International arts management consultants TRG Arts announced that Chief Executive Officer Jill Robinson has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP). APAP, based in Washington, D.C., is the national service, advocacy and membership organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust, performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it. The APAP membership voted in new board members during the Annual Member Meeting held on January 13, immediately following the close of APAP’s 64th annual conference.

According to APAP, its new President and CEO Lisa Richards Toney commented, in part, at this year’s conference, “We’ve got work to do. But we have imagination to uncover and promises to uphold. We are just getting started. We are stronger together, and we are worth it.”

To fulfill the critical mission Richards Toney addressed, Robinson brings more than three decades of enduring dedication and expertise in the arts and culture sector. Her counsel is sought out by arts and culture executives worldwide. With her leadership, TRG Arts has doubled in size, opened a location in the United Kingdom, and served more than 1,200 clients in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K. and Europe. Under her guidance TRG Arts has developed the largest (and growing) global arts and cultural consumer dataset in the industry, the COVID-19 International Sector Benchmark.

“I’m honored to be selected and I look forward to serving with the other distinguished members of APAP’s Board to help revitalize the performing arts,” Robinson said. “With the creativity, bold-thinking and decisiveness of this organization, the sector will come back stronger than ever.”

Robinson also serves on the Advisory Board for SMU DataArts and has served on the board of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, CO. She is an adjunct professor of the Master of Arts Administration/Master of Business Administration program at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, and an inaugural faculty member for the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Cultural Leadership Program.

Our friends at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta were omitted from last week’s update of IAVM member venues who have obtained GBAC STAR designation. We apologize for the oversight and wanted to give special acknowledgment to President & CEO Allan Vella and his entire team for now making “The Fox Experience” even more safe, friendly, and entertaining.

IAVM members seeking to apply for accreditation through GBAC, please use the link https://gbac.issa.com/iavm/!

By R.V. Baugus

IAVM President and CEO Brad Mayne, CVE, was among a dozen sources quoted in a recent feature in Pollstar Magazine regarding the $900 billion federal aid package for individuals and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among other comments, Mayne said that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was a “step in the right direction, and we are grateful for that step.”

“I think a lot of people don’t realize the massive ecosystem of the event industry, all of the contracted labor and small businesses. So many professionals’ only form of compensation is live events. If any of those companies or individuals go out of business, that’s something that’s going to have to be rebuilt. The sooner we get some type of legislation to help that entire ecosystem, the better chance we have of not losing people and getting back safely.”

To read the full article, click here.

Zakiya Smith-Dore, MBA, CVP is an Event Operations Manager with the University of Florida Performing Arts. Truly committed to the Gator Nation, Zakiya received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida. Ms. Smith-Dore serves IAVM as the State of Florida Representative, Vice Chair of the University Committee, and is a mentor to her peers. Outside of the industry, Zakiya is an active volunteer and committee member to several national and local organizations, including service as President of her local Rotaract club.

“I received the news of 30 Under 30 on a day that was filled with ‘gloom and doom’ pandemic conversations. The news uplifted me and reminded me that despite our present circumstances, our industry has a bright future and I get the privilege of helping shape it.”

Join your Foundation in congratulating Zakiya on being honored as one of the 30|UNDER|30 Class of 2020 and don’t forget to come back each Thursday as we spotlight another honoree!

By R.V. Baugus and nhl.com

We all know how the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the public assembly venue landscape, and for the teams that play in many IAVM venues, financial losses have been catastrophic. That’s why I read with interest and delight when the National Hockey League announced that in partnership with Discover, Honda, MassMutual and Scotiabank, those four entities would hold naming rights as official division names for the 2020-21 season: Scotia NHL® North Division, Honda NHL® West Division, Discover NHL® Central Division and the MassMutual NHL® East Division.

I love it!

Once upon a time I hated the infiltration of corporate names splashed across sports uniforms. In fact, I held to the notion that only those in the professional auto racing circles should be allowed to have corporate names covering uniforms from head to toe. I don’t know … it just seemed ludicrous that a person would become a walking billboard.

Well, those thoughts have changed, even before Ricky Bobby rocked his uni in Talladega Nights.

It looked a little strange to me when NBA uniforms became adorned with corporate logos, but these days I take extra effort to see if any given team has a new logo from the previous year. It is no longer any big deal and in fact in these trying financial times is often a key to survival to some degree.

Going back to the NHL, the idea was simply brilliant to sell naming rights to the sport’s four divisions. I can truly envision other sports looking to follow suit. I applaud the out-of-the-box thinking of the NHL as they move forward into their 2020-21 season which already has met COVID-19 head-on, with our local Dallas Stars registering 17 players who have tested positive.

Here are the divisions and teams in each (note: the ongoing closure of the U.S.-Canada border required realignment):

• Scotia NHL® North Division (Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg)
• Honda NHL® West Division (Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, St. Louis, Vegas)
• Discover NHL® Central Division (Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay)
• MassMutual NHL® East Division (Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington)