Association members are encouraged to recruit individuals to join IAVM to expand the venue industry network. The iCommit member referral recruitment campaign provides that opportunity each year. The program ran from August 1, 2023 – January 31, 2024.

We are happy to announce that 141 members were entered into the raffle to win the prizes listed below. Their assistance allowed IAVM to gain 350 new members, making this our most successful recruiting drive to date.

• Grand Prize Winner – VenueConnect 2024 free registration goes to:
• • Sam Dores, CVE, CVP, Director, Business Operations, Strategy and Development – ExtraMile Arena – Boise, ID
• Raffle Winners – $500 Gift Cards
• • Karen Westcott, Manager, Event Development – City of Mississauga – Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
  • Aaron Hurt, Executive Director – Butler University – Indianapolis, IN
  • Charles Starks, President & CEO – Music City Center – Nashville, TN
  • Carlene Moore, CEO – 22^nd DAA/Del Mar Fairgrounds – Del Mar, CA
  • Steve Schwartz, Senior Advisor to the COO – Walter E Washington Convention Center – Washington, DC
• Region Winner– Region 7 had the largest increase with 67 new members. The current Region Director will select one recipient to have their CVP application fee waived (value $125). The candidate must apply by July 31, 2024.

Congratulations to the winners. We sincerely appreciate our members for continuing to advocate on behalf of IAVM. If you have any questions, contact IAVM’s Director of Membership, Gina Brydson.

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in February 2024. 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 here to share your story and photo.

