By ISSA and R.V. Baugus

United Center in Chicago, the largest arena in the United States, has reached another milestone with its GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™, (GBAC), a Division of ISSA. Additional facilities to earn the accreditation for cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention include Boston Symphony Hall in Boston; Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart in Atlanta; and more.

“From stadiums to hotels to convention centers to malls, there are many facilities around the world that are implementing cleaning for health best practices that maximize health and safety, efficiency, and resources,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Now when people visit new or favorite facilities, they can be confident that their wellbeing is a top priority.”

The United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks, hosts more than 200 events each year and has welcomed over sixty million guests since its opening in 1994. Meanwhile, Boston Symphony Hall is a historic concert hall that was built in 1900 and is home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Featuring an organ that is more than 70 years old, replicas of Greek and Roman statues, and stunning architecture, the building is considered one of the top concert halls in the world.

The latest facilities to achieve GBAC STAR accreditation include:

Convention Centers

Albany Capital Center in Albany, New York
Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart in Atlanta
Regina Exhibition Association Limited in Regina, Saskatchewan

Museums or Cultural Venues

Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden, Wash.
Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore

Stadiums or Arenas

Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, home to the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers
United Center in Chicago, home to the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and the NBA’s Chicago Bulls

Theatre or Performing Arts Center

Boston Symphony Hall in Boston

“We are thrilled that so many facilities are taking advantage of the GBAC STAR accreditation program and making their environments safer for guests and employees,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “Cleanliness will continue to be an important consideration for people when choosing where to visit, and organizations that have a clear and organized approach set themselves up for success.”

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/!

By Diana Polk

With the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics approaching but no foreign spectators allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its Tokyo Olympics By The Numbers report and expert commentary to help fans both get fired up for the athletic action and better understand the unique issues surrounding this Olympiad.

This report includes an infographic filled with fun facts and stats about the Tokyo Games as well as a Q&A with a panel of leading experts on the socioeconomics of the extravaganza. You can find a few highlights below.

Tokyo 2020 Stats
$26B+ – Estimated cost of hosting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

$900 Million – Amount to be spent for Tokyo 2020 on coronavirus countermeasures.

$15B – Estimated economic loss for Japan from barring overseas spectators and limiting the number of domestic fans to 50% of the capacity.

80% – Share of people in Japan who want the Tokyo Olympics canceled or postponed again as the coronavirus pandemic rolls on.

44K – Number of security personnel who will work the Tokyo Games – roughly half the number of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

1st – Games to ever use artificial intelligence managed security features, with the ability to correctly verify the faces of 230 million people in one second.

15 Years – Age of the youngest member of Team USA, swimmer Katie Grimes.

For the full report click here.

Expert Commentary

Given its current vaccination count, is Tokyo safe and ready for the Olympics?

“Well, safe and ready are two different things. From a sports perspective, Tokyo is more than ready: the venues are beautiful, logistics figured out. From a public health standpoint, we do not know, do we? Their vaccination rate has been slow, but from day one they have had an excellent grasp on the virus, keeping infection and death rates low. The IOC is claiming that over 80% of the athletes will be vaccinated when they land but the world has not thrown a party like this since the virus, so it is all a big experiment.”
Amy Bass, Ph.D. – Professor, Manhattanville College

“After a slow start, the nation is now vaccinating one million citizens each day. Even then, it is unlikely to reach most of the targets necessary to label the event safe. They are attempting some forms of ‘bubble’ scenarios (athletes will not use public transportation, etc.) but, as we have seen within American sports, a ‘bubble’ only seems to work if tightly regulated, such as with the NBA bubble in 2020.”
Andrew Billings – Professor, University of Alabama

What will be the impact of the Olympics on Tokyo’s economy?

“Some leading Japanese economists are already predicting that should the Olympics take place they will negatively affect Japan’s economy: the tourism bump will not happen and the ‘Japan brand’ will not look good, not to mention that the health care system in Japan is already at max capacity before any of this is even scheduled to take place.”
Alexis Dudden, Ph.D. – Professor, University of Connecticut

“The cost of this Olympic Games to the Tokyo and Japanese economies has been immense, with most estimates putting the cost at $15.4 billion. The direct impact of the Games actually being held will help mitigate some of that, but not nearly what the benefits could have been. There will be broadcast, sponsorship, ticket, merchandise, and concession revenue, but the ticket, merchandise, and concession revenues will be fractions of what they could have been given the limited capacity numbers and restriction on international spectators. Additionally, and probably more important to the overall economy, the loss of all of the travelers paying for hotels, restaurants, and taxis, shopping, visiting museums and other attractions, and generally doing what tourists do will be significant.”
Charles Campisi, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Baldwin Wallace University

Diana Polk is Communications Manager for WalletHub.

