By R.V. Baugus

Dig if you will a picture … sorry, just had to go with some Prince lyrics because, for most of the world, hosting a sporting event before a sold-out crowd of 43,000 where patrons actually sat next to each other and where technology played a major role in allowing that to happen is indeed right now just a picture.

But for Nick Sautner, Chief Executive officer of Eden Park, the picture was real when the Blues and Hurricanes played a Super Rugby Aotearoa match before a sports-thirsty crowd on Sunday, June 14.

“We were central to the success of the rebuilding of the nation,” Sautner said in a comment that is anything but exaggeration. “People just wanted to at a part of history. Before the match the crowd impromptu stood and acknowledged and clapped the essential workers that had implemented the response to COVID-19. From an Eden Park perspective, we’re the national stadium and have been a venue for over 117 years. We have arguably been the home of some of this country’s most memorable sporting moments. We have been seen around the globe and we feel it was one of those events that people will talk about for many years to come.”

The first question you want to ask, obviously, is how was this able to be accomplished.

Sautner explained that the venue had worked with the government on a COVID code that included contact tracing along with the installation of additional sanitizing stations at all entries and food and beverage outlets. An overlay of additional cleaning ensured that high-touch surfaces were regularly cleaned throughout the venue.

“The government had also been able to perform contact tracing through a bespoke and ticketing,” Sautner said. “People had the discretion to scan their QR code in the event that there was a requirement to be contact traced. We worked with our ticketing agency Ticketmaster to ensure that we had all the information of the attendees at the fixture, but the government had declared that the country was COVID-free some four and a half days out from the fixture. We provided real confidence and comfort to the people of New Zealand that they could safely attend the park.

“The health of staff, athletes, and patrons remains our priority and our team has played a key role in developing ‘the COVID Code’ for Government. Following the move to Alert Level 1, a number of additional measures will be in place at Eden Park such as sanitizer stations, hygiene promotion signage, and additional cleaning of frequently used surfaces. The Park’s QR code will be available for those utilizing the NZ COVID Tracer App.”

Indeed, signage also played a major role throughout the venue to assist fans, many of whom likely forgot what it was like to attend a sporting event since the last event had taken place three months ago.

“We implemented a significant signage program on entry, on league doors, on bathrooms and toilets,” Sautner said. “It is just that continual reminder. We had a sanitizing station before people entered, and at food and beverage outlets. Again, it’s just providing that level of comfort.

“We worked with our caterer and felt that to give comfort to our patrons that the presentation of the outlets needed to be of high standard and arguably from a venue perspective they are.”

When asked about the biggest upside of the event, Sautner cited maybe the simplest thing he could — that people were actually able to come and enjoy a sporting event and the escapism that attending live events provides.

“The challenge of COVID has been with us the last three months,” he said. “Pretty much immediately all our revenues ceased. We were required to put systems into place to address that whether it be reducing our staff or our hours of operation and also eliminating redundancies.

“But coming out the other side, we’ve got a theme of Emerging Stronger, because we do feel that during lockdown people have been starved for live sports. There was no question people attended the event with family and friends and they walked away thinking this is something that we haven’t had the opportunity to experience over the lockdown and we look forward to coming again.

“So the upside for us is the failure to have live sports and entertainment and the escapism that provides so we are hopeful that irrespective of the economic climate that people will still want to attend our facility and have that escapism and bring the community together.”

It wasn’t just fans who packed the venue. A total of 3,000 staff was in place covering cleaning, catering, security, traffic management, medics, facilities, turf management, maintenance, and operations. The number of catering staff was 702, and among the food and beverage fun facts was 47,000 total beverages sold, 17,500 total meals served, and more than 10,000 portions of chips served.

Still, it was the joy on the faces of fans that stuck with Sautner as he walked the venue during the match.

“First, I do enjoy walking,” he said. “I feel privileged to be the CEO of Eden Park and proud of the team and their ability to deliver the event in such short notice. But to walk through the crowd and see the joy and happiness on the faces of families and friends … you could see that it really was a moment in time that will be remembered. The world and the country had been facing and continues to face … to be able to come to a stadium as a community to reconnect and experience that escapism that the happiness, the joy and the feedback we have seen on social media and the commentary internationally just again demonstrates why we work in the industry we do.”

