The Diversity and Inclusive Leadership Committee is proud to announce our first scholarship application for 2021.

We are committed to providing financial support for IAVM sponsored events and training to increase diversity and awareness of our industry. Please take a moment to complete the DILC GuestX Scholarship Application.

Diversity Scholarship Application Criteria

The diversity scholarship focuses on broadening the number of traditionally underrepresented groups in the venue management industry.  

• Applicants must be American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Latinx, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA, or a person with disabilities.
• Applications must be completed online and submitted no later than the deadline of January 29, 2021.
• Recipients must be able and willing to attend GuestX 2021
• Recipients must be willing to support the Foundation’s fundraising initiatives by providing testimonials, blogging about their experience and participating in speaking opportunities as an advocate for the Foundation as requested.

Note the application deadline is coming up quickly: Friday, January 29. 

Don’t delay. APPLY today.

IAVM is pleased to welcome Dr. Justin Anderson, the founder and CEO of the industry leading, sport and performance psychology, Premier Sport Psychology as a workshop speaker to virtual GuestX 2021!

Workshop Title: Building a Resilient Mind: Applying Mental Strategies That Elite Performers Utilize to Manage Highly Adverse Situations

Description: We live in a world where everything we do demands results. In business, sport, or even personal relationships, we face daily challenges that require us to perform at our best and give everything we have (and then some). But what happens when we are stressed and depleted? How do we find the extra energy or a path forward? Many of our best athletes and performers now turn to sport psychologists for strategies to build a more resilient mind and to optimize their functioning. In this session, Dr. Justin Anderson (sport psychologist for teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB) will discuss several strategies that can optimize our mindsets to improve our mental-toughness and well-being – even when we are fatigued, over-stressed and under pressure.

“We spend what seems like an infinite time training in various areas of our lives; training for our careers, for our bodies and for our spirituality or relationships… But how much time do we spend intentionally training our minds?” stated Dr. Anderson. “Effective concepts derived from sport and military populations have advanced the field of performance psychology and are now being applied to anyone who wants to perform more optimally, think better, and feel healthier. This session will give the attendees at the GuestX Conference a few fundamental tools that the best of the best use to develop a more resilient mindset as we prepare to return to life and work in a post-pandemic world.”

If you have not already registered for GuestX 2021, there’s still time! Simply click here to register now! We hope to “see” you at virtual GuestX 2021!

The Leadership Development Committee is pleased to announce the application for the board position for the Stadiums Sector Director is now open. Applications will be accepted through February 28 and can be found here.

The Sector Director shall serve on the IAVM Board of Directors as a conduit for communication (in accordance with Governance Policy GP-6.3) between the IAVM Board of Directors and the Sector Committee specifically, and the Sector Members in general, communicating the needs and concerns of members to the Board of Directors and carrying the message of the Board of Directors to the Sector members.

Per Sector Director Nomination Guidelines, current Stadiums Sector Director, Patrick Tetrick, will lead the nomination process by appointing a Sector Nominating Committee.

In considering nominees for office, the Sector Nominating Committee shall
evaluate prospective candidates using the following suggested criteria:

• Achieved a minimum of CVP designation, (CVE designation preferred;
• Provide documentation of equivalent attributes and experience to be
considered in lieu of certification;
• Graduated from the IAVM or VMA Venue Management School (VMS);
• Prior service on the appropriate management Sector Committee;
• Demonstrate a commitment to IAVM through participation at the
Association, Region, Sector or Chapter level which may include
participation in educational sessions as a lecturer, panelist or instructor;
participation as a committee member or committee chair or other
volunteer opportunities beneficial to IAVM;
• Be willing and able to serve the entire 2-year term;
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of IAVM governance
structure, goal, philosophy and mission;
• Provide evidence of job stability (self-declaration is acceptable);
• Make a commitment to act ethically and in the best interests of the
Association and its members;
• Preferably, also be a graduate of the IAVM Senior Executive Symposium
(SES).

For more information, click here.

Please note that there is a discrepancy in application deadline dates in this document. Applications will be accepted through February 28.

How an Airlines’ Philosophy Can Enhance Your Guest Experience

Southwest Airlines was founded on Customer Service. However, over the past few years, customer service has become a standard for many airlines and across service industries. To continue to differentiate itself, Southwest evolved its legendary Customer Service to Hospitality: making Employees and Customers feel welcomed, cared for and appreciated. This philosophy is even more critical today as we work to regain customers during the pandemic.

Join us at virtual GuestX 2021 and learn directly from Southwest Airlines’ manager for hospitality, Jonathan Portnoy, how their hospitality framework and tools can apply to your organization to create an environment focused on providing an outstanding guest experience.

Registration is now open, and we hope to “see” you at virtual GuestX 2021! Click here to register!

