By R.V. Baugus

As shared last month in IAVM News, Ungerboeck and EventBooking, two leading software providers of event and venue management tools, announced a merger that will enable the unified company to offer customers an integrated set of capabilities that further enhance the world-class solutions they provide today. The consolidation will provide customers with expedited technology enhancements and accelerated innovation, while continuing the focus on customer success.

In the midst of the busy time spent bringing the merger to fruition, we were able to capture time with the leaders of both companies as Manish Chandak of Ungerboeck and Steve Mackenzie of EventBooking joined me for an interview to further discuss the merger.

RV: What strengths do you bring to each other as you blend into an organization?

Steve Mackenzie: Certainly, one of the strengths that EventBooking brings to the merger is being a newer company in terms of the technology and some newer innovations that we’ve done with a really big focus on customer service. Obviously, Ungerboeck has had a big focus on that, too, but we’re looking to where we can really help each other. There are definitely some things to learn between the two of us there. From the EventBooking side, what we’re definitely excited about is the ability to now have a much stronger presence in Europe and the international realm. We have just started working in those areas recently and so having the maturity of a company like Ungerboeck that is already established there is really going to help strengthen the brands there as well.

Manish Chandak: It’s not so much what do you bring and what Ungerboeck brings because, yes, that’s obviously very important, but I think the word you said was “blend.” I think that broadly our brand can benefit from somebody who has been out there. Steve was formerly Ungerboeck. We look at Steve as sort of our brand ambassador for customers, and I think that in and of itself already is a good value-add.

The other thing I think we bring together is just the breadth and depth of the number of venues that we serve. We really now have a lot more onus to sort of say, let’s do some really, really good innovations because we have so many customers together now that are depending on it. Very shortly, it’s just going to be one company. All of these brands that we have will all be under one umbrella. A lot of times somewhere early in the process we were looking at what’s good here, what’s good here, but for the future is, No. 1, having such people like Steve and John (Platillero, EventBooking Founder) and others and the other is the benefit of that scale, where we can actually do more interesting things together.

Definitely both of us have a lot of history in the industry, but the common international experience and a lot of the common things that we do we don’t have to do as separate companies anymore. We can now just take the platform and do what needs to come in the future. The industry is going to be amazed in how we pivot to take the goodness in the platforms and sort of re-route some of the investments that we have been overlapping with each other and route it into something that is really and truly extraordinary in terms of the new value that we can bring. The scale allows us to do those types of things. Individually, it would have taken a lot more on either of our sides to do that.

RV: When did talks begin and why?

MC: I’ve been talking to Steve forever, ever since I came to this company!

SM: To Manish’s point, ever since Manish has been at Ungerboeck, we have met each other several times over the years and it’s been great and really friendly. Even though we were obviously competing for business, I truly value Manish for what he’s done for Ungerboeck and now I’m super excited with him leading the way with the new company. As much as he’s given me a rep, I want to give him one, too. The sky is the limit now with instead of us thinking how can we beat each other up, now it is what can we do for the industry?

RV: Will the company be Ungerboech?

MC: The company name will be Ungerboeck; we love the brand name. We will continue to grow those brands. The brand name will live and probably do very good things going forward.

What reaction do you think you will get from your clients?

SM: I think there will be a lot of jaw drops. What we’ve been telling our respective teams and that has been a gradual process over the past few weeks is it has been fascinating watching because unfortunately a lot of this with COVID had to be on Zoom, but it has been amazing watching the reactions and I don’t think that anybody picked that this was going to happen.

RV: Ungerboeck headquarters in Missouri and EventBooking in Tennessee. What happens to the offices?

MC: We have our offices in Singapore and Australia , China, France, and Germany. The staff that we have in Knoxville … this is not at all about any kind of cost reduction, but the kind of talent that we’re going to bring in to the company. Those people comfortable coming to the Knoxville office or the people here who ask, Can I go to the Smoky Mountains for a month and work in the Knoxville office. But we definitely want to keep all of the talent that we have. For EventBooking, if they are comfortable working there, then by all means we’ll continue to do that.

RV? Are there any other ways that staff is impacted?

SM: Just to Manish’s point, all of the discussion and conversation has been how can we scout even further? We’re on a rocket ship and adding fuel to it. So, it’s exciting to know that now we’ve got the resources behind us to really start innovating as Manish mentioned earlier. Resources means capital, and human capital too.

