By Convention Center Communications Department

Employees of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) recently took personal time off to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank — and there’s a special reason why. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) cancelled its in-person show in February but remained committed to its tradition of making a philanthropic donation to a local organization in the city where the annual show is held. In response, Convention Center employees donated their time to volunteer.

This year, NADA donated $25,000 to the New Orleans Second Harvest Food Bank in response to the alarming increase in food insecurity in the region caused by the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, Second Harvest has nearly doubled its food distribution despite a drastic increase in the organization’s operating costs. Second Harvest anticipates its need to remain elevated through 2021.

“Fighting hunger is a community-wide effort, and simply put, we need both monetary and volunteer donations to make our organization run smoothly,” said President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank Natalie Jayroe. “Every single meal we provide to a family, a child, or a senior is because of donations like NADA’s and volunteer efforts such as the Convention Center team members. These individuals have opened their hearts. Words cannot fully express my gratitude for those that have stepped up during this crisis.”

One in five households in Louisiana is at risk of hunger. Across the state and region, the rising cost of food, housing, and utilities, coupled with high unemployment due to COVID-19, has increased the need for emergency food assistance.

“I am certainly proud of our employees,” said Convention Center President Michael J. Sawaya. “I am also proud of NADA. Even though they had to cancel their show, they held true to their commitment. After a year like 2020, the impact this money will have on our community will reach a little farther and wider than ever before.”

By R.V. Baugus

It’s time for me to brush up on exactly how cryptocurrency works, especially in light of its growing presence in the sports industry and now with a new naming rights deal.

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX has reached a deal to assume naming rights of Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena to become FTX Arena. The venue has been named AmericanAirlines Arena since opening in 1999, although the company announced in 2019 that it would not extend its $2 million per year deal once it ended in 2020. The venue kept the name while searching for a successor. The deal is pending county commission approval today.

In addition the anchor tenant NBA Miami Heat said that it will dedicate certain sections of the venue to fans who have received COVID-19 vaccinations.

The new partner is indicative and representative of the growing presence of cryptocurrency in the sports industry. The deal is expected to result in an undisclosed amount of yearly payments from FTX to Miami-Dade, which controls naming rights to the arena while the Heat markets other sponsorship for the venue.

Meanwhile, as the venue continues reopening, the April 1 game against the Golden State Warriors will include two sections of the lower bowl that will be fully open to fans who have been fully vaccinated from COVID-19. While masks will still be required, social distancing protocols will be lessened.

Pods of fans will be separated by one seat in the aforementioned two sections. Fans will enter the arena through a dedicated gate and be required to show their Centers for Disease Control vaccination card, or proof thereof, along with valid ID. Fans will need to have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days to be eligible.

In January, COVID-19 Detection Dogs made their debut as Heat fans returned to AmericanAirlines Arena, with the team maintaining their deployment is only one element of their venue safety strategy.

That light at the end of the tunnel continues getting brighter for our industry, with hopefully more good news continuing to come from venues across the country.

As for that needing to learn more about cryptocurrency, my only personal experience came five years ago when I arrived to my home computer to begin working only to discover I had been hit with a ransomware attack with the criminals demanding payment in something called bitcoin, something I had never heard of.

The good news is a cyber genius came to my rescue to restore all of my data, thankfully ending my quest for the elusive bitcoin to pay the thieves.

Image by Phillip Pessar

The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) is pleased to announce the nomination of Kerry Painter, CVE, CEM, CMP, for Second Vice Chair of the IAVM’s Board of Directors. Painter will serve a four-year term, taking on the Chairman position in 2023-2024.

Painter currently serves as the General Manager/Director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex which encompasses the Raleigh Convention Center, Duke Energy Performing Arts Center, Red Hat Amphitheater and Walnut Creek Amphitheater. She has a long and successful career in venue management and operations, and previously served as the AGM for the Cox Business Center in Tulsa Oklahoma, where the convention center won the Venue Excellence award in 2017. Earlier to that, Painter  was the President/GM in Niagara Falls Canada and has assisted in constructing/opening five venues in total throughout her lengthy career.

“The leadership of IAVM works every day for the betterment of our members,” said Clifford “Rip” Rippetoe, CVE, IAVM Chair of the Board. “Part of that is to advance persons of distinction into key leadership roles.  Kerry has dedicated her 23-year tenure as a member of IAVM in a variety of ways including being a Board member, a Trustee, a committee member and as an instructor/mentor.  We welcome her to this new role and look forward to her tenure on the Executive Committee as she moves through the leadership chairs.”

Painter currently serves as the Treasurer for the IAVM Foundation Board of Trustees and teaches annually at IAVM’s Venue Management School.

“IAVM has quality leaders in the officer positions that care about our industry and the association’s members,” said Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM President and CEO. “I have had the privilege of working closely with Kerry for many years at IAVM’s Venue Management School, as well as in support of the Foundation, and she is a great contributor to our industry, its members, and those in leadership. Her knowledge, experience, and passion for the future of the public assembly venue management industry make her uniquely qualified to fill the position of IAVM 2nd Vice Chair.”

