By Meghan Flanagan

Comcast Spectacor, owner of the Wells Fargo Center arena and the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers, is advancing its commitment to renewable energy and sustainability at two of its primary facilities. Through an agreement with SunPower, a leading solar technology and energy service provider, Comcast Spectacor completed the installation of a 1.06 megawatt (MW) onsite solar system at the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone at Voorhees in New Jersey. Comcast Spectacor has also introduced an electric Zamboni ice resurfacer and will achieve 100 percent renewable electricity supply for the facility starting in 2021.

The Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone at Voorhees is the training facility for the Philadelphia Flyers and the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings and offers public ice-skating sessions and youth hockey activations year-round. Installation of the rooftop solar panels began in May 2020 and was completed in November 2020. Comcast Spectacor will sell the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the onsite solar and purchase national RECs to provide all Spectacor facilities with 100% renewable electricity. The Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone at Voorhees has also replaced its traditional propane Zamboni machine with an electric model.

“Comcast Spectacor is pleased to advance our support of renewable energy through this onsite solar technology installation by SunPower,” said Dave Scott, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Spectacor. “Combined with the activation of wind energy for Wells Fargo Center and our REC purchases, the Flyers will now train and compete in facilities completely powered by renewable electricity, which furthers Comcast NBCUniversal’s ongoing commitment to sustainable innovation.”

“Comcast Spectacor made a meaningful commitment to increase reliable, clean electricity in the Philadelphia region, and we are proud to help them achieve their mission with solar,” said Eric Potts, SVP, Commercial and Industrial Solutions at SunPower. “It’s not uncommon for a sports team to make an immense impact on its community — but the Philadelphia Flyers are raising the bar by using their footprint to work towards vital sustainability goals.”

The onsite solar project is the latest in an ongoing series of sustainability efforts across Comcast Spectacor facilities. In combination with the electric Zamboni machine, Comcast Spectacor’s purchase of renewable energy credits will contribute an additional annual reduction of more than 1,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gases. That reduction is equivalent to removing more than 370 passenger vehicles driven for a year.

“The renewable energy and sustainability efforts of Comcast Spectacor and the Philadelphia Flyers at their practice facility epitomize our overall NHL Green environmental sustainability work in North American community rinks where we play and enjoy the game,” said Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs. “These environmental efforts reinforce the League’s commitment and progress in creating vibrant and healthy communities through hockey for the next generation of passionate fans.”

These developments are in addition to Wells Fargo Center’s 100 percent renewable electricity initiative, which was achieved through an agreement with Constellation that completely powers the arena with wind. The wind power generation avoids more than 15,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas annually which is equivalent to the amount produced by 3,373 passenger vehicles over the course of a year. All of these efforts will provide Comcast Spectacor facilities with 100% renewable electricity and supports Comcast NBCUniversal’s long-term aspirational goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy.

Meghan Flanagan is Director, Corporate Communications for Comcast Spectacor based in Philadelphia.

The home stadium of the Pittsburgh Steelers will continue to be known as Heinz Field after the NFL team signed a one-year extension to its naming-rights partnership with food production company Kraft Heinz.

The new agreement will run until the end of 2021. Heinz has sponsored the stadium since it opened in 2001 and its deal with the Steelers had been due to expire at the end of the current NFL season.

Financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed. The original agreement was worth a reported $57 million.

“Over the years, the partnership has been a win-win for the Steelers – one of the NFL’s most storied and popular teams – and for Kraft Heinz, Kraft Heinz Chief Executive Miguel Patricio said in a statement. “Both the Steelers and the Heinz brand are synonymous with Pittsburgh.”

Heinz Field welcomed a limited number of fans to a handful of games earlier in the season before restrictions were put in place starting with the game against Washington Football Team on December 6.

The Steelers had been welcoming around 5,500 fans until that point but new orders from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf forced the team to restrict access to family and friends of the team.

Heinz Field has a capacity of around 68,400 and also serves as the home of the University of Pittsburgh’s American football team. The stadium has also staged NHL ice hockey games and music concerts over the years.