By NBA.com

BSE Global, the company that manages and operates Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets, has named SeatGeek, the mobile-focused ticketing platform headquartered in New York, as its official ticketing partner beginning this October. SeatGeek will take over ticketing for all Barclays Center events, including concerts, and Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty games. The landmark partnership will create a ticketing experience built for the future for all Barclays Center guests.

Barclays Center will use SeatGeek’s top-rated digital ticketing platform for all aspects of the purchasing experience, including the ability for fans to easily buy, transfer and scan their tickets through their mobile devices. Fans can also utilize SeatGeek’s platform to identify the best ticket value for a given event through its proprietary Deal Score technology, and access a dynamic arena map to see the view prior to purchasing their seats. Additionally, SeatGeek’s technology will make it easier than ever for Nets and Liberty season ticket members to seamlessly access, manage, and transfer their tickets across any device.

In addition to ticket purchasing and management, Barclays Center guests can leverage SeatGeek’s best-in-class mobile platform to enhance their experience, including SeatGeek’s Rally technology by which fans can interact with their mobile app in unique ways like listening to a playlist pre-concert, purchasing an upgraded experience, or planning their transportation route.

“BSE Global and SeatGeek have similar DNA when it comes to innovating and adapting to the ever-evolving preferences of the live event consumer market,” said BSE Global CEO John Abbamondi. “We see great potential in leveraging SeatGeek’s latest technological developments and collaborating with them on ways to enhance the fan experience at Barclays Center.”

Since opening in 2012, Barclays Center has continually invested in technological enhancements and fan-friendly innovation both on and off the court, becoming a premier event destination globally. The arena is consistently ranked among the best in the world, including being named one of the top 20 venues of the decade by both Billboard and Venues Now after only seven years of operation.

“Barclays Center is one of the premier venues in the world, so this is a monumental deal for us as we work together to modernize the event-going experience,” said SeatGeek co-founder and CEO Jack Groetzinger. “As fellow New Yorkers, we couldn’t be more proud to bring our leading mobile technology to both our hometown and visiting fans.”

As the arena’s official ticketing provider, SeatGeek will power BSE Global’s back-office technology through its enterprise software, SeatGeek Enterprise. These industry-leading data and analytics tools will help the venue manage hundreds of events per year and better understand demand for tickets in real-time.

Pre–Conference Workshops are integral parts of the VC21 conference. Now, more than ever, venue staff needs to participate in professional development, and this year’s safety & security focused workshops are the perfect way to enhance your career development!  Intended to provoke intellectual discussion on critical issues, methods, and theories emerging in the field of venue safety & security, both the Cyber Blended Threats Workshop and the Trained Crowd Manager Workshop are both designed to help us all adapt, transform and innovate!

Don’t forget to add one of the following to your VenueConnect 2021 registration:

Cyber Blended Threats Workshop – Venue managers can no longer think of security only in physical terms. Venue managers and executives always need to be aware of threats to their locations, guests and staff. Completely cyber-based threats were always on the periphery of worries concern for physical location managers, but new threats are emerging that are no longer just one type or the other another. A Blended Threat is a natural, accidental, or purposeful physical or cyber danger that has, or indicates the potential to have, crossover impacts and harm life, information, operations, the environment, and/or property. From hurricanes to active shooters to ransomware, threats to venues now bridge both the cyber and physical worlds, and venue managers needing to be prepared on all fronts. Workshop participants can expect to leave with a better understanding of the magnitude of Blended Threats and a sense of their importance, steps to take to in addressing these threats in their venues, and an awareness of resources available to assist them with their effort.

Trained Crowd Manager (TCM) Workshop – Designed to provide an overview on how to improve public safety and provide venue operators with an all-hazard approach to identify hazards, respond to emergency situations, and assist in crowd management during ingress, egress, and dispersal of crowds during evacuations for an overall improved guest experience. The workshop will begin with a presentation where staff responses to differing risk types, risk locations, crowd types and phases of crowd movements will be discussed. How your response will be affected by your venue type will also be explored. After the classroom presentation all attendees will visit the state-of-the-art Mercedes Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, for reality-based training exercises that will highlight and reinforce the earlier discussions. Attendees will be able to discuss crowd management techniques with both staff and other attendees, gaining valuable insights.