Evan Ackerson, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, United States
Micah Allen, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Rachelle Allison, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Heather Anderson, Huntington Place, Detroit, MI, United States
Jennifer Angelier, Prevent Advisors, Denver, CO, United States
Kayley Arpaia, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Kim Ates, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Hallie Auerback, Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts & Corporate Presentations, Richardson, TX, United States
Anthony Baker, Missouri State University-Entertainment Management, Springfield, MO, United States
Dawn Baldwin, Halifax Convention Centre/Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
Deana Barnes, Paciolan, Inc., Irvine, CA, United States
Rebecca Bartling, Sonoma County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, CA, United States
Luke Bauer, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Nedra Bell, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX, United States
Sarah Bentley, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, Phoenix, AZ, United States
Cori Black, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Chloe Boldrick, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Ashley Bonilla, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Audrey Booth, ASM Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
Taylor Brightwell, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA, United States
Andrew Brown, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro, NC, United States
Antoine Brown, Duke University Athletics, Durham, NC, United States
Will Brown, The Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO, United States
Chris Bundick, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Tariq Butt, Prevent Advisors, Manchester, AA, United Kingdom
Melody Calloway-Spencer, Levy Restaurants, Chicago, IL, United States
Erick Carrero, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA, United States
Ethan Carroll, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Matthew Collada, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Alexis Conklin, Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
Lindsay Cook, Walton Arts Center | Walmart AMP, Fayetteville, AR, United States
Tommy Costales, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Ryan Crum, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA), Charlotte, NC, United States
Caleb Crutcher, Central Bank Center/Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY, United States
Gabe Cummins, Austin Theatre Alliance, Austin, TX, United States
Andrew Cupo, Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center, Scottsdale, AZ, United States
Matthew Curio, Towson University, Towson, MD, United States
Daniel Curtin, Comprise Technologies, Navesink, NJ, United States
Necah Cushing, Austin Convention Center Department, Austin, TX, United States
Matthew Cushman, Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, IA, United States
Megan Delaney, Halifax Convention Centre/Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
Ashleigh DeZonia, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Little Rock, AR, United States
Michael DiFiore, REN Corporation, El Dorado Hills, CA, United States
Bernice Dixon, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
James Doud, Bridge View Center, Ottumwa, IA, United States
Whitlee Douthitt, Walton Arts Center | Walmart AMP, Fayetteville, AR, United States
Michael Downing, Prevent Advisors, Denver, CO, United States
Drew Dymond, Arts and Culture Trust, Cloisters Square, WAu, Australia
Kelleye Eller, Xenial, Charlotte, NC, United States
Aubree Enos, Missouri State University-Entertainment Management, Springfield, MO, United States
Adrian Esquilin, Contemporary Services Corporation, Torrance, CA, United States
Bruce Ferber, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL, United States
Danielle Fisher, Sporting Kansas City, Kansas City, KS, United States
Chris Fulton, UTA Special Event Facilities, Arlington, TX, United States
Autumn Garrison, AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas, TX, United States
Kate Glass, Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center, Florence, SC, United States
Cliff Glaviano, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Chris Gonzales, MGM Resorts, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Erik Gonzalez, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Mike Green, Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, Raleigh, NC, United States
Meredith Greene, BEST Crowd Management, Coon Rapids, MN, United States
Canaan Greer, Branson Convention Center – ASM Global, Branson, MO, United States
Liz Hall, Nissan Stadium – Tennessee Titans, Nashville, TN, United States
Erika Hamm, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Tom Hansen, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL, United States
Malachi Hardy, University of South Carolina Department of Sport & Entertainment Management, Columbia, SC, United States
Anna Hatcher, Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH, United States
Tyler Hatley, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Abbey Helfen, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
Mike Henderson, BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Shaye Henson, UTA Special Event Facilities, Arlington, TX, United States
Brooke Hermsen, Musco Sports Lighting, Oskaloosa, IA, United States
Adrien Herrick, Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts & Corporate Presentations, Richardson, TX, United States
Mary Hipsag, CAM-PLEX Multi-Event Facilities, Gillette, WY, United States
Anna Hobgood, Meredith College, Garner, NC, United States
Sarah Horvath, Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, AZ, United States
Tameka Hutchinson, Savannah Civic Center, Savannah, GA, United States
Colin Jamieson, BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Maria Joe, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Hayden Johnson, Duke University Athletics, Durham, NC, United States
Madeline Joll, Arts and Culture Trust, Cloisters Square, WAu, Australia
Mary Jones, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Jeffrey Jordon, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, San Diego, CA, United States
Jonathan June, University of South Carolina College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management, Columbia, SC, United States
Christopher Kelly, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro, NC, United States
Walker Kenion, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro, NC, United States
Bailley Kinser, Walton Arts Center | Walmart AMP, Fayetteville, AR, United States
Jamey Klingenmeier, Prevent Advisors, Denver, CO, United States
Laura Knott, Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, Raleigh, NC, United States
Michael Krakora, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND, United States
Stew Krane, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
David Kuaea, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Trent Kuffel, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN, United States
Dana Landis, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Haajira Lansana, Palmer Events Center, Austin, TX, United States
Garrett Lemoine, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Eric Leonardo, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Alyssa Levandoski, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, United States
Tatum Lockett, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA, United States
Paula Lynch, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN, United States
Jack Macias, UTA Special Event Facilities, Arlington, TX, United States
Evan MacLean, Halifax Convention Centre/Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
Josette Madden, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Kristopher Maleig, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Haile Marquard, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, United States
LaToya Martin, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Maryann Martin, Berry Center, Houston, TX, United States
Ken May, Halifax Convention Centre/Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
Carter McNeil, Von Braun Center, Huntsville, AL, United States
Meredith Meadows, Branson Convention Center – ASM Global, Branson, MO, United States
