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.

By R.V. Baugus

Congratulations to Tim Seeberg, who was named the General Manager of the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois.

The move takes Seeberg back closer to his native home of Chicago after serving as General Manager of the Fort Smith (AR) Convention Center for almost nine years. Prior to that, Seeberg served as GM for the City of Grand Junction (CO) – Management and before that as GM of the Two Rivers Convention Center. His other industry experience came as GM of the Millennium Centre in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Seeberg has also been very involved over the years in Region 6 and has displayed tremendous leadership skills regardless of location or position.

Congratulations once again!