By Julia Milstead

Butterflies are swarming at the Raleigh Convention Center! October 15 marked the completion of the site-specific installation of Leah Sobsey’s “Swarm” in the venue’s Main Lobby. The work, consisting of 300 cyanotype butterflies, has found its newest home in Downtown Raleigh at the Raleigh Convention Center (RCC) after being shown in hotels and galleries throughout the nation.

The center’s 450,000 annual visitors will now be greeted by a cascade of hundreds of blue and white butterflies traveling along the Center’s Grand Staircase. Raleigh Arts, with the support of the RCC, has accessioned the new addition into the Raleigh Municipal Art Collection. Dotting the massive 9,000-square-foot lobby, the swarm of blue butterflies adds a pop of color, delicately contrasting the Portuguese limestone-clad walls.

“The Raleigh Convention Center has a rich history of spotlighting artists from the region and state. That legacy — paired with its large-scale impact and nature-based subject matter — made ‘Swarm’ a perfect fit for our space,” said Kerry Painter, CVE, General Manager/Director of the LEED Silver-certified Raleigh Convention Center.

To produce the piece, Sobsey scanned specimens in the U.S National Park’s insect collections and created cyanotypes from them, using a printing process that dates back to the 19th century and was traditionally used to create blueprints. A photographer and professor at UNC Greensboro, Sobsey’s work can be found in public and private collections across the U.S., including art museums and galleries from North Carolina to California.

The Center’s use of natural elements and reminders of the natural world are not limited to butterflies – the Center also has two live honeybee colonies on its properties. Honeybees are critical to the pollination of plants, gardens, and crops, and play a vital role in our planet’s ability to grow food. With a 40% decline of the managed bee population in the U.S., two hives were installed at the convention center and, its sister venue, the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts to demonstrate the venues’ commitment to community and sustainability.

Julia Milstead is public information officer for the City of Raleigh.

By Kristi Mexia

PepsiCo and Hollywood Park are partnering in an expansive agreement that makes Pepsi and Frito-Lay the exclusive soft drink and salty snacks partners across SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, a move that further deepens PepsiCo’s affiliation with sports and entertainment in California. The partnership, which extends across the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, will put PepsiCo front and center of the highly anticipated destination in Inglewood, where it will serve its signature brands to millions of fans across all events.

Opening July 2020, SoFi Stadium, the future home of the Chargers and Rams, is located at Hollywood Park, a 298-acre global sports and entertainment destination being developed by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. Adjacent to the stadium and under the same roof canopy is the 2.5-acre American Airlines Plaza and a 6,000-seat performance venue, which will hold a variety of events throughout the year, including esports, award shows, concerts and more. The mixed-use development will also feature a mix of residential, retail, and commercial spaces, as well as more than 20 acres of parkland for the community to enjoy.

“For more than 84 years, PepsiCo has been a part of the fabric of Los Angeles, and we couldn’t be more excited that a development like Hollywood Park will be opening in our backyard,” said Kris Licht, president of PepsiCo Beverages North America West Division. “What Stan Kroenke is developing with SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park will combine everything we could want in a sports, music and entertainment destination, and we look forward to offering our refreshing beverages, delicious snacks and unforgettable experiences in what is bound to become the most talked about location in Los Angeles.”

As a founding partner of Hollywood Park, PepsiCo will gain category-exclusive marketing, sponsorship and promotional rights across the development, as well as certain soft drink and snacking rights for SoFi Stadium, the performance venue and American Airlines Plaza. PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division will lead the snacking experience with brands that could include Tostitos, the Official Chip & Dip of the NFL. In addition, PepsiCo will host a 46,000-square-foot space in the stadium’s south zone, where fans can experience a series of culinary and entertainment activations.

“PepsiCo is an iconic brand that is synonymous with excellence and creating some of the world’s greatest entertainment, from discovering up-and-coming artists to producing celebrated Super Bowl halftime performances,” said Jason Gannon, managing director, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. “PepsiCo’s fan-first approach to entertainment aligns with our goal to deliver a new global stage that will host world-renowned acts and events. SoFi Stadium is already home to Super Bowl LVI and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2028 Olympic Games, and we are excited to partner with PepsiCo to continue to add to the extraordinary experiences that are coming to Los Angeles when we open in July 2020.”

This partnership will further align PepsiCo with the NFL and its two home teams in Los Angeles. PepsiCo will gain sponsorship, soft drink and certain snacking rights to the Rams, a recent partner of the brand, and the Chargers, a longstanding PepsiCo partner for the past 15 years.

“PepsiCo has been a tremendous partner to the Chargers for the better part of two decades,” said A.G. Spanos, Los Angeles Chargers president of Business Operations. “As we move into our new SoFi Stadium home in 2020, it’s nice to have a member of the family joining us. More importantly, through first-hand experience, it’s exciting to know that we have a world-class partner in PepsiCo who is aligned with our belief that the fan comes first in everything we do.”

Kristi Mexia is director, corporate communications at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park

Photo courtesy of SoFi Stadium

Trail Drive Management Corp. (TDMC), the not-for-profit operators of Dickies Arena, will host a ribbon cutting
ceremony and community open house on Saturday, October 26 to formally welcome the community into the world-class
arena. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on the east side of the arena, on Simmons Bank Plaza.

