Sodexo Live! announced the addition of industry veteran Colleen Brzozowski, CIS, CITP, as the company’s new Director of Venue Sales. In this newly created role, Brzozowski is tasked with driving event bookings for a portfolio of iconic venues – including the Museum of Science & Industry, the Shedd Aquarium and the Chicago Botanic Garden.

With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Brzozowski most recently served as the Director of National Accounts with ACCESS Destination Services, where she brought to life top-tier meetings and events for 40+ destinations. Prior to this, she served in high-performing sales functions with KSL Resorts, Krisam Group and the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.

“As an experienced and successful sales executive with a deep understanding of meetings and events, Colleen’s expertise and proven revenue generation capabilities will be an asset to us,” said Steve Pangburn, Chief Executive Officer, Sodexo Live! “Her track record of building high-performing teams is important, as we continue to grow out our expertise in venue sales. We are pleased to welcome Colleen to our team.”

Plans are in place for the historic Duluth Armory in Duluth, MN, to “serve as an economic, cultural and entertainment hub for northeastern Minnesota,” according to a news release from the Armory Arts and Music Center. The organization announced a partnership on December 20 with Minneapolis-based Sherman Associates to rehabilitate and develop the armory building, targeting an opening in 2024.

Plans for the building include a public marketplace and community kitchen, office and business space, and arts and music programming. The $25 million redevelopment hinges on obtaining $7.5 million in state funding.

The Duluth Armory was built in 1915 for the National Guard and Naval Militia and Reserve. In addition to being a center for military training for northern Minnesota, it also served as an entertainment venue until 1978.

The building is particularly noted for the Winter Dance Party concert on Jan. 31, 1959, featuring Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper. Holly, Valens and “Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson died three days later in a airplane crash. Duluth-born musician Bob Dylan attended the concert at the armory and mentioned it at the 1998 Grammy Awards when he received the Album of the Year award.

The city of Duluth purchased the armory and used it to store fleet vehicles throughout the 1980s and ’90s. In 2004 the nonprofit Duluth Armory Arts & Music Center acquired the building and has since completed projects to stabilize it while continuing to seek funding to restore it as a mixed-use commercial project.

Plans for the renovation also include space to honor Dylan.

 

Congratulations to the following winners of the 2021 Member Satisfaction Survey drawing!

VenueConnect 2022 Registration Winner – Carrie Paolone, Scotiabank Convention Centre

GuestX 2022 Registration Winner – Taylor Johnson, Show Me Center

AVSS 2022 Registration Winner –  Stacy Rutherford, Harford Community College

Venue Operations Summit 2022 Registration Winner – Zach Pritchard, Durham County Memorial Stadium

 

By MCCNO Communications Department

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) announced that Convention Center President Michael J. Sawaya was included in Biz New Orleans’ New Orleans 500 publication which profiles business leaders who are driving the greater New Orleans economy and shaping the region’s future.

Sawaya came to New Orleans in 2018 from San Antonio, TX. Since his arrival, he has been a shepherd of the New Orleans events industry, embarking on an ambitious $557-million five-year capital improvement plan – the largest in the NOENMCC’s 37-year history. He has also been the guiding force in getting the organization and the facility back to business following Hurricane Ida and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Michael J. Sawaya is a leader’s leader with 43 years of experience in the hospitality industry,” says Jerry Reyes, President of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority and Area Managing Director for Highgate Hotels. “The good work he does at the Convention Center ripples through the economy. From spearheading the transformation of part of the facility into a temporary field hospital early in the pandemic to working with the National Guard and the Louisiana Department of Health to house troops and patients after Hurricane Ida — Michael is an inspiring leader who continues to demonstrate his steadfast commitment to our organization and to the people of our region. We are thrilled that Biz New Orleans has recognized him in its New Orleans 500 publication.”

This year, under Sawaya’s leadership, the NOENMCC was selected as one of the city’s “Best Places to Work” by New Orleans CityBusiness and received a “New Orleans Top Workplaces” Award from The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. The NOENMCC was also named as a National Top Workplace for 2021, the only convention center in America to hold that title.

By Melinda Hartline

The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation announced new dates and location for the annual induction ceremony. The ceremony normally scheduled for mid-January 2021 will be moved to the Circus Sarasota Tent at Nathan Benderson Park and take place February 5th at 4:30 pm. The rescheduled date and location will allow for a climate controlled theatrical environment.

“During the past year the foundation board discussed how to expand and improve the quality of the live

experience and expand our outreach globally by creating a video streaming/TV product,” said Bill Powell, chair and CEO of the foundation and most recently recognized as IAVM’s 2020 Joseph J. Anzivino Distinguished Allied Award recipient. “Moving to a venue with theatrical accommodations will allow us to create a quality show with professional lights, sound, acoustics, and overall theatrical look and feel.”

The plaques will still permanently reside on St. Armands Circle.

The 2022 Circus Ring of Fame inductees are:
1. Galaxy Girl, Tina Winn – Seventh generation extreme aerialist who performs dazzling gymnastic routines at heights of up to 130 feet in the air. Tina Winn has been performing for multiple decades and began her training in the circus art as a child with her family.
2. Nik Wallenda, King of the High Wire has crisscrossed the globe with never-before-seen death-defying acts. As a direct descendent of the original Wallenda troupe headed by patriarch Karl Wallenda, Nik carries on multiple decades of family tradition of spectacular aerial artistry and death-defying thrills.
3. George Carden – Prominent multi-decade circus producer headquartered in Missouri who has raised millions of dollars for charitable causes through the work of his circus and sponsoring organizations.
4. Willie Edelston – As the 1941 National YMCA Ring Champion, Willie Edelston had a love for performing. He signed with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a trapeze artist and continued this work for multiple decades on numerous shows. For more than 50 years, Willie volunteered at the Sailor Circus. Hundreds of students have benefited from his coaching. He taught flying trapeze, rings, tumbling, and hand-balancing.
5. The Richter/Casselly Families – Two of Europe’s premiere multi-generational circus families are best known for their incredible artistic productions. The Richter/Casselly families began performing as young children. They have won multiple awards at the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival, Budapest Circus Festival and many others.
6. The Advance Professionals – A first ever class induction honoring the group responsible for the business of the show. Within the group, four areas of expertise are being honored: tour booking, press relations, promotion, and creative advertising.

Limited admission tickets are available on Eventbrite by

clicking here.

The new inductees to the Circus Ring of Fame will join the 150 honored since 1987. All of those recognized have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of the circus. Updates on the ceremony will be posted on the website and social media.

Melinda Hartline is President and Chief Communications Officer for Hartline Communications in Tampa, Florida.

Pictured: Michael Naughton and Heidi Herriott will co-host the 2022 Circus Ring of Fame Foundation induction ceremony.