By R.V. Baugus

Paul Cramer, President & CEO of The Classic Center in Athens, GA, is an IAVM member who understands the importance of workforce development, which may never be more important as it is as events pop back up on calendars and business returns to public assembly venues. As work teams rebuild, Cramer and his venue go the extra mile to attract local candidates who otherwise might not have a window into the industry.

For that reason and many more, Cramer will lead an education session at VenueConnect in Atlanta that needs to be circled on your calendar to attend. Before Cramer gets before the crowd in Atlanta, we got him before all IAVM members here in an interview to discuss the topic and more.

RV: I like the word “funnel” in your session title of Workforce Development: How to Create Sustainable Hiring Funnel for Your Venue. Can you elaborate some on how “funnel” fits in describing the topic?

PC: We used the term funnel as we try to meet people in our community where they are. We live in a community with 30-plus percent poverty so we have people who have little or no education. We have a Bread For Life Program for them, we work with the area career academy allowing high school students to earn college credits with dual enrollment, we have articulation agreements with the local two-year college and four-year university. We try and attract them to the industry and show them how they can get the training they need to be successful in not only acquiring a job but showing them a career pathway. By focusing them on more than a paycheck we have had luck with attracting the right candidates to an industry that is extremely rewarding and offers unique benefits that are simply not offered in other area career pathways.

RV: Talk briefly just about your core philosophies when it comes to education at The Classic Center and then what you were able to do that you are now sharing with others in the industry.

PC: We believe in the continuum of education and meeting people where they are. We call it growing our own. We believe that we need people who have a longer term vision of growing with our industry. We focus on the pathway and encouraging all hires to look down the road and plan a career pathway. Then we assist them with a continuum of education and college scholarship program supported with an endowment which is created in our foundation to support hospitality workforce development.

RV: How did you go about getting your partnerships and how might others sitting in your session do the same at their venues?

PC: We get the community involved. We explain to our donors that this is a way of lifting people out of poverty. We train those in poverty and connect them with jobs. We invite the community to their graduations. We let the students speak out on their accomplishments. Our foundation allows people to contribute to a hospitality endowment. We have raised over 700k in a short period of time which now provides annually for $25k specifically for hospitality workforce development. We also offer unique benefits, great health care, two-for-one match on retirement program, and as a culture we encourage entrepenurial skills. Our partnerships with large affiliate companies also assist greatly. Levy for example is a partner with us and we have great success stories of entry level culinary folks rising up to executive chef positions over a short period of time.

RV: What is the importance of recruiting, retaining, and developing your staff? Do you have numbers that show your success in doing so?

PC: Yes, our Bread for Life program has a 14-year history of receiving federal funding and connecting 98% of our trainees with direct positions. Our career academy has grown from 14 students to 340 students. Our hospitality academy is a summer high school program that has helped to grow our initial two-year college program from nothing to 200 students. Our four-year degree program will now begin to work with the complex to have student interns earning full semester credit in the facility while they work – no stats yet. Fifty percent of our staff have been with us for over five years, and upper management has on average been retained for 15 years.

RV: Are there any major takeaways you would like to leave your audience as they return to their venues?

PC: Meet people where they are and provide real life training that can quickly get them where they need to be. Provide all employees with a long vision of where this industry can take them. Promote the positive aspects of the job and focus on your culture. Truly partner with all levels of education and get your community involved.

IAVM continues to partner with TwinLogic Strategies to advocate for and on behalf of our members and the entire venue management industry as we work to recover, reopen and get back to business. post-pandemic.  Below is an update of the latest efforts at the SBA and Congress:

SBA SVOG – Slow-Going, but SBA Aims to Speed Up Process with Additional Teams:

SBA officials have told Congress and stakeholders this week that they plan to process all of the more than 15,000 applications to the Shuttered Venue Operating Grants program by mid-July,  and a goal of 10,000 by July 4.   This is after the agency has faced multiple public complaints, including a stern letter from Senators last week, about the significant delays in the program’s launch and myriad technical problems with the portal for applicants.

As of Friday AM 6/25:

• 5680 applications processed with 1876 awarded. 
• 1387 queued for award. 
• 152 declined. 
• 900 cued for decline
• 881 with needed technical corrections 
• 662 still being worked through for either technical corrections or for decline.

The SBA reports that the average length of time between award notification and receipt of funds is three days.

SBA officials say they are still working out the kinks with the SVOG portal, but have made shifts and additions to their internal teams to speed up the review and award process and improve its technical assistance services for applicants.  Applicants should still email svogrant@sba.gov but with the internal changes, they should receive a quicker, more substantive response to their questions.

Questions/Remaining Issues with SVOG:

Will the SVOG Run out of money before all applications are processed?  No.  Based on the number of applications submitted, SBA has told Congress it expects $11.7 billion in applications.  The Fund has $16 billion.  If there is left over money, they’ll likely allow existing recipients to apply for supplemental funding. 

