Robert “Bob” Johnson, President and General Manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, concluded his impressive 46-year facilities industry career on September 25, 2017 – his 70th birthday. Johnson has served as the facility’s senior director since 2007.

To celebrate Johnson and his legacy, employees, colleagues and friends gave him a true New Orleans-style send-off complete with a traditional brass band and a second line parade. There was much clapping, dancing, handkerchief waving, singing, cheering, and even tears, as Johnson exited the building for the final time.

Johnson has led the nation’s 6th largest convention and exhibition hall through numerous renovations and improvements, including the addition of the $52 million Great Hall and Julia Street entry plaza. Most recently Johnson has been the primary visionary and driver behind the facility’s planned renaissance of Convention Center Boulevard to include a more pedestrian-friendly linear park, as well as the development of a series of mixed use hotel, residential, entertainment and hospitality and retail complexes onto upriver acreage owned by and adjacent to the Convention Center. These over $1 billion in improvements and investments are expected to be game changers in New Orleans’ effort to stay competitive in the meetings and convention industry.

“Bob Johnson has been instrumental in every major advancement undertaken by the Convention Center over the past 10 years,” said Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Chair Melvin Rodrigue. The entire state’s hospitality industry is deeply indebted to Bob for his leadership and tenacity in helping to make our Convention Center one of the most utilized and recognized in the country.”

Among Johnson’s notable accomplishments are his leadership of the Convention Center’s recovery and ultimately, the City’s hospitality industry’s recovery following the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. The Center’s occupancy has returned to pre-Katrina levels and the City’s recently announced record number of visitors reflects that level of business improvement. Johnson has led several industry- pioneering initiatives including Center owned and produced events, a widely recognized customer excellence program and owning its own UPS Store franchise among others.

“I’ve had the most enriching career a venue manager could want through my early years at the Dome and culminating with my time at the Convention Center. Through my work, I’ve traveled around the globe but promoting New Orleans has always been my passion,” Johnson said. “I could not be more proud of what we have accomplished during my tenure at the Center, which is blessed with the most dedicated staff of any venue.”

Johnson’s venue management career spanned 46 years beginning in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he graduated from Wake Forest University. Prior to joining the Convention Center staff, Johnson opened UNO’s Lakefront Arena which became recognized nationally as a leading concert venue of its size. He had a distinguished career with global facilities management company SMG, including a 10 year stint in New Orleans as the General Manager of the Superdome where he oversaw the hosting of NCAA Final Four Tournaments, Super Bowls, a Republican National Convention and the Papal visit.

Johnson is a long-time active member of IAVM and was a founding member of the New Orleans Sports Foundation.

Finalizing an agreement first announced in August of this year, Thailand Carpet Manufacturing Plc. (TCM) has completed their acquisition of Tai Ping Carpets’ commercial business. The deal marks Tai Ping’s strategic exit from the volume & machine-made commercial market to focus on its artisan roots, while firmly positioning TCM and its Royal Thai Brand as the world’s largest producer of Axminster carpeting. TCM also announced that it has named Tai Ping executives Bill Palmer and Mark Johnson as co-CEOs of the new Commercial Business.

The transaction resulted from an alignment of interests between two of the carpet industry’s global giants. In recent years, as Tai Ping’s portfolio had
expanded to include six individual carpet brands across multiple sectors, a consensus arose among the Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed corporation’s
board of directors that, strategically, the company would benefit by narrowing its focus to a single area of targeted growth. The acquisition will consolidate the 1956 by Tai Ping brand under the Royal Thai banner, while Carpets Inter, with its strong brand equity in the carpet tile market, will continue under that name focusing on the corporate sector within the TCM organization.

This direction enables the commercial businesses to continue flourishing with renewed importance under new ownership while the proceeds of the sale will
serve to fuel Tai Ping’s recommitment to the core artisan business on which it has built its name for over 60 years.

In TCM, Tai Ping found a buyer who was already keenly focused on ramping up its flooring business, spearheaded by its signature commercial carpet brand, Royal Thai. The two companies also share a history of parallel interests and mutual cooperation dating back to 1967, when they joined forces to launch a carpet manufacturing business in Thailand (which Tai Ping eventually divested in 1999).