MC: On the staffing side, I want to add one other thing. Over the last 20 years we have probably hired around 30 or 40 people from the industry who did not want to continue at the venue they were at or were furloughed or whatever. Between our companies even more so we’ve been hiring people and the reason we’ve been doing that is because our company needs industry expertise. We’ve hired people from the Washington Convention Center, and from other convention centers and trade show people who have actually come to our company. So, from a staffing standpoint I wanted to point that out, because I think it’s really important and the reason we have been doing the staffing is because we absolutely believe that the events industry is going to come roaring back in six months, nine months, whatever it is, and we don’t want to be caught or unprepared for the growth and for the consulting and the help that our customers are going to need. That sort of addresses the other point of what we’re going to do with staffing for the path that we’re on.

RV: I know that you both are extremely excited about the prospects for the future. Just how excited can you share that you are?

SM: What I get excited about is now we can serve the industry even better. We’ve been talking about this idea of one company and one mission. That’s truly what it’s going to become. The focus is now wholly and solely on how we can serve this industry so much better. That’s stuff that’s getting me excited. I can’t wait to get going.

MC: In addition to what Steve just said, I think that there is now so much more value that technology providers can bring to this industry. It is an industry that is not necessarily using all that technology has to offer for today. I would say this is the beginning of us really making significant moves in terms of really bringing technology to this industry that is built on customer service. We’re not a typical software company that is out there. We’re going to be very, very integrated and very, very focused on this industry. So basically, it’s software developed by the people in the industry with an industry type of mindset is what we’re going for.

We still have our training going on big-time. As a way to get a job here our employee from the Washington Convention Center actually got himself certified. He was like, look guys, I am so interested in working for Ungerboeck that I got certified. To me, when people go out of their way to say, I’m willing to learn and get certified, that’s just gold. We’re like, OK, we don’t need to ask any more questions. You’re hired!

We just had over 1,000 people get certified. This is only during the COVID period. It’s just been mind-blowing for us. When events are dead, what purpose do you give them? I think that was a big driver of this. Let’s give them something that they can go back and do something that they feel they’re moving forward in this profession because they felt they weren’t getting a ton of experience.

SM: Talking about the certification that Ungerboeck did during that time, so many companies I think in our industry when COVID hit they took the approach of let’s be like a turtle and crawl under a shell and try to just wait this out, save money, and hope we make it to the other end. This is one of the great synergies I think between EventBooking and Ungerboeck is that both companies saw it as an opportunity to say what can we do to better serve the industry and what can we do so that at the other end of this we come out stronger and to Manish’s point earlier that we’re prepared for this. We know that events are going to come roaring back bigger and better than ever so what can we do to be prepared for that. Again, that was one of the key synergies that allowed us to bring this deal together is that we are thinking of the same things. We were seeing COVID as a terrible thing, probably the worst thing to ever happen to

By ISSA and R.V. Baugus

Over two-thirds (67%) of Americans are planning to travel this summer as COVID-19 cases continue to drop and more cities lift social distancing measures. To prioritize traveler health and safety and enhance visitor confidence, several must-see venues in North America have teamed up with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™, (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, to help their local businesses achieve GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation.

“The world is opening up, but it is essential that the global cleaning industry continues to offer consistent information based off of our decades of knowledge that can’t simply be ‘Googled,’” said ISSA President Steve Lewis. “The GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation program establishes step-by-step procedures for facilities designed to attain a heightened level of cleanliness that consumers, and especially travelers, expect moving forward. We are not just cleaning for appearance anymore; we are cleaning for health.”

The latest public assembly venues to earn GBAC STAR accreditation include:

Convention Centers

Columbia Convention Center in Columbia, S.C.
Hir Expo Internacional in Mexico City

Stadiums or Arenas

Desoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau/Landers Center in Southaven, Miss.

Performing Arts Center

Fillmore Silver Spring in Silver Spring, Md.

“Even well after the pandemic has passed, GBAC STAR and our dedication to cleanliness will remain extremely relevant, protecting travelers, guests, staff, and everyone in between,” Lewis added.

Learn more and apply for GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation at gbac.org/star.

Find accredited facilities and those pursuing accreditation via the GBAC STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.

IAVM members seeking to apply for accreditation through GBAC, please use the link https://gbac.issa.com/iavm/!

ASM Global, the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences, announced an extension of their agreement with Ticketmaster to continue serving industry-leading digital ticketing technologies to many of ASM’s premiere North American stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and performing arts facilities.

ASM’s venues produce a vast array of events with partners ranging from professional sports to family entertainment and premier concerts with the world’s top promoters including AEG and Live Nation. ASM Global is also expanding its relationship with Ticketmaster by enabling the company to conduct ticket sales for Live Nation-promoted shows at other ASM Global venues throughout North America.

