By Sue Oxarart

Toyota Arena announced the hiring of Denise Gonzales to the position of director of booking. This new position for Toyota Arena was created to provide a dedicated focus on booking events for the venue. “We are pleased to welcome Denise to Ontario and look forward to her expertise in managing our entertainment calendar,” said Michael Krouse, Regional Vice President of SMG Worldwide. “Her vast experience and contacts in the entertainment industry, in addition to her knowledge of our region in Southern California, will ensure we will continue and exceed our guest’s expectations for a full calendar of concerts, family shows, and sporting competitions.”

Gonzales, a Southern California native, started her new role on June 21. She began her career in the live entertainment industry as a booking intern at Live Nation. There she worked her way up to booking assistant for House of Blues West Hollywood and Anaheim, and tour project manager shortly thereafter. During her eight years employed at Live Nation, Gonzales managed bookings of a variety of events in a multitude of music genres including rock, pop, hip-hop, metal, punk rock, emo, Latin, country, and J-Rock as well as non-traditional, non-musical events. In 2017, Gonzales took the director of booking and entertainment role at ArenaNetwork, where she worked vigorously to drive more content to arenas across the country. Her efforts and persistence have resulted in numerous successful events at ArenaNetwork member venues over the past four years.

Gonzales was born in Monterey Park and grew up in La Puente. She and her family moved to Chino prior to her freshman year in high school. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communications with an emphasis on Entertainment from California State University, Fullerton.

Sue Oxarart is Director of Marketing and Communications for the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau and Ontario Convention Center.

The IAVM Foundation’s E3 webinar series continues on June 24 at 12 pm (PDT) to celebrate Pride Month with a panel discussion under the title of “Yes I’m Queer, Now Can We Get Back to Work?”

Listen in on a free-wheeling conversation between a multi-generation panel of out and about LGBTQ+ community members. Bring your questions and concerns, as the panel is prepared to answer them, as best as possible.

The session will focus on what makes a workplace LGBTQ friendly and what doesn’t, with a focus on the personal which becomes the political.

Panelists include Ash Christopher, Brooklyn, NY; Martha Henderson, San Diego, CA; Daniel Huerta, Dallas, TX; and Chris Largent, San Francisco, CA, with moderator Jen Norris, San Francisco, CA.

By R.V. Baugus

We don’t necessarily like it when our kids keep asking WHY. We put the word in uppercase because it is often a word screamed out. Even if it not yelled, it demands an answer.

Winston Peters, Business & Brand Consultant with MyÜberLife Consulting Group, adapts the oft-asked question as it relates to (as his company promotes) Building and Growing Businesses, Connecting Culture & Commerce, Educating Creatives on Business, and Advising Companies on Culture.

Peters will share this topic at VenueConnect in an innovative, education, and informative manner for those in the public assembly venue industry who either are also always asking this question or are on the receiving end of it, and just WHY it is important and critical to organization success.

We got to ask a few WHY’S in advance, and appreciate Mr. Peters taking the time to educate us prior to his session in August in Atlanta.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE A “WHY” AS IT RELATES TO FINDING IT?

Far too often individuals and organizations go through existence in a reactionary mode; performing activities for a certain outcome for temporary fulfillment (i.e., monetary gain, status) or no fulfillment at all.

What if you were able to start from a place of fulfillment first with a clear “WHY” for doing something.

Finding your “WHY” is a journey in reflection and discovery.

Individuals can have a “WHY” and organizations can have a “WHY”.

The “WHY” is a tool for clarity; clarity on things that you or your organization want to do (for your future), and clarity on things that you or your organization have already done.

A “WHY” is a true purpose, a calling, it is the reason why you do what you do, it impacts your personal and business decisions, it’s the foundation of your value system.

CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OR TWO OF A COMPANY THAT HAS GREATLY SUCCEEDED IN FINDING THEIR “WHY”?

Apple and Nike are both companies that have greatly succeeded in finding, articulating, communicating, and embodying their “WHY” from the top down of their respective organization.

Apple’s “WHY” is to ‘think different,’ while Nike’s “WHY” is to ‘Bring Inspiration & Innovation to Every Athlete in the World’.

Their “WHY” resonates with their customers, their internal teams, and partners. Their “WHY” is manifested within their products and services and marketing campaigns.

Like most companies, both Apple and Nike had transitional periods where they lost focus of their “WHY”, but when they rediscovered it, they reached new levels.

I will dive deeper into both during my session. 🙂

HAS THE “WHY” CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC STARTED TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY EMERGING FROM IT?

The “WHY” hasn’t changed pre-pandemic, at the height of the pandemic, even post-pandemic. Your “WHY” doesn’t change. Technology may change, culture may change, politics may change, but our “WHY” should be unwavering and fixed.

