By R.V. Baugus

Darlene Somers, CMP DES, has heard the talk from client friends she has worked with in the past in the hospitality industry when she shared about her new employment as Director of Meetings at IAVM: “Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re a part of IAVM! I’m so excited to see you in Atlanta!”

Indeed, Somers, who carries an impressive portfolio of more than 20 years experience as an association management event professional in the world of hospitality, likes to say that her newest career move “makes the circle complete.”

Somers is just as excited to attend VenueConnect and while she will not have the full thrust of responsibility for the position as next year will carry in Phoenix, she looks forward to observation, learning, and, yes, meeting some of those past acquaintances as well as getting to say hello and meeting attending IAVM members.

“What a blessing to be able to attend VenueConnect,” Somers said. “Not that I’ve got free time, but just to learn about all the parts that make VenueConnect so special. It will almost be from an attendee standpoint for me. When you’re staff all you really see is behind the curtain and you’re very much backstage looking at how the machine works. I will have an opportunity to see it from the opposite side and come back behind the curtain to help make it all come together. I see it as a blessing to be able to attend this meeting before I’m responsible.”

Somers comes to IAVM from her own business with DWS Project & Event Management and prior to that served as Senior Meetings Manager with the Association Management Center from 1996-2020.

“My previous experience has been a lot about building and maintaining functioning teams,” Somers aid. “The company (AMC) worked for a lot of associations all at one time, talking four or five associations, and all of their events were my responsibility. For every client that I worked with or every team that I worked with, it was all different. The dynamics were different, the people were different, and the objectives were different, but it was all about serving the client and bringing the best value to them.”

While COVID-19 resulted in a layoff from a long-time position, Somers offered advice that they used during that time. Mostly, there is no shame in having a career stalled or derailed by a pandemic.

“I call it my time of forced self-reflection,” she said. “It would have been a shame to have wasted that opportunity. Just think deeply about what it is you want to do and what value you can still bring.”

Somers now has one group to work with and concentrate on to bring value, and that is to the IAVM membership and the events and meetings that are held.

“I really look forward to getting down to the granular level of member support,” she said. “To really just understand what members need and give them things that they need before they need it.

“I really wanted to work for AN organization. That was sort of my motivation in looking at IAVM. I did a lot of research and talked to many of my contacts in the industry. I’ve been very involved in PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) from the very beginning and have worked with folks mainly in convention centers and some performing arts buildings. To work directly and serve an industry that I have been a partner to all these years has me really excited.”

In addition to being an active member of PCMA, Somers has served on several international committees and task forces. In addition, she co-authored a chapter in Professional Meeting Management, 6th edition, and has been a highly rated speaker at industry events. She is a committed volunteer with the local Cultural Arts Festival and Fridays@4, an organization focused on helping association and nonprofit leaders develop meaningful connections and skills for career success.

With football season approaching, it is worth noting that Somers took 1st place in her inaugural attempt at playing Fantasy Football and is eager to defend that title this season. She is married with two young adult children, has one dog who wandered up to her house and never left, and is “babysitting more bottles of red wine that any one person really needs.”

Somers holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas A&M University and earned a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida, Muma College of Business.

As for her hiring in July immediately followed by a plane trip to Atlanta for IAVM’s biggest annual event, Somers could only say that it is like “drinking from a fire hose.”

The faucet to that hose has been turned on, and IAVM members can rest assured the Association’s new leader as Director of Meetings is ready to extinguish any fire set before her.

By R.V. Baugus

The Women in Leadership panel session at VenueConnect is always one of the top-attended and most anticipated, and this year will be no different in Atlanta when the session takes place on Wednesday, August 5.

Before taking their seats on the panel, Stacey A. Hall, PhD, Executive Director, National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), Professor of Sport Management, College of Business and Economic Development, at The University of Southern Mississippi, and Celise Kalke, Managing Director of Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta, shared about themselves and what they look forward to at the session.

Please share briefly about your role as a woman in leadership with your organization.

STACEY HALL: The NCS4 is the nation’s only academic center devoted to the study and practice of spectator sports safety and security. As Executive Director, I oversee a dedicated team of staff responsible for accomplishing our mission of supporting the sport and entertainment industries through innovative research, training, and outreach programs. We work closely with diverse organizations and subject matter experts to better understand the threat environment, identify vulnerabilities, communicate risk-mitigation techniques, and close capability gaps.

We have long-standing training partnerships with DHS/FEMA and INTERPOL and offer professional development/certification options. The center focuses on applied research that is meaningful and impactful to industry decision-makers. We maintain an extensive repository of best practices and provide networking and peer-to-peer learning opportunities through an annual conference, forums, and webinars. We engage with solutions providers through our technology alliance group and have the capabilities to test technologies through product reviews and operational exercises to educate stakeholders on market options.

