By Holli Hanson

The NBA Portland Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter have undergone some major changes in staffing.

Specifically, Amanda Mann has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager of Rose Quarter operations where she oversees all booking, ticket operations, guest experience/security, event, and facility operations.

The Rose Quarter is the home of the Portland Trail Blazers, Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and Mann is the first female general manager of the campus in the Trail Blazers’ 50 years as a franchise. Prior to joining the organization, Mann served as assistant general manager, VP of booking & event operations at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, as well as VP of booking for Clear Channel Entertainment, Texas.

Holli Hanson is corporate communications coordinator for the Portland Trail Blazers and Moda Center.

From NBA.com

The Sacramento Kings announced the NBA’s first blockchain-powered reward program in collaboration with Blockparty. The Kings plan to add the new reward program as an enhancement to the NBA’s first predictive gaming application, “Call the Shot,” in time for upcoming 2019-20 season.

“We have only just begun to see the benefits of blockchain technology as it transforms the way business is conducted worldwide, ensuring secure transactions across multiple sectors and customers,” said Sacramento Kings Chairman, CEO and Governor Vivek Ranadivé. “We are committed to continuing to deliver the best fan experience and are excited to bring this transformative technology to life to award our loyal fans through experiences in a secure and transparent way.”

Through this partnership, Blockparty plans to use blockchain technology to track Kings fans engagements and accumulate points in a virtual wallet within each fan’s Sacramento Kings + Golden 1 Center app. Kings fans using the “Call the Shot” gaming experience within the app can earn rewards based on these points. Enrollment in the rewards program is free and rewards are non-transferable and have no monetary value. The rewards can be redeemed for prizes and unique events including signed merchandise and courtside tickets. Developed with Xperiel, “Call the Shot” was the first mobile offering from an NBA team that offers high-frequency predictive gaming to fans.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the most technologically innovative team in professional sports and help them bring the latest in blockchain technology to the NBA,” said Blockparty CEO Shiv Madan. “Our technology should give the Kings more flexibility in how they reward their most loyal fans. We expect others in the NBA will follow the Kings lead in the years to come.”

This partnership represents another first in the team’s efforts to pave the way for technology innovation in sports. In 2014, the Kings became the first NBA team to accept Bitcoin as payment in the arena. Last year, the Kings became the first professional sports team in the world to mine cryptocurrency and announced a charitable program, MiningForGood, that donates those funds to workforce development and training efforts in the community.

The Kings are industry leaders in predictive gaming. Earlier this year, the Kings also debuted the NBA’s first dedicated space for a free-to-play, in-arena predictive gaming experience.

The Kings were named the “most innovative company in sports” by Fast Company and “Most Tech Savvy Team of 2016” by Sport Techie and were a recipient of Sports Business Journal’s “Facility of the Year.”

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in September 2019. 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.

