It was a confluence of occurrences — contract expiration, expansion project completion, a successful opening year, and turning 68 in April —that prompted Jeffrey A. (Jeff)  Blosser, president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Convention Center (SCC), to announce his retirement effective May 31.

“The timing feels good,” Blosser told Venue Professional. “I’ll be around the first five months [of 2024] to help with the transition.”

Jeff Blosser. SCC – Photo by Alabastro Photography.

An active member of IAVM since 1982 and having helmed the Seattle venue for 12 years, following John Christison, Blosser has seen the center through many changes. The most recent was completion of the 570,290 sq. ft. Summit building, which boasts 248,450 sq. ft of exhibit space, and when combined with the existing 434,988 sq. ft Arch building (205,700 sq. ft. of exhibit space), means 450,000 plus sq. ft. of exhibit space for SCC and the ability to attract new business.

“The issue is not to be bigger. What we do best is the 3,000-person convention, and now, we can do it twice, one moving in and showing, one moving out,” Blosser said. “It’s about making sure we have the right number of events and right number of people. The convention business is heads in beds and generating the tax, but we did $43 million in revenues in the building last year, and we will do more next year.”

SCC is run by the Washington State Convention Center Public Facilities District (PFD), which is responsible for its own debt — land purchasing, bonding and financing — as well as operating expenses. “It’s a different organization now with the new building,” Blosser said. SCC is now a $2-billion venue.

He surmised the SCC’s Board of Directors’ Search Committee, which has just begun to meet, could split his job into two parts – the PFD side of financing and politics, and separately, operations. However, it’s a process, and he has no idea what they will ultimately do.

Crediting 42 years of networking at IAVM with a lot of his career trajectory, Blosser said, “For me, IAVM has always been about the ability to get help from somebody or give somebody help. You can pick up the phone and call any building in the country, and they answer the phone and help out. While buildings may be competitive, we are more about making sure the building operations are as solid as they can be.”

His career has been heavily influenced by IAVM heavyweights like Tom Mobley, Peggy Daidakis, Dan Graveline, Frank Poe, and Roger Dixon, “who was the first one who hired me. But I could talk to anyone – John Adams, Dick Shaff, and they’d give you information. The biggest scenario for improving my capabilities in this industry has been those connections, the camraderie and the professionalism of the association.”

He gave back on the Convention Center Committee for six or seven years, helping work on white papers on booking and relationships with CVB’s. He was on the IAVM Board, repping convention centers for two terms, and he was involved in the Industry Council – lobbying to solve issues around the industry – for five or six years. Blosser received the Lifetime Achievement Award from IAVM’s Convention Center Sector in 2019.

Jeff Blosser. SCC

“It is important for our industry to have a bigger say on things that we can activate or are being acted on to us. We’re in a good spot today with more lobbying efforts at all levels — states, cities and nationally.” Blosser is particularly impressed with the safety and security efforts and IAVM’s Director of Safety & Security Mark Herrera’s collaborations and educational outreach. “It’s a different organization in a lot of ways,” he believes.

With the help of “the best team in the country,” including VP and AGM Linda Willanger, Blosser has seen a lot of changes at SCC. Getting through COVID, more detrimental to our industry than anything he can remember, was a turning point.

He has also been a leader in sustainability issues, proud that SCC’s new Summit building is LEED Platinum, as is his prior haunt, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, which he helped open in 1989, then expanded, before leaving for Seattle in 2011. “I cut my teeth on sustainability issues. We continue to stress that. I think the Pacific Northwest is ahead of everybody.”

Blosser started his career in what was called District 2 (now Region 2), when he worked for the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, then the downtown convention center, and then both state buildings as GM. He grew up in Southeast Ohio, attending Ohio University.

“I was relatively young back then. Watching the dynamics [of IAVM gatherings] was pretty fun,” he recalled. “It’s been a great ride. I’ve enjoyed all the relationships with people in this industry – suppliers, food service companies (Randy Ziegler comes to mind with Fine Host), Aramark. Smart Cities, Edlens. This business is so much fun. I won’t miss the hours, but I will definitely miss all of the people. I couldn’t have done anything better than what I did.”

Blosser plans to stay in Seattle and chase six grandkids, spend more time with family, and improve his handicap, basically “doing nothing” for six months. “I can do what I want, when I want. You can’t beat this place [Seattle] in the summertime.

Applications are now open for the 2024 Education & Service and Venue Excellence Awards.  These awards will be presented during VenueConnect in Portland, OR.  The deadline to submit applications is March 29, 2024.  The application process is extensive, and we encourage venues and organizations to create an “award team” to complete the application process as well as gather photos, etc.  Detailed instructions are found within the application itself.  We invite you to nominate an IAVM member or member venue that has exceeded expectations and risen above the rest. 

