By R.V. Baugus

John Ayo, the appropriately named Chief Balancing Officer of Travel Balance (tagline: Where Healthy Travel Drives Greater Business Profitability) knows of whence he speaks on the topic of wellness, an area of life that we all need to give serious attention to in times of COVID-19 and more.

To that end, you will want to be sure to hear John’s presentation at VenueConnect20 when he speaks on Wellness Magic: Inside Secrets to Boost Your Immune System To Keep You Well.

What are the best ways to boost your natural immunity to keep you healthy during these crazy coronavirus days? John will share immediately useful tips for healthy choices that you can make to maximize your immune system’s ability to keep you healthy. You can’t perform at your best in work and life if you don’t feel well. This content packed and fast-paced presentation will unveil natural health secrets that can help your body to heal itself. Don’t miss this fun, engaging and one of the most entertaining wellness sessions you will ever attend!

But before you attend, we want you to know a little bit more about John and a little bit more about the session The balancing officer took time out of his balanced schedule to visit with Venue Professional for a chat on his presentation.

VP: Share with our readers just a little about yourself and the overarching mission of Travel Balance.

JA: My passion is in teaching and inspiring people to take care of their health and wellness as it is difficult to do anything else in life when you don’t feel good. My primary focus has been on travel wellness, but during our current adventure I tend to teach more about general wellness and how we can stay healthy during these stressful times.

VP: Speak some to how your areas of expertise work well within our industry of public assembly venue management.

JA: As with any industry, it’s difficult for you to host events at your venue if you (and your frontline staff) are not feeling well. Venue management can be very stressful, and you can’t take care of your patrons if you are sick at home (or at work). I inspire people to take wellness seriously so that you can provide the best experience possible for your customers.

VP: Wellness is a huge, huge topic these days. I would imagine it to be a topic that cannot be stressed (pardon the pun) enough.

JA: Well said. When you have your health anything is possible, when you don’t have your health, nothing else matters!

VP: What will be some highlights of your session that should make attendees want to attend?

JA: I will share one simple thing you can do to drastically improve your health, keys to managing stress, and learning the best things to eat and supplements to take that will help your body to heal itself.

VP: How about takeaways. What will some of those be?

JA: There are several, including optimizing your health around technology, learning the best ways to get your energy and balance back, and maximizing your immune system’s ability to keep you healthy.

VP: What have you most discovered about people and/or businesses during this current pandemic as it relates to wellness?

JA: More people are being forced to go inside and face emotional traumas and challenges that they have been avoiding for many years. While painful, it can be one of the most freeing things in your life. This pandemic has brought on way more compassion than I’ve seen in a long time. We will come out of this better than before, with so much gratitude for things we used to take for granted.

VP: Is there anything else you care to share with our membership?

JA: While it may seem that events will never come back, keep the faith that this will pass and we will emerge a much better society as a result. We may not be able to change the world, but by focusing on being the best you can be you can change YOU and one by one we CAN change the world.

By Tom Cornwall, CVE

For me, Bubble life started on July 12 and completed 79 days later on September 29, one day after Game 81 in the bubble saw the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Dallas Stars in Game 6 to claim the Stanley Cup in Edmonton. Some say the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports. Many insiders are saying that this year’s “COVID Cup” was the hardest Stanley Cup to win.

The two hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto consisted of 24 teams and a few hundred NHL staff and contractors all working together to keep the bubble’s safe, both from a security and hygiene standpoint. Most of us lived inside the two bubbles and had very little to no contact with the outside world.

It took a village, or in this case, two villages, to pull off this tournament and keep it COVID-free over five playoff rounds consisting of 81 games. According to the NHL, there were almost 34,500 COVID-19 tests conducted with zero positive tests. Needless to say we got very used to our daily throat or nasal swabs!

The opportunity to participate in this historic event will forever rank near the top of my career highlights, especially since this one came in my “retirement” years! The COVID crisis put an end to any hopes of retirement travel adventures so I was very grateful to Oak View Group/Prevent Advisors when they tapped me to join their Edmonton Compliance Team for this project.

The memories are many and the opportunity to meet new colleagues who have become new friends is priceless. On July 12 when I started this project and began planning the fence perimeters that would quickly create our bubble, I wasn’t super optimistic that we could pull this off. Now, 79 days later, it was almost surreal reflecting back on what was accomplished between Toronto and Edmonton bubble dwellers.