Jeremy Ackles, Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, GA, United States
Charlina Allen, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
Michael Archibeque, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Michelle Armenta, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Robert Barajas, San Diego Theatres/San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA, United States
Charles Baran, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Kelly Bargabos, San Diego Theatres/San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA, United States
Sam Barnett, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, United States
Kelly Beliveau, Portland Expo Center, Portland, OR, United States
Cooper Besougloff, Western Kentucky University, Arlington, VA, United States
Bailey Bowman, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Megan Buria, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Darin Bush, Capital One Arena, Washington, DC, United States
Elizabeth Campbell, Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, United States
Chris Campbell, Iowa State Center, Ames, IA, United States
Scott Carpenter, Lethbridge ENMAX Centre, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Archie Carty, St. Charles Convention Center, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Stephen Castellano, San Diego Theatres/San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA, United States
Kady Chambers, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
Laura Chmielewski, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Don Clark, BioSaphe, Provo, UT, United States
Seth Clines, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Scott Condor, St. Charles Convention Center, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Trevor Conn, Southpaw Sports & Entertainment, Irving, TX, United States
Sam Consenzo, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
Terry Cooksey, BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center, Tupelo, MS, United States
Lacey Crump, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Ta’Corian Darden, Western Kentucky University, Russellville, KY, United States
Mary Downs, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, United States
Bridgett Finochiaro, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ, United States
Nick Fischer, Erie Events, Erie, PA, United States
Shayna Fitzl, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Nancy Fortney, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Heather Giddens, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, United States
Amber Goodspeed, Texas Performing Arts, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
Lindsey Graham, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Sabine Granoux, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Madison Green, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, United States
Stevie Grey, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
Diana Gruber, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Brad Gulbranson, Iowa State Center, Ames, IA, United States
Meagan Guy, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Chad Hardy, Western Kentucky University, Columbus, GA, United States
Simone Harms, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Jasmine Harris, Toyota Center, Houston, TX, United States
Keenan Havey, Western Kentucky University, Ames, IA, United States
James Hicks, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Taylor Hight, Walton Arts Center/Walmart AMP, Fayetteville, AR, United States
Johnny Holland, BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center, Tupelo, MS, United States
Zach Hughes, Southpaw Sports & Entertainment, Irving, TX, United States
Megan Jackson, Toyota Center, Houston, TX, United States
Jessica Johnson, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Ricky Jones, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
Jay Katz, St. Charles Convention Center, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Karolyn Kirchgesler, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Tyler Koolbeck, Iowa State Center, Ames, IA, United States
Ryan Kuddes, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Kyle Kuehn, Western Kentucky University, New Ulm, MN, United States
Jeff Kunowski, Southpaw Sports & Entertainment, Irving, TX, United States
Michael Lacharite, Edmonton Convention Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Claire Ladner, City of Tacoma, Venues & Events, Tacoma, WA, United States
John LaFortune, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Terrence Lake, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
Skylar Lewis, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Marcelis Logan, Western Kentucky University, Lexington, KY, United States
Ric Marcelino, San Diego Theatres/San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA, United States
Charles Marino, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
David Marsh, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
Brianna Martin, St. Charles Convention Center, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Matthew Martinucci, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Sean McBroom, City of Tacoma, Venues & Events, Tacoma, WA, United States
Phillips Mickeal, Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, WA, United States
Tod Minnich, Honeywell Foundation, Wabash, IN, United States
Angel Moore, Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA, United States
Madina Moore, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
John Moskal, The Center for the Performing Arts, Carmel, IN, United States
Madison Muschinske, St. Charles Convention Center, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Michael Oca, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Claire Oliver, St. Charles Convention Center, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Ori Ovics, Edmonton Convention Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Robert Paglieri, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Marina Paul, STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Jeremy Pendley, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, United States
Kristine Perry, Capital One Arena, Washington, DC, United States
Rynarda Ransom, Capital One Arena, Washington, DC, United States
Nicole Raymond, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Michael Rescigno, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
Jeremy Riley, Southpaw Sports & Entertainment, Irving, TX, United States
Katie Ripke, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Jen Ritchie, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Rob Rivera, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Alex Rojas, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, United States
Benjamin Roschke, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Delmonte Ross, Western Kentucky University, Gilbert, AZ, United States
Richard Schade, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, CA, United States
Nikki Scheel, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Jeff Schoening, Iowa State Center, Ames, IA, United States
Brian Seitz, The Center for the Performing Arts, Carmel, IN, United States
Paul Shamp, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
Larissa Sherman, Full Sail University, Las Vegas, NV, United States
Ashley Sinclair, STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Tanner Smith, Western Kentucky University, Nashville, TN, United States
Michael Sousa, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, United States
Greg Stocker, Southpaw Sports & Entertainment, Irving, TX, United States
James Stocum, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX, United States
Maggie Swenson, Wisconsin Center District, Milwaukee, WI, United States
Todd Temple, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA, United States
James Te’o, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Alexia Testa, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
Sydney Upah, Iowa State Center, Ames, IA, United States
Matt Vaessen, San Diego Theatres/San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA, United States
Gabriel Valentin, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Jonté Valentine, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
Jackie Ventura, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA, United States
Emily Wade, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, United States
Vinni Walia, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Erin Weldon, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Kevin Wilkes, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Mack Williams, Western Kentucky University, Lexington, KY, United States
Derek Winning, St. Charles Convention Center, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Frances Wong, Team San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States
Jerrod Woods, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Kyle Worman, Enterprise Center, Saint Louis, MO, United States
Dustin Zuelsdorf, Iowa State Center, Ames, IA, United States

Our dear friend, Peggy Daidakis, is in our thoughts and prayers at this time following the passing of her beloved husband, Joe, on August 18. After sending a message of condolence to Peggy, she wrote back to express her thoughts about the many years she shared with the love of her life and to express her appreciation to her many, many IAVM friends.

“Thank you so much for your kind note. You are truly aware of what I am going through, as I recall our conversations when your dear wife passed away.

“We both lost our best friends and soul mates. It is so surreal right now. Joe was very private about his battle with Lymphoma. He was supposed to beat it; but instead it beat him.

“I am blessed to have my family, friends,and colleagues to encourage me to have the strength to carry on.

“Joe and I knew each other for 47 years and were married for 37. He so enjoyed traveling with me to industry conferences, particularly IAVM. So many people expected to see him at the functions and expressed disappointment if he skipped one. Everyone enjoyed his company and he could always find some topic to connect with anyone at any time. I always found it amusing when he would be introduced as Joe Daidakis (instead of his name, Joe Werner). We were truly one – we did everything together, enjoyed our friendship, partnership,and love for each other. He loved so many things, but most especially the performing arts – opera, choral,and symphonic music and theater.

