By Molly Rosenberg

Venue Coalition recently announced that Todd Hunt, CVE, will be joining the company as Senior Vice President, Client Services & Partnerships. In his new role, Hunt will focus on national booking and business development while continuing to service new and existing Venue Coalition clients.

An active member in the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), Hunt is currently serving as past chair of the Board of Regents at Venue Management School. In addition, he has served on the IAVM Board of Directors and chaired numerous committees and councils for the organization. Since 2007, Hunt has been the Executive Director of the BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center in Tupelo, MS. In that role he actively booked the venue, bringing major headline entertainment including Elton John, James Taylor, Chris Stapleton, Cirque du Soleil, and many more to the region.

“My 30-plus years of experience as a talent buyer and venue operator coupled with my 13 years of experience as a Venue Coalition member have provided me with an appreciation for the services this organization provides to the industry,” Hunt said. “I am excited to join the VC team and for this next chapter in my career.”

“We’re thrilled to add Todd to our team,” said Andrew Prince, Venue Coalition President. “His reputation throughout the industry is impeccable, and the knowledge he brings to the table will allow us to take Venue Coalition to new heights. We know our members will benefit from this new addition.”

Molly Rosenberg is Director of Administration / Human Resources for Venue Coalition, Inc.

By TRG Arts

Results of a study released by international arts management consultants TRG Arts reveal that of its clients surveyed across three countries, U.S. performing arts organizations have the most optimistic outlook. The new study, “Arts and Culture 2020 Comeback,” finds 63 percent of U.S. venues are planning an autumn return, compared to 54 percent of clients overall surveyed in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom who are planning to return to performances by the end of 2020 after shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Delivery method and specifics for returning to performance are highly variable, and will rely on national and local guidance, the study shows. A mix of socially distanced live performance, open-air live performances, live streamed performances, and recorded delivery options are being contemplated by clients.

Among the genres, dance and multi-disciplinary organizations are the most optimistic with dance’s optimism likely fueled by the requirement for Nutcracker revenues to bring stability to the balance of the 2020-21 season. TRG U.S. client expectations for returning in 2020 by genre are:
• Multi-genre/PACs 100%
• Dance 86%
• Orchestra 57%
• Presenter 57%
• Opera 50%
• Theatre 50%

Surprisingly, the study finds that U.S. coastal regions, the hardest and earliest impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting shutdowns, are also the most optimistic for an autumn return. Midwestern clients are the least optimistic, a majority of whom are planning for a January 2021 return. TRG U.S. client expectations for returning in 2020 by region are:
• South 100%
• Southeast 75%
• Northeast 71%
• West 55%
• Midwest 38%

“At TRG Arts, we are committed to listening to arts and cultural leaders, and helping them contextualize their local experiences with our global perspective,” said TRG Chief Executive Officer Jill Robinson. “I’m so encouraged that venues are focusing on when they will reopen, and we emphasize the importance of focusing also on with whom we will convene. The pause in performing now is an opportunity for leaders to recommit to their work in ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion are central to their reopening plans.”

Additional U.K., Canada and Overall Results

The study also examines TRG clients’ current “Plan A” and “Plan B” scenarios across all disciplines of performing arts in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Fifty-four percent of all clients report their “Plan A” for reopening will occur between August and December 2020, with one-third planning a traditional September season start. Of those planning a return in 2020, only 19 percent plan to wait until December to perform.

Fifty percent of clients do not have a solidified “Plan B,” with most approaching secondary scenario planning from the perspective of delaying opening decisions month-by-month. “If it’s not Month A, then it’s Month A+1” is a frequent client sentiment. Of those clients who do have an articulated “Plan B,” fully half plan to perform in Q1 of 2021.

If already not performing, as in the case of Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland, 50 percent of U.K. clients are planning a return to the stage in January 2021. Only 25 percent expect to be performing pantos in December 2020.

Canadian clients’ return plans bridge British restraint and American buoyancy. Only 44 percent of clients expect to perform in autumn 2020, with a majority planning a return in January 2021.

The full study of “Arts and Culture 2020 Comeback” is available here.

By R.V. Baugus

The Australia Football League (AFL) held its first match last weekend as the country’s first major sporting event since the COVID-19 pandemic began between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows.

Rules on social gatherings meant that the 40,000-seat stadium was able to welcome a “sell-out” crowd of 2,240. Two thousand fans were seated 1.5 meters apart in the stands, with a further 240 guests watching in function rooms across the Oval’s three stands.

The match effectively served as a pilot case for the national Cabinet’s push to reopen stadiums across Australia, and the event was deemed a success.