Commenting on the transaction, Sir Michael Kadoorie, representing the company’s major shareholders, said, “Collectively the commercial divisions of Tai
Ping have been one of our great successes of the past decade. Their value is a testament to the hard work and resourcefulness of our managers, and we felt strongly about leaving them in good hands. Having known and worked for decades with the Srivikorn family, the major shareholders of TCM, we have full faith that TCM, under the leadership of Chairman Mr. Pimol Srivikorn and his excellent team, will foster growth on a global scale and take these businesses to even greater heights.”

Echoing these sentiments, TCM Chairman Pimol Srivikorn added, “This year marks TCM’s 50th anniversary, and I can think of no better way to mark the
occasion than by staking our claim to global leadership of the commercial carpet markets. We welcome Tai Ping’s outstanding commercial team to the TCM family and are committed to giving them the resources and support required to achieve even greater successes.”

Architecture and design firm Perkins+Will announced that Denver-based Sink Combs Dethlefs, a national leader in sports, recreation, and entertainment architecture, has joined the firm. Denver now becomes the home of Perkins+Will’s 24th design studio.

The merger, which significantly bolsters Perkins+Will’s visibility in the Rocky Mountain West region, is part of the firm’s strategy to meet growing global demand for design that promotes holistic human health and well-being.

“The biggest driver behind the union of our two firms is the increasing focus on designing for ‘full-circle’ health and well-being—that is, giving people the opportunity to be active, fit, healthy, and happy at every point on the continuum of life experience,” said Perkins+Will CEO Phil Harrison. “Together with Sink Combs Dethlefs, we can deliver creative, research-driven solutions to meet this demand, while providing superior client service—a shared hallmark of our practices.”

Founded in 1962, Sink Combs Dethlefs’ projects include the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse at the UCHealth Training Center, home of the Denver Broncos, in Englewood, Colorado; the University of Michigan Crisler Arena renovation and William Davidson Player Development Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan; the Chesapeake Energy Arena renovation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania; and the visitor and conference center at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

The merger comes at a critical time in the architecture, design, and construction industry, where historically distinct project typologies, disciplines, and practice areas are now blending in both form and function, and where health and well-being are considered paramount. For example, academic buildings are adopting active workplace design trends; corporate interiors are borrowing design elements from health and wellness centers; healthcare facilities are taking design cues from the hospitality sector; hotels are incorporating aspects of sports and recreation; athletics and entertainment facilities are serving as community anchors in walkable, mixed-use urban developments; and so on.

By combining firms, Perkins+Will and Sink Combs Dethlefs can cross-pollinate services to meet these overlapping market needs.

“This ‘blurring of the lines’ is a powerful emerging trend in the world of design, so it’s an exciting time to be leading the way forward,” saod Don

Dethlefs of Sink Combs Dethlefs, now chair of Perkins+Will’s expanded Sports, Recreation, and Entertainment practice. “By blending our areas of expertise, we’re able to provide clients—no matter what sector they’re in—with fresh, forward-thinking solutions that prioritize fitness, health, and well-being.”

Known for designing arenas and event centers, collegiate athletic facilities, community recreation centers, civic centers, and spectator venues, Sink Combs Dethlefs naturally expands Perkins+Will’s range of client service offerings.

This is particularly true in the higher education sector, where Perkins+Will is an established leader in the design of student centers, research facilities, academic buildings, administrative centers, and residence halls, as well as in campus planning, and where the firm’s portfolio of athletic centers is now starting to grow.

It is also true within the urban design sector, where Perkins+Will’s Cities and Sites practice is global leader in creating dynamic, animated, health-conscious cities, and where sports and entertainment arenas are increasingly becoming catalysts for economic growth in downtown mixed-use districts.

“The addition of Sink Combs Dethlefs’ highly specialized talent and expertise will be a great boon to our clients around the world, and will certainly open new doors for us,” said Harrison. “Already, many of our most valued and long-standing clients have expressed their excitement about the merger and are eager to explore the possibilities.”