I invest a lot of time connecting with academic partners, industry associations, and government agencies to ensure collaboration and the limitation of duplicated efforts in the field. We can all come together to develop and distribute the best resources possible for professionals responsible for the operations and management of venues and the safety and security of patrons.

CELISE KALKE: I served as the Managing Director of Synchronicity Theatre, a professional theatre in Atlanta whose mission is uplifting the voices of women and girls. I am a co-leader with our Producing Artistic Director Rachel May.

Identify some of your philosophies as you lead others.

STACEY HALL:
· Characteristics that I think are important include honesty, transparency, integrity, respect, humility, and empathy.
· Empower others
· Praise – give credit when credit is due (and publicly when possible)
· Clearly communicate your vision
· Be approachable and serve with your heart – I am here to help others achieve their career goals and grow personally and professionally
· Create an organizational culture and climate where no one feels scared to share thoughts/opinions/perspectives. The success of an organization is not because of one person but the work of many individuals! Celebrate the ‘WE,’ not ‘ME.’

CELISE KALKE: At Synchronicity we practice collaborative leadership, believing that our staff works best within an empowered environment with an emphasize on collaboration and transparency.

What do you see for the future generation of women leaders as far as what it takes to “get there”?

STACEY HALL:
· Mentorship and networking are critical. More resources/training is available specifically for women interested in pursuing leadership roles. More women in the field are qualified and eligible to lead and manage – opening more doors.
· Organizations also realize the importance of DEI initiatives, making them stronger/successful when their staff reflects the consumer population.
· Women should advocate for themselves and don’t be afraid to ask for what they want or need. Share career goals with others and map out a pathway to achieve identified career goals (women in leadership roles should seek to help other women in the industry when appropriate).

CELISE KALKE: Nimbleness, confidence, humility and assertiveness.

By R.V. Baugus

As Principal of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Talent Effects, Inc. since 2002, Don Lang knows a thing or two about strategies for successful leadership. His company supports senior leadership teams who seek to increase their effectiveness in selecting, developing and advancing talent to realize sustainable business success.
Lang is also a Senior Lecturer in the Executive MBA Programs of Michael J. Coles College of Business at
Kennesaw State University.

Perhaps never more than today is the topic of successful leadership and strategies to get there so important as guests, venue staff, contractors, and more try their best to resume operations in a clean and successful manner. It is a session in which Lang will present at VenueConnect titled Becoming a 3X Strategic Leader.

There is always a demand for strong, strategic leaders. But what exactly do we mean by strategic? And how does a leader become more strategic? This session will explore “strategic” leadership from three skill perspectives: thinking, planning, and execution, and how a leader can sharpen skills in any or all of these areas to further increase career and organization success.

Before Don moves on to his 3X session, we caught him for 1X to discuss the presentation and why the room should be packed.

Based on your session title, can you share briefly the role of thinking, planning, and execution when it comes to being a strategic leader?

It’s not uncommon to think of leadership and strategy from the standpoint of strategic planning, yet planning is only one element of a leader’s strategy skills or perspective. Effective leaders are skilled at thinking, planning, and execution and demonstrate those skills concurrently and continuously. The world is moving too quickly to sequence these strategic actions independently or to do so on a periodic basis.

How in your role at Kennesaw State University do you demonstrate these three skills?

As the faculty lead for leadership, teaming, and coaching topics in the Executive MBA program, I continuously scan the environment for issues/trends/challenges facing business leaders to identify key learning points. I consider options to create an action learning class environment and facilitate meaningful applied activities to build understanding and skills around those topics.

Strategic can be an overused and at times a word bordering on cliche. What definition would you give to the word?

Agree, strategic is sometimes a word bordering on cliche! Let’s begin with leadership. Leadership is about creating value. Strategic leadership requires seeing and understanding broader definitions of value, the tensions of organizational life, and the cultural and organizational competencies that produce desired financial results. Strategic is about seeing and understanding the range of organizational options for creating value, assessing cultural/organizational competencies, and deciding on and leveraging the right implementation actions.

What are some of the consequences for those who choose not to be strategic in the manner you have described for your session?

Without understanding the range of value creating options, leaders may limit their decision-making and, as a result, their organization’s future viability.

How about a major takeaway or two you would like to have your audience go home with?

Two takeaways: 1.) a framework for understanding and managing competing values in your organization and 2.) key actions to develop your strategic thinking, planning and execution.

