Have you been inspired by your experience with IAVM? Have your professional knowledge and network grown because of your IAVM participation? Are you looking for a way to ‘pay it forward,’ share your enthusiasm for our industry, or influence the future of our association? If so, the IAVM Board’s Leadership Development Committee is seeking nominations, including self-nominations, to fill three openings for a two-year team, beginning at VenueConnect19. Leslee Stewart, CVE, Brad Gessner, CVE, and Erik Waldman, CVE, the current sector directors of Performing Arts, Convention Centers, and Stadiums respectively, will be completing their terms at VC19, creating the three openings that the Leadership Development Committee is seeking to fill. Thanks to these three venue professionals for their committed leadership on the Board of Directors for these past two years.

If you are interested, or would like to recommend a member for these roles, you can access to nomination guidelines and the application by clicking the buttons below. The deadline for application for consideration is October 31, 2018, and completed applications can be emailed to IAVM’s Director of Governance, Rosanne Duke, at rosanne.duke@iavm.org. Any questions about the process or eligibility can also be directed to Rosanne Duke.

Our association is only as strong as its members and volunteer leadership, so please consider sharing your ideas and insights by volunteering for one of these important positions. Continuing to enhance our engaged volunteer leadership model focused on delivering member benefit is vital as we actively work to build a more inclusive and diverse association. Please join us!

Doug Booher, CVE
Immediate Past Chair, IAVM Board of Directors
Chair, Leadership Development Committee

The Right Furniture Lets You Breathe Easier

When you sit down for a conference or banquet, are you aware that the furniture in the room could be harmful to you not only from a structural standpoint, but also from an air quality perspective?  Indoor air quality is a term used to describe the breathing environment within a building and how it relates to personal health. Many factors contribute to the overall indoor air quality of a room, including the furniture. 

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) play a major role in determining indoor air quality. VOCs are released into the air and can adversely affect your health in a variety of ways, ranging from eye, nose and throat irritation, to headaches, nausea and even cancer.  Do you know where your furniture is being manufactured? While the United States has policies in place to control the use of VOCs in manufacturing, many other countries do not. Even within the U.S., not all manufacturers are committed to the reduction of VOCs in their seating. Also, when purchasing furniture make sure that it is GreenGuard certified helping to ensure high indoor air quality.

Eileen Kulish is an Allied Member and the National Accounts Manager for MTS Seating

The Events Industry Council (EIC) announced preliminary results of an unprecedented worldwide study on the economic significance of face-to-face business events.

The Global Economic Significance of Business Events, conducted by Oxford Economics, is the first-ever comprehensive study on the impact of business events. The research was made possible by a ground-breaking industry collaboration with the EIC in partnership with IMEX, Hilton, the MPI Foundation, and the PCMA Education Foundation.

The trillion-dollar (USD) outlay reflects the direct spending attributed to planning, producing, attending and/or hosting business events which include meetings, conferences, conventions, exhibitions, and incentive travel. As a commercial engine, this would rank the business events sector alongside consumer electronics in terms of size and scope.

“IMEX America, which brings together more than 13,000 of the industry’s leading decision-makers and influencers, is the ideal place to share the powerful effect business events have – economically, socially, and culturally,” said Tina Wehmeir, CMP, CAE, Chair, Events Industry Council. “This research will be a critical tool in demonstrating why business events are key to growth and development in every corner of the world.”

In 2017, business events brought together more than 1.4 billion participants in over 180 countries.

The EIC expects to make the full research report available on its website November 9, which will also include the total economic impact of business events, including jobs and GDP, as well as ranking of the top 50 countries. EIC is also sharing the link via #BE1TrillionStrong.

Events Industry Council CEO, Karen Kotowski, CMP, CAE noted, “The Global Economic Significance of Business Events offers a compelling snapshot of the broad reach, scope and strength of our industry. The findings will help us tell a more complete story of how and why business events serve as a major economic generator. We are especially fortunate that industry champions Hilton, IMEX, the MPI Foundation and the PCMA Education Foundation made it possible to quantify the real value of business events.”

The City of McAllen, Texas, has hired Yajaira Flores as its new director of the McAllen Convention Center Facilities, which includes the McAllen Convention Center, the McAllen Performing Arts, and Oval Park and Quinta Mazatlán. Flores has more than 15 years of experience in public assembly facility management, strategic event planning, and event marketing and is regarded as a driving force behind some of the Rio Grande Valley’s largest events and promotion initiatives.

“We are so excited to have Yajaira leading our Convention Center Facilities, bringing her unique perspective and professionalism back to McAllen, to continue to make our event and entertainment facilities the place to be for conferences, shows, festivals, and events,” the city said in a release.

Through the years, Flores has fostered partnerships with event promoters, city leaders, and the community to see events developed from initial planning stages to realization. She spearheaded the grand opening of the Bert Ogden Arena in her role as director of booking and marketing for Bert Ogden Arena and H-E-B Park.

She previously spent nine years working for the City of McAllen for the Convention Facilities Department which included the McAllen Convention Center, McAllen Performing Arts Center, and the old McAllen Civic Center Auditorium. In this role, she led the booking efforts for the new Performing Arts Center in its opening season. Beginning in 2014, Flores has served as Adjunct Professor for the College of Business Administration – Marketing Department where she uses her expansive network to empower and educate marketing students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg.

In addition to her B.B.A, Yajaira obtained a master’s degree from the University of Texas – Pan American in Business Administration and is a 2018 graduate of VMS. She is a member of several professional organizations including IAVM, Meeting Planners International (MPI), International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA), International Festivals and Event Association (IFEA).

A man choked to death when his shirt got caught in an escalator in a New York subway.

The 48-year-old man was found unconscious on top of the escalator with part of his shirt caught in the machine and the neckline choking him.

Officials have named him as Carlos Alvarez, according to media reports.

The authorities had been called to reports of a man behaving erratically at the Intervale Station in Longwood, southwest Bronx. They arrived at the station at around 3:45 am on Sunday, October 14.

Police were able to cut the shirt off the 48-year-old man and took him to Lincoln Hospital, but he later died.

Surveillance video captured Alvarez trying in vain to free himself, WPIX/Channel 11 reported.

The New York Post quoted an unnamed Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker as saying it was “an accident” and that “somebody fell and went all the way up.”

A witness, Giovanni Fernandez, told the tabloid that passers-by had tried to help the man, saying, “When I got off the train, I saw the guy stuck on the escalator. A lot of people were surrounding him [and] he was at the top. I saw the blood [near his head]. His head was split open. All you see is this guy sprawled face down.”

MTA spokesman Shams Tarek said the “tragic and unusual incident” was under investigation.

IAVM’s Academy for Venue Safety & Security is an excellent source of safety training for incidents including those on escalators. For registration information about the 2019 AVSS, click here.