Education & Service Award

The IAVM Education & Service Award recognizes member involvement through community outreach, education opportunities, mentorships, and internships that demonstrate excellence within our industry as well as giving back to the community. Some examples that have been shared include: active in high school programs and career development; offering internships for local college students within the company/venue; mentoring through community outreach or within a university setting; educational offerings to staff within the company/venue; community involvement with youth and young adults.

IAVM takes pride in its members that excel in providing their communities with an enjoyable space for all types of events and educational opportunities. Professional members, university faculty, allied companies as well as retired members are encouraged to apply. The IAVM Education & Service Award is given annually to no more than two companies/universities/venues and one individual who meets the criteria outlined below.

NOMINATE NOW →

Venue Excellence Award

The Venue Excellence Award recognizes five IAVM venues of any type within the membership which demonstrate excellence in the management and operation of public assembly venues. This includes but is not limited to amphitheaters, arenas, auditoriums, complexes, convention centers, exhibit halls, fair/festival grounds, performing arts centers, racetracks, stadiums & university venues. IAVM takes pride in its members and member venues that excel in providing their communities with a safe and enjoyable space for all types of events and educational opportunities.

Any venue publicly or privately owned and operated, that has demonstrated excellence within the last calendar year and has at least one current employee who is an IAVM member in good standing may apply. Venues are eligible to win multiple VEAs; however, previous winners are eligible to apply in the third year following their most recent award. As an example, a venue that wins in 2024 may apply for the 2027 award.

NOMINATE NOW →

Those who attended IAVM regional meetings in the 80s probably remember Gary Horvath as host of the Volume Services hospitality suite and ubiquitous card game.

Those who worked with him over the years recall his skill at concessions operations, and particularly, hiring the right people, people who had a heart for hospitality like he did.

Gary L. Horvath, 77, of Aiken, S.C., passed away on Sept. 7, with his wife of 48 years, Donna, by his side.

Concessionaire and minor league baseball team owner Ken Young first met Horvath in 1976. Both worked for Volume Services, Horvath at Dane County Coliseum in Madison and Young in Kansas City. “Our career paths were similar for the first 15 years,” Young said. They both became regional vice presidents, and soon enough, presidents, with Horvath in charge of the Western half of the U.S, Young the Eastern.

Tom Marchetto, with Aramark at the time, with Gary Horvath, Ovations Food Services, Bethel, Conn., at the IAVM trade show in 2000. (Photo courtesy of Amusement Business)

Horvath later left for Service America, and Young started his own business.

The business was different back then, not nearly as mature as it is now, not as much competition. “We joined Volume Services right before they stated their mercurial rise,” Young recalled. “We picked up account after account. Vince Pantuso headed up sales and marketing and Roger Jahnel operations.”

It was also a close-knit industry, everyone got to know each other and even when competing for accounts, “we were happy for each other. If you lost an account to some upstart, we’d think, he needs the business,” Young said.

A lot of people in that industry owe their careers to Horvath, who was “tremendous with employees, mentoring and hiring. He gave people opportunities.”

When Young started Ovations Food Services with Todd Wickner, and the company immediately signed up five baseball accounts, they turned to Horvath for help. He helped them kick off business, most particularly with the Zephyrs baseball team in Metairie, outside New Orleans. “Gary knew operations as well as anyone out there,” Young recalled.

Five years later, Horvath retired at an early age, 57, and moved his family to warmer weather in South Carolina.

He began his career in amusement park concessions, noted Chris Bigelow, The Bigelow Companies, also part of the old Volume Services gang. He started his career in Sandusky, Ohio, at Cedar Point, where he worked for Interstate United Corp. IUC eventually bought Volume Services in 1974.

“As Gary always said, he couldn’t have started any lower. He was a dishwasher in the employee cafeteria. He didn’t even interact with the guests,” Bigelow said. It was a humble start for a guy who’d played football in Youngstown State University and was a sergeant in the Army.

When Horvath was promoted and sent to Kansas City, Bigelow was already there, running concessions at the ballparks and Kemper Arena. “John Lamkin was our sales guy. We were all connected,” Bigelow said of the industry back in the day.

As best he could recall, John Dee got Service America going, and Horvath left Volume to become president of Service America. Larry Hatch and Barry Frielicher ran Volume. In 1985, Canteen bought Volume Services, followed by a merger between Volume Services and Service America, which became Volume Services America.

“It was one merger after another. The joke was, ‘if my new boss calls, get his name,’” Bigelow said of the players in that day.

Besides being a constant presence at IAVM region meetings for Volume Services, Horvath also served as president of the National Association of Concessionaires, Bigelow recalled. As did Pantuso and then Bigelow.

Gary Horvath with stadium manager Larry Staverman in 1995. (Photo courtesy of Amusement Business)

“One thing I remember, Vince always had us sponsor the women’s programs at the IAAM national,” Bigelow said. “He’d say, ‘if I get to know these people through the wives, they’ll ask their husbands, ‘how come we don’t have that wonderful Volume Services guy.’” Horvath was there. All the wonderful Volume Services guys were at those spectacular luncheons for the spouses and with their own spouses. Pantuso insisted his staff bring their own wives to IAVM, citing the number of hours they were already away from home because of the job. Therefore, Bigelow got to know Donna Horvath; Horvath got to know Marsha Bigelow, etc.