“We had fantastic support from our patrons for the way in which they cooperated with our people and observed all the protocols we had in place,” said Andrew Daniels, Adelaide Oval chief executive. “There was a great mood the whole night; people were just excited to be back at the footy and our staff loved having them back. For such a comparatively small crowd, there was an incredible atmosphere from the first bounce until the final siren.

“We are very pleased with how our detailed planning played out. We will undertake a full review this week and there will likely be some fine tuning, but we think Adelaide Oval has helped create systems that will give confidence to those making decisions around escalating the return of crowds.”

By DW

Thousands of fans celebrated their return to stadiums as New Zealand held its first top-level rugby match after the coronavirus lockdown. This week, the authorities said there were no active cases left in the country.

More than 20,000 rugby fans packed into the stands at a stadium in southern New Zealand on Saturday, June 13, after the country reopened its sports venues and lifted its months-long lockdown.

With authorities in the city of Dunedin confident of their victory over the coronavirus, fans were not required to wear masks or follow social distancing rules.

“It’s massive,” said the country’s sports minister, Grant Robertson, pointing out that the Saturday match was “the world’s first” professional rugby game since pandemic spread across the globe.

He added that attending the game was “a payoff for all the hard work of 5 million New Zealanders.”

Rugby Union is New Zealand’s dominant sport, with the national men’s team, the “All Blacks” and the national women’s team, the “Black Ferns” the world’s number two and one respectively.

German exchange student Johanna Linder said she had never seen a rugby match before, but described the event as a chance to “lift the people’s mood” and bring New Zealand together.

“It’s a great opportunity to socialize again,” she said, adding that people in Germany might be bit envious of the stadium crowds.

The rugby match saw Otago Highlanders claim a 28-27 victory over Waikato Chiefs.

Germany, like most other countries, still maintains strict restrictions on top-level sporting events. While Germany’s top level Bundesliga teams returned to stadiums some four weeks ago, the fans are still banned from attending the games for fear of spreading the coronavirus. In turn, New Zealand lifted its lockdown earlier this week, with only some restrictions on entering the isolated country still in force.

The island nation of some 5 million people has seen around 1,500 infections and 22 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The authorities believe no coronavirus cases are still active in the country.

Observers believe the officials’ success in eliminating the disease was a combination of speedy and efficient lockdown measures, clear communication, effective testing, the government’s adherence to the rules, and New Zealand’s remote position.

Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germany’s international broadcaster and one of the most successful and relevant international media outlets. Photo by Populous.

Good news to share on the advocacy front – after reading the note below, please take a moment to tweet out one, two, or three of the suggested tweets and encourage your staff, family, and friends to do the same.  We are working to bring awareness of the needs of our publicly created venues and members to Senators.

Last Thursday night, Senator John Boozman and 17 of his Senate colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer asking that government-owned public assembly venues be allowed to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  Thank you for your hard work to recruit the Senate signatures.  This is a key part of IAVM’s campaign to ensure that these venues gain access to federal funding.  We attached the letter that Senator Boozman sent so you can see if your Senator(s) signed on to the letter.  If they didn’t, please see tweet #3 below.

The Senate is currently discussing the next COVID-19 package to be taken up next month.  This is the time for Senators to make a personal appeal to Senators Rubio, Cardin, McConnell and Schumer that they address publicly-owned venues in the next package.

And please don’t forget to use social media to show your gratitude to your Senators as well as Senator Boozman.  Here is a sample tweet for you to consider tailoring for your use along with a graphic.  You can also add your senators’ handles as well.   Please note that images usually assist in getting more views that just text.  CLICK HERE for the twitter handles for Senators.

Tweet #1

Thank you @JohnBoozman for leading the senate effort to include Public Venues in the #Paycheckprotectionprogram !!! We are making progress! #saveourvenues #PPP https://tinyurl.com/ybastrsr

Tweet #2 (Retweet of First Tweet or by itself)

Please help #saveourvenues, @senatemajldr @marcorubio @SenatorCardin @SenSchumer, venues that small & large help serve as Economic Force Multipliers to restaurants, hotels, & retail stores in communities across the US !!! https://tinyurl.com/ybastrsr

Tweet #3 (for those venues/members whose Senators did not sign on to the letter)
@senator….help #saveourvenues by supporting the growing list of Senators in favor of including Public Venues in the Paycheckprotectionprogram #PPP https://tinyurl.com/ybastrsr

THANK YOU!

Tammy Koolbeck, CVE

IAVM Chair of the Board