Industries and Economics Turned Upside Down in Current Environment
By R.V. Baugus
We all know that the coronavirus pandemic has rocked economies all over the world, and it has also seen some businesses that have thrived during the ongoing crisis. Our industry, of course, knows only too well what the current environment of dark days means to the bottom line.
An interesting study came my way recently from FitSmallBusiness.com that looked at the best and worst industries 
to survive COVID-19. Leveraging data comes from Statista and MarketResearch.
Not surprisingly, the $117 billion cleaning and sanitation industry is growing at a rapid speed with demand at an all-time high as those companies will be hiring at rapid rates with new measures in place.
It is easy to cite the events industry on the low end of the report in our current situation, but once doors open and events return we know that ours will be an industry that the public will long for with the myriad safety measures being put in place thanks to the work of IAVM with numerous partners around the world.
The report can be found here.
Schuler Shook’s Jack Hagler, Todd Hensley Awarded Honors from ASTC
By R.V. Baugus
Two of Schuler Shook’s finest have been feted with the title of Fellow by the American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC). Company partners Jack Hagler and Todd Hensley are proud recipients of the honor bestowed by ASCT.
Hagler has been actively involved in IAVM and especially the performing arts sector for years and boasts more 
than 32 years of industry experience. He manages the company’s Dallas office and has been an ASTC member since 1993, where he has served on its Board of Directors as Vice President and has also been the ASTC Liaison to IAVM since 2005.
Hensley also has more than 32 years as a theatre consultant and has held ASTC membership since 1998. He has
served on the Board of Directors and President and is currently active on several committees. Hensley has
consulted on more than 400 projects with Schuler Shook and serves as Partner in their Chicago office.
Congratulations to both! You make the industry proud!
Please Respond to Survey Sharing Your VenueConnect Education Session Preferences
By R.V. Baugus
IAVM is sending out a survey this week to attendees from last year’s VenueConnect in Chicago asking for your reply to recommend education sessions you would like to have take place at this year’s VenueConnect.
“We are pushing out a survey this week with the simple question, ‘What type of education would you like to see?” said Mark Herrera, IAVM Director of Education and Life Safety. “Everything will surround itself around the current health crisis, and it is important for the sessions to speak to what is going on today. We want to take in the information and put it back out in sessions so members can apply it to their facility during this pandemic.”
Herrera said some relevant topics include leadership in a crisis, working in remote teams, business continuity plans, regulatory and procedural issues, and legal pitfalls and ramifications, among others.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Herrera said that many of the sessions originally planned have been taken off the table to make room for providing the most needed sessions for attendees.
“It is very important to deliver a conference to continue with a focus on today’s health crisis,” Herrera said. “We want to provide cutting-edge educational offerings that are tailored and structured to your professional development but also as it pertains to the current pandemic.”
Herrera added that the deadline will likely be this Friday and stressed the urgency and importance for those receiving the survey to participate and meet the deadline.
“We are garnering feedback to take in information we might have overlooked,” he said. “VenueConnect is moving forward to deliver to our members in whatever form the conference takes place.”
The importance of being prepared to act to today’s changing environment is one that also has to be considered. Faced with novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we all know that unforeseen circumstances can get in the way of any event, including VenueConnect 2020.
“IAVM understands that our members come first as we work collectively with our federal and association partners, industry working task forces, sector committees, and certifying entities to assure reasonable efforts are made to host live events safely for the entire industry,” Herrera said. “IAVM is prepared to shift to a virtual conference that will allow us to create valuable professional connections, explore new and innovative ideas in the venue management industry, and provide impactful learning opportunities in a safe and healthy environment.”
Venue Excellence Awards and Education & Service Award to be Postponed
Due to the constantly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, applicants for Venue Excellence Award (VEA) and Education & Service Award, as well as their respective peer review committees, cannot give the attention needed to the application and selection process at this time. IAVM has recently made some difficult budgetary revisions due to the pandemic, which also affect provision of awards. Additionally, the health and safety of our members is our highest priority, and we are discovering that many venues’ travel and professional development budgets have been cut. These changes, and the fluid movement of federal/state/local governments regarding phases of re-opening, led IAVM to feel that the best course of action this year is to simply wait on the selection and presentation of both awards.
Any Venue Excellence Award/Education & Service Award applications that were received for 2020 will automatically be presented for 2021. Should you have any updates or additions to your application currently on file, you will have time to present edits with communication from IAVM staff regarding steps.
We know many of you have been faced with similar difficult decisions, and we appreciate your understanding.
A Warm Welcome To Our Newest Members
Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in April 2020. Thank you for being a part of the association! Also, let us get to know you better by participating in the I Am Venue Management series. Please visit http://www.iavm.org/i-am-venue-management-share-your-story to share your story and photo.