The partnership will give the more than 8 million fans that come to ASM’s venues each year easy access to the most sought-after live experiences in the U.S. and Canada. Ticketmaster is focused on creating solutions that help venues and event operators make the event-going experience easier for fans. With digital tickets, fans receive the benefits of state-of-the-art venue access with contactless entry, mobile box office support, instant transfer when sending a ticket to a friend or selling it to another fan, as well as anti-counterfeiting features, which eliminate ticket fraud by using an encrypted barcode that refreshes automatically every few seconds. Ticketmaster’s foundation of digital ticketing enables the rollout of regular upgrades and innovations.

ASM Global President and CEO Ron Bension said, “With amazing content in all of our venues as a powerful foundation, we continue to discover imaginative new methods that leverage breakthrough technologies to create unparalleled consumer journeys including innovative food and beverage and premium VIP treatment for fans. Aligning with industry leaders like Ticketmaster is a critical component in providing millions of people with the most seamless and secure live experiences.”

“ASM is our largest partner in North America, and we are proud to grow our great work together,” said Michael Rapino, president and CEO, Live Nation Entertainment. “We are committed to supporting ASM’s efforts to provide fans with best-in-class ticketing and fan-engagement now and into the future.”

Ticketmaster’s Live Analytics dashboard will enable ASM to build stronger relationships with its fans. The analytics platform will provide ASM with insights and tools for better fan engagement across events of all kinds.

“We are committed to helping ASM deliver world-class events where the ticketing process elevates the entire fan experience,” said Mark Yovich, president, Ticketmaster. “Like Ticketmaster, ASM cares deeply about the customer journey and the value of building strong relationships with fans from the moment they purchase a ticket to well after the event ends.”

By Kristi Mexia

Hollywood Park, a near 300-acre sports and entertainment destination, and Live Nation have partnered in an exclusive multi-year booking agreement for its brand new 6,000-seat performance venue, the Performance Venue at Hollywood Park. The Performance Venue is part of the sprawling Hollywood Park mixed-use development in Inglewood, Calif., which is being developed by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke and will be adjacent to the new SoFi Stadium and American Airlines Plaza.

“The Performance Venue at Hollywood Park is a sophisticated, intimate venue that will host a wide range of world-class events, including celebrated musicians, immersive entertainment, and close-knit community gatherings,” said Christy Castillo Butcher, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park’s senior vice president, Programming and Booking. “Hollywood Park is a true sports and entertainment destination, and our partnership with Live Nation will help us further our goal to deliver extraordinary entertainment to Angelenos and visitors across the globe.”

The state-of-the-art theater will host a variety of live entertainment from concerts to comedy, award shows, eSport competitions, community events, conferences, and more. Live Nation will be the exclusive long-term promoter for the theater, bringing the biggest and best names in music, comedy and entertainment to the all-new Los Angeles venue.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be the exclusive promoters of this incredibly dynamic venue coming alive in Los Angeles,” said Rich Best, Live Nation’s Regional Head of Talent for California. “Alongside Hollywood Park, we plan to make this a must-visit live entertainment venue and we can’t wait to unveil what is in store for this unique space.”

The Performance Venue at Hollywood Park is a 227,000 square foot, three-story indoor venue situated under the same roof canopy as SoFi Stadium and American Airlines Plaza, and it is seamlessly blended in at the canopy’s southernmost corner. Equipped with its own three-bay loading dock, the theater can operate independently or in tandem with the stadium and plaza for larger events. With three levels of seating, the venue can be configured to house three different crowd capacities, creating an intimate setting for events at 3,400 and 4,400 or full capacity at 6,000 seats. Complete with a two-story Kaynemaile chandelier, the theater will feature six luxury boxes, a 1,200 square-foot premium back-of-house hospitality space, with adjacent dressing rooms, and a 3,500 square-foot private club with 140 premium seats.

The Performance Venue stage is built with artists, events and fans in mind. At 6,100 square-feet, the stage is an expansive area for artists and events to be creative, and every seat is close to the action on-stage, with the farthest seat in the house only 164 feet away from the stage. The venue has a skydeck and rigging capacity of 200,000 pounds, which is a rarity for a building of this size. Equipped with luxury finishes throughout the venue’s interior and exterior, the venue features both an interior and exterior balcony for guests to enjoy. The exterior portion of the balcony has sweeping views of the mountains to the east, American Airlines Plaza, Lake Park and parts of Hollywood Park. The exterior of the venue features a sloping glass façade that reaches 42 feet at its tallest point.

Kristi Mexia is Director Corporate Communications at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park.

The IAVM Foundation is now accepting applications for the Joseph Floreano Scholarship Program and the 100+ Women of IAVM campaign. Deadline for all applications is June 27th, so apply today!

To apply for a sector scholarship available through the Floreano program CLICK HERE.

To learn more about the scholarship criteria and apply for the 100+ Women of IAVM campaign, CLICK HERE.