By ASM Global

ASM Global has appointed Alex Merchán as executive vice-president of marketing as part of a plan to substantially increase the company’s programs for its portfolio of facilities across the world.

Merchán joins ASM having served as executive vice-president of Live Nation Entertainment from June 2017, specifically for its clubs and theatres division.

Previous to his tenure at Live Nation, Merchán spent 10 years at Hard Rock International, latterly as senior director of global marketing and sales from 2013 to June 2017, establishing the strategic direction for 175 venues in 74 countries, representing a billion-dollar business overseeing both sales and marketing in that capacity.

In Merchán’s new role, he will be responsible for all marketing, data analytics, digital, creative, and communications efforts for ASM worldwide, overseeing strategic development across company divisions, supporting all marketing and sales efforts across global partnerships, customer experience, data analytics, revenue growth, new venue partners, food and beverage, content, and programming.

ASM said Merchán has been instrumental in the execution and implementation of its recently announced strategic partnership with Qualtrics. ASM Global this month entered into a partnership with the Utah-based tech business management firm to create new fan experiences at live events as venues adapt to a post-pandemic environment.

As part of the deal, ASM will leverage Qualtrics in the creation of a proprietary system to listen to fan feedback and work to create experiences that reflect the changing habits of spectators.

Merchán will evolve the core marketing strategies and develop the marketing team to drive growth across company divisions and further expand the portfolio such as recent openings in Coca Cola Music Hall (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Capital One Hall (Tysons, Virginia) and Tacoma Theater (Tacoma, Washington), all now part of the ASM portfolio.

ASM president and CEO, Ron Bension, said: “There are tremendous opportunities for us to bring substantially increased value to our clients through strategic marketing initiatives. Alex is uniquely qualified to harness the power of the world’s largest live-event marketing platform to drive sales, revenues, and awareness to our partner venues around the globe.”

Merchán added: “ASM’s multichannel digital platform leverages a global footprint and rich live-event data to create and power impactful marketing campaigns, drive guest engagement, and grow ticket sales.

“Our global scope and expertise, technology infrastructure, and strategic partners provide an exciting foundation to leverage on the ground marketing activation with a robust integrated digital network and deliver engaged audiences across all our stadiums, arenas, convention centres and theatres.

“No one in the live entertainment business can match – among many things – our ability to deliver and market to a captive global audience through cutting-edge technology, creative partnerships, and a well-researched and charted guest experience.”

My granny used to always say that you can take a girl out of Kentucky, but you can’t take Kentucky out of a girl. How right she was. I may have moved to Dallas five years ago to join IAVM, but Bowling Green, KY will always be home. Forty-one of my 46 earthly years were spent there, and it branded its southern heart into my own. When I refer to “home,” that will forever be my point of reference.

Throughout my tenure with IAVM, my heart has bled when we receive reports of tragedies that have hit our member venues and their communities. Seeing the devastation left behind by earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and even at the hands of humans in mass casualty events, never gets easier. There is something especially hard about it, though, when it hits home. Overnight on Friday, December 10, it hit my “home.”

Saturday, December 11, I woke to hundreds of missed calls and messages. There is nothing more frightening to see in our line of business. Immediate panic and worry set in before taking a breath, then opening those missed messages to see what needed to be done. My heart sank at the texts and images I had missed. My home state, my old Kentucky home, had been devastated by the most catastrophic tornadic event to ever hit there. Entire towns leveled, in some instances nothing left but foundations where centuries old buildings once stood, and untold lives lost. By now you have seen the images and read the reports.

It took minutes, that seemed like years, to connect with my sister and find out about the fate of my family and friends. We were blessed that everyone was safe and accounted for. Not everyone, even just a street over, was so lucky. As the hours passed, and I received more and more reports, the devastation and loss of lives became even more grim. Today, property loss is well within the billions, many are still without power and cell service, and 74 are confirmed dead; 12 are children. Their ages range from 2 months to 98 years old. Seven lost were from a single family. Every piece of my heart goes out to those who lost someone. Prayers for the searchers still looking for those not yet recovered.

One thing about Kentuckians, we have never met a stranger. When you see neighbors helping neighbors, strangers helping strangers, to dig through rubble or cook meals, it’s because that person is family. That person is a fellow Kentuckian. That is why Kentucky will forever have my heart, because it is my family. Every soul there is. So, as I prepare to drive back “home” for the holidays, to help where and how I can, I think of the old saying that “you can’t go home again.” The meaning behind the words in this case is poignant. I am returning to a place I see in my memory, and that place no longer exists as I see it. While what I am returning to won’t look like home in its landscape now, the people I will see along the way will still be the same hard working, generous hearts, and they are what truly make Kentucky home. They are what I am returning to.

I will be documenting my journey through many of the states affected here and on our Facebook page starting December 23, so please be sure to check back.

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in November 2021. Thank you for being a part of the association! Also, let us get to know you better by participating in the I Am Venue Management series. Please visit http://www.iavm.org/i-am-venue-management-share-your-story to share your story and photo.

