By Barbara Cosio Moreno

The San Diego Convention Center Corporation announced that Todd Temple, a decorated special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been selected to lead its security team.

Temple will start with the Convention Center as the Director of Public Safety and Guest Services on April 2, 2019. He is replacing Josh Layne, who is leaving his role after 12 years of service.

Temple is a 22-year FBI veteran, serving as the current Crisis Management and Special Event Coordinator of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. During his FBI career, he served as a Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) of the San Diego Division’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Division’s Critical Incident Response Team.

Temple managed the division’s crisis response programs, which includes Command Post Operations, Special Agent Bomb Technicians, Special Events, and the Evidence Response Team. Within Special Events, he was responsible for FBI resources and response capability for large-scale special events in the City of San Diego, including Comic-Con International, the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, 2017 Breeder’s Cup, Rock n Roll Marathon, Big Bay Boom, San Diego County Fair, and the Miramar Air Show.

Prior to his role in the FBI, Todd worked for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for six years.

“I am truly looking forward to joining the team and working for a world-class convention center,” Temple said. “I am excited and feel blessed for the opportunity to join such a highly recognized and respected organization in San Diego.”

Temple is a San Diego native, born and raised in El Cajon and a graduate of Valhalla High School.

“Here at the Convention Center, we are San Diego,” said Clifford “Rip” Rippetoe, CVE, President & CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation. “At the heart of our facility are San Diegans who choose to work here every day. It makes us proud to know that Todd, with his incredible resume of service and duty, is choosing to work here and help us protect and secure the venue for everyone who gathers here.”

“We are so pleased to have found a candidate of Todd’s caliber,” said the Convention Center’s Chief Operating Officer Karen Totaro, CVE. “Not only does he bring years of experience and training, but a true understanding of the value in building strong relationships with our community, our customers, and our guests.”

Temple said that having a structured network of established local, state and federal partners is essential to venue safety and security. That is why he will be joining the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM) in addition to his role as head of security for the Convention Center.

Rippetoe is currently the 2nd Vice Chair of the IAVM Board and Totaro is a past IAVM Board Chair.

Barbara Cosio Moreno is Executive Director, Communications & Outreach at San Diego Convention Center Corporation.

Thirsty? All it takes is a text message! The Cleveland Cavaliers and Aramark, the food and beverage provider for Quicken Loans Arena (The Q), announced fans in designated sections of The Q during Cavs and Cleveland Monsters (AHL) games are able to use Apple Business Chat to place orders using their iPhone’s Messages app to have the menu items delivered directly to their seats. The Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena are the first NBA team and arena to pilot the service.

Apple Business Chat allows fans to utilize the speed, simplicity, and convenience of text

messaging to order and pay for menu items without downloading a special app. The testing of this service at The Q is the latest example of Aramark’s commitment to identify new and innovative ways to leverage modern technology to re-imagine various aspects of the in-arena food and beverage experience. The service will be available for the remainder of the Cavs and Monsters 2018-19 home schedule.

With the ease of a text message, Cavs and Monsters fans sitting in the lower bowl of the arena will be able to purchase select beverages (beer and water) from the comfort of their seats using their iPhone. The pilot program will run through the end of each team’s season.

Ordering is simple*:
Open the iPhone Camera app
Scan the QR code on the seat back
Follow the prompts on the Messages text screen to place order
Complete transaction with Apple Pay
Enjoy the game while order is delivered to seat location

*To utilize the service, iOS 11.3 or higher and an Apple Pay account are required.

Aramark was the first sports concessionaire to pilot this modern mobile ordering service using Apple Business Chat, when it experimented with the technology during the 2018 baseball season.

“The intersection of technology, service and convenience continues to motivate us, and we’re pleased to be working with our partners at Aramark on this innovative approach to ordering,” said Nic Barlage, Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena President of Business Operations. “Finding a way to provide an enhanced game experience with much easier and faster ordering capability for our fans adds another convenient feature at The Q that we’re proud to pilot for the remainder of the Cavs and Monsters season.”

“We’re excited to be piloting this new service offering at Quicken Loans Arena. With more people using their mobile devices for everyday transactions, we’re continually searching for innovative ways to incorporate digital technology into the food and beverage experience,” said Kevin Kearney, District Manager, Aramark’s Sports & Entertainment division. “The integration of Apple Business Chat with the ordering process is not only fan-friendly and easily accessible, it’s reflective of fans’ changing expectations and behaviors and we’re looking forward to Cavs and Monsters fans giving it a try.”

Claude Molinari, general manager of SMG/Cobo Center, announced that Cobo Center has achieved recertification to the Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Accepted Practices Exchange/American Society for Testing and Materials International (APEX/ASTM) Sustainable Meeting Standard for venues.

The Cobo Center Green Committee is also in the process of attaining LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification with the U.S Green Buildings Council, a venue rating for design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings with environmental responsible practices that utilize resources efficiently.

Cobo’s sustainable operations gained the attention of the trade show industry and the facility was chosen as the site of this year’s Sustainable Brands (SB’19) conference. Detroit’s main convention and exhibition venue was the host site for Sustainable Brands’17 Detroit, and will again host the event June 4-6 this year.