Processing: There is still a backlog among applications that have been reviewed and are just awaiting final approval, as well as between approvals and awaiting final awarding and disbursements. This past week, they provided cross-training between the different categories of workers so that they can easily shift people between roles in order to find the right balance and work-flow.  There are plenty of people past the review process but not the approver process. As the review process takes approximately four hours, and the remaining processes are rather swift in comparison, they still believe that they will hit their July processing goals.

4506-T They are launching a new 4506-T form curing process that provides applicants with a pre-filled form so it’s easy to sign and send back. That began on Friday.

Technical Corrections Notifications:  If venues have technical errors that need fixing, they will be notified via email on Monday 6/28.  

Appeals for Award Modifications:  The SBA has cleared the legal hurdles and found there is nothing barring reconsideration on the award amount. Now they have to determine the process and present it to the Administrator, likely happening next week. Reconsiderations will be made after this whole approval process is done. 

Appeals Process for Rejected Applications:  At this time, applicants can re-apply only if there are technical issues or errors on the application, but not if they were deemed ineligible.  SBA has not yet determined if applicants that have been rejected due to ineligibility can re-apply.   Unfortunately, once the application is rejected, the SBA says it is technically unable to provide a reason for that rejection.  They acknowledge that this is a problem and say that they are working on it, but it could take a while.

Congressional Efforts to Help Venues Get Back Up and Running:

• A Senate Travel and Tourism committee held a series of hearings this spring on the challenges facing the entertainment, hospitality and conventions industries to reopen. Key challenges include the labor shortage, lost revenue due to shuttered venues and then once reopened, less revenue due to limited capacity requirements; and significant costs to reconfigure facilities.
• Two pieces of legislation have been introduced by Nevada’s U.S. Senators and the Representative who represents Las Vegas to address some of these issues.
  • The Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act (S. 477, Sens. Cortez Masto (D-NV)/ Cramer (R-ND) and H.R. 1346, Rep. Horsford (D-NV)) would support the convention and trade show industries by establishing a tax credit for the cost of attending or hosting a convention, business meeting or trade show between January 2022 to December 2024. It would extend the Employee Retention Tax credit for another year.  It would restore the Entertainment Business Expense Deduction by repealing the changes made by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It would also provide a modest tax credit for qualified travel expenses for many Americans. This legislation has 7 Senate cosponsors and 89 House cosponsors.
  • The FRESH AIR for Businesses Act (S. 122, Sens. Rosen (D-NV)/Cramer (R-ND) and H.R.1398, Rep. Bordeaux (D-GA)): This legislation would provide a tax credit to businesses and nonprofits for up to $15,000 to cover up to 50% of the costs of air filtration systems and equipment.  This legislation has less support.  There is one cosponsor in the House and one in the Senate.

Status: The sponsors of these bills are working to get them included in comprehensive infrastructure and tax legislation Congress and the President aim to pass this year.  IAVM will work for inclusions of these measures in the package. 

By Quinn Phillips

Explore Edmonton in collaboration with the Edmonton International Airport, Edmonton Destination Marketing Hotels (EDMH), Oilers Entertainment Group, TRAXX Coachlines, Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre, has announced that Edmonton has successfully secured the Destination Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ Accreditation. Edmonton is now the first and only Canadian destination, and one of only four destinations throughout North America, to have obtained the Destination GBAC STAR™ Accreditation.

In support of the Destination GBAC STAR™ Accreditation, Explore Edmonton has launched a promotional campaign and platform Visit Safely in Edmonton: From Touchdown to Takeoff to encourage business travel, meetings, conventions and major events to return to Edmonton following COVID-19 related cancellations and postponements. The campaign showcases the health & safety and outbreak prevention measures will be in place at participating properties across the city. In addition, Explore Edmonton and EDMH are offering substantial incentives for event planners who are considering Edmonton as their host destination.

“For over a year, Edmonton’s tourism and hospitality industry has experienced widespread travel restrictions, event postponements and cancellations,” said Maggie Davison, Interim CEO, Explore Edmonton. “As we reopen, our industry must show solidarity and collaboration in our commitment to providing a safe experience for business travelers and events returning to Edmonton. Our Destination GBAC STAR™ Accreditation proves that we are prepared to responsibly open for business—reigniting our industry and positioning Edmonton among the safest business event and travel destinations in North America.”

The Destination GBAC STAR™ Accreditation program is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention,
response and recovery accreditation for facilities and destinations. This means the cleaning, sanitization,
outbreak prevention and recovery programs at participating Edmonton hotels, venues and transportation agencies are accredited and validated by the gold standard program that prepares them with the right systems to protect against and respond to biorisk situations, including COVID-19. To obtain GBAC STAR™ Accreditation, facilities must demonstrate compliance with 20 specific elements including maintaining strict cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, infectious disease prevention planning, staff training and more.

