The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by AEG Facilities, announced its straw ban during a sustainability presentation at the National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit on November 9, 2018.

The United States uses over 500 million plastic straws every day; most straws end up polluting oceans and killing marine life. The LACC, in partnership with in-house caterer Taste of LA by Levy Restaurants, will cease the use of 250,000 straws annually to protect the planet. Paper straws will be used only for blended coffee beverages until other solutions are accessible. Paper straws will also be available for those with ADA requirements.

“One of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint is by removing waste wherever possible,” said Matthew Brown, general manager of Taste of LA by Levy at the LACC. “Our goal has been to function 100 percent straw-free. One year ago, we eliminated straws from catering, which serves as 80 percent of our business. Removing straws from our cafes and kiosks was the last piece of the puzzle.”

The LACC has recently implemented additional sustainability initiatives. In August the facility upgraded to water and energy efficient dishwashers, saving an estimated 1.3 million gallons of water annually. Last month the LACC started a project replacing 330 faucets in guest restrooms; 0.5 gallon per minute (GPM) faucets are being upgraded to 0.35 GPM units, which will save approximately 415,000 gallons of water annually.

“Environmental sustainability is embedded in the LACC’s culture and permeates every aspect of our day-to-day operations,” said Ellen Schwartz, general manager of the LACC. “It is exciting to continually launch new initiatives at events like NLC City Summit that impact communities all over the country.”

The stars came to the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, to show their appreciation to our Veterans for their service and sacrifice. The event raised more than $1.2 million dollars to support veterans and their families. More than 18,000 in attendance including servicemen and their loved ones rocked to a phenomenal lineup featuring hit-laden performances by Joe Walsh, James Taylor, Don Henley, Chris Stapleton, and Haim. There was great camaraderie among the musicians – Joe jammed with James on a smokin’ “Streamroller” and then jumped up during Don’s set for “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Hotel California” before taking the stage for his set, which he started with “Walk Away” and capped off with “Life’s Been Good” and “Rocky Mountain Way.” Then all the artists came onto the stage for the grand finale performance of “With A Little Help from My Friends” led by Ringo Starr.

Drew Carey served as MC of the evening, and Tammy Duckworth joined by video sending a message of acknowledgement for her fellow serviceman. The show also included standout performances by DaNell Daymon and Greater Works Gospel Choir, who kicked off the show with a spirited “Star Spangled Banner,” and returned midway to sing “This Little Light Of Mine.”

Sponsored by Alaska Airlines, Boeing, The International Association of Ironworkers and T-Mobile, the event has grown tremendously in just one year, with the second annual Vetsaid bringing in over three times what the first event did.

“I can’t believe everybody showed up!” joked a grateful Joe Walsh. “This issue, Veterans and their families, is resonant to me because I am a Gold star family member. I lost my Dad in active duty when I was 20 months old. I also want to bring attention to a forgotten war, we are at war, and our soldiers are coming back shattered and need our support. I had to do something, and I am in a position to, so I did. We have to help our Vets with the transition back to civilian life. We shouldn’t see Vets standing by the side of a road holding up a card board sign for food and shelter. Tonight we raised money to help change that.”

Matthews Southwest Hospitality, LLC, a national hospitality industry developer based in Dallas, TX, released an initial conceptual design of the proposed headquarters hotel that would be attached to the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, giving the public a first glimpse at the proposed exterior of the $558 million addition to the city’s hospitality inventory. In addition to Matthews, the Project team includes Preston Hollow Capital, Provident Resources Group, The Convention District Development Associates, and Omni Hotels & Resorts.

Plans call for the 1,200 room Omni Hotel to be located on Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority/State-owned property connected to the Convention Center. Omni Hotels & Resorts is a market leader in the operation of Convention Center hotels in the U.S., with the addition of 5,500 rooms since 2010 in markets such as Dallas, TX; Nashville, TN; Louisville, KY; and Ft. Worth, TX. The luxury brand currently has Convention Center hotels under construction in Boston, MA, Oklahoma City, OK and soon-to-be Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Negotiations between the Authority and the Project team are in their early stages and are expected to be completed by early next year.

“Our team, working closely with Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects, is committed to building a world-class destination hotel in New Orleans that will enhance the local community and create a new destination for its visitors,” said Jack Matthews, chairman of developer Matthews Southwest.

According to an independent analysis commissioned by the Authority, the new headquarters hotel will begin generating an annual economic impact of $282 million, $18 million in new taxes for the City of New Orleans, $6 million for the State of Louisiana, as well as supporting over 1,900 new jobs. The new hotel will complement the current redevelopment of Convention Center Boulevard into a pedestrian-friendly outdoor arts and entertainment area, further stimulating additional private investment in dining, residential housing, and retail development.