Volume Services and Kreuger Seating also hosted a major hospitality suite at IAVM. That, Bigelow remembered, was a lot of work. Horvath took his turn. It was definitely a different day.

“Everybody loved Gary,” Bigelow said, continuing his litany of people who did.

Horvath was born in Sandusky, Ohio on July 16, 1946. He attended Youngstown State University on a football scholarship and was drafted into the Army as soon as he graduated. He received orders twice for Vietnam, was sent back for further training and eventually ended up being deployed to serve in Korea on the DMZ as a Sergeant. He spent his career in the concessions industry running the food services for stadiums, arenas, and convention centers nationwide.

The Horvaths moved from Bethel, Conn., to Aiken, S.C. in 2005 to get out of the cold and into the warmth. Horvath enjoyed playing golf year round.

He was preceded in death by his parents Alex and Dorothy (Toni) Horvath and brother Tim Horvath. He is survived by his loving wife Donna, son Jason Horvath (Stefanie), granddaughter Charlotte Horvath, daughter Erica Gonzalez (Wilson) and sister Candy Clark.

Give the Gift of Membership is a year-round opportunity to introduce someone to IAVM. In the season of giving, it can be even more meaningful to recipients.

Alexis Berggren, Chair of the IAVM Membership Committee states ‘Give the Gift of Membership’ is a wonderful way to help someone become a part of the venue management community and experience the value of belonging to IAVM. The educational and networking opportunities IAVM offers have been invaluable to me personally. Help a deserving person accelerate their career and experience IAVM in its 100^th year of providing incredible benefits and services to its members.”

Click this link to provide the information for your beneficiary. Member Services will reach out to your candidate to finalize the application and notify you when the dues are ready to be paid. If you have questions, contact membership@iavm.org.

Give your gift of membership today!

Momentum is building in Washington to crack down on fraud occurring in ticket sales. IAVM continues to work side-by-side with others in the live events industry, including artist groups and independent venues within the Fix the Tix Coalition to pass federal ticketing reforms.

In September, IAVM member, Dave Touhey, CVE, testified before Congress, urging passage of legislation to address ticket fraud. He advocated for Congress to require all-in pricing, a ban on deceptive URLs and websites, and a prohibition against the sale of speculative, or fake, tickets. After months of intense lobbying, on December 6, legislation was reported out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to accomplish all three of these goals. H.R. 3950, the “TICKET Act,” a bill to require disclosure of ticket fees, was combined with H.R. 6568, the “Speculative Ticketing Oversight and Prohibition Act” or the “STOP Act,” and passed the committee on a 45 to 0 recorded vote.

The amended H.R. 3950 is cosponsored by Representatives Bilirakis (R-FL), Schakowsky (D-IL) and Armstrong (R-ND) and would:

• Require the total price of an event ticket be displayed upfront, inclusive of all fees;
• Ban the sale of a ticket that a seller does not have (“speculative ticketing”);
• Guarantee refunds for event cancelations and postponements;
• Require clear disclosures and bans deceptive URLS to protect consumers from fraudulent ticketing websites;
• Require the Federal Trade Commission to study and report on enforcement of the BOTS Act (Public Law 114-274).

Now all of us need to work to ensure that the bill is taken up by the full House of Representatives ASAP. We ask all IAVM members to contact your Representative THIS WEEK to urge him or her to cosponsor H.R. 3950, the “TICKET Act” as amended in Committee. You can download a current database of Representative contacts here.

But that’s not all…

On Thursday, the S. 3457, the Fans First Act was introduced in the Senate by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Peter Welch (D-VT). This comprehensive ticketing bill was negotiated by the Fix the Tix Coalition and has been blessed by consumer groups. While it has a long way to go to passage, building the cosponsor list will help convince the Senate Commerce Committee to take it up. To date, the Commerce Committee reported out a version of the Ticket Act which required fee disclosure only. Ticketing problems will not go away until speculative tickets and deceptive URLs and websites are banned, which the Fans First Act would do. That’s why we are asking IAVM members to reach out to your Senators THIS WEEK to urge them to cosponsor the S. 3457, the Fans First Act. You can download a current database of Senate contacts here.

Please see the sample letters here. One is to send to your U.S. Senators and the other to your Representative in the House. This is the beginning stage of this process. We’ll need you to reach out to Congress again pending floor consideration in both chambers. In the meantime, it is imperative that we build the cosponsor list for both the House and Senate bills. Please add any personal stories about how your venue is affected by fraud in ticket sales.

Ticket resellers have been working hard at the state level to pass bills to protect their predatory practices. A federal solution will stop these state efforts and go a long way to protect consumers from ticket fraud. Thanks for your advocacy on this important issue.