“I am fortunate to have a very close connection with his son and daughter and the grandsons here in Baltimore. My family and his were virtually one.”

Joseph Louis Werner, Jr., beloved husband of Peggy Daidakis Werner; devoted father of Tracy Werner Rammacca and her husband Joseph David Rammacca, and Brian Joseph Werner; cherished grandfather of Andrew Joseph Rammacca, Michael Patrick Rammacca, David Louis Rammacca, Abigail Catherine Werner, Olivia Caroline Werner, and Grace Elizabeth Werner; dear brother of James Henry Werner.

Donations may be made in Joseph’s name to Peabody Conservatory Opera department, Everyman Theatre, or BARCS, and would be appreciated.

Industry veteran and long-time IAVM member John Robertson, CVE, will retire from his position as general manager of the Charleston (WV) Coliseum & Convention Center on October 23. IAVM invited this industry legend and friend to share thoughts about his career and relationships built within IAVM.

By John D. Robertson, CVE

I started working in the public facility management industry in 1978. I can still remember my interview for the job as assistant manager. I was 26-years-old and it would be my second job out of college. I drove up to the circle in front of the building only to be followed by the police, who cited me for driving with an expired inspection sticker. The office staff were all gathered at the large windows watching my embarrassing experience.

I thought that it was the end of that opportunity. The general manager put me at ease and laughed it off.
General Manager Chuck Kinder immediately exposed me to IAVM. I clearly remember him instructing me that if we ever received telephone calls from another building to return the call ASAP because they may need information or assistance. He went on to say that we may find ourselves in the same position. I carried this through my entire career.

My first annual conference was to Houston, Texas, in 1979, and I have attended every other convention except for two years. One of the things that struck me was at the business meeting the “principal” members were seated at the front of the room and other subordinate members were seated theater style in the back. We could not speak. The industry was controlled by the good old boy network and in many locales the positions of leadership in facilities was based on who you knew and not what you knew. The organization was much smaller.

I have watched the evolution of our industry which has been so dramatically influenced by IAVM. IAVM is member-driven and has been so responsible for making this work a professional occupation. The organization has provided so much opportunity for continuing education and networking which has impacted the members. These valued opportunities have only multiplied and have contributed to our expanded membership.

In the early days we operated with a contracted association management firm on a part-time basis. We moved to the employment of a full-time executive basically working by himself. Now we have a large full-time staff capable of delivering the services that allow us to adequately respond to the needs of our membership.

We have added incentive to our membership by allowing for professional certifications. In 1990 I received the designation of CFE. At that time less than 200 members had received it. Since that time we have improved the program and encouraged public assembly facility managers to seek this career milestone. Additionally, we now offer the CVP designed to encourage and recognize up and coming industry professionals. This achievement was a crowning achievement in my career.

I was selected by my peers in District 2 to serve on the International Board in 1996-1998. During this time the Board made the decision to build our own headquarters – a significant stretch at the time. I also served under our first female Chair of the modern era, Doris Stovall. I again served as a member of the Board from 2015-2018. Doug Booher selected me to serve on the Executive Committee in 2018 and I shall forever be grateful for that experience. During those years we established a new governance process for the Association, changed the name, and hired Brad Mayne.

During my time in the industry I hosted three district/region meetings. We were able to bring together Regions 1, 2, 3, and 5 for the first time in a “Super Region” meeting which I believe has proven beneficial in providing the critical mass necessary to deliver a good educational opportunity.

Yes, I have seen an evolution in our industry and Association. This evolution has provided diversity in membership and leadership. All members now have a vote, including our valued Allied members. IAVM now is recognized as a leader among all professional associations and is a respected spokesperson for our industry.

Most of all I cherish the lasting friendships I have developed over the years from fellow members. If I needed something I knew they had my back. I met my wife Kim in 1981 while working on the Inaugural Ball we hosted for Governor Jay Rockefeller. The lives of our children have been profoundly enriched by being exposed to activities and events in “Dad’s Building.” We invested more than $140 million dollars in capital improvements during my tenure.

But probably the most satisfaction was in a letter I received from a young professional that worked in our facility. It said in part: “A boss is just one word to describe our professional relationship but you were much more to me than just a boss. You were a mentor, a leader, and a friend. I believe that when I first met you in the lobby you saw something in me that I did not know I could accomplish at the time. I hope one day I can give someone the same opportunities that you gave me.”

I cried. This is the biggest tribute we can receive. Each member probably does this each day. Be a mentor to a young professional and it will forever impact our Association.