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.

By ausleisure.com

ASM Global (Asia Pacific) Chairman and Chief Executive Harvey Lister announced that Rebecca Barry will take up the role of Director, People and Culture for ASM Global’s Asia Pacific operations.

Barry is widely known in the venue industry in Australia following a number of senior positions she has held across her career, including the establishment of ASM Global’s HR operations at Stadium Australia (now ANZ Stadium) ahead of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Barry’s most recent challenge in her role as GM Organisational Development at ASM Global associate company, Venues Live has been the opening of Optus Stadium in Perth. Barry relocated to Perth for two years and led the establishment, training and supervision of a sizable permanent staff team and a substantial casual staff pool to handle the large crowds attracted to the major sports and entertainment events presented, with a high focus on customer – and staff – satisfaction. Upon her return to Sydney, Barry has had a continuing oversight of ANZ Stadium and Bankwest Stadium in western Sydney.

In between these engagements, she spent ten years as GM-HR for the RAS Sydney covering all of its activities at the Sydney Showgrounds at Sydney Olympic Park. This included the successful development of the Sydney Royal Easter Show Event Volunteer Program consisting of over 400 event customer service volunteers.

Barry has also worked for the Rugby Football Union at Twickenham in London, in the hospitality and publishing industries.

Her expertise spans recruitment, training, performance management, industrial relations, policy development and change management. Importantly she is a successful leader with extensive experience on the ground.

Lister noted “as ASM Global is experiencing a strong expansion in venue management projects around the Asia Pacific region, it is time to step up the support and leadership we provide in HR Management in our venues to ensure we have the best staff to deliver the high levels of customer service that we and our venues’ owners are looking for.

“I have no doubt in Becc taking us to the next level, given the breadth of her thinking and experience around workplace culture development in particular.”

Barry has a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Human Resources and Industrial Relations, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds TAFE qualifications in workplace training, hospitality and marketing. She is an Accredited Venue Manager (VMA) and a Certified Professional with the Australian Institute of Human Resources.

Barry will work from ASM Global’s Sydney offices at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in April 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.

Megan Anderson, Hub 757, Suffolk, VA

Pierre Angell, Dvox.live, Montreal, QC, Canada

Josh Arensberg, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Lydia Audette, Titan Health & Security Technologies, Inc., Newport Beach, CA

Allison Bair, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO

Aaron Bare, Etix, Morrisville, NC

Constance Brooks, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

Lawrence Brown, Las Vegas Ballpark, Las Vegas, NV

Adam Cheek, Newnan Centre, Newnan, GA

Logan Cunningham, US Testing Equipment, Ltd., Vancouver, WA

Jessica DeLeon, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO

Erica Frock, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO

Michael Fullen, Jerome Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

Rachel Galatowitsch, TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

Jason Gay, Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, Columbus, OH

Tim Goodridge, MetraPark, Billings, MT

Daniel Grummer, Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston, SC

William Hackett, Johnson & Wales University – Rhode Island, Providence, RI

Jeff Hahn, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

Mary Harris, MetraPark, Billings, MT

Selena Hernandez, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio, TX

Marisa Huffman, Boise Centre, Boise, ID

Carolyn Jackson, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA

William Johnson, Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Elyse Jones, Las Vegas Ballpark, Las Vegas, NV

Lauren Keck, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio, TX

Stephen Klem, MetraPark, Billings, MT

Tiffany Lau, National Basketball Association, New York, NY

Phil Lyrek, TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

Nick Mauer, Musco Sports Lighting, Oskaloosa, IA

Ellie Maurer, Spokane Public Facilities District, Spokane, WA

Adam McCoy, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio, TX

Catherine Messina, Missouri State University, Ballwin, MO

Patricia Moreno, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio, TX

Tori Nagle, USC Thornton School of Music, Los Angeles, CA

Eric Neuburger, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Heather Pio Roda, USC Thornton School of Music, Los Angeles, CA

Sophia Popovits, Primary Wave, New York, NY

Michelle Prosser, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

Todd Pryor, Etix, Morrisville, NC

Michael Pyles, Boise Centre, Boise, ID

Danniel Recinos, Las Vegas Ballpark, Las Vegas, NV

Amanda Reeves, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Autumn Reeves, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Cody Reitz, MetraPark, Billings, MT