Kyle Millman, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Ryan Millman, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Hosea Mitchell, Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, Louisville, KY, United States
Lydia Modlin, Austin Theatre Alliance, Austin, TX, United States
Edmundo Montoya, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Jamison Moore, ParkHub, Dallas, TX, United States
Americo Moran, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA, United States
Laura Morgan, Dayton Live, Dayton, OH, United States
Jennifer Morris, Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Joe Morsello, dormakaba, Hallam, VIC, Australia
Katherine Mullins, Melbourne Cricket Club, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Austin Naylor, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA, United States
Rob Nelson, MI Global Partners, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Scott Nelson, Certis Security Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Damon Newton, Tataki Auckland Unlimited, Auckland, New Zealand
Brett Nichols, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL, United States
Luis Nieves, Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot, San Juan, PR, United States
Bill Nimmo, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Sharlett Nobles, Capital One Arena, Washington, DC, United States
Louise Nolan, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Kristi Noyes, Zucchetti North America, Oneida, NY, United States
Megan O’Reilly, Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Nareauchid O-ranwong, EM Live, Bangkok, Thailand
Katherine Oakley, Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Josh Ogilvie, The Lume Australia P/L, South Wharf, VIC, Australia
Lara Paaymans, Te Kaunihera a-Rohe o Heretaunga/Hastings District Council, Hastings, , New Zealand
Violet Painter, Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts & Corporate Presentations, Richardson, TX, United States
Brianna Pena, Herberger Theater Center, Phoenix, AZ, United States
Crystal Perkins, Spokane Public Facilities District, Spokane, WA, United States
Miranda Pertzel, Live Nation Australia Venues Pty, West Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Nicole Petta, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL, United States
Westley Petty, Utah Tech University, St George, UT, United States
David Phelps, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Warren Phillip-Clarke, Cedar Mill Group, Botany, NSW, Australia
Jack Pickett, Victoria Racing Club, Flemington, VIC, Australia
Jeremy Pierce, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Sylvia Potalivo, HBF Stadium – VenuesWest, Floreat, WAu, Australia
Abbie Potter, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Carlton, VIC, Australia
Marc Quiachon, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
Lea Raad, Prevent Advisors, Denver, CO, United States
Martin Radcliffe, Adelaide Venue Management Corporation, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Benjamin Rayson, Melbourne Sports Centres, Albert Park, VIC, Australia
Jason Reeves, Canto USA, Marietta, GA, United States
Kevin Rene, Prevent Advisors, Denver, CO, United States
Cassia Rengers, Suncorp Stadium – ASM Global Pty Ltd, Milton BC, QLD, Australia
Adam Resendez, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
Celia Richie, North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC, United States
Diana Robles, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Aimee Royle, Melbourne Sports Centres, Albert Park, VIC, Australia
James Ryan, Melbourne Sports Centres, Albert Park, VIC, Australia
Jean-Michel Saint Pierre, dormakaba, Hallam, VIC, Australia
Andrew Salvucci, Melbourne Cricket Club, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Salvador Sandate, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Travis Sauer, South East Leisure, Dandenong, VIC, Australia
Caroline Saunders, Auckland Live, Auckland, New Zealand
Julie Schor, GoZone WiFi, St Petersburg, FL, United States
Drake Schreiter, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Luke Schroder, Auckland Stadiums, Auckland, New Zealand
Gillian Schwab, Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Martin Shannon, Carlton Football Club, Carlton North, VIC, Australia
Lauren Sharp, Ticketek Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Richard Sherman, MGM Resorts, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Josh Sierra, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, United States
Jade Simmons, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Bridget Smith, VenuesWest, Mt Claremont, WAu, Australia
Gillian Smith, Halifax Convention Centre/Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
Kelly Smith, Suncorp Stadium – ASM Global Pty Ltd, Milton BC, QLD, Australia
Eva So, Tennis NSW, Silverwater, NSW, Australia
Rakesh Sood, Auckland Live, Auckland, New Zealand
Rocsean Spencer, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Cynthia Sperier, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Julia Spurlock, Missouri State University-Entertainment Management, Sikeston, MO, United States
Edmund Stiles, Auckland Live, Auckland, New Zealand
Sandra Stoklossa, Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Kyle Stone, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND, United States
Chris Targett, Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, QLD, Australia
Andrew Taylor, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Little Rock, AR, United States
Kyleigh Taylor, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Pernall Thomas, Moody Center, Killeen, TX, United States
Alexandria Tibbetts, Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Jess Timmins, City of Gold Coast – Major Sporting Venues, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
Glynn Topp, Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport, City East, QLD, Australia
Alex Torke, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
Elizabet Torres, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Amanda Traxler, Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH, United States
Victor Trujillo, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Kara Tyree, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro, NC, United States
Juan Underbakke, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL, United States
Ramon Van De Griendt, HBF Stadium – VenuesWest, Floreat, WAu, Australia
Samantha Vance, Tataki Auckland Unlimited, Auckland, New Zealand
Abbey Vasquez, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Little Rock, AR, United States
Micaela Veenstra, Des Moines Performing Arts, Des Moines, IA, United States
Karina Vicente, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Katy Vidler, Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, QLD, Australia
Cameron Wallace, Arts Centre Melbourne, St Kilda Road, VIC, Australia
Todd Wannan, Auckland Stadiums, Auckland, New Zealand
Vanessa Ward, Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ, United States
Rick Warpinski, Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton, WI, United States
Amber Waters, Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX, United States
Michael Watkins, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Markets, NSW, Australia
Ben Werner, The Revival, Chicago, IL, United States
Cireena White, Sporting Kansas City, Kansas City, KS, United States
Laura Whitman, Halifax Convention Centre/Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
Sabrina Wienholtz, Ent Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
Geraldine Willis, Australian Sports Commission, Belconnen, ACT, Australia
Kyle Willmott, Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport, City East, QLD, Australia
Corey Wilson, Blumenthal Arts, Charlotte, NC, United States
David Wilson, dormakaba, Hallam, VIC, Australia
Mark Wilson, Prevent Advisors, Denver, CO, United States
O’Dane Wint, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, United States
Craig Wood, dormakaba, Hallam, VIC, Australia
Tim Wood, Vanguard Risk, Camberwell, VIC, Australia
Luke Wyman, MAP Co, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Ayoniv Yancy, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Landon York, Venue Management/UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
Jevaughn Yorke, Peacock Theater / L.A. Live – AEG, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Gavin Zacher, The Lume Australia P/L, South Wharf, VIC, Australia
AJ Zahn, Rose Quarter, Portland, OR, United States
Kelli Zohar-Davis, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Majdi Zraika, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Markets, NSW, Australia