“Sustainable Brands is excited to continue to partner with suppliers and venues like Cobo who demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices. Cobo’s commitment to innovation and sustainability has demonstrated how leadership and teamwork can achieve very high goals,” said David Fiss, CMP and director of business development and event strategy for Sustainable Brands. “Doing so helps our event meet our sustainability goals, educate our attendees, and encourage other suppliers to the meeting and events industry to do the same. A sustainable event is more thoughtful and creates a better participant experience.”

A number of leading companies and organizations will be supporting the Sustainable Brands event, including Ford Motor Company, the Dow Chemical Company, BASF, General Motors, Nestle, NSF International, The Erb Institute for Global sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan and the Detroit Experience Factory.

“We continue to make strides in improving the sustainability of our offerings, including a new post event donation program,” Molinari said. “Getting recertified to the APEX/ASTM Green Meeting Standard and hosting Sustainable Brands for the second time signals that our efforts are truly world class.”

When looking at any space both interior and exterior you should consider how lighting will affect performance and mood.

• Poor lighting can cause eye fatigue and headaches
• Bright lighting stimulates our mind (which is why it’s great for task illumination) but excessive contrast can create eye strain
• Dim lighting can cause eye strain
• Natural lighting through windows and skylights has calming effects on our minds and emotions but has the ability to create excessive contrast
• Flat lighting (low to no contrast) makes it very hard to tract a moving object, this is especially a concern for high speed sports like tennis and hockey
• Poor natural lighting can trigger depression and has a negative effect on our immune systems when exposed over a prolonged period of time
• Uncovered globes, unfiltered LEDs or exposed light sources can actually cause irritation due to glare and or extreme contract.

We always recommend working with a trained lighting professional when lighting areas that are critical to your operations. Many lighting fixture manufactures have lighting designer on staff to help create the best lighting for your needs. You should also consider hiring a professional lighting designer for critical areas and or events.

When working with a manufacturer and or a consultant ask about the three key items that effect lighting and how these three can help improve performance in your space;

1. The quality of the light source (color, flicker, beam spread, quality of color spectrum).
2. The quantity of light (is the light enough for the task, what is the contrast between lit areas and non-lit areas, how will this affect the performance or mood).
3. Location of lights relative to all stake holders and how will affect the performers, athletes, audience, broadcasters, clients, patrons, etc.

Most of us don’t put much thought into the way light might be affecting our mood. But if you find yourself smiling on sunny days or feeling more creative with the lights turned down low, it’s no coincidence. The different kinds of light we’re exposed to can have a real impact on our emotional health and wellbeing. Light can even have an effect on the performance of athletes. The amount and wavelength of light affects the different functions of the brain, including the regulation of a person’s thoughts and feelings. With this knowledge comes a realization that simple adjustments in lighting to your space can make a lot of difference to the way a person thinks and feels. Ultimately you want everyone from staff, patrons, performers and athletes to have the best experience possible and good lighting is a step closer to that goal.

Jim Sanfilippo is the President of Nila, Inc.

Bob Skoney, long-time IAVM member and for the last 25 years general manager of the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, is retiring after more than 40 years with the iconic venue.

I moved here 42 years ago and found it so much to my liking I never left,” Skoney said. “After all, it’s Music City USA and The Nashville Auditorium has done a lot of concerts over the years which I really enjoyed as a side benefit of my job.”

Skoney calls himself “an old failed Bass guitar player,” before adding that “When the house lights go down, the show lights come up and the audience applauds. That’s my paycheck.”

Skoney joined IAAM as it was known in 1977 and has attended just about every International Conference, Arena Management Conference and District meetings.

“I have made great connections with my colleagues in other cities who mentored me in ways that I’ll never forget,” he said. “Great guys like Cliff Wallace, Todd Hunt, Terry Butler, David Ross, Al Antee, Bobby Highsmith, Charles Starks, Elisa Putman, Russ Simons, and David Kells, just to name a few.”

As for the impending retirement, it’s time for some fun and family.

“I will spend more time, bass fishing, snow skiing, traveling, and having fun with my wife, Lesa, of 30 years. After 42 years at one building, it’s time.”

As for his venue and colleagues in the industry, the people will miss Bob Skoney.

Skoney’s history with the venue actually dates to 1977 at a time when the facility served as pretty much Nashville’s only building to play to audiences of more than 9,000. Did they ever play, as a list including the likes of Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Jackson 5, Linda Ronstadt, and Bob Dylan attest.

As the city built and splashy professional sports venues arrived on the scene, the auditorium faced new challenges which Skoney, of course, met head on to serve even more diverse programming including minor league hockey, basketball, cheer, dance competitions, rodeo, and circus.

In essence, even in evolving times Skoney and the facility opened its doors to the community to present events to keep people coming back.

The venue is now the ripe age of 56, and still relevant in the community. Post Malone and Paramore played the Auditorium last year, and it even served as rehearsal space for Weezer earlier this year.

The history of Skoney’s home venue also lives on, thanks to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum moving into the floor beneath the stage level and with it an array of rock artifacts.

The legacy of Bob Skoney will also always live on in Nashville.