Educators from Title I schools and programs will pick up free books on Sept. 6 for the Pennsylvania Convention Center’s Big Book Giveaway.

In honor of their 25th anniversaries, the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) and the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit social enterprise First Book are teaming up with Philadelphia-area hospitality partners to donate 40,000 brand-new books to programs serving children from low-income families in Southeastern Pennsylvania. PCCA Vice Chair Heather A. Steinmiller championed bringing First Book to the Philadelphia region with the goal of helping to eliminate one of the many hurdles to learning – access to books. Up to 300 educators and program directors, who are registering in advance, will receive 100 to 150 free books for children in preschool programs through high school. The books will be distributed directly to the educators through the efforts of more than 100 volunteers from across Philadelphia.

Those involved in the project include Gregory J. Fox, Esq., Chairman, PCCA; Heather A. Steinmiller, Esq., Vice Chair, PCCA; John J. McNichol, President & CEO, PCCA; Anna Anderson, Senior Director, Strategic Alliances, First Book; and educators from schools and children’s programs across Southeastern Pennsylvania.

The community effort is possible through the generous efforts of PCCA’s hospitality partners including Aramark Corp., Elliott-Lewis Corp., International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (Local 8), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 98), International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (Local 405), Laborers’ District Council of the Metropolitan Area of Philadelphia and Vicinity L.I.U.N.A., Laborers International Union of N.A. (Local 332), and facility manager SMG.

First Book transforms the lives of children in need. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education – making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources, to sports equipment, winter coats, snacks, and more – affordable to its member network of more than 375,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 175 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families in more than 30 countries. Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org.

When the Golden Eagles fans of Tennessee Tech University return to Tucker Stadium, they will be greeted by new LED displays engineered and installed by Daktronics. The company will also install a new sound system to add to the game-day experience at the stadium. Installation is wrapping up in Cookeville, Tennessee, and will be unveiled when the football team kicks off their home schedule on Thursday, September 6.

“The game-day experience for Golden Eagle fans will be enhanced significantly with the video and audio system from Daktronics,” said Mark Wilson, Tennessee Tech Director of Athletics. “I appreciate the work of everyone involved in this project and share the excitement of our student-athletes, coaches, recruits, and fans.”

The new end zone display will measure 30 feet high by 80 feet wide and an upper ribbon-style display mounted above the end zone display will measure 5 feet high by 83 feet wide. Both displays will feature 16-millimeter line spacing to bring excellent image clarity and contrast to fans throughout the seating bowl of the stadium.

“We are excited for Tennessee Tech to unveil the new system this fall at Tucker Stadium,” said Kyle Adams, Daktronics region manager. “It will be a very dynamic addition to the stadium and the fans all over Tennessee will be able to enjoy it for years to come.”

The main display is capable of variable content zoning allowing it to show one large image or to be divided into multiple windows. It can show any combination of live video, instant replays, statistics and game information, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.

A custom outdoor audio system will be integrated with the video and scoring system at Tucker Stadium. It will provide full-range sound reproduction and deliver clear and intelligible speech for a powerful audio experience.

Fixed-digit scoreboards are included in the installation to ensure fans receive all the pertinent game-day statistics they expect throughout the game. Locker room clocks are also being installed to keep players and coaches informed while away from the field.

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center successfully conducted a Fire Drill on July 30 in cooperation with the New Orleans Fire Department. The 350 staff members of the Convention Center participated in the exercise in order to demonstrate their understanding of emergency evacuation procedures.

The emergency scenario simulated a kitchen fire in one of the employee break rooms. The alarm was sounded at 9 a.m., the building was evacuated, and the drill was ended just over five minutes later. This exercise demonstrated how convention center staff can assist our guests in the event of an emergency evacuation.

“We’re happy with the performance of the Convention Center staff during the fire drill,” said Mark Kaufman, Director of Public Safety for the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. “Our preparedness in emergency situations is a priority for us as we continue to assist first responders in any way we can.”

In May, the New Orleans Fire Department toured safety-critical areas of the convention center to become familiar with its fire prevention, detection, and emergency response initiatives. This fire drill is yet another step in the convention center’s long-standing initiative to keep its guests and staff safe.

It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the passing of Edward “Ed” Cohen on Saturday, August 25. He was 62 years of age. The former Senior Vice President for Event Operations with the WWE was a face often seen at IAVM events, particularly VenueConnect, to which he often brought top billed wrestlers to provide entertainment.

“IAVM members knew Ed as a formidable professional who wanted what was best for WWE, and he needed information on his time frame,” said Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM President and CEO. “Those of us who knew Ed personally, knew him as a friend and a mentor whom we greatly respected. We offer our saddened hearts and heartfelt sympathies to Cheryl and their families, filled with memories of great times and success created by our friend Ed Cohen.”

Cohen spent more than twenty years with the WWE, during which time he was vital to the organization’s rise to prominence during the 1980’s – 1990’s.  He was vital in establishing the touring brand, schedule, and securing venues for many of the WWE’s most successful events, such as Wrestlemania III at the Pontiac Silverdome.  Throughout his career with the WWE, Cohen was responsible for booking thousands of dates for live events at arenas and stadiums across the globe.

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl, a longtime IAVM member and former WWE colleague of Ed’s. Her work in the venue industry continues as a marketing executive for the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

Cohen’s funeral will be held Wednesday August 29th at 9:30am in Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Street, Providence, RI. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Providence Animal Rescue League, 34 Elbow St, Providence, RI 02903 or to the CharterCare Foundation, 7 Waterman Ave, North Providence, RI 02911.

 

 

(First posted as a Walton Arts Center blog)

Mark Herrera, IAVM director of education, and Paul Villotti, director of life safety for Henderson Engineers, came to Northwest Arkansas to lead Trained Crowd Management Phase 2 classes for staff at each of its venues, Walton Arts Center and the Walmart AMP. In addition, the event drew representatives from local churches, police, fire, schools, sports venues, theaters, museums, clubs, restaurants, community arts organizations, and event organizers

Walton Arts Center has more than 100 employees and contract security staff who have completed IAVM’s Trained Crowd Manager Program and are certified. As an organization that can host hundreds of thousands of visitors during a season, it’s important to have the staff at each venue trained and ready to handle any situation.

Herrera also led a three-hour Situational Awareness-Mindset training which gives venue operators the observational tools they need to be safer and more secure.

“We knew we wanted all of our staff to go through this situational awareness training, and we had the capacity to accommodate more people, so we opened the training to more than 40 community organizations, businesses and local law enforcement,” said Nick Zazal, director of events and patron services at Walton Arts Center.

Community members were invited to participate in the training free of charge.

“We appreciated WAC taking initiative to share this experience with the arts and venue community,” said Kathleen Trotter, executive director of the Arts Center of the Ozarks. “It was informative and certainly something we all need to address to keep our communities safe.”

Herrera’s training emphasizes risk mitigation through customer service, active shooter preparedness, media relations during a crisis, all practices that are applicable to a wide variety of businesses and organizations.

“I thought it was a great experience,” said Summer Fallen, airport services manager for the city of Fayetteville. “The speaker approached the subject from a realistic standpoint and made me question my personal plan of action, as well as the plan for my employees.”

There was common feedback from participants that having the correct mind set is imperative to surviving emergency situations.

“I found it informative with the emphasis on ‘mind set’ and what your responsibilities are and what your actions should be,” said Matt Partain with the Fayetteville Police Department. “I’m a firm believer in being prepared, and this training can put you on the path to being prepared. I’m asked many times what can I or we do to recognize a threat and I tell them attend training like this.”