By the same token, Perkins+Will’s expertise across a dozen practice areas, combined with its worldwide network of talent, greatly diversifies the types of services that Sink Combs Dethlefs can offer.

“As one firm, we now have shared access to all of the talent and resources that meet our clients’ needs,” said Andrew Barnard, former president of Sink Combs Dethlefs, now managing director of Perkins+Will’s Denver office. “The client experience will be smoother, simpler, and more efficient. The quality of work and caliber of design, which have always been high, will be amplified. And the level of personalized client service, which has always been exceptional, will reach new heights. We see this as all very positive.”

Event industry veteran Paul Sergeant announced the formation of Paul Sergeant Events Pty Ltd (PSE), a Melbourne-based management company specializing in securing and promoting niche events in Australia. Sergeant, former head of several major Australian and international venues including Wembley Stadium, Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena), Suncorp Stadium and Etihad Stadium, believes “there is an array of quality, niche event content around the world that is seeking to expand beyond its own boundaries but doesn’t necessarily have the resources or knowledge to take on a move into Australia” and has set up PSE to do just that.

Another core function of the organization is providing advisory services to the right’s owners of fringe sports’ events and venues within Australia who often require a helping hand to support their growth.

Sergeant stepped down from his role as CEO of Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium in 2016 and in forming PSE has brought together a team of experts that include CFO Chris Charleson, Head of Commercial Sarah Brady, and Head of Operations Glen Rainsbury. “I’ve always worked on the basis that you need to know where the talented people are and these people are among the best in the industry here in Australia. Chris, Sarah and Glen are highly respected across the sport and entertainment business internationally. They know what they’re doing, have immense experience and aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and make things happen,” Sergeant said.

The experience of the PSE team is spread across the world. Sergeant was the former boss of Wembley Stadium and Millennium Stadium in the UK, as well as Suncorp Stadium, Allphones Arena and Etihad Stadium in Australia. Charleson, a chartered accountant, was the former COO/CFO of Ticketek and Nine Events based in Sydney while Brady headed up many consumer business and sport presentation departments at an array of sporting clubs including the Brisbane Lions, South Sydney Rabbitohs and GWS GIANTS. Rainsbury has held a combination of sales and operational roles at Brisbane Entertainment Centre and The Gabba as well as with the Royal Horticultural Society with the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows in London.

Collectively, the PSE team has the commercial and operational experience of dealing with more than 10,000 major events across a 37-year period, including indoor and outdoor sporting events, concerts, religious gatherings, festivals, functions and conferences.

More recently, the PSE team formed the core management team that proved to be a major success at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. “During the three and a half years we worked together we secured and successfully delivered a vast array of massive international events including the world record breaking UFC193, Australian Speedway Grand Prix, Edinburgh Military Tattoo as well as concerts by Coldplay, Adele, The Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift and many others,” Sergeant said.

The Las Vegas Convention Center is currently being used to help in the aftermath of the Sunday night shooting that has left 59 dead and more than 500 injured during an outdoor country music festival.

Amanda Arentsen, communications manager with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), spoke with IAVM to update on the use of the venue following the attack that resulted in the deadliest mass-shooting in the United States.

“Right now, the South Hall is being used as a resource center for victims and their loved ones,” Arentsen said. “That is also where donations are being collected. We have such a tremendous outpouring of assistance at this time. The County, who is handling logistics of the center, is the best resource for determining what help is needed most at this time. Earlier today, they were encouraging people to offer volunteer services.”

For resource information, please click here.

The LVCVA added the following official statement from President/CEO Rossi Ralenkotter: “The thoughts and prayers of all of Las Vegas go out to the victims and their families. This was a horrific, yet isolated, incident. At this time, it is important to allow the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police to conclude their investigation into the incident and to attend to the needs of the victims and their families. Las Vegas is a strong community that will work through this tragic incident. We are grateful beyond words to our incomparable law enforcement, first responders and everyone who continues to help victims and their families.”