Finally, Sautner spoke to the pride of the country.

“The Prime Minister in New Zealand talks about being a team of 5 million that have been able to contribute in addressing COVID-19. I spoke to the team prior to the event about how we were going to be on display to the world and we needed to be able to ensure that we did deliver the event so that gave confidence to so many that had been starved and were craving to get back in to the stadium. We came through in flying colors.”

By Jon Adkins and R.V. Baugus

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, announced that the Georgia World Congress Center, site of IAVM’s VenueConnect in July 2021, is the first public assembly venue to achieve GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation. The GBAC STAR program helps commercial and public facilities of all sizes establish and carry out a systematic approach to cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention.

“Congratulations are in order for the Georgia World Congress Center, which has put time and energy into reviewing their cleaning procedures alongside GBAC STAR’s criteria,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “We look forward to the many accreditations that will follow as other organizations seek third party validation from GBAC.”

Boasting more than 4 million square feet of total space, Georgia World Congress Center features 1.5 million square feet of flexible exhibit space, and is one of only a few venues to offer more than 1 million square feet of contiguous exhibition space. As the world’s largest LEED certified convention center, GWCC welcomes more than 1 million visitors annually. GWCC was among the first convention centers in the country to commit to achieving GBAC STAR certification to make future gatherings safer.

“We are honored to be pacing the industry by achieving GBAC STAR accreditation,” said Frank Poe, executive director of Georgia World Congress Center Authority. “Although events will look different moving forward, our commitment to our customers, show attendees, and team members that the highest cleaning and disinfection protocols are being implemented at GWCC hasn’t changed. We would expect nothing less of ourselves and for our facility.”

“Frank Poe and Brett Mitchell have been leaders of this initiative and this council,” said Mark Herrera, IAVM Director of Education and Life Safety. “They and the GBAC working group have helped set the tone for the entire industry to explore and to assure that the decisions we make pertaining to the health and well-being of our number one asset — people — is never compromised. To have a reputable accrediting body such as the Global Biorisk Advisory Council as part of the venue industry startup focused on cleaning and disinfecting certify our venues only speaks to the more than reasonable efforts we are assuring as an industry and not circumventing health precautions.”

“GBAC STAR is a great third party certification for bio-hazard sanitation accreditation and integral part of ensuring public assembly venues are safe for everyone who enters,” added Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM President and CEO. “We thank Frank Poe, Brett Mitchell, and the entire GBAC Public Assembly Facility Health and Safety Working Task Force for their amazing work with ISSA on moving this initiative forward in an expedient manner.”

Facilities and organizations in 30 countries are adopting the GBAC STAR program to ensure they follow best practices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include professional sports venues, hotels, restaurants, convention centers, airports, churches and more.

“With the threat of coronavirus still high in many areas, people want assurance that facilities are taking extra precautions to enhance cleanliness and safety,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “Whether an organization has space for millions or just a few employees, GBAC STAR will continue to be an important indicator of a facility’s thoroughness around cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention.”

To learn more about GBAC STAR accreditation criteria and access an application, click here.

To view additional committed facilities and supporters, go here.

Jon Adkins is Vice President, Marketing & Communications for ISSA, of which GBAC is a division.

By Dennis Dennehy

AEG Presents, a global leader in concert promotion and artist development, announced that Larry Fontana is riding off into the sunset after a storied career in the Texas live events market.

Fontana joined AEG in 2004 as the General Manager of what is currently known as the Theater at Grand Prairie in Grand Prairie, TX. He eventually moved on to the position of VP of Venue Operations at AEG Presents working with and developing venues and personnel across North America.

“As almost everyone in our industry is aware, Larry and I go back to the 80’s,” remarked Jay Marciano, Chief Operating Officer of AEG and Chairman and CEO of AEG Presents. “Together, we opened countless venues, and put on more concerts and slayed more dragons than I can remember. Our industry will miss this great pioneer, AEG will miss our colleague and I will miss my friend.”

Fontana was no stranger to the event business, working at the concession stand of his grandfather’s movie theater when he was only 12. While attending the University of Texas in Austin, he worked part-time at the Palmer Auditorium. In 1977, he moved to the Frank Erwin Center on the UT campus as Associate Director. He joined MCA/PACE concerts in 1989 as General Manager of the then-named Coca Cola Starplex, a 20,000 cap amphitheatre. In 2004, he joined AEG Presents (when it was known as AEG Live) as GM of the Nokia/Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, a venue that can transform from a 6,000 capacity theater to a more intimate 1,800 capacity venue via its motorized reduction walls.