2024 Meet Minneapolis Annual Meeting

At its 2024 Annual Meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Meet Minneapolis announced that it set a record in 2023 for most future group hotel rooms booked. Through the meeting theme of “Changing Perceptions. Positive Impact.,” the convention and visitors association highlighted the work it is doing to impact perceptions and visitor experiences, generate tax revenue for the City of Minneapolis, and directly support more than 33,000 tourism and hospitality workers.

In 2023, Meet Minneapolis brought more than 700 events to the Minneapolis region, welcomed nearly 713,000 people to the Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) and helped increase hotel demand in the city by more than 15% year-over-year.

Meet Minneapolis Key Performance Indicators for 2023*

• Future Group Hotel Room Nights Booked: 579,000
  • • • Most ever in Meet Minneapolis history
• Minneapolis Convention Center Revenue Generated: $18.5 million
  • An increase of more than 14% compared to 2022
• Lodging Taxes Generated: $10.6 million
  • More than 20% higher compared to the previous year
• Partnership Businesses: 458
  • 70 new partner businesses were added in 2023

“In 2023, the impact that our industry had on our city was undeniable,” said Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant. “From marquee events translating into record-breaking hotel demand to marketing campaigns resulting in changed perceptions, the efforts of Meet Minneapolis and its partners positively benefited our community, especially in terms of the jobs and livelihoods impacted by our work. We know, however, that there is additional ground to gain to increase our city’s competitiveness in the marketplace.”