Your “WHY” is your foundation.

OUR MEMBERS LOVE TAKEAWAYS FROM SESSIONS THAT THEY CAN GO HOME WITH AND IMPLEMENT. WHAT WOULD BE A MAJOR TAKEAWAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE WITH THE ATTENDEES?

One of the major takeaways that I want attendees to leave with is that your “WHY” is a real tool. A tool that can be utilized to make decisions in your personal life as well as within your organization. It can be used to evaluate job opportunities, for hiring new personnel, marketing activities, to inspire and motivate, and product and value creation within an organization.

Winston Peters
Business & Brand Consultant
————————————–
MyÜberLife Consulting Group
Building and Growing Businesses.
Connecting Culture & Commerce.
Educating Creatives on Business.
Advising Companies on Culture.

website: myuberlife.com
address: 110 East 25th St, New York, NY 10010
office: (347) 450 – 3685
instagram: @WinceP_ofMUL

Not already registered for VenueConnect 2021 in Atlanta?  Register before June 25th and save with the Early Bird Rate!

We invite you to join us for an exciting day of competitive/fun, great food, networking, games and prizes – all for a very worthy cause!

The IAVM Foundation’s largest single day fundraising event is the Annual Golf Tournament at VenueConnect. Your participation and generous support in this outing will help finance unfunded programs and projects providing professional development, research, education, and best practice resources that can be used every day in venues across the globe.

This year’s golf outing will take place at Chateau Elan Golf Club, the south’s premier golf experience, on Monday, August 2nd, from 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Few golf destinations possess the beauty and variety of Chateau Elan Golf Club. From the rolling Georgia hills of the Woodlands greens to the serene valley lakes that distinguish the Chateau’s fairways, their courses are unique in character and design.

Registration for the golf outing can be done through the the VC21 website. Register by Friday, June 25th, and you will save $75!

Transportation from the conference hotel downtown will be provided. If you don’t have clubs, you can add club rental to your registration for a nominal fee.

Thank you for supporting the IAVM Foundation! We look forward to see you in Atlanta!

Not yet registered for VenueConnect 2021 in Atlanta? Save $200 by registering before the 25th through our Early Bird rate!  Register Now!

By R.V. Baugus

I’ve known Randy Brown, CVE, for as long as … well, I’ve known Randy Brown for awhile.

Never known a more affable man. Always quick before you could open your mouth to say, “What can I do for you?”

And he meant it. Any time I called Randy at his 33-year home where he served as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN, he was quick to answer the phone. If Randy knew I was calling and that he might not be at his desk, he made sure to tell me to have him paged so he could take the call.

I call that old-school. I also call that something I often miss.

No, this isn’t some crusty old geezer pining for the old days, the ways things used to be. This is simply my recollection of working with Randy on a professional basis, including his 2011-12 year as Chair of IAVM. I never got to ask Randy, but I am sure he was a “handshake” guy who preferred to conduct business that way even though of course these days those arrangements can often sadly be risky propositions.

Randy sent me an email on Monday (see, I told you this was not about the “good old days”) to tell me that he had an announcement forthcoming three days later on Thursday, June 17. Now, that kind of gave me an idea what the announcement might be, but Randy verified it as I continued reading the email asking that it be kept mum until the announcement.

Anything for my friend, Randy Brown.

Thursday arrived and so did the announcement Randy was transitioning into the retirement phase of his life.

Randy, buddy, you deserve all the riches and rewards of retirement. May you continue being blessed as you enter a fun new chapter in your life. You have meant so much to so many in this industry and this association. You have been and always will be a treasured friend. Oh, and you are welcome to write for Venue Professional magazine anytime you like, even in retirement. Handshake deal on that?

We pick up now on the press release shared by Randy’s venue.

Randy L. Brown, CVE has announced his intention to retire, effective October 1, after 33 years of leadership at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

“My goal has always been to leave it better than I found it. Today, it is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose complex of over 1 million square feet that is recognized throughout the country as one of the most successful venues of its type in the country,” Brown said. “We have an exceptional staff and board of trustees. I cannot thank them enough for their tireless work on behalf of our clients and guests. I will miss working with all of them immensely.”

Brown made the announcement to staff this afternoon (June 17) and informed the Memorial Coliseum Board of Trustees at their meeting today.

Brown came to the Memorial Coliseum in August of 1988 as the Event Manager. He has spent the last 31 years as the Executive Vice President & General Manager of the complex. His career has included active involvement with the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) for over 40 years and he was its chairman of the board in 2011 and 2012, representing venues worldwide. He continues to serve on the Arenas committee for IAVM. He also serves on the boards of Visit Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.

Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University Bloomington and was awarded the Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana.