By R.V. Baugus

IAVM Allied Member Centerplate scored several touchdowns as the F&B provider for Super Bowl LIV at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

For starters, how about the fact that this was the first major food recovery at the Super Bowl. Food left over from this year’s big game saw Centerplate Hospitality, along with NFL Green Initiative and Food Rescue US, collect and distribute over 30,000 pounds of food to local Miami shelters with the help of an army of volunteers.

Once the scoreboard ticked down to zero in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers, the effort began the very next morning when volunteers arrived at the stadium to collect, pack, and ship food remaining from the concession areas, suites, and VIP catered sections.

We’re not talking popcorn here, either. According to ESPN, some of the delicacies included beef tenderloins, barbecue chicken, wings, ribs, and charcuterie plates.

“It’s a full volunteer job. We just want to help people in need,” Ellen Bowen, the director of Food Rescue US-Miami, told ESPN. “It’s amazing to see how much food there is that otherwise would have been thrown in the trash that can now feed so many people.”

The rescued food is being donated to the Broward Outreach Center, Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Camillus House, Lotus House Shelter and the Miami Rescue Mission. Bowen said that enough food was collected to feed around 20,000 people in need.

The NFL has been working to make a better impact on the environment through its green initiatives at the Super Bowl and regular season games, from adding recycling to using renewable energy at venues.

First Star Solutions got on Twitter to give its shout out for the effort, writing, Wow Miami, what a show from
@centerplate, @HardRockStadium, @SuperBowl, and @NFL some of the best food seen in venues in years. Great Job!!

Centerplate can be applauded for a couple of other noteworthy performances at the Super Bowl:

1. Chef D
For the first time in history, a woman led the food preparation. Executive Chef Dayanny de la Cruz, or “Chef D,” can tack the game onto an impressive list of overseeing events including the NFL, college football, tennis, professional basketball, U.S. Open tennis tournament, and the Kentucky Derby.

2. Food for All Tastes
Reflecting its international audience both at home and in the stadium, Hard Rock Stadium and Centerplate served up seafood paella from Spain, French macarons), Argentinian asado, Mexican empanadas, Cubano sausage, tuna tartare, and ceviche.

Kudos from the IAVM family to Centerplate on a job exceptionally well done!

By Myra Palacios

On January 28th, the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, hosted the DFW IAVM Chapter Meeting, which focused on safety and security. The meeting was open to both members and nonmembers and was free of charge. There were a total of 39 people in attendance.

Harvey Perriott, Chief, Protective Security Region VI, Jeff Murray, Protective Security Advisor, and Bryan Gray, Protective Security Advisor, served as the guest speakers and presenters. They spoke on a variety of potential security threats venues face as public gathering places. They followed up by outlining the free resources that the Department of Homeland Security has to offer for the protection and security of our venues. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable knowledge by receiving first-hand advice from these professionals.

The event concluded with a social gathering and an opportunity to tour the Curtis Culwell Center. For more information about the event and protective measures discussed, click here.

Myra Palacios is Event Services Manager at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.

By Ernie Smith

Security experts say that cyberattackers are more likely to get experimental when distributing malware or attacking businesses in the new year. They may even rely on social engineering rather than a technical payload.
If you’re going to fight the threats that the internet has to offer in 2020, you’re going to have to get a little more creative.

That’s because attackers are getting more clever and trying some weird tactics.

According to security experts at firms such as Trend Micro and Avast, bad actors are trying unconventional things to stay a step ahead of IT staffs.

Speaking to IT World Canada, Trend Micro’s director of technology marketing, Myla Pilao, said that attackers are increasingly targeting areas that they might have previously avoided, including malware on the Linux platform and malware that aims to steal information rather than money. She also says that attackers will become harder to detect as they use more nontraditional methods to distribute or spread malware.

“These are the ones that probably would stay in our network, would stay in our devices, for a long time unattended,” Pilao told the outlet. “They would have a nontraditional way to evade detection. They will probably be using more blacklisting techniques. They might be doing more in the evasion techniques.”

One example of this is the PureLocker ransomware attack, which gained notice in November. What was weird about it? Rather than being written in a more traditional programming language like Java, JavaScript, or C++, PureLocker was written in PureBasic, a fairly obscure programming language based on the old-school BASIC language.