The pre-conference workshops at VC21 in Atlanta are your chance to reconnect, rediscover and reimagine, so reserve your spot NOW for just $99!  If you haven’t already registered for VC21, don’t delay!  Online registration ends at NOON CT on Thursday, July 22nd!  Register Now!

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in June 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.

Kevan Akers, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Danielle Appleman, Gas South District, Duluth, GA

Phil Bassett, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Allyson Bellamy-Goslin, RBG Security Specialists, Cranston, RI

Michael Bleau, EventHub, Seattle, WA

Angela Brickley, Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill, NC

Jocelyn Church, Resch Center, Green Bay, WI

Jason Cichowicz, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, MD

Sofya Clark, Artpark, Lewiston, NY

Yarkeisha Dean, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Nick DeLuco, Oilers Entertainment Group Canada Corp., Edmonton, AB, Canada

Christopher Denby, Greater Richmond Convention Center, Richmond, VA

Said Estrada, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Camille Falzone, BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Andrew Firman, Football West, Maylands, Wau, Australia

Peyton Fisher, 3CDC, Williamsburg, OH

Jennifer Garner, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Little Rock, AR

Nicholas Giovanniello, Headway Workforce Solutions, Raleigh, NC

Brian Gorney, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Charmaine Greene, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Malena Grosz, Keen Independent Research, Phoenix, AZ

Rob Gruin, VenuesWest, Floreat, Wau, Australia

Stacey Hall, NCS4, Hattiesburg, MS

Doug Hamilton, VenuesWest, Floreat, Wau, Australia

Chris Harp, State Farm Arena – Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta, GA

Craig Hartenstine, Grande Exhibitions, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Kam Hobbs, Peace Center, Greenville, SC

John Howden, SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Alina Jablonski, University of Kentucky, Monticello, GA

Nate Johnson, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Joy Joslin, Oklahoma City Thunder, Oklahoma City, OK

Cody Kopp, Walton Arts Center/Walmart AMP, Fayetteville, AR

Adam Ledgister, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Sharon Lee, San Mateo County Event Center, San Mateo, CA

Sarah Lehne, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Ari Levin, Madison Center for the Arts, Phoenix, AZ

Jeremy Lucy, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Jojy Mannanal, Cintas Corp., Long Beach, CA

Brittany Martin, Georgia World Congress Center, Austell, GA

Karrah Martin, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Reginald May, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

David Mello, K&K Insurance Group, Fort Wayne, IN

Marla Mitchell, Shreveport Convention Center, Shreveport, LA

Mark Moore, Lied Center for Performing Arts University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

Amy Murdock, CCI Code Consultants, Inc., Saint Louis, MO

Eric Nagy, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Molly Nakazono, Inventory Smart, Englewood, CO

Ezinne Nwaogu, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Megan Oberg, Rider Levett Bucknall, Denver, CO

Blake Oyler, Event Services – Utah State University, Logan, UT

Allison Parton, Clayton Arts Center/Maryville College, Maryville, TN

Hudson Perrine, Clayton Arts Center/Maryville College, Maryville, TN

Neda Perry, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Shannon Perry, Ontario Convention Center, Ontario, CA

Jeremy Poston, Electric Theater Center, St George, UT

Vanessa Ramos, Horseshoe Hospitality Services, Midland, TX

Juan Reyes, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Illya Riske, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

Cassie Roberts Dispenza, Saffire, Austin, TX

Mike Ruhnke, Verizon Business Group, Piscataway, NJ

Dan Sandfelder, University of Kentucky, Lexington, GA

Rick Schmidt, Conventional Wisdom Corp., Ocoee, FL

Sarah Schock, Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, AZ

Tom Scott, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Tommy Sisemore, Walton Arts Center/Walmart AMP, Fayetteville, AR

Shaun Sites, Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, Boise, ID

Michael Smith, Pan American Center, Las Cruces, NM

Marcus Steele, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

Curtis Thompson, Staff-1, Durham, NC

Patrick Trevino, TRAX Analytics, LLC, Alpharetta, GA

Todd Udy, Event Services – Utah State University, Logan, UT

Aja Vogelman, UVU – School of the Arts, Orem, UT

Tom Wagner, Levy Restaurants, Chicago, IL

Dylan Wanagiel, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Michael Ware, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Greg Wasserman, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Marissa Weseloh, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Josh Wickard, Oilers Entertainment Group Canada Corp., Edmonton, AB, Canada

Kathi Wimmer, Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, Raleigh, NC

Kimberly Woodward, Riverside EpiCenter, Austell, GA

Jesse Zunke, Rider Levett Bucknall, Phoenix, AZ