By R.V. Baugus

(Editor’s Note: To access the IAVM CARES Act Advocacy Toolkit, click here.)

Kevin Molloy has been an IAVM member for more than 30 years, and has a confession to make.

“I haven’t really used any IAVM advocacy elements,” said the executive director for the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority in Lancaster, Pa. “I did when Turner Madden was the lobbyist and we talked about the online travel companies which were avoiding some of the hotel tax.”

That all changed for Molloy when COVID-19 struck. Like his colleagues in the public assembly venue industry which have been shut down and lacking any significant revenue of any type, Molloy needed financial, and needed it fast. The monies being made available through the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid Bill) that provides assistance for State, Local, and Tribal Governments established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund, much of which has been finding its way in recent months to, yes, those in need to keep their businesses afloat, but also to many who did not, shall we say, need the money.

Our industry needs the money and our industry needs to be heard. Molloy needed to be heard, and he knew the financial need he had.

“It’s like COVID hit and it seemed like the following Monday we’re on the phone with (IAVM President/CEO) Brad Mayne and I sent letters then to U.S. senators and to our congressman and touched base with our state senator and county commissioners,” Molloy said. “We started on day one doing because we’re funded through the hotel tax and we were going to be doomed financially. It was going to be a $7.1 million problem, and no one wanted to hear that from me. I would rather start at 7.1 than whittle it down than start at 3.3 and have to go up. From a credibility point of view asking for more after you’re already (provided) is like mom making the cookies and I’m taking three. If I come back each time she’s going to think I’m eating all the cookies.”

“So we told everyone $7.1 million and it got attention. We talked about it during the Convention Center Town Hall and I told everyone we had a compelling story. The story was that to elected officials we were just one dot, one convention center.

“(Then IAVM Chair) Tammy Koolbeck reached out and wanted to know who wanted to get onto conference calls with their elected officials and talk to their staff about our problems. We went from being the pest that they couldn’t validate but it resonated when our lobbyists (TwinLogic Solutions), Tammy, and other venues, got us validation as being more than just that one building. Are they only trying to save convention centers or are there going to be others?”

Trust us, there are others, and Molloy said that now — or really, yesterday — is the time for venues to get busy to get the help they need.

“I was talking with (Boise Centre Executive Director) Pat Rice and we said we need to be advocates — our own advocates — with our own politicians,” Molloy said. “He clearly had some good communication with his elected officials. I’ve never had to do this before … I had to call a U.S. senator’s office and a congressman’s office … I had to make introductions; yeah, we may have had them in the building and we tell them which meeting room and their dressing room, but that’s it. I don’t have the experience of working with this stuff.

“That was the other good thing. The lobbyists really teed up the phone calls. We would get on the phone a couple of minutes early and talk about what we were going to do. There was good organization there, too, in having a lobbyist who prepared us so we are efficient with our time, we can state what we need, and we each have about two minutes.

“TwinLogic clearly knows how to prepare people for doing these sorts of things. I’m forever grateful, because I’m in that world where I always have to have an elevator speech in my mindset. But it’s two minutes, so, OK, going into elevator speech fast and we moved it right down. I felt that we had a compelling conversation.”

Molloy said that being persistent and not getting defeated is also important when dealing with elected officials, especially if one is a relative novice in such dealings as was Molloy.

“The funny thing is we find out by writing to everybody, emailing every elected official, and most of them gave me the generic ‘we’re going to look into it,’ so I was kind of worried. But one of them, (Democrat) U.S. Senator Bob Casey’s office, made a recommendation to our county commissioner with guidance and how to correspond to Title V CARES Act funding. I was so elated when that came back to me and then (Republication Senator) Pat Toomey’s office gave the same and said, don’t forget the convention center. We had the Republicans and Democrats saying the same thing!”

When the smoke cleared, Molloy presented the dire numbers from March 12 when the country essentially shut down through December 31 of this year to cover costs associated with those event losses. Molloy said he learned a valuable lesson in the process in that this is not revenue replacement, but rather to cover all expense costs associated with COVID-19.

