By ESTA

ESTA is proud to help raise awareness of the dire need for Congress to both pass the RESTART Act (S.3814), which would extend the Paycheck Protection Program and establish SBA loan guarantees for certain businesses, and extend the Pandemic Unemployment Act. These measures will help our industry, which is on Red Alert for its very survival. That is why we need your help to spread the word about #RedAlertRESTART.

To call attention to the deep financial plight of the Live Event Industry, a nationwide event will take place on Tuesday, September 1st, 2020, from 9 pm-midnight. As of now, around 1,500 buildings across North America will be lit in red as a show of support for the Live Events Industry. We hope this message will help that number grow. The goal is create congressional pressure to act now. Once a robust $35 billion industry, the Live Events business was the first to close and will be the last to re-open, forever changing the lives of those involved.

#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. Additionally, the movement is to support ExtendPUA.org in their efforts towards continuation and extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Act.

The North American event was inspired by the August 11th event #WeMakeEvents Red Alert Day Of Action, when over 700 buildings were lit in red across the UK. That event, organized by PLASA (https://www.plasa.org/we-make-events/), called attention to the same plight facing the Live Events Industry there.

As wedding halls, theaters, concert tours, festivals, opera houses, trade shows remain closed (or open on a very limited basis) and live events as well as film and television production continue to be canceled, the entire industry is impacted, from designers, technicians, programmers, and stagehands to rental shops, manufacturers, and distributors of entertainment technology.

Please share this message far and wide and join by lighting your house red and posting on social media. Attached is a graphic you may also use on your website or social media channels. 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.

By R.V. Baugus

The fresh images are now coming in more than 24 hours after Hurricane Laura arrived on-shore in Louisiana and caused major damage to the city of Lake Charles and throughout other communities. Six people have so far died in Louisiana, while in Lake Charles four IAVM members are represented at two venues, the Burton Coliseum Complex and the Lake Charles Civic Center, whose roof collapsed from the onslaught.

Just 12 hours or so before the Category 4 hurricane arrived, I was able to reach out by email to IAVM member Jimmy Pottorff, manager of the Civic Center. As anyone who is preparing to experience a potentially traumatic event knows, it is often the anticipation and the build-up that is the hardest to deal with. In this case, everyone was fairly certain that this would be a major hurricane, and certainly Pottorff was among that group.

“Thank you for reaching out, we are staying at the facility as a staging area for emergency responders and public works. Ask me again about 3 am this morning how it’s going … lol. We have prepared as much as we can; now comes the stressful hurry up and wait.”

As we now know, by 3 am the venue did not resemble what it looked like just 12 hours earlier. To see dramatic video of the damage to the Civic Center, please click here.

Jason Barnes, Director of the Burton Coliseum Complex, shared on Thursday in the aftermath that he and his staff evacuated the day before as did his staff.

“From what I have been able to assess looking at pictures and video and talking to others, Laura was by far the worst hurricane to hit our area,” he said. “This says a lot since Hurricanes Rita and Ike both impacted Southwest Louisiana in the past 15 years. Destruction is wide-spread. Thankfully, the storm surge wasn’t nearly as bad as what was forecast, but the winds associated with this storm more than made up for it.

“Regarding our facility, I’m told that it held up well under the circumstances. I was most concerned with our coliseum, but from the outside the structure looks intact. There is damage to our other buildings, but not extensive. We’re fortunate.

“Jimmy’s facility took on considerable damage, based on what I have seen in social media. I’m trying to reach him to check in, but it’s still difficult with communications out here. We’re all thinking about him and his team over there.”

Barnes’ venue will now transition as a post-storm incident structure with the State operating the venue for search-and-rescue response and also working towards returning evacuees back to the community.

“Our electric utility provider, Entergy, has designated two of our largest parking lots to serve as the ‘home base’ for all electricians and support staff solely working to restore power to our area,” Barnes said. “They will be bringing 1,000 line trucks, too. We will also be assisting State Farm as a fueling hub for all of their adjusters to utilize.”

In closing, Barnes knows that he has friends in the IAVM family.

“Many thanks to our friends at IAVM for always being there for us in times like these.”

