donation!)
• Anyone who makes a monthly recurring donation of $10 (or more) will also be entered into the drawing for the TV! After you add your donation to the cart, you will be asked if this should be a recurring donation.

I wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I wish you time off to spend with your family and friends, though I know how that can go in our business. Still, there are usually days at this time of year when the schedule eases up, and I wish you wonderful rest of your holiday season

Thank you for helping me reach this year’s #GivingTuesday challenge goal!

Jim Wynkoop, CVE
Chair, Board of Trustees

From UBS Arena

UBS Arena at Belmont Park and the New York Islanders have teamed up with Venuetize, leaders in mobile-first and advanced payment technology, to deliver a new mobile experience. Now available for download in the Apple Store and in Google Play, the UBS Arena App delivers new ways to interact with UBS Arena and the New York Islanders through enhanced experiences for event goers.

The UBS Arena app is your key to unlocking your experience at UBS arena. It allows users to:
● Easily retrieve Ticketmaster tickets and parking passes
● Order food, beverage, and select merchandise items
● Transact using the Mobile Wallet or pay with Apple Pay at point-of-sale and for mobile ordering
● Access Season Ticket Member benefits through UBS Arena and Islanders
Member Pass, as well as stored and loaded value integrated into the Mobile Wallet
● Get quick answers to questions via Chatbot (ask UBS Arena)
● Leverage interactive maps, as well as travel and transportation information to help get from point A to B throughout your visit

“UBS Arena guests are already benefiting from a more personalized and enjoyable mobile experience powered by Venuetize,” said Lindsay St. Lawrence, Chief Product Officer at Venuetize. “This partnership between our organizations enables more ways to engage and reward guests, including the ability for mobile ordering and payments during their visit.”

“We are hyper-focused on the experience of those who walk through our doors,” said Ethan Brown, Sr. Vice President, Marketing and Community Relations for UBS Arena and the New York Islanders. “Mobile plays a key part in unlocking all that is available at UBS Arena and we look forward to working with Venuetize to continue to bring the latest in mobile-first technology to all visitors of UBS Arena.”

By Doug Potter

To help venues manage their reopening, VenuMax has added a free COVID-19 Wellness Tracker. Prior to the event, this module surveys attendees to record their adherence to state or venue-specific health guidelines for COVID. With this information, the venue can document its compliance or risk with respect to vaccination rates, natural immunity, and other factors indicated by the Tracker’s survey.

The Wellness Tracker surveys event attendees before the opening of the event, then it compiles the survey results so the venue can show attendees of any event what the level of COVID wellness is among the group attending the event.

The survey questions are specific to each event, and the Wellness Tracker reaches out to them by email. This process starts with the customer’s event coordinator submitting a spreadsheet of attendee emails. Each attendee then receives the survey and responds by electronically.

The Wellness Tracker records all responses confidentially and summarizes each survey’s results to management in a dashboard display panel. See www.VenuMax.com for more details.

Doug Potter is with VenuMax Sales.

ASM Global, the venue management and consultancy formed by a merger of AEG Facilities and SMG Worldwide, announced a major expansion in the Asia Pacific region with plans to open a regional headquarters in Singapore.

“We believe that this part of the world is ready for a phase of robust growth, and we’re investing in personnel and plans to ensure we’re at the forefront of a significant growth curve,” said ASM Global CEO and President Ron Bension.

ASM Global’s new regional command post will be led by a joint leadership team that includes the appointment of executive vice president of operations Paul Sergeant, OBE, and Ed Sanderson as executive vice president of venue development.

Sergeant, who joined ASM Global three years ago, brings more than 3 decades of relevant experience to the role. He most recently served as senior vice president. A seasoned industry veteran as well, Mr. Sanderson’s resume includss more than 2 decades of commercial and operational experience in venues and facilities across Asia, most recently with Populous.

Both Sanderson and Sergeant are expected to take up their roles in Singapore by the end of the year.

“This is an exciting development and reinforcement of the importance of this region to our organization and the expansion of our regionally based business activities,” said ASM Global APAC Chairman and Chief Executive Harvey Lister AM. “Having our ASM Global APAC industry professionals like Paul and Ed on the ground will bring a wealth of local knowledge and experience to our operations.”

ASM Global already has a substantial presence in the region, operating venues such as Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center, the under-construction Kai Tak Sports Park, as well as six future arenas that have already secured management deals with ASM Global.