“That was the open door we were given, so I said, ok, if I look at all my financing from March 12 to December 31 you’ll cover those costs? To a point, $2,945,000 (LCCCA’s request for bond and financing expenses), so I said ok, great. They said, don’t forget, all your expenses associated with COVID. We have a third party operator so I sat down with the GM and said, ok, let’s think about all the expenses. We said, we can make this the cleanest building on the planet, we can do all that we need to do but if no one knows about it we’re not doing anything. We also put in communications in our ask so we could put it on our website, we could promote to all of our customers that we’ve done this, we’re going GBAC and doing all these things. The county commissioner said, you know what, you’re right, if they don’t know it you’re not going to get them, so they also gave us funding for promoting all the things we’re doing to make it a safe venue for everyone.”

Molloy said it helps to have a supportive board and county commissioners, as he is blessed to have in Lancaster.

“My board was phenomenal,” he said. “In our Zoom meetings we really felt we were ready to have meetings and still do them publicly, so we held them in the middle of the lobby instead of any room so you literally just walk in, don’t have to grab a handle or anything, and you can sit down and watch our public meeting.

“We put before our boards and public authority that we wanted the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority refund COVID-19 through June 2020. This is like a page and a half of whereas’s. They gave the authority to negotiate with the county, with Wells Fargo, to amend our bond documents and also gave authority to go after GBAC and also gave us authority to buy the capital items needed to implement GBAC. It was the ideal of who are our constituents? Was it Lancaster County? Meeting planners? Event planners? County commissioners and elected officials understand that during COVID-19 this is what we’re doing. They did a nice job with it. That meeting went rather quickly. They all knew it and they had a role to make sure we covered everything.”

Kevin Molloy is Executive Director for the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

(Editor’s Note: The following was written in advance of the Democratic National Convention and serves as a leadership piece for all venue professionals.)

By Marty Brooks

With a $420 million expansion approved and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on the horizon, 2020 was off to a strong start for the Wisconsin Center District (WCD). Milwaukee and the WCD were poised to be featured on national and international stages — it was a big opportunity. Then COVID-19 hit and the world as we knew it changed dramatically. How could we forge ahead with a major expansion project and a huge event in the middle of a global pandemic? By staying true to our vision, we are making it happen.

Employees Bring Vision to Life

When I started at the WCD in 2018, my main focus was to breathe new energy into the organization and implement industry-wide best practices. I knew that this focus would be an evolution over time, and I knew that I would only be successful if I started with the staff. Employee engagement became my top priority. Employees are our most important asset, especially in the hospitality and entertainment industries. As the first faces that greet visitors when coming to the convention center, arena or theatre, they are responsible for creating experiences our guests won’t forget. A lot rests on their shoulders. I wanted employees to be proud of where they work and look forward to coming to work each day. That same energy needed to be felt by our visitors too.

I distilled my vision for the WCD and our employees into three key pillars — Be Bold. Be Proud. Be Experience Obsessed. Over the last year our employees embraced this vision and truly brought it to life in the services they provide to our visitors. You could feel the energy and excitement at any event we hosted and we received positive feedback from our board and guests.

Tremendous highs. Devastating lows.

After winning the bid to serve as a venue for the DNC and securing Board approval for the expansion, 2020 was shaping up to be one of the biggest years ever. Then the pandemic hit and I faced the most challenging financial landscape of my 40+ year career. We were forced to close all three of our venues — The Wisconsin Center, Miller High Life Theatre and UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. To date, more than 90 events have been postponed or canceled.

Safety Is Part of the Experience

In late June, we received news that the Wisconsin Center would be the exclusive venue for the now reimagined DNC in August. This announcement gave us a concrete timeline to begin planning and bringing our staff back to the office. The safety of our staff and guests is our top priority. We spent Q2 speaking with local and national industry partners and health officials to develop a comprehensive and thoughtful plan for reopening our facilities. Our COVID-19 Readiness Guidelines include, but are not limited to:
● All cleaning staff received detailed training on pathogen remediation and proper use and disposal of personal protective equipment.
● Employees are required to complete training sessions on guidance related to COVID-19 prior to first shift back to work.
● An even higher-frequency cleaning and disinfecting protocol for all surfaces, equipment and technology has been established. Previously, cleaning would occur before and after an event. Now, cleaning will occur hourly, even during events, while working closely with clients to ensure planned activities are not disrupted.
● WCD purchased electrostatic Clorox 360 cleaning equipment, which disinfects all sides of surfaces, killing 99.9% of bacteria within 5 seconds.
● Staff will complete a daily health screening and temperature reading prior to starting work in any of the facilities.
○ During the DNC, all staff will be tested at the client’s request.
● All cleaning staff within the facility will be required to wear a hospital-grade face mask or face shield and nitrile gloves. And due to state and city masking policies, all staff are required to wear cloth face coverings inside the building.
● All food service staff will be required to wear eye protection, face masks, and gloves at all times.