The Tampa Bay Lightning fought hard for the right to drink from THE CUP. The dedicated bubble support staff fought tirelessly as a village to help the NHL put the 2019-20 season/Stanley Cup final in the history books. On July 12, I set my project goal to successfully and safely complete this event, pop the bubble, and return to retirement life with Betsy. I am happy to say I have achieved that goal and am once again enjoying home-cooked meals and looking forward to my grandchildren visiting tomorrow!

Tom Cornwall, CVE, is NHL Hub City Compliance Officer, retired.

Spectra announced two recent promotions, effective immediately.

Jessica Tropp has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Business Development, Sales Support and Production. Throughout Jess’s 12-year tenure with Spectra, her responsibilities have grown exponentially, becoming an integral member of the Business Development team with oversight of all proposals, RFP responses, and corporate marketing materials for Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality, and Partnerships.

Nalana Hinds has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller. Since joining Spectra as VP, Corporate Controller in 2018, Nalana has relentlessly embraced new responsibilities, from strategically building out the Food Services & Hospitality accounting group, to overseeing the company’s treasury and tax functions. She also passionately mentors the corporate accounting team across the Venue Management, Food Services, and Partnerships divisions.

By Mevisha Maistry

The Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre announced that both venues are recognized among the 2021 EXHIBITOR Centers of Excellence. Produced by EXHIBITOR Magazine, the annual award recognizes the top 30 venues for trade shows and events in North America.

All North American convention and exhibition venues are eligible to apply to the Centers of Excellence program, with the 30 highest-scoring entries being named among Centers of Excellence. Applicants are evaluated by a panel of corporate exhibit managers based on a survey of past clients (Customer Service and On-Site Support) and criteria within five categories including: Facility and Functionality, Location and Accommodations, Service and Execution, Upgrades and Expansions and Awards and Industry.

“Both the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre were among just 25 facilities that scored more than 300 points in the category of Customer Service and On-Site Support—a score that is based on surveys of past customers as well as EXHIBITOR readers who have exhibited at, or hosted events at, the venues in question,” said Travis Stanton, editor of EXHIBITOR. “That’s a strong indication event organizers and participants can rest easy knowing they’ll be in caring and capable hands anytime business travel takes them to Edmonton.”

Operated by Explore Edmonton Corporation (Explore Edmonton), the Edmonton Convention Centre and Edmonton EXPO Centre are fixtures in the community that contribute to the vitality of Edmonton as a visitor destination.

“It is an honour to have both Explore Edmonton managed venues recognized as Centers of Excellence—a testament to our expertise in venue management and Edmonton’s ability to deliver exceptional visitor experiences through two of North America’s top facilities,” said Arlindo Gomes, Vice President of Venues for Explore Edmonton. “Event planners and clients get more than a venue–they gain access to the planning expertise and resources of a committed team of professionals that care about the experience of everyone that walks through our doors.”

The Edmonton EXPO Centre stands as the largest exhibition space in Western Canada with over 522,000 square feet and 1.3 million annual visitors. Located minutes from downtown Edmonton via Light Rail Transit access, the Edmonton EXPO Centre houses eight adaptable exhibit halls, Edmonton’s only mid-sized arena and a modern conference centre. The Edmonton EXPO Centre attracts the region’s largest trade shows, festivals, live entertainment and sporting events and delivered $74.4 million in economic impact in 2019.

Architecturally entrenched in downtown’s riverbank with Canada’s largest building-integrated solar cell installation, the Edmonton Convention Centre overlooks North America’s biggest urban parkland. The centre is one of only five Canadian venues with ASTM certification and was also the first convention venue in Canada to receive Green Key level five certification. Through its commitment to its people and local culture, the centre gives back to its community through social sustainability programs and attracts international and national events which drove $39.4 million in economic impact in 2019.

Mevisha Maistry is Specialist, Marketing and Communications – Venues, for Explore Edmonton.

Kara Cox is an event coordinator for Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Her career in venue management began in 2016 as an event supervisor for the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, MO. With her passion for the industry and desire to strive for excellence, she is determined to do everything she can to see the venue industry succeed.

Join your Foundation in congratulating Kara 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!