“The design of the new convention center headquarters hotel has to be spectacular in order to deliver on its full potential and we are both excited and enamored with the initial design concept provided by Matthews Southwest. We are very confident that the new hotel will be a catalyst for more new development and investment in an area upriver from the Convention Center and deliver vital new taxes to the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana,” said Melvin Rodrigue, chair of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority.

The independent analysis of the project concluded that the hotel would induce significant new room night demand and dramatically improve the occupancy of the exhibit halls on the upriver end of the convention center. The pre-development terms are currently being established that will guide the formal negotiations. The new headquarters hotel could be ready to welcome guests as early as spring of 2023.

The Membership Committee is asking the leaders of IAVM to help us achieve a bigger, more diverse network. Our community is more than numbers. The venue management industry is comprised of influential individuals involved in every aspect of the sports and entertainment market. IAVM is the link to bring this unique, global community together — venue managers, our sponsors and allied partners — to have a passionate and vibrant exchange of ideas and best practices. You represent the very best of venue management. Now, it’s time to identify the next round of leaders that will propel IAVM to new heights, but more importantly, provide you with expanded connections to give you more vibrant experiences and discussions at our schools and conferences. By having a larger more diverse network, everyone benefits. We encourage you to share your unique vision and passion with the next generation to help them become trailblazers for our great industry. Encourage them to join today.

GOAL:  Our goal is to have 100% participation by our volunteer leaders.

REWARD: The committee, council or task force and individual that refers the most members will be recognized at VenueConnect in Chicago 2019.

To receive credit for your new member, ask your referral to complete these fields in the online membership application:

• How did you hear about IAVM – Enter “JustOne” and the committee you want to receive credit; important if you serve on multiple committees
  • Example: JustOne-Membership Committee
• If a person referred you, provide name:
  • Example: Alexis Berggren, Membership Committee
• One-time initiation fee will be waived because of your referral if they join by December 31, 2018.
  • Under the Payment Information, enter the promo code: JUSTONE
  • If applying for Professional or Supplier membership, only the dues will remain (savings of $150.00)

JustOne affords you the opportunity to help someone reach their potential and have access to resources that ensures their success. Encourage your colleague, star employee, customer, etc. to become a part of our unique community. Encourage them to become an IAVM member. So, get your competitive juices flowing and help us meet our goal, 300 volunteers connecting 300 new members with IAVM.

Questions, contact Member Services at 972.906.7441 and ask for Gina Brydson or Robin Covington.

By Mike Santa, CVP

Does your venue staff know how to utilize the basic lifesaving skills of CPR and AEDs? Do they even know where your venue’s AEDs are located? As I sat in a recent training for our venue staff, I was reminded of the importance of these vital lifesaving techniques.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the United States, and effective CPR provided can increase the chances of survival by two or three times. Additionally, 90% of cardiac arrest victims who received a shock from an AED device in the first minute ultimately live!

Many of our venues today have ALS or BLS medical personnel on-site ready to assist in medical emergencies, but training our frontline part-time staff can make all the difference. In fact, every minute that a victim does not receive CPR or AED defibrillation, their chance of survival decreases by 7%. If a patron went into cardiac arrest at your next event, how long would it take trained medical personnel to arrive on-scene and diagnose the problem? Having knowledgeable and trained frontline staff can save lives.

Training part-time staff on these skills can be challenging due to the sheer number of topics they need to be trained on within your venue, high turnover, and instructor ratio requirements for CPR certification. Consider the following opportunities for your venue:
• Utilize an outside organization that provides CPR training through the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or other agency. Most classes require a 1-to-8 instructor-to-participant ratio, so this can be a more expensive option. However, it usually can be paired with basic first aid training and can be great option for a full-time manager level.
• Consider having someone on your team become an official CPR instructor through an agency. Becoming an instructor requires more extensive training and experience, but many of our venues already have people who have past medical backgrounds working for us.
• Put staff through “Hands Only CPR” training. We recently provided this option for our team. While this did not give our staff the option to officially become CPR certified through one of the commonly known agencies, our university was able to provide hands only CPR training and AED training on a large-scale. We now have more than 100 people on our team able to perform basic life saving techniques.
• Work with your team on locations of AED devices within your venue. If your staff can quickly retrieve an AED for someone who is certified, it can save valuable time.

Early recognition and treatment of cardiac arrest can make a life-saving impact for your patrons. Consider getting your entire team trained to make the difference!

Mike Santa, CVP, is general manager of Indiana University Event Services in Bloomington, Indiana.