“The pursuit of GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation by various venues in Edmonton is a testament to the city’s commitment to a heightened level and ongoing priority of cleanliness that citizens, visitors, and staff now expect,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Through the GBAC STAR accreditation,
they are showing their dedication to the next step in infection prevention post-pandemic: cleaning for
health.”

Quinn Phillips is Strategic Communications Manager, Explore Edmonton.

By Sarah Maio

The Wisconsin Center District (WCD), in partnership with Cross Management Services, Inc. (CMSI) and Prism Technical Management & Marketing Services (Prism), unveiled their plans for tracking and verifying diversity and inclusion procedures throughout construction of the Wisconsin Center expansion. Both CMSI and Prism have a thorough process for monitoring and tracking commitments to inclusion efforts for both businesses and the workforce, respectively.

“The Wisconsin Center expansion will create thousands of jobs during construction and again once opened, and it’s important to us that a variety of these jobs are held by Milwaukee residents and representative of our community,” said Marty Brooks, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Center District. “Prism and CMSI will ensure that we’re keeping our promise to the community and meeting the inclusion goals we’ve committed to.”

The WCD has committed to contracting with at least 25 percent minority-owned businesses, five percent women-owned businesses, and one percent disabled veteran-owned businesses for construction, along with a Residential Preference Program (RPP), mandating at least 40 percent of on-site construction labor hours will be performed by trade workers residing in the city of Milwaukee. Upon opening, the expanded Wisconsin Center is expected to support 2,300 full-time equivalent jobs throughout the state of Wisconsin.

The WCD is prepared to meet these inclusion and diversity goals and is currently on track to maintain them. Final business inclusion goal results will be available in Q4 2021.

“At CMSI, we use creativity and business savvy to meet and exceed our clients’ inclusion goals. Policies of diversity and inclusion help build better businesses, and a stronger community. We are happy to partner with the WCD to ensure easy, effective, and verifiable compliance with their business inclusion process,” said Carla Cross, president and CEO of Cross Management Services, Inc. “Our unique quality control systems provide multiple checks for information accuracy and onsite visits authenticate the performance of a commercially useful function by certified firms.”

While CMSI will ensure contracted businesses meet the WCD’s goal for minority-owned, women-owned, and disabled veteran-owned companies, Prism will monitor diversity in the workforce. The bidding process for subcontractors has already begun, but there are still many open construction jobs. To help fill these roles, Prism representatives attended Northcott Neighborhood House’s Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 19, where they shared information about the Wisconsin Center expansion and collected contact information and work history of those interested in joining the construction team.

“The Wisconsin Center expansion will have a profound impact on the Milwaukee community, and we’re looking forward to partnering with the WCD team to make sure inclusion goals and milestones are met throughout the construction process,” said Randy Crump, CEO of Prism Technical Management & Marketing Services. “We have an abundance of untapped talent in southeast Wisconsin, and there’s no better place to start recruiting that talent than within our own city.”

Sarah Maio is Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Wisconsin Center District.

By SportsBusiness

Insurance company Canada Life has become the new naming rights partner of the home of NHL ice hockey team Winnipeg Jets with current sponsor, telecommunications firm Bell, set to remain associated with the arena in a lesser capacity.

The venue, which also plays host to Manitoba Moose American Hockey League (AHL) games as well as major concerts and other events, will be renamed Canada Life Centre from July 1. The 10-year sponsorship agreement includes substantial branding, media, hospitality and community assets for Canada Life, which agreed the deal with True North Sports + Entertainment, owner and operator of the arena and Jets.

“As True North Sports + Entertainment celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, we can’t think of a more exciting way to embark upon the next 10 years of our organisation’s journey than with a partner like Canada Life, that shares the same community commitment and passion for our great city and country,” said Mark Chipman, executive chairman of True North Sports + Entertainment.

Canada Life employs more than 11,000 people across the country, with 3,300 alone at its headquarters in Winnipeg. “We are thrilled to introduce Canada Life to all Canadians in this big and bold way and build on the momentum our company has achieved since moving to one brand in the Canadian market,” said Jeff Macoun, president and chief operating officer in Canada for Canada Life.

“We have a long history and deep roots in Winnipeg and we’re proud to have our name on a place that embodies the heart and spirit of the city’s vibrant community.”

The arena opened in 2004 as the MTS Centre, and was renamed Bell MTS Place in 2017 after Bell acquired Manitoba Telecom Services. In a separate announcement, True North said Bell MTS has agreed a new five-year deal, running across the 2021 to 2026 seasons, to remain as an official partner of the Jets and Moose and official telecommunications provider of their home venue.

True North said Bell MTS will “revolutionise” the experience for Jets fans in the building, and those watching via broadcaster TSN, through next-generation networks and technologies. The agreement also includes new behind the scenes content produced by True North Sports + Entertainment and exclusive to Bell.

Additionally, the Bell logo that has appeared on the helmets of Winnipeg Jets players this season will remain for the next five campaigns.