By R.V. Baugus

We all know just how important hospitality is in our world of public assembly venue management. Give those guests who attend your venue a positive experience to remember and they will not only be sure to come back but will also tell their friends about their received hospitality. Living in the times of uncertainty created by COVID-19, hospitality takes on even greater significance when interacting with customers who are unduly stressed due to a myriad of hardships.

No one understands the world of hospitality better than Southwest Airlines, and Jonathan Portnoy with Southwest Airlines Hospitality (they have their own department!) stands at the forefront when it comes to discussing the topic. Portnoy will speak at this year’s IAVM virtual GuestX held from February 9-11. Before we get to some nuggets that Portnoy shared with us prior to his session, let’s make sure that if you have not yet that we get you registered for GuestX by clicking here. We want to also remind you that if you or a member of your team has been furloughed or laid off, IAVM is offering complimentary registrations for full-time IAVM members who have been impacted.

Portnoy will present on the title of How an Airlines’ Philosophy Can Enhance Your Guest Experience. Let’s let the expert on the subject tell us some more in advance of the session.

Do you come from a background in hospitality?

My professional background was primarily in product management before I moved to my current role a few years ago. I was fortunate to serve in this capacity at a number of companies including FedEx, Travelocity and Southwest. This diversity in companies and products gave me a well-rounded understanding of product management. In a very simplified form, product management is about developing and promoting a service or product to best appeal to customers. As I entered my current role at Southwest, I viewed Hospitality similarly to how I worked previously with products and services: Hospitality must be developed and promoted to the audience (both Employees and Customers) with the goal of maximizing its awareness and practice. The only real difference is that Hospitality does not involve a direct revenue stream from sales. But we attribute its practice by our Employees to retaining Customers.

We love how you capitalize several words, including Hospitality, Employees, and Customers. That tells us they are all important to you. Tell us about this thing called the people business.

Whether you work at Southwest, a venue, arena, convention center, or elsewhere, we’re all in the people business. Southwest flies planes and you host concerts or hockey games or conventions. But without people, our industries would not exist. Unfortunately the current pandemic has tested that to the extreme. The Hospitality philosophy at Southwest wasn’t created for an airline; it was created for a company whose greatest asset is its People and Customers. For this reason, the tools and best practices of Southwest Hospitality can apply across organizations and industries that focus on people first and foremost. The key to success is the amount of investment the organization is willing to make in Hospitality.

Can you define the difference between customer service and hospitality?

In our minds, as those who promote hospitality, customer service is kind of getting the job done and hospitality is going above and beyond. So we have developed three different levels of hospitality called Excellent Hospitality starting at that service or Transactional level at the bottom. Finding the solution for the customer, getting the job done and meeting the needs.

The next level is the Transformational Level, building a connection with your customer. Ask them how they’re doing, ask them where they’re traveling, ask them if they’re going to see family or why they’re traveling. Build some sort of connection with the customer. If they’re going to a specific event, a concert or a game, they’re wearing AC/DC clothes or their favorite team’s clothes. Relate to them.

The top phase is we call the Transcendental phase. That’s really about creating a memory with the customer so that customer can kick back with them after the events, after the flight and you can go tell others. Word of mouth is extremely strong. I always use the example of I was on a flight years ago from Dallas to Memphis and there was a family with a mom, dad, and little boy maybe three years old. It was his first flight and the flight attendant brought over a certificate. It was a first flight certificate given to the boy. The boy was elated, he got something from the flight attendant for his first flight and the parents were elated because the flight attendants recognized their son for his first flight. Even better, they were going to Memphis to see grandma and granddad. So of course they’re going to go tell grandma and granddad about their experience and receiving the certificate and now grandma and granddad are going to be loyal Southwest customers. So creating that transcendental level is about creating a memory.

Then one of the worksheets will be filling out what each level means for your organization. Transactional at the bottom, transformational building a connection and then transcendental creating a memory.

Can Hospitality still be showcased in a time when everything is “self-service” due to the pandemic?

Self-service is now big and just because self-service is growing doesn’t mean that Hospitality is going away. It actually provides an even bigger opportunity for Hospitality because now as employees instead of having to check a bag or credit ticket maybe interact with the customer in a different way and provide that extra level of Hospitality going back to that transformation and transcendental level rather than just here’s your ticket and go on and interact in a different way.

You are bound to have some awesome takeaways for sessions attendees. What would be the top one?

The greatest takeaway from the presentation and workshop is understanding that the transition into a company focused on Hospitality does not happen overnight. It takes intention from the organization, especially from all leaders to exhibit Hospitality in their communication and relationships with employees on a daily basis. Including Hospitality within formal employee training and orientation builds a foundational understanding of the philosophy and behaviors. But the consistent practice and advocacy of Hospitality by leaders is what makes Hospitality blossom within the organization.