Javier Aguirre, Utah Valley Convention Center, Provo, UT
Bryan Arnecke, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Yvette Audet, Sports & Recreation Management Services, Lindfield, NSW, Australia
Cameron Basila, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Allison Black, Henderson Engineers, Lenexa, KS
Megan Brooke, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Creighton Buhr, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Andrea Bushman, Resch Center, Green Bay, WI
Waykme Butler, Madison Square Garden Entertainment, New York, NY
Dennis Carew, Walter E Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
Adrienne Cleverley, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Kristin Coffman, Walton Arts Center/Walmart AMP, Fayetteville, AR
Adam Cudal, Keystone Centre, Brandon, MB, Canada
Camila de Franca Morais, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON, Canada
Giselle Diaz, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Brian Doll, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Meagan Drabik, Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne, IN
Scott Dunlap, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Morgan Earley, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Samantha Faley, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Scott Fear, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Elliott Fodera, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Kali Fujanami, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Josh Gann, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, KY
Tony Gomez de la Casa, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Kathy Grabowsky, Lethbridge & District Exhibition, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Joshua Greene, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL
Elizabeth Guptill, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
Zack Gutierrez, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Rena Hamilton, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, KY
Anita Harrington, Bendigo Stadium Ltd, Bendigo, VIC, Australia
Logan Hehn, San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, San Francisco, CA
Vassie Hollamon, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Eugene Holmes, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Drew Hurley, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Stefen Huskinson, Utah Valley Convention Center, Provo, UT
Misty Hysolli, Utah Valley Convention Center, Provo, UT
Mattison Jameson, Columbia County Performing Arts Center, Evans, GA
Jerry Jeffries, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, KY
Kurtis Kaskiw, Lethbridge & District Exhibition, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Vinnie Khurana, VenuePro, London,
James Liberti, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Dave Little, Lethbridge & District Exhibition, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Bernie Malone, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Abe Markin, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Meghan McCarron, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Nicole Mcnamara, Bendigo Stadium Ltd, Bendigo, VIC, Australia
Gregory Monahan, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Michelle Moore, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Walter Moore, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Christina Mowe, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Jacob Nichols, Chaparral Center – Midland College, Midland, TX
Jillian Pekoske, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Malori Rhones, Walter E Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
Kirk Roberts, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Amanda Sanchez, University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music, Los Angeles, CA
Ruben Sanchez, UTA Special Event Facilities, Arlington, TX
Andy Schmidt, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Kelly Schmidt, Gogue Performing Arts Center, Auburn, AL
Valerie Skarda, Utah Valley Convention Center, Provo, UT
Wesley Smith, Nationals Park – Washington Nationals, Washington, DC
Allison Sotelo, SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA
Juan Torres, Prism.fm, Austin, TX
Kerri Troyer, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Matt Warwick, Trail Drive Management Corp./Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Brittany Washington, Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, Raleigh, NC
Michael Watts, AALRR, Cerritos, CA
Jacob Whitfill, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, KY
Elisa Wong Shuk-fan, Hong Kong Coliseum & Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong, China
John Yagos, Lethbridge & District Exhibition, Lethbridge, AB, Canada

iCommit, IAVM’s annual member referral campaign, ran this year from July 1 through October 31, 2021. The goal of the campaign is for each existing member to recruit one or more individuals to join our community of venue professionals. The results are in!

We are pleased to report that 90 members have been entered into the raffle to win prizes for every new member they have recommended. Together with their support, we have added 196 additional members to IAVM!

• Grand Prize Winner – VenueConnect 2022 free registration goes to: Michelle Frank, The Lerner Theatre in Elkhart, IN
• Raffle Winners – Five, $500 Apple Gift Cards*
  • Adina Erwin, CVE – Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
  • Keith Van Der Leest – Inter Miami CF – Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Kass Prince – Irving Arts Center – Irving, TX
  • Kim Gillard – Credit Union of Texas Event Center – Allen, TX
  • Blake Malcom – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
• Region Winner – Region 5 added the largest number of new members, with a total of 60 during this period.

The Region Director will select one recipient to have his/her CVP application fee waived (value $125). The candidate must apply by July 2022.

Thank you to the members who constantly answer the call to help us grow and continue to be the largest association serving the venue management industry.

We are particularly grateful and offer special thanks to Ungerboeck for their continued support of this membership initiative.

If you have any questions, contact IAVM’s Director of Membership, Gina Brydson.

By R.V. Baugus

IAVM sends it congratulations to Juan Gabriel Tamez, CVE, CEM, Managing Director, Expo Guadalajara, for being named the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award at IAEE’s Expo! Expo! recently held in Philadelphia.

The International Association of Exhibitions and Event’s® (IAEE) Awards recognize outstanding contributions by IAEE members to the organization and to the exhibitions and events industry. Recipients were selected after careful consideration and review by the IAEE Awards Committee and approval by the IAEE Board of Directors following an open call for nominations by IAEE members earlier in the year.

“It is a great pleasure to bestow these honors on our very deserving colleagues,” said 2021 IAEE Awards Committee Chairperson Kellie Shevlin, CEM. “These awards acknowledge the outstanding contributions IAEE members make to the advancement of the exhibitions and events industry.”

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to an IAEE member in recognition of an individual who has rendered distinguished service to IAEE and to the exhibitions and events industry. Qualifying criteria includes extraordinary service and contributions at both the local and national levels that have furthered the growth and development of this organization. When representing IAEE, the honoree will have served as a role model for the industry.

As we all know, Juan Gabriel Tamez serves as a role model for several industries, IAVM included. Congratulations!