Kerry is a member of IAVM, IAEE and PCMA, and has served on several boards/committees both within the industry and in her communities. She is an instructor, both domestic and internationally, for CEM classes through IAEE (Korea and Bangkok), as well as advises for Meredith College.

“I am over the moon thrilled to accept this honor,” stated Painter. “IAVM has helped me become the passionate professional I am today. I love this industry and have enjoyed every experience it has afforded me. To have the opportunity to give back and to lead an industry I love as we move into a post pandemic world is a role I will cherish.”

IAVM members will vote electronically in June on Painter’s nomination, and, if elected, she will take office in August during IAVM’s VenueConnect Annual Conference and Trade Show, August 2-5, in Atlanta, Georgia.

For more information, please contact Amy Fitzpatrick, IAVM Director of Marketing, at (972) 538-1006 or by email at amy.fitzpatrick@iavm.org.

About IAVM: Representing public assembly venues from around the globe, IAVM’s 7,000+ active members include managers and senior executives from auditoriums, arenas, convention centers, exhibit halls, stadiums, performing arts centers, university complexes, racetracks, and amphitheaters. IAVM’s mission is to educate, advocate for, and inspire public assembly venue professionals worldwide. More information about IAVM is available at www.IAVM.org or via @IAVMWHQ on Twitter.

By R.V. Baugus

IAVM is set to launch Academy for Venue Safety & Security (AVSS) Extension, built as a companion session of learning to the Association’s flagship AVSS, in May at the IAVM store. Comprised of eight sessions featuring expert speakers in all areas of venue safety and security, this is the perfect place for attendees to stay current with relevant sessions that can be viewed at the participant’s leisure on the virtual site until April 2022. Purchase options will include both single-user and venue multi-user accounts.

“Online safety and security is more important than ever during COVID-19,” said Mark Herrera, IAVM Director of Education and Life Safety. “IAVM has had to rapidly adapt to changing conditions under the current health pandemic to assure we provide the most current educational offerings on recommended safety and security best practices. Industry professionals and committee members representing the Academy for Venue Safety and Security faculty along with the Venue Safety and Security Committee have been instrumental in adapting the Academy to an AVSS extension offering in order to improve attendee skills on safety and security and better define their roles to the post-pandemic ways of working, which is critical to the success of the security to all Commercial Facilities.”

Herrera added that the goal of AVSS Extension is to provide virtual training opportunities in 2021 with the anticipation of returning to AVSS in-person training once the current health safety concerns are resolved. He emphasized that while AVSS Extension does not take the place of the current AVSS curriculum, it will allow attendees to stay current with expert-driven safety and security sessions that compliment the AVSS.

“We are excited to be able to offer our members an opportunity to enhance their venues’ safety and security this year through attendance at the AVSS Extension program,” said. Paul Villotti, PE, FSFPE, Chair of the AVSS Faculty. “When the faculty learned that the current COVID protocols would not allow our 2021 Academy to occur live in New Orleans, we wanted to find a way to continue to assist the members who wanted to provide the best in risk management at their venues. The faculty, IAVM staff, and the Venue Safety and Security Committee initiated this opportunity to allow the faculty to provide some ancillary information and training that enhances the learning that would have occurred at the 2021 Academy.

“We hope this gives past, current and future students an opportunity to explore more deeply the Academy’s core curriculum including Risk Management, Emergency Planning and Management, Security Operations, and Training. As Mark said, this AVSS Extension is not intended to replace the normal curriculum, but to give new students a taste of what is to come, and past and current students additional insights and a deeper understanding of the subject matter presented.”

The opportunity to self-pace in AVSS Extension is a feature as well as how the program will serve as a benchmark for future learning.

“One great aspect of this Extension is its ability to continue to be built upon in future years,” Villotti said. “We are hoping that it becomes a cache of safety and security resources for both AVSS students and the broader IAVM membership. Another great aspect is this format allows industry experts, including past students, to contribute to the AVSS Extension resources. This expands our knowledge base and infuses new approaches and experiences into the already expansive breadth of the faculty.”

IAVM grieves for the families and communities of numerous Asian Pacific Islander (API) community members murdered in Georgia on March 16, 2021 by senseless gun violence and anti-Asian racism.  We hope those wounded survive these atrocious attacks, and we continue to condemn all forms of hate.

IAVM calls all people, including local and national leaders, to condemn anti-API violence and to actively find solutions to shield our community from further hate and violence towards marginalized communities.

Whether the accused killer’s intentions were racially motivated or not, the impact of his actions has been a groundswell of fear and discussion around anti-Asian acts that are prevalent in much, if not all, of the United States.  We can and we must do better as a people, and as a nation, united against hate – silence is not acceptable.