Jose Arroyo, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Symone Audain, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Charlotte Austin, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Erin Balserak, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Scott Banks, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Andre Barette, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Rachel Barlow, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Tiffany Barnes, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Tyler Bates, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, United States
Sara Beesley, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Vienna, VA, United States
Dan Bergstrom, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Josh Blass, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
John Boer, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Parris Bradley, Mullen Center for the Performing Arts, Villanova, PA, United States
Jasmine Cabral, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, United States
Larry Cannon, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Sean Carroll, Performing Arts Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX, United States
James Carter, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
John Charles, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Eric Chiu, Neal S. Blaisdell Center Department of Enterprise Services, Honolulu, HI, United States
Kathie Cronk, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Amy Dalin, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Samantha Davis, University of Central Florida, Mascoutah, IL, United States
Ken Deans, W3 Entertainment Group, Walla Walla, WA, United States
Scott Derkacz, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Elizabeth Devore, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Brianne Dobbs, UWG Coliseum, Carrollton, GA, United States
Luis Duarte, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Zac Emmons, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Matt Farrell, TO Live, Toronto, ON, Canada
Richard Fedesco, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Emma Fitzgerald, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, KY, United States
Craig Flor, TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Elyssa Garza, Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX, United States
Rebecca Gebhart, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, United States
Angela Gennari, TITAN Global Enterprises, Chamblee, GA, United States
Chris Goddard, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Eric Hagenbarth, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Lawrence Hamm, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Amanda Hansen, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Anthony Harris, NFL Players Association, Washington, DC, United States
Eileen Harris, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Brendan Heitz, Duke University Athletics, Durham, NC, United States
Justin Horbacz, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Zach Hrinuk, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, United States
Doug Huggins, SumTur Amphitheater, Bellevue, NE, United States
Kevin Hurley, Texas A&M Athletics, College Station, TX, United States
Erin Jones, Texas A&M Athletics, College Station, TX, United States
Anja Kelley, Sottile Theatre – College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States
Jennifer Kelly, Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, United States
Chris Kim, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Lisa Kingham-Mork, Winnipeg Football Club – IG Field, Winnepeg, MB, Canada
Everett Knowles, TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Kelly Kowalchuk, Winnipeg Football Club – IG Field, Winnepeg, MB, Canada
Taneshia Laird, Newark Symphony Hall, Newark, NJ, United States
Matthew Lally, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Kevin Lambert, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Patrick Landers, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Tom Lane, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA, United States
Jessica Lopez, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Louie Loya, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
John Madden, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Stephanie Manzo, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, United States
Laura Marsh, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Euronn McCloud-Armstrong, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Ryan McKenzie, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, United States
Erick McNair, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Joseph Mendoza, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Amy Miller, Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago, IL, United States
Edgar Moctezuma, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Kiley Monson, Rice-Eccles Stadium/Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Susana Montes, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Will Moore, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, United States
Sean Moriarty, TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Ralph Morton, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Jessica Moxey, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Dirk Muncy, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Joseph Pacheco, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, United States
Nicole Panunti, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta, GA, United States
David Perez, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Anthony Perez, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Chloe Pfanz, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Nicole Punicki-Lauber, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Dale Rabinov, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, United States
Minerva Ramirez, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, United States
Phaidra Reed, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Alan Resendez, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Valeria Robles, SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Allie Roby, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
King Rogers, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Lindsay Rosetti, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Adam Roush, Texas A&M Athletics, College Station, TX, United States
Emily Ryan, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Ti’Nesha Sampson, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Presley Savarino, Texas A&M Athletics, College Station, TX, United States
Kaitlyn Schindler, Texas A&M Athletics, College Station, TX, United States
Harold Scott, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
Brett Shaw, Owensboro Convention Center, Owensboro, KY, United States
Layne Shinaberry, Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX, United States
Jennifer Silas, Infinite Energy Center, Duluth, GA, United States
Quintan Sims, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Brian Skow, Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, WA, United States
Morgan Sommer, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Kaitlin Sorensen, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Corey Speights, UWG Coliseum, Carrollton, GA, United States
Chelsea Stilwell, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Ed Stock, Revel Media Group, Kaysville, UT, United States
Matthew Suydam, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Tammy Sweeney, Canalta Centre, Medicine Hat, AB, Canada
Brian Theobald, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver, CO, United States
Dorian Valenzuela, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Heather Vickers, Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Bridgette Vogan, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, DC, United States
John Walker, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Shannon Walsh, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Jessica Wedler, Revolution Place, Grande Prairie, AB, Canada
Michelle Young, BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX, United States
Benjamin Zagrobelny, Palm Beach County Convention Center, West Palm Beach, FL, United States