Cesar Ramirez, is currently the Director of Event Services & Facility Sales at Destination El Paso in El Paso Texas. His interest in the industry came through a love for music and live shows. After graduating from UTEP with a Bachelors in Commercial Music and then his Masters of Business Administration in 2017, he was fortunate enough to begin his journey with Destination El Paso which led him to my current role. He looks forward to many more opportunities within the industry that will allow him to continue to learn and grow as an industry professional.

“When I received my notice, I was very happy and excited, not only due to the fact that I felt a huge sense of accomplishment, but also it was good news amongst all the bad. After all the bad news through the current situation, it was nice to hear something positive and know there was still something to look forward to and be proud of.”

Join your Foundation in congratulating Cesar 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 Joint Meetings Industry Council

Cliff Wallace, CVE, added another deserved recognition recently when he was selected to receive the 2020 Unity Award from the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC). Wallace was formally presented with the award December 10 as part of the IBTM World awards program this year taking place online by Kai Hattendorf, President of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC).

“In an industry that has been evolving as quickly as ours the importance of long-standing industry leaders, advocates and role-models cannot be underestimated,” Hattendorf said. “This year’s Unity Award winner exemplifies the concept of lifetime achievement, not only through his organizational affiliations but as a pioneer, educator and mentor for generations of industry participants.

“At the same time, he played a huge role in introducing the industry and the principles it stands for into new regions at a critical point in their development. While each year we are presented with a challenge in selecting just one recipient for the Unity Award I can honestly say that this recipient is particularly deserving for both the length and breadth of his contributions.”

Wallace has had many years of service in the development, design, construction, project planning, managing, operating and day-to-day business of public assembly venue management and has elevated those venues to a respected presence in the communities in which they are located. At the same time, he has been a senior leader of numerous industry associations and a highly respected instructor / mentor in a wide range of key industry training programs. He has won a number of global awards for his work, and continues to contribute well into his semi-retirement as an industry ambassador and advisor.

The Unity Award is made annually to an individual who represents the best qualities of Meetings Industry Leadership and who has devoted major efforts to creating stronger relationships and a greater cohesion for the industry. Award criteria evaluate industry leadership and initiative both in a candidate’s own professional conduct and the efforts they put into industry-building through association, education and professional development activities.

To see the video of the presentation and Cliff’s acceptance of the award, click here.

Previous Unity Award Winners

2019 Joachim König | Managing Director, Hannover Congress Center

2018 Karen Bolinger | CEO, Melbourne Convention Bureau

2017 Ray Bloom | Chairman, IMEX Group

2016 Anita Pires | Director, Pires & Associados Assessoria Ltda

2015 David Peckinpaugh | President, Maritz Travel Group

2014 Tom Hulton | Director of International Relations, IMEX Group

2013 Michael Hirst | Chairman of the Business Visits & Events Partnership in the UK

2012 Airy Garrigosa | Director Barcelona Convention Bureau

2011 Luc Maene | Director General, International Fertilizer Industry Association and President, Society of Association Executives

2010 Christian Mutschlechner | Vienna Convention Bureau

2009 Barbara Maple

2008 Hans Friis | Brahler ICS AG

2007 Roger Tondeur | President and Founder MCI Group

2006 Luca Favetta | SAP

2005 Laure Mouton | Executive Director, Palais des Congrès de Paris

2004 Olivier Lépine | Director, Biarritz Tourisme

2003 Jorge Castex | Managing Director, ICS International Conference Services

By Sue Pelletier

At a recent online town hall, the Association Forum and the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) pulled together an all-star lineup of industry powerhouses to talk about what the future of live events will look like once we get back to meeting in person post-COVID-19.

The events industry is one of many that have been “truly shaken to the core,” said town hall moderator and Association Forum President and CEO Michelle Mason. That’s why, she added, “It’s important for us to have a conversation on what’s happening in our world,” beginning with a quick recap by Caesars Entertainment Chief Sales Officer Michael Massari on MMBC’s focus in recent days, which has been “on securing relief for the industry and, more importantly, gaining permission to operate meetings and events.”