Karenna Reyna, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio, TX

Dennis Scanlon, Etix, Morrisville, NC

Randy Shingleton, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

Cordell Smith, TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

Mandie Sullivan, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio, TX

Scott Trisler, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA

Susie Walker-Atchison, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio, TX

Steve Walter, Verizon Business Group, New York, NY

Holly Williams, Spokane Public Facilities District, Spokane, WA

Tim Wolmbolt, MetraPark, Billings, MT

Kevin Womack, Arup, New York, NY

By R.V. Baugus

The topic of leadership is one that is very common in articles written about the business world. In today’s pandemic society, however, there is more that leaders must do as they guide their internal teams. It is leading under pressure, which so happens to be the very topic that Ron Harvey, a PCC Certified Leadership Coach, Speaker, Trainer, and Facilitator, will address when he presents at this year’s VenueConnect in Atlanta.

Leading Under Pressure addresses the greatest obstacle to personal/professional success, whether you are Front of House, Back of House, coordinating events on a field, organizing a trade show, or managing a performance onstage. No one rises to the occasion of leading under pressure without being intentional. The reality is pressure can make us do worse and can lead us to fail utterly. But there are things we can do to increase our ability to lead effectively when the stakes are high.

Harvey certainly brings the credentials for the topic. A retired U.S. Army Veteran with more than 34 years of leadership experience, his purpose is to “Make A Difference” by inspiring leaders to excel through learning, growth, and adding value to others.

Based in Columbia, SC, Ron is Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Core Strategies and Consulting (GCSC), and serves as the Chairman for the Columbia Chamber Small Business Council and is on the boards of Midlands Communities in Schools, and the Carolina Virginia Minority Supplier Diversity Council.

“I’ve been doing this topic and working in this space for about 10 years,” Harvey said. “My military background contributes in that what you expect may not actually occur and yet people still observe you and how you respond to what’s happening around you. When the stakes are high and the tempers are flaring, the requirements to lead are still there but everything has kind of gone away from what normally happens. But people still require you to lead.”

Harvey’s presentation will connect with the audience, as recent work placed him training at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, which is led by Cheryl Swanson, CVE. “They brought us in to help them understand and speaking in light of what they do and how they work with pressure,” Harvey said.

The added pressure layer of COVID-19 is yet another hurdle that venue managers deal with.

“It has increased the pressure for what we’re seeing across the board with knowing when to return back or not to return back (to work),” Harvey said. “Everything you guys do is around customer service, and right now it is important to have your team do a phenomenal job of customer service.

“That said, we’re seeing the breaking point whether it is from the mental health or just being away from the job or all the things showing up in the workplace. The other thing we are seeing is people feeling a little resentful to ‘get back to business as usual’ when everything around them has changed. That’s causing a lot of pressure for leaders to know because it’s going to rub some people the wrong way. How do you do business not as usual but help people get back to a lifestyle that’s different but still effective?

Harvey said that there is also the anxiety of returning back to work and what awaits in the new normal, something that was addressed at the Convention Center.

“What does that returning look like?” he said. “Are there enough hand sanitizer stations, are the tables far enough apart, or how about people who want to wear masks but some people don’t want to wear masks for a variety of reasons? That’s a lot of pressure on a leader. A lot of the staff might not feel safe or comfortable, so there’s a lot of anxiety about returning to the office.”

As for a primary takeaway for his audience, Harvey said simply, “Ensure that your audio matches your video.”

“As a leader, what you do is more important than what you say,” he added. “If your actions are not aligned with what’s coming out vocally, people are confused and they don’t want to follow you. The first thing that creates distrust or lack of loyalty is to say one thing and then do another.”

Harvey speaks of his company as one about creating a winning culture where people want to be a part of it.

“What we mean by that is that we focus on three things for the leadership of an organization: building trust, creating an environment that makes a difference, and adding value to people. That’s really the foundation of our entire organization.”

That is also why the motto for his organization is “People Always Matter.” Rest assured the audio matches the video.