We will be updating on Hurricane Laura and ask at this time for the IAVM family to keep all impacted throughout the country in your thoughts.

Photo: Devastation in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

(Editor’s Note: IAVM member Tom Cornwall, CVE, shares about his work in the “bubble” during the National Hockey League playoffs. Cornwall has previously shared his story about this unique life and will be writing a concluding story following the crowning of the Stanley Cup champion.)

By Tom Cornwall, CVE

Life in the bubble is routine, especially now that we are entering Round 2 and having only one game a day instead of the three a day during Round 1. Like most of the other bubble dwellers, my morning consists of taking care of personal business including checking in with the outside world news, maybe a bit of online banking to keep the bill collectors away, some social media to stay connected with family/friends, and perhaps FaceTime with my wife, Betsy, to see how she’s holding up.

She’s having to take care of running the day to day with the house with a bit of help from some of the kids so there’s always something to chat about. Mid-morning I leave the hotel and walk 2.5 blocks through the secure bubble fence path to the arena where after getting my COVID test consisting of either a throat or nose swab depending on the day, I catch up with my colleagues and start the day’s activities. For us, it’s continuing to make sure the security protocols are being adhered to, checking to make sure all locations have enough masks, gloves, thermometers, hand sanitizer, and that the arena was properly cleaned and sanitized from the night before. If it’s a practice day, then the rest of the morning is spent at the two team hotels loading and unloading buses for the ride to the practice rink where we’ve created another bubble. Our secure and clean buses become what we refer to as the ‘rolling bubble’ linking the two bubbles.

Mid-afternoon there are a few meetings to review the game logistics and protocols and ensure everything is in order for the game. Perhaps there’s a trip down the bubble path to one of the two team hotels to check on their sanitization supplies in team lounges, meal rooms, medical support rooms, and restocking as necessary. Speaking of medical, there is a complete medical support team also housed in the bubble to deal with player injuries and the occasional staff injury. Dental and MRI services are provided off site in a clinic reserved just for the bubble occupants and accessed via another ‘rolling bubble’ vehicle ensuring that the player or staff member never leaves the security and safety of the bubble or has contact with the outside world.

Evenings are spent with hockey games, wrap-up and then the walk back to the hotel for perhaps a cold beverage in the hotel bar or the staff lounge before hitting the pillow to do it all over again the next day!

The bubble provides several opportunities for dining in the restaurants of the hotels, the restaurant of the arena, two or three food trucks in the outdoor plaza, or there is alway Skip the Dishes or Door Dash if one gets tired of restaurant food. The hotel gyms provide workout opportunities and the SCOTIA plaza area in the ICE DISTRICT outside ROGERS PLACE provides an outdoor space with picnic tables, basketball hoops, and food trucks where we can enjoy a bit of sun and fresh air while still inside the secure bubble environment.

All in all life is good in the bubble. We feel safe and secure and experiencing and making a bit of history with this NHL Hub City hockey in a bubble tournament structure.

#nhlbubble #Stanleycupplayoffs @NHL_Bubble_Life

Photo by NHL.com

To see a 45-minute video of Tom Cornwall discussing the bubble life, click here.

By Paul Pettas

Centerplate announced that it has surpassed the 1-million milestone, in partnership with DeliverLean, for meals produced and distributed in tandem with global entertainment destination Hard Rock Stadium for members of the local South Florida community. Nearly five months in and over 1,000,000 meals have now been made for at-risk senior citizens, public schools, food dependent families, churches, shelters, missions, and more.

Led by Vice President & General Manager Kevin Mitchell, and Executive Chef Dayanny De la Cruz, the Centerplate management and culinary staff of more than forty has gone above and beyond to serve a new audience, as the ordinary events – football games, international soccer matches, world-class concerts, corporate events and more – at the stadium have all been put on hold due to the ongoing pandemic.

“It is crucial that we help sustain South Florida during these hard times with delicious, nutritious meals,” said Centerplate Executive Vice President Sal Ferrulo. “The decision to give back and help the Dolphins reflects our core brand values and mission to help lift up the cities in which we serve. Pivoting quickly from serving guests at Super Bowl LIV in February, our team has been brave and has produced an output equivalent to a full football season worth of meals. One million meals right back into the local area.”