New Officers of the Meet Minneapolis Board of Directors

• Chair: Robert Lilligren (Native American Community Development Institute) – Former Minneapolis City Council Member, a citizen of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation, a third generation Minneapolis Urban Indian, and the first Indigenous individual to be board chair of the city’s tourism organization.
• Vice Chair: Tabitha Montgomery (Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association)
• Secretary/Treasurer: Michael Clark (Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel – The Depot)

More 2023 Highlights

• In March, Meet Minneapolis launched a major leisure tourism campaign: “See What All the Fuss Is About.” It was designed to boldly and confidently tell the city’s story to people who used to travel to Minneapolis often – as well as those who are new to the destination. In September, Meet Minneapolis showcased a fall version of campaign to invite visitors to “take it all in” and encourage overnight stays in the city.
• Hotel records were broken on June 13 for the inaugural USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships for the 11-13 age divisions, which took place on June 14-17 at the MCC and during the June 23-25 weekend with an estimated 500,000 people visiting Minneapolis for Pride / Taylor Swift / Kiwanis International Convention. (Go here for more on the record-breaking weekend.)
• In late August, more than 2,500 people – including nearly 900 meeting and event planning professionals – gathered at the MCC for Connect Marketplace, a major convention in the events industry. Attendees were polled post-event and results showed a dramatic shift in perceptions about the city and likelihood of considering and/or booking a future event in Minneapolis.
• In 2023, Meet Minneapolis ran an awareness campaign highlighting the businesses and culture throughout the city’s seven designated Cultural Districts. The campaign delivered 10.6 million impressions with 41,000 clicks.
• The Meet Minneapolis website (www.minneapolis.org) set new website visitor records. The website gained more than three million sessions (a 14.3% YOY increase) where visitors learned more on where to visit, eat, drink, shop and be entertained in the city. There were also more than one million outbound clicks to local business websites.
• Meet Minneapolis social media channels also set a record and generated nearly 49.4 million impressions in 2023 (compared to 30.1 million in 2022) and over 261,800 post link clicks.

Future Tourism Initiatives

• Minneapolis Tourism Improvement District: Used in 200 communities and 21 states, this is a hotel-led initiative that would provide supplemental tourism funding. A task force of hotel general managers is working on the parameters for a Minneapolis TID. Additional steps within the hotel community are needed. If approved, city hotels would enlist Meet Minneapolis for additional sales and marketing efforts to drive even more tourism and overnight stays in Minneapolis.
• Destination Minneapolis: Charting the Future of Minneapolis Tourism: Meet Minneapolis is developing a strategic road map for the future by aligning the public, private and civic sectors around a shared tourism vision. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is chair of the board steering committee which is looking at what Minneapolis needs to remain competitive in the meetings, events, and visitor markets for the next 10 years and beyond.

To access the 2023 Meet Minneapolis Annual Impact Report, please go here.

The Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) is proud to announce the release of new standard industry safety signage, designed to promote consistency and enhance safety practices across the exhibition industry. These print-ready graphics are now available for free use by anyone in the industry and can even be co-branded for added customization.

Safety is of paramount importance in the exhibition industry, and standardizing safety signage plays a crucial role in ensuring a safe environment for all participants. The new signage, created by the ESCA Health and Safety Standards Committee, reflects ESCA’s commitment to industry-wide safety standards and practices.

Julie Kagy, Executive Director of ESCA, expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, “At ESCA, we are dedicated to advancing safety practices in the exhibition industry. By providing these standard safety signage graphics, we aim to promote consistency and elevate safety standards nationwide. This emphasis on standardization will help lower accidents, leading to stabilized costs by having labor operate under a common set of safety standards.”

ESCA extends its heartfelt gratitude to the ESCA Health and Safety Standards Committee for their diligent work in creating these essential safety resources. Their dedication to improving safety standards in the industry is commendable and reflects ESCA’s commitment to excellence.

Furthermore, ESCA acknowledges the invaluable support and encouragement of the Exhibitions Industry Collective, comprised of six key industry organizations, including the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
(ECA), Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA), Experiential Designers & Producers Association (EDPA), International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), and the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO). Their collective endorsement of these safety signage tools underscores the collaborative spirit of the industry and reinforces the importance of unified efforts for the benefit of all.

For more information and to access the free standard industry safety signage graphics, please visit www.esca.org/resources/health-safety-resources.