By Erika Muir

ocV!BE Sports & Entertainment is pleased to announce that Kim Bedier, CVE, has been named the Senior Vice President & General Manager of ocV!BE. Opening in 2024, ocV!BE will be a world-class live entertainment district featuring Orange County’s premier entertainment venue, Honda Center, as its anchor.

Bedier brings over 25 years of strategic vision and venue management expertise to ocV!BE. She comes from the City of Tacoma, Washington, where she was the Director of Venues & Events for Tacoma Dome, Greater Tacoma Convention Center, Cheney Stadium, Theater on the Square, and the Pantages and Rialto Theaters. Under Bedier’s leadership, Tacoma Venues & Events was honored with the 2019 Venue Excellence Award by IAVM. Also in 2019, the Tacoma Dome achieved its highest ever Pollstar ranking, #14 in North America and #24 in the world, and in 2020 the Greater Tacoma Convention Center was named a Top North American Venue by EXHIBITOR magazine.

“I am thrilled to join the dedicated team at ocV!BE and Honda Center,” Bedier said. “This is a dream opportunity to join an outstanding operation as they grow their entertainment footprint in Orange County and build a fan experience like no other place in the world.”

Bedier previously served as the General Manager of Comcast Arena (now Angel of the Winds Arena) in Everett, WA. As General Manager, she founded and chaired the Western Hockey League Arena Advisory Committee, delivered multiple successful in-house concert promotions, and served as the Director of Western Canadian Business Development for Global Spectrum. During her tenure, Comcast Arena was awarded the inaugural IAVM Venue Excellence Award for Top Arena in 2010 and nominated for Pollstar Best New Concert Venue in 2004. Bedier has also held leadership roles at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) and the Crystal Centre in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and oversaw an international work crew at the Olympic Medals Plaza during the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Games.

Throughout her career, she has been honored and awarded by numerous high-profile organizations. Bedier’s career recognitions include being named to the inaugural class of Venues Today Women of Influence, Entertainment Venue Executive Luminary by Facilities & Events Management, Venue Executive of the Year by International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA), Ray W. Ward Award for excellence in education by IAVM Venue Management School, The Stadium Business Summit 2019 Executive of the Year finalist, A-list Western Arena Executive by Facilities & Events Management, and Pollstar’s Venue Executive of the Year nominee.

“We are pleased to welcome industry leader Kim Bedier to our team this fall,” said ocV!BE Chief Executive Officer Tim Ryan. “Her commitment to the live event community is unparalleled, and her wealth of experience and knowledge makes her an exceptional addition to our organization.”

During an unprecedented year in the live entertainment industry, ocV!BE Sports & Entertainment has continued to expand its team with new hires across multiple departments. The first phase of ocV!BE is scheduled to open in 2024, with the full project being completed in 2028 and becoming a showcase for the Summer Olympics when Honda Center hosts Indoor Volleyball. This $3 billion, 95-acre, mixed-use community will surround Honda Center, with new live entertainment venues, more than 30 new restaurant offerings, 1.1 million square feet of office space, two hotels, 1,500 residential units, and 10 acres of parks. ocV!BE will provide a full range of lifestyle amenities and entertainment, activating the district daily for the enjoyment of its residents and guests.

Erica Muir is Manager, Media & Communications for the Honda Center.

By Stacie Bauer

For 170 years, World Expos, or World’s Fairs, have provided a platform to showcase the innovations that have shaped the world we live in today. Expo 2020 Dubai will continue that tradition with the latest technology from around the globe. In October 2021, the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa, or South Asia will open its doors as one of the most important in exposition history.

Ungerboeck is proud to power the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 as a Silver partner with their event and venue management platform.

The USA Pavilion will benefit from Ungerboeck’s proven end-to-end event management software for venues, including Online Event Registration, the Event Portal, real-time event updates and details, and our Room Diagramming solution. Ungerboeck’s platform will allow staff to seamlessly manage the event details, within the spaces of the Pavilion.

“As a U.S.-based and globally operating company, we at Ungerboeck are especially honored to power the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 with our technology. World Expos are iconic events, and we are proud to be a central element of success within this prestigious Expo. Ungerboeck’s solutions and services are on offer to power other international pavilions as well.,” said Ungerboeck President and CEO Manish Chandak.

Acting Commissioner General of the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai Philip Frayne said, “The USA is always creating and innovating. We are proud to be partnering with Ungerboeck and implementing their state-of-the-art solutions to power our USA Pavilion with tools that will support our team and make the visitor journey more enjoyable. The software will help ensure the smooth execution of all of our events, including the dynamic speakers and diverse cultural performers that we have planned throughout the six months.”

Stacie Bauer is Event & Sponsorship Coordinator at Ungerboeck Systems International.