Through a strategic partnership with DeliverLean, one of the leading health food manufacturers in the Southeast, the two companies have come together to meet the demand for healthy and balanced meals. DeliverLean, in partnership with Miami-Dade County, has fed at-risk seniors since March 2020 in response to the pandemic. DeliverLean engaged Centerplate to partner in creating meals at their facilities and in turn created 40+ jobs in the community.

Thousands have been to bolster the Miami Dolphins Foundation Food Relief Program, which is combating food insecurity in South Florida. In March, the organization gave $500,000 to help meet critical needs for elderly and youth, such as school meal programs for Broward County and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, relief efforts led by churches in Miami Gardens and to bolster programs from Feeding South Florida to provide food for the underserved.

“Led by Stephen Ross and Tom Garfinkel, we have embraced our rule as stewards of the community and our committed to helping combat food insecurity by using these programs to provide consistent employment for our foodservice staff and stadium operations teams as stewards,” said Miami Dolphins Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs Jason Jenkins. “We appreciate the commitment that Centerplate’s team has shown amidst these extraordinary times and admire the strength that our community has shown throughout this pandemic. The overall program has also generated jobs and revenue for the local restaurant industry, while employing guest services and security staff at the stadium that have been idled as a result of COVID-19-related event cancellations.”

Stephen Ross and the organization have invested $2 million in the Miami Dolphins Foundation Food Relief Program and are working to raise an additional $1 million by matching all dollars raised by the South Florida community and Miami Dolphins fans worldwide for a potential $4 million total impact. Individuals and businesses that wish to participate in the match program can donate online at dolphins.com/meals.

The Centerplate staff, while adhering to new safety protocols and procedures, work seven days a week to plan and prepare these healthy, nutritious meals. The most popular menu items include BBQ Chicken & Roasted Potatoes, Turkey Chili & Mashed Potatoes, and Coconut Curry Chicken & Thai Noodles.

“As our community was in need, we are proud to step up to the plate with the Miami Dolphins and Centerplate to feed our most at-risk population,” said Scott Harris, Founder and CEO of DeliverLean. “Together, we are committed to ensuring our community stays healthy and we continue to create jobs during these difficult times.”

Paul Pettas, is Public Relations & Communications Director for Centerplate.

ASM Global announced that Al Rojas has been appointed as the General Manager of the new Oklahoma City Convention Center. With 30 years’ hospitality experience Rojas is an acclaimed industry veteran with in-depth operational, financial, and customer service background. Rojas is the ideal candidate to lead the new Oklahoma City Convention Center to be a premier facility.

The Oklahoma City Convention Center is part of a MAPS3 project budgeted at $288 million and is the largest in city history for a single project. The convention center will feature a 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall with 45,000 square foot of meeting space and a 30,000 square foot ballroom. With the opening of the new Oklahoma City Convention Center slated for early 2021, the center will be a hub for the meetings and events industry.

“Al brings a depth of knowledge and senior leadership experience which I believe will complement the executive team and provide a dynamic energy to the ASM Global operation at the convention center,” said Tom Anderson, City Managers Office of Oklahoma City.

Rojas has previously Rojas worked in various senior level capacities at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, and the Jackson (Mississippi) Convention Complex.

“It is a very exciting time to be part of the hospitality community in Oklahoma City,” Rojas said. “With an engaged hospitality community and the opening of the new convention center, you can see the city is invested and committed to the meetings industry. I am proud to be part of this modern frontier.”

After a diligent RFP process, ASM Global won the bid for the new Oklahoma City Convention Center. The current Cox Convention Center has been under ASM Global management for several years. The management of these two prestigious convention centers will be added to the portfolio of over 350 worldwide venues managed by ASM Global.

“We are fortunate to have Al accept this leadership position to build an alliance with the local hospitality community, deliver on the brand promise and to provide customers with exceptional service,” said Bob McClintock, ASM Executive Vice President of Convention Centers.

Rojas will be joining the ASM Global team in Oklahoma City September 1, 2020.