By Region 6 Newsletter

Before the confetti could drop and the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship trophy could be raised in San Antonio, one team would have to navigate an unprecedented tournament year and deliver an extraordinary effort amidst the challenges of a global pandemic.

The aforementioned “One Team” consisted of the Alamodome, the City of San Antonio and partners like San
Antonio Sports that helped parlay a championship bid win into an opportunity to host the entire 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament with 64 teams competing from March 21 through April 4 in the local region. For its part, the Alamodome expanded a three game championship weekend into a 38 game schedule with an additional 108 practices at the venue. The facility hosted match-ups in the First and Second Rounds and all games of the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and the Finals. Staff made history by creating under one roof, a dual-arena configuration that helped expedite COVID-19 cleaning efforts and enhance social distance protocols. Other fan safety procedures implemented included digital ticketing in socially distanced pods, touch less venue entry, mobile food ordering and the enforced wearing of face covers unless actively eating or drinking.

“Since reopening in the fall of 2020 for the UTSA football season, the Alamodome’s main priority has been fan safety but we also want to help create jobs and paychecks and promote the local economy,” said General Manager Steve Zito, CVE. The NCAA tournament generated an estimated $27.2 million in economic impact for San Antonio and filled 35,000 room nights at area hotels. Tourism was noticeably impacted and images of San Antonio were abundant since all tournament games were broadcasted on either ESPN or ABC networks. An estimated 33,246,000 national broadcast viewers were able to cheer on their teams and experience San Antonio and the Alamodome virtually.

Venue Operations veteran Tim McNeff has been hired as the Los Angeles Forum’s Vice President of Arena Operations. McNeff comes to the Forum from the Los Angeles Football Club and Banc of California Stadium, where he was the Assistant General Manager and Senior Director, Facilities. He guided the stadium from construction to its inaugural season as an award-winning sports and entertainment venue and beyond. McNeff has more than 25 years of operations experience and has also worked at Circuit of the Americas, STAPLES Center, and Disneyland Resort.

McNeff has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Long Beach. He began his new position on May 17 and reports to Forum General Manager and Senior Vice President of Live Events Geni Lincoln.

By Frank Bradshaw, Ph.D., CVE

An increasing number of companies, non-profits, and government organizations want (or may even be required) to engage and employ those who have specific certifications from recognized programs. We want to ensure that the Certification Programs of the IAVM say that its certifications offer proof that those individuals who obtain these certifications have achieved the highest standards of experience, education, and credentialing in the venue management field. We know that certification demonstrates your commitment to superior professionalism, upholding industry standards, and continued learning. These merits can help boost your professional credibility and prestige within the venue management industry as well as your networks.

The IAVM Certification Board wants to ensure that the Certified Venue Executive program continues to give those who earned the CVE designation recognition of competency, shows a commitment to the venue management profession, and help with job advancement. Toward that end, the Board is conducting an in-depth review of the CVE program, its competency standards, and the certification examination to make sure it reflects the changing dynamics of our industry.

This is where we need the assistance of the current CVEs. You are the subject matter experts. We want you to be a part of this review so that we can continue to hold the CVE as the “mark of excellence” in our industry.

CALLING ALL CVEs!

Your IAVM Certification Board is launching a project to update the knowledge, skills and attributes required of a Certified Venue Executive (CVE).

The Certification Board needs your help to identify, verify, and formalize the range of core competencies that must be demonstrated by venue executives. This project will include research using international occupational classification standards, documented venue management industry norms, and – most importantly in-depth consultation with experienced practitioners (our CVEs) who will serve as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

We would like your commitment to complete 6-8 short surveys over a period of approximately 8-12 months. You will receive a survey approximately every 4-6 weeks. Each should take you no more than 5-7 minutes to complete. You will receive 1 certification renewal point for each survey completed … but you must complete every survey in order to qualify for the reward.

More detailed information will be distributed shortly, inviting you to participate in this important project. Please answer the call!

Frank Bradshaw, Ph.D., CVE, is a Retired IAVM Member who serves on the IAVM Certification Board.

By BOA and TRG Arts

Social justice advocacy group Black Opera Alliance (BOA) and international arts management consultants TRG Arts have released the first Insight Report tracking progress U.S. opera companies are making toward the eight areas of needed transformation defined in BOA’s “Pledge for Racial Equity and Systemic Change in Opera.”

“Historically, the lack of industry-wide accountability has been a prime culprit in stalling substantive industry progress in the EDI space. This report shines a spotlight on how and where the sector is making gains,” said Dr. Derrell Acon, Project Director / BOA Leadership Council.

As of March 10, 2021, 44% of opera companies in the U.S. have signed the pledge. 33% are “In Progress” as they work toward signing. 19% have not responded and one company has declined to sign.

“The status ‘In Progress’ is a starting place. We have assistance, such as EDI specialists, available for organizations who are trying to figure out how to commit to The Pledge. We want opera companies to be successful in this work and we can help,” said Pamela Jones, BOA Leadership Council.

Dr. Acon added, “There are now many different versions of The Pledge. We understand that one document is not going to fit the needs of all opera companies. There is room for compromise as long as the spirit of The Pledge is upheld, and commitment is made to addressing the barriers that exist.”

This first report also highlights correlations between pledge signing status and percentages of Black populations within a community. The U.S. population is 12% Black. Opera companies in communities where Black populations are greater than 12% have been more likely to respond “Yes” to the pledge and have the greatest proportion of “No Response.” Opera companies in communities where Black populations are less than 12% have been more likely to have a response of “In Progress.”

“The benefit of the data is that it shows us the challenges unemotionally. It helps our community understand specifically where and how we can help. Additionally, it positions opera companies as participants in the structural change we are trying to see. It’s a clear and streamlined look at the ecosystem as it is right now,” said Garrett McQueen, BOA Leadership Council.

“This Insight Report demonstrates the powerful role data collection and analysis are playing in advancing the adoption of The Pledge,” said TRG Arts CEO Jill Robinson. “Using this systematic approach is helping to accelerate BOA’s mission for the opera sector at a time when its success is critical, and I’m excited to see future results and progress.”

To develop further insights, BOA will next be sending out a data collection workbook, created in conjunction with TRG Arts, to opera companies to help understand where they are with the items outlined in the pledge.

To download a copy of the Insight Report visit https://go.trgarts.com/boa-trg-insight-report-apr

Mulberry Marketing Communications and the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, have won a platinum Hermes Creative Award for the launch and promotion of the council’s GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation program. The Hermes Creative Awards program is an international competition for creative professionals that is administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP).

Mulberry and GBAC have been recognized within the Public Relations/Communications category. Over the course of the last year, Mulberry has helped GBAC position its accreditation program as the gold standard for prepared facilities.

“This campaign has exceeded our expectations and is a testament to the immense value that GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation offers facilities and their cleaning professionals,” said Mulberry CEO Matt Serra. “We would like to congratulate GBAC and GBAC STAR’s partners for their hard work in bringing cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention to the forefront when it is needed most.”

Launched in May 2020, GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation is designed for facilities of all types and sizes, and allows accredited facilities to display a seal to give customers and employees confidence that they know how to prepare for, respond to and recover from biorisks such as the novel coronavirus. Mulberry’s strategic counsel and media relations efforts helped GBAC STAR consistently secure trade, local and Tier 1 media coverage and helped shape conversations around cleanliness.

GBAC initially sought to have 2,000 facilities committed to the accreditation program in 2020. By the end of the year, more than 1,400 organizations had completed accreditation and over 2,900 more had committed to the process. Additionally, GBAC had formed more than 80 partnerships to support GBAC STAR adoption.