Bold. Proud. Experience Obsessed. In-person or virtually.

Milwaukee has an opportunity to capitalize on the global spotlight of the DNC. The convention will introduce Milwaukee to entirely new audiences. While DNC representatives and guests will not be joining us virtually, we want to make it a memorable experience and ensure that they feel welcome. We have the added challenge of bringing our vision to life for people without even stepping foot in our building. In partnership with Visit Milwaukee, our convention and visitors bureau, we are working to make sure the city comes across as beautiful on the screen as it does in person. I am confident in our ability to show the nation that we are bold, proud and experienced obsessed — no matter the scale of events that take place in our building or virtually.

This time in the spotlight will open doors that haven’t been opened before. We have the chance to show off our city and all that it has to offer through all forms of media including video, live stream, print, social, and more. As people watch the convention from the comfort of their homes, we want them to remember the WCD and Milwaukee.

Seizing an Opportunity

The WCD has a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate our leadership in the hospitality industry. We’re hosting one of the nation’s most notable events since the beginning of the pandemic with a new set of standards in place. With the hard work and planning that has gone into the DNC, we can show others how to successfully host a large-scale event live, virtually and work with national safety experts to protect employees and visitors alike. Hosting the 2020 DNC is a huge honor and our team is dedicated to making it an unforgettable event.

Marty Brooks is president and CEO of the Wisconsin Center District.

By ISSA and R.V. Baugus

Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport outside of Dallas and Fort Worth is the first airport in the world to earn GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation from The Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a Division of ISSA. The airport is joined by 25 additional newly accredited facilities, including Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, McCormick Place in Chicago, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and more.

“We are thrilled to welcome the first group of airports to the growing list of GBAC STAR accredited facilities, as well as other landmark facilities across the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, and South America,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Accreditation demonstrates to facility visitors and employees that an organization prioritizes occupant safety and has the necessary steps in place to handle biorisks like the novel coronavirus.”

One of the busiest airports in the world, DFW International Airport features more than 160 aircraft gates and welcomed nearly 75 million passengers in 2019. It is home to the largest American Airlines hub and will have a GBAC STAR-accredited American Airlines lounge in the near future as part of the airline’s commitment to GBAC STAR for its entire fleet and lounges. John Glenn Columbus International Airport served more than 8.5 million passengers in 2019 while the Palm Beach International Airport is an award-winning facility that has a 600,000 square foot terminal.

The following facilities have earned GBAC STAR accreditation this week:

Convention Centers
Beanfield Centre in Toronto
Better Living Centre in Toronto
Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Ala.
Enercare Centre in Toronto
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio
La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisc.
Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas
McCormick Place in Chicago
Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla.
Queen Elizabeth Exhibit Hall in Toronto
Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn.
Savannah Convention Center in Savannah, Ga.

Theater
Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles

Airports
Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport in Texas
John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio
Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Hotels
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in Hong Kong
Hyatt Place Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Hyatt Regency Chongqing in Chongqing, China
Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, Calif.
Hyatt Regency Saipan in Saipan, Mariana Islands
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Thompson Washington D.C. in Washington, D.C.
Hotel Santa Caterina in Amalfi, Italy, a Leading Hotels of the World member hotel

Commercial Office
Servimeters S.A.S in Bogota, Colombia

“While nearly every organization can claim that they’ve improved their approach to cleaning in the wake of the pandemic, those that have earned GBAC STAR accreditation have the added credibility of independent validation,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “GBAC’s experts review each facility’s plans for cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention to ensure the approach is effective and sustainable.”