Here are eight top takeaways from the discussion:

1. Live events are still happening now — and there’s much we can learn from the safety protocols already in place. John Rissi, Senior Vice President, Operations, PSAV, reminded the panel and the audience that in-person events actually are still happening now, though they are generally small in scope. “From August to November, we executed 16,000 face-to-face meetings,” he said, adding that probably 60% of those were for fewer than 25 people. Citing PSAV’s Meet Safe program, he said, “If we can address the number one concern about how you do it safely, people do want to meet face to face.”

2. Live events will be back — but maybe not until Q3 2021. “Nothing excites us more than the prospect of meeting physically in person again, but that’s going to be a while” due to the timing of the vaccine rollout, said Paul Pomerantz, CEO, American Society of Anesthesiologists. Like other associations, his shifted to a virtual format for its 2020 fall annual meeting. He anticipates that early 2021 meetings will also be virtual, with a slow emergence of smaller meetings first, then larger in-person events in the second half of 2021 and into 2022.

3. When they do come back, in-person events may be different from what they were pre-pandemic. While his organization’s fall 2021 meeting likely will be able to go on as an in-person event, it may be “not at the size we’re accustomed to,” said Pomerantz. Having learned from experience in going virtual just how much that can expand a meeting’s reach, especially internationally, look for future events to contain a hybrid component, panelists said. Not to worry, including a virtual component should only increase the attractiveness of in-person events, he added. “They will have multiple pathways for the education, but the real opportunities of networking, connecting with people and building their careers is going to happen at the live event.” Massari added, “We should embrace hybrid because it broadens the tent. It’s a great funnel for in-person events.”

4. Hybrid events aren’t easy. As one panelist said of a recent virtual event her organization held, “It was heavy, heavy lifting.” Staff has to learn new skills and master new technologies, go outside their comfort zones, and put in a lot more hours. Fine added that the two virtual events his organization has held recently “were so much more work than we have done in person — and without a lot reward of seeing our members enjoy the experience and celebrating together. We’ve made a lot of advances, but it’s been quite the ride.” Pre-recording at least some sessions can help, as can thinking about making two totally separate educational tracks, one for on-site and another for online.

5. Online trade shows still need some work. “Our exhibits at the virtual event were the only aspect that was unsuccessful,” said one panelist. “It was a very vibrant meeting, but nobody went to the exhibit hall.” What did work was to have exhibitors sponsor sessions.

6. What to charge for online events? One important issue to hash out is pricing for the virtual component, panelists agreed. While many made their online events free in 2020, that won’t make sense moving forward. “Now is the time for us to begin to really think about how our entire business can shift. What is commoditized, and what is really valuable?” said Greg Fine, CEO, CCIM Institute. One panelist proposed charging the same for the online sessions as for the in-person education.

7. Flexibility will be key. Associations, which tend to book years in advance, have to figure out new ways to plan appropriately, said Betsi Roach, Executive Director, Corporate Legal Operations Consortium. The assumption when the meeting was booked was that the audience would only grow, and that may no longer be the case. “How do you start to readjust those expectations in a way that keeps both of us whole and also lets us plan effectively for what the meeting will look like now?” she asked. Not only will the audience likely be smaller, but will social distancing still be an expectation, and how will that affect how the meeting is structured? “There is going to be really critical need to address existing agreements in a way that allows those changes to happen,” she said. Partners will need to work with association execs to be flexible enough to accommodate changing conditions, which also could include attendees’ corporate travel bans.We need to do away with the silliness of 2020, where each side ended up playing a game of chicken to see who would cancel first, with the association having to pretend the event is going to happen up until the last minute to avoid cancellation liability. Fine reminded that hotels also are in a tough situation, especially those with mortgages coming due — and cities are hurting due to the slow-to-a-trickle hotel tax revenues the pandemic has caused. Flexibility, transparency and communication on both sides are going to be essential moving forward, panelists agreed.

8. Plan for every possible contingency. “As leaders, you need to plan for every contingency, and that’s exhausting,” said Greg Heidrich, Executive Director, Society of Actuaries. “We’re also still trying to run our businesses and keep our staff safe and keep our staff and our own morale up. But if you don’t actually game out every possible scenario, then you’re going to be reacting. And we’ve got to get back to being proactive.”

Sue Pelletier is Senior Editor with Trade Show Executive.