Immediately following the ceremony, the arena will be open for self-guided tours that guests can register for in advance. Guests can experience the beautiful architecture and state-of-the-art spaces while trying a variety of food and beverage options that will be available for purchase at a discounted rate.

Throughout the day, guests will be encouraged to enjoy activities on the Simmons Bank Plaza. Performers from popular family shows – including Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live’s BIGFOOT, WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley,
a Harlem Globetrotter, and a special presence from Cirque du Soleil – will be on site to celebrate with the citizens of Fort Worth. Local acts will perform on the Simmons Bank Plaza stage, and Dickies Arena founding partners, including Dickies, Chevrolet, Texas Health Resources, Reliant and Simmons Bank, will also be on site to engage with the community.

Dickies Arena is the result of a pioneering public-private partnership between the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, the State of Texas and a group of private-sector participants, including foundations, individuals and organizations. The partnership was approved by the voters in November 2014. The $540 million project will complement the current Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, which will continue to serve as a major equestrian show arena.

Mayor Betsy Price, Ed Bass and The Beck Group CEO Peter Beck will speak at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Dickies Arena will be a 14,000 seat, spectacular multipurpose venue located adjacent to the Will Rogers Memorial Center campus in Fort Worth, Texas. The facility is the result of a pioneering public-private partnership between the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, the State of Texas and a group of private-sector participants, including foundations, individuals and organizations. The arena will be owned by the City of Fort Worth and managed by the not-for-profit operating entity, Trail Drive Management Corp. (TDMC). The state-of-the-art arena will host concerts, sporting events and family entertainment, and will be the new home to Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo performances. For more information, visit www.DickiesArena.com.

The IAVM Leadership Development Committee is seeking candidates who are well-versed in all areas of venue management, invested in their own professional growth and the growth of others, are dedicated to the advancement of the venue industry as a whole and have the demonstrated ability to lead the Association.

The application process and criteria are available here. The deadline to submit your application to Rosanne Duke, Director of Governance/Operations, is November 1, 2019. Minimum Qualifications:

• Must have attained CVE designation and maintain the designation throughout the term of office;
• Must be a dues-paying (either Individual or Group Membership) , Professional Member of IAVM and remain as such throughout the term of office;
• Must have previously served at least one full term on the IAVM Board of Directors;
• Must have served at least one full year as Chair of:
  • an IAVM Committee,
  • the Board of Regents,
  • the Board of Governors, or
  • the IAVM Foundation Board of Trustees;
• Must have served on at least 3 of the following in any combination (each Committee service counts as one):
• • IAVM Committees,
  • Board of Regents,
  • Board of Governors, or
  • Board of Trustees;
• Must have been employed in one of the 2 top positions in a venue for at least 10 years;
• Must have completed at least 1 of the following IAVM school programs:
  • • Venue Management School
    • Graduate Institute
    • Senior Executive Symposium
    • Academy for Venue Safety & Security
• Must have attended VenueConnect at least 3 times, and any combination of at least 3 other programs (from the list below) in the previous 6 years:
  • Additional years at VenueConnect;
  • Other IAVM educational programs; (GuestX, Operations Summit)
  • Sector Conferences (AMC, ICCC, PAMC, ISMC, UVMC)
  • Region Meetings
  • Chapter Meetings

The nomination process is Member-initiated. The web site directs the interested members to review the criteria and utilize the online self-assessment tool to help determine their individual eligibility as a candidate for senior officer, and to ultimately submit an application form should they wish to be considered as a candidate.

The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) is pleased to announce that it will hold the 2021 (August 3-5) VenueConnect Annual Conference & Trade Show in Atlanta, Georgia at Georgia World Congress Center. IAVM’s VenueConnect is the leading industry conference that provides targeted education created specifically for more than 2,000 arena, stadium, convention center, performing arts center, amphitheater & fairgrounds, and college & university venue professionals.

VenueConnect 2021 will bring the conference and trade show back to Atlanta for the first time since 2002. Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s (GWCCA) ever-evolving campus spans 220-plus acres and includes Centennial Olympic Park, the lasting legacy of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, and opening in 2022, GWCCA’s headquarter hotel Signia Hilton.

GWCCA, a self-sustained state agency, is entrusted as stewards of these state-owned assets, and has invested more than $360 million over the last decade to improve connectivity between its facilities and downtown Atlanta’s surrounding hospitality district.

“IAVM is excited to bring VenueConnect 2021 to Atlanta,” said Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM CEO and President.  “The GWCCA offers unique backdrops to the VenueConnect experience, but also access to the communities and venues that the Association serves for our attendees.  Georgia World Congress Center will provide unique opportunities for our attendees to learn and network.”

Atlanta will provide the perfect setting for attendees from all sectors, and GWCCA provides quick access.  From State Farm Arena, home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, the Fox Theatre, College Football Hall of Fame, Center for Civil and Human Rights, CNN Studio Tours and more, conference participants will have many historic and cultural venue options to explore.

More information regarding VenueConnect 2021 will be announced at a later time at www.iavm.org.

About IAVM: Representing public assembly venues from around the globe, IAVM’s 6,800+ active members include managers and senior executives from auditoriums, arenas, convention centers, exhibit halls, stadiums, performing arts centers, university complexes, racetracks, and amphitheaters. IAVM’s mission is to educate, advocate for, and inspire public assembly venue professionals worldwide. More information about IAVM is available at www.IAVM.org or via @IAVMWHQ on Twitter.