To review a full list of GBAC STAR accredited facilities, committed facilities, and industry supporters, visit https://gbac.issa.com/gbac-star-facilities-and-supporters/. Additionally, hear from leaders of GBAC STAR-accredited facilities in the GBAC STAR Experience video series, available at https://gbac.issa.com/media/.

To apply for GBAC STAR facility accreditation, visit gbac.org/star.

By Ellen Lampert-Greaux

#WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART and #ExtendPUA represent a major call to action, imploring the US Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814) as quickly as possible, offering economic relief to the Live Events Industry, which has been shuttered since March 2020, putting millions of people out of work. Additionally, the movement is to support ExtendPUA.org in their efforts towards continuation and extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Act to provide relief to those without work due to COVID-19.

To call attention to the deep financial plight of the Live Event Industry, a nationwide event will take place on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, from 9 pm-12 midnight, when as many as 1,500 buildings across North America will be lit in red. The goal to raise public awareness that the Live Events Industry is on Red Alert for its very survival, and create congressional pressure to act now. It is estimated that 96%, or as many as 12 million people in the Live Events Industry are currently unemployed, furloughed, or have lost up to 90% of their income, and the world’s largest concert promoters are reported a 98% loss of revenue since the start of the pandemic. Once a robust $35 billion industry, the Live Events business was the first to close and the last to re-open, sustaining increased financial losses in the tens of billions of dollars.

The targeted list of cities for the #WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART #ExtendPUA event on August 27 across North America includes Washington D.C., Huntsville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, and Canadian neighbors including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

The North American event comes on the heels of the August 11 event #WeMakeEvents Red Alert Day Of Action when over 700 buildings were lit in red across the UK, calling attention to the same plight facing the Live Events Industry there.

As theatres, concert tours, festivals, opera houses, trade shows, and other live events as well as film and television production remain closed, or open on a very limited basis, the entire industry is impacted, from designers, technicians, programmers, and stagehands to rental shops, manufacturers, and distributors of entertainment technology. The first industry to close last March, Live Events could be the last sector to re-open due to the COVID-19 crisis.

“This is an important cause that, if not acted upon immediately, could result in the complete collapse of our industry and the workers who make it possible,” says Brad Nelms, director of #We Make Events North America. “The results from the UK efforts were outstanding. We’re hoping that we can generate at least double the participation to demonstrate how much impact this shutdown has had and will continue to have. PLEASE share this message far and wide, and join in by lighting your house red and posting it on social media. This is our opportunity to show the world the scale of what it really takes to make events possible.”

For information about joining the event and lighting your building red, please contact:
WeMakeEventsNorthAmerica@gmail.com

Ellen Lampert-Gréaux is PR director for #WeMake Events North America

By R.V. Baugus

While COVID-19 has played havoc with all kinds of scheduling and events, the IAVM Certification Board announced that CVE applications will be accepted beginning on September 1 with a due date of November 1.

“COVID-19 has impacted everything, and the Certification Board is trying to be flexible to ensure our programs are accessible to all certification candidates during these challenging times,” said Rick Haycock, CVE, Chair of the Certification Board. “Whereas the certification exams have typically been staged during live IAVM events, testing can now be accommodated using local services, such as with a venue’s HR director or legal counsel, a testing center or other professional services. Similarly, for the first time, this year we will conduct all CVE Oral Interviews remotely (via Zoom). With these adaptations, certification candidates will be able to continue their certification journey unabated during this crisis.”

Meanwhile, CVP applications are still being accepted as they always are on a “rolling” basis all year. The application can be emailed once completed and can be found here.

Once an application has been received and approved by the Certification Board, a candidate may start the process of scheduling the exam.

Historically the exam has been given at IAVM events and with special permission through local testing centers. Due to current limited travel and in-person events, candidates are able to use a local CVE (IAVM Headquarters can provide a list for the candidate to reach out to) or their HR Director. Proctors must still be approved, but the goal is to provide more flexibility to allow more testing.

Since the CVP exam has been digital, this remains the same test that would have been given at an IAVM events. No special software is needed, only internet access.