“I have been fortunate to work with many of the best venue managers in the business and have been associated with many outstanding venues and always have been supported by great staff members,” Fontana said. “I have always said my career beat the heck out of working for a living. But now it’s time for me to hang up the laminate and watch our business be reborn again.”

Dennis Dennehy is Chief Communications Officer at AEG Presents.

By Stephanie Davis Smith and Marlinda Henry

Connect, a leader in live events for meeting planners and those in the travel and tourism industry, has come alongside the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals for an unprecedented three-year strategic alliance where Connect will invest in the organization’s student scholarships, internships, and professional development for its members.

The alignment with NCBMP will assist with their mission of empowering Black hospitality professionals as they have a proven track record of moving the needle in this space. Connect will donate $100,000 over the next three years to fund the organization’s important initiatives.

“We have always enjoyed a long friendship with NCBMP, but recent protests and activism has opened our eyes, and we realized we need to take urgent steps within our own industry to support racial equality,” said Chris Collinson, President of Connect.

“The National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals was built on the foundation of empowerment and friendship. We are encouraged by the strategic alignment of Connect Meetings via their actions, not just their public statements and look forward to three years of empowering our friends. It is refreshing to know that NCBMP has friends of all shades and backgrounds that believe in humanity, equity, and the future of our industry,” said Jason Dunn, NCBMP Board Chair.

“We recognize the immediate need to align with great organizations like NCBMP to help ensure our industry is a leader in equality for Black people,” Collinson added. “We have long seen and understood the importance of supporting diversity in our events and company and know these dollars will help toward greater equality for all people. We wanted to double down and partner with NCBMP because the issue is urgent today.”

Stephanie Davis Smith is VP of Content and Marketing for Connect Meetings, and Marlinda Henry is President, National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals.

By Graham Mason

Optus Stadium in the Perth, Western Australia, suburb of Burswood, is ready to welcome crowds back to football next month, following the WA State Government announcement of the relaxing of rules governing mass gatherings.

From Saturday, July 18, Optus Stadium will be in the unique situation of being able to operate at full capacity, without crowd restrictions, and be able to welcome back up to 60,000 expectant football fans.

In the meantime, until the next tranche of AFL fixtures are announced, the Catering team has begun the process of restocking the venue with Gage Roads, Mrs Mac’s pies and all the other food favourites that football fans expect.

The Optus Stadium Operations team has taken the opportunity over the past few months to complete a full range of work, in anticipation events would eventually return to the stadium that last year was voted the most beautiful venue in the world.

That includes a deep clean of retail and premium product spaces, installation of sanitising stations, sanitising of all equipment and areas, upgrades to stadium security and CCTV systems, and decommissioning and now recommissioning of all electrical equipment and infrastructure that had meant big savings in utility consumption.

Optus Stadium CEO Mike McKenna said it has been 121 days since West Australians were able to enjoy an event at Optus Stadium, with the Queen + Adam Lambert concert before more than 47,000 fans, the last event on February 23.

“The opportunity to welcome fans back to Optus Stadium is a great celebration of success for all West Australians in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Everyone can’t wait for the return of the AFL. Football is a major avenue for the people of WA to connect with family and friends, it’s a key component of our community and culture and an opportunity for outdoor social activity and engagement.”

Optus Stadium employs 3,000 casual staff, 300 security, and 200 cleaners and the majority have indicated a willingness to return to work at Optus Stadium.

“More than 60% of Optus Stadium staff are female and we understand that demographic has been hard hit by the impact of COVID-19. We look forward to providing opportunities for all of our fantastic staff to get back to the work they love,” McKenna said.

Along with direct stadium employment, events at Optus Stadium provide business for many WA companies who supply goods and services.

Fans at Optus Stadium purchase up to $50 million per annum in food, beverages and other supplies. Up to 85% of that is supplied by WA companies like Gage Roads and Mrs Mac’s which equates to hundreds of jobs for businesses reliant on stadium activities.

Graham Mason is Head of Media, Communications & Government Relations, Optus Stadium.