Additionally, malware is increasingly moving away from trying to infiltrate the App Store and instead toward trying to game the ad systems many free apps use.

“Getting malicious apps onto the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store is not an easy task, which is why cybercriminals are shifting towards subscription scams and fake apps integrated with aggressive adware to make money,” noted Nikolaos Chrysaidos, the head of mobile threat intelligence and security at Avast, in a recent news release.

Another nontraditional method that experts expect to see, according to MediaPost, is the rise of less-technical cyberattacks that rely on social engineering and attempt to compromise vendors that organizations rely on. Agari CMO and Chief Identity Officer Armen Najarian said that the attacks will involve “low-tech and social-engineered attacks at scale,” which tend to be more effective than more automated approaches.

“We fully expect cybergangs and cybercriminal organizations will organize and attempt fewer technical cyberattacks, like malware, starting early in 2020,” Najarian told the outlet.

To put it all another way: Stay on your toes in 2020. You’re going to need it.

“This article originally appeared on AssociationsNow.com. Reprinted with permission. Copyright ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership (January 2020), Washington, DC.”

IAVM member Neil McMullin, Senior Vice President, Shared Services, with Fern Exposition & Event Services, has been elected to serve as president of the Exhibition Service & Contractors Association (ESCA) following the organization’s most recent Winter Meeting in Las Vegas.

“Neil brings a level of expertise, passion, and insight to ESCA that will help continue our mission and support the exhibitions industry,” said Larry Arnaudet, Executive Director of ESCA.

McMullin has worked in the meetings and events industry as a general manager of convention centers, conference centers, arenas, and performing arts venues in various locations throughout the U.S., working for a private-venue management firm. He graduated with a degree in facility and business management from BYU. He is responsible for Fern’s field operations including quality control and the implementation of best practices in order to ensure a consistent delivery of high-quality services and products. McMullin also oversees all graphic design and production as well as technology services and carpet operations.

“I look forward to continuing to advance ESCA’s contributions to the industry while serving with the board and staff as President this year,” McMullin said. “We are a dedicated group that is passionate about the industry and the impact we create for our members.”

IAVM congratulates Neil on this deserved appointment!

By Michelle Riehle-Ludtke

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) and in-house caterer Taste of LA by Levy Restaurants recently repurposed more than 800 meals from two GRAMMY® Week events, hosted by the Recording Academy®, to serve several Los Angeles-based nonprofit organizations.

The LACC Levy team partnered with Musically Fed to donate unused meals from the 2020 MusiCares® Person of the Year benefit gala and the GRAMMY Celebration® to the Los Angeles Mission, The Midnight Mission and Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women & Children.

“We are thrilled to share the success of this initiative,” said Ellen Schwartz, General Manager, LACC. “As a facility committed to sustainability and community service, Musically Fed was a perfect partner to further our goals to reduce our environmental footprint while serving those in need.”

In the United States alone, nearly 40 percent of food is wasted per year and Musically Fed is working with the music industry to change that. The Phoenix-based nonprofit mobilizes artists, promoters, managers and venues to donate unused meals to local organizations.

“Our goal is to equip artists and their teams to leave each city with a lasting positive impact,” said Maria Brunner, Founder & Director, Musically Fed. “We are grateful to the Recording Academy and Levy for making this tremendous opportunity possible. We hope it serves as an example – and a challenge – for the rest of the music industry to get involved in the fight against hunger.”

Taste of LA by Levy worked alongside Musically Fed to ensure every bit of food was upcycled to local organizations in need after the conclusion of the GRAMMY Week events. This initiative builds on the LACC Levy team’s commitment to waste diversion. Since 2014, the LACC and Levy have worked together to donate 221 tons of food.

“At Levy, we are continuously looking for new ways to repurpose leftover food and create less waste,” said Patrick Smart, General Manager, Taste of LA by Levy, LACC. “Utilizing Musically Fed’s services during GRAMMY Week was a very positive experience and we hope to inspire our peers to join us in making a difference.”

Michelle Riehle-Ludtke is Marketing & Community Relations Specialist at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Pictured: Musically Fed employees drop off repurposed meals from GRAMMY Celebration® at The Midnight Mission, Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.