David Osterhout, known universally as simply Dave O, is turning in his keys after nearly three decades as the facility manager for one of America’s largest meeting places, Houston First’s George R. Brown Convention Center.

Osterhout, 69, retires on April 28 with a celebration joined by coworkers, clients, partners and many other friends. His first order of business in the new life of leisure will be to head to his lake house north of Houston to gather with family, including his daughters and grandchildren.

“Dave O is irreplaceable. Someone will succeed him but nobody will replace him,” said Luther Villagomez, Houston First’s chief operating officer who opened the GRB in 1987 and has worked side-by-side with Osterhout since 1989.

“There is not one square inch, not one aspect of operation, in this convention center that Dave is not intimately familiar with,” Villagomez said. “He has been the driving force in every capital project over the years and his input has been critical to the success of new construction projects and operational improvements.

“Dave is widely respected by colleagues in the industry, appreciated by our clients and admired by his coworkers. We will miss him.”

Osterhout’s tenure in the George R. Brown started when the downtown convention center had four exhibit halls totaling just 450,000 square feet. Today, the building has 1.8 million square feet under roof, including 770,000 square feet in seven exhibit halls.

He was integral in both the Phase II expansion in 2004 and the most recent Phase III renovation. Being a key liaison with the George R. Brown’s construction partners as well as administering in-house partner contracts, Osterhout’s keen insight and operational knowledge was unparalleled.

Osterhout was also a mastermind of operational efficiency. Through his guidance, the George R. Brown earned its original LEED certification in 2011, under the requirements set for existing buildings. To retain that status in 2016, the George R. Brown had to meet recertification criteria for energy savings, CO2 emissions, waste recycling and indoor environmental quality.

Not only did Dave O. manage every aspect of the GRB’s operation, but he has also touched countless events. He was a warehouse of knowledge about the behind-the-scenes workings of large-scale events and kept their many moving parts on track. He was essential to the success of the massive Super Bowl NFL Experience in 2004 and 2017, Texaco Grand Prix, American Public Transportation Expo, and International Deli Dairy Bakery, just to name a few events.

Dave is a proud graduate of Purdue University, holding an associate degree in food service technology & design and a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management. He was a general’s aide in the U.S. Army before going to work for Aramark (previously known as ARA Services). His tenure at Aramark started at the Indianapolis Convention Center in 1973 as the assistant manager of food service and ended in 1983 as the general manager of food service at the Summit/Compaq Center. He had stops along the way at Houston’s Astroworld, Astrohall, Astro Arena, San Francisco’s Cow Palace Arena and London’s Wembley Stadium complex, where he was the opening general manager.

SMG announced that it is bringing a piece of New York history to Jacksonville, Florida. The private management firm has secured a traveling exhibition dedicated to telling the groundbreaking story of Dance Theatre of Harlem. Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts, will be on display at the Ritz Theatre and Museum for an extended stay that began on April 15.

In the aftermath of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, African-American dance pioneer Arthur Mitchell co-founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem School in 1969 to ignite positive social change and dispel the belief that ballet could not be performed by those of African descent. The Dance Theatre of Harlem company officially debuted in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum in 1971. It has since grown into a multicultural dance institution of unparalleled acclaim, with a legacy of providing opportunities for creative expression and artistic excellence that continues to set standards in the performing arts.

In the last 44 plus years, the professional touring company has performed in 41 states and 40 countries on six continents. The renowned ballet company, school’s history, powerful social and artistic impact is brought to life through the exhibit’s more than 165 rare costumes, set pieces, historical photographs, tour posters, video excerpts and design sketches. The exhibit also includes four dramatically-staged ballets that are iconic to the company: A Streetcar Named Desire, Creole Giselle, Dougla and Firebird.

“It is a true honor for the Ritz Theatre and Museum to host an exhibition that shares such a compelling story of empowerment and defiance of racial stereotypes,” said SMG Jacksonville General Manager Bill McConnell. “Northeast Florida is home to many prolific dancers who helped pave the way as members of this iconic troupe. The Ritz Theatre and Museum is proud to provide Jacksonville with the opportunity to learn more about these artistic trailblazers and this storied dance company.”

The exhibition is thoughtfully divided into sections that allow the viewer to walk through a history of Dance Theatre – from photographs and stories about co-founders Mitchell and Karel Shook, to the forming of the school and progression to a professional company, and a repertoire that includes contributions from a myriad of choreographers over the years, including George Balanchine.

Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts is organized by Dance Theatre of Harlem, California African-American Museum and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C. The exhibition will be on display at the Ritz Theatre and Museum through July 31.

The gritty city of Detroit is known for many things. It’s the Motor City, the Arsenal of Democracy, and the birthplace of Motown. It’s home to four major sports franchises: the Tigers (MLB), the Lions (NFL), the Pistons (NBA), and the Red Wings (NHL). It’s the fourth largest city in the Midwest and now, it’s home to the largest SkyDeck™ tension wire grid in the world.

A tension wire grid is a woven wire walking surface supported by a steel framework. “The idea was developed over the course of several projects,” said Mark T. Black, owner and president of InterAmerica Stage, Inc. “We were dealing with limited structural capacity of the roof framing over here, safe overhead access over there … the solution to those problems was SkyDeck™.”

“For years, I’d been thinking of how perfect SkyDeck™ would be in large arenas for overhead access,” Black said. His vision came to fruition with the renovation of the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, CA, in 2013. When the Forum opened its doors in 2014, the 34,000-square foot grid was the largest SkyDeck™ tension wire grid in the world. InterAmerica beat its own record with the Little Caesars Arena’s full-coverage grid. Comprised of 372 modular panels that weigh in around 205,000 pounds, the grid covers over 43,000 square feet. It took approximately 81 miles of aircraft cable to create the walking surface.

Greg Fecher has been designing for InterAmerica for five years. He now has the distinction of designing the first and second largest tension wire grids in the world. Fecher jumped at the opportunity to travel to Detroit back in October 2016 to observe the beginning of the grid installation. “I don’t always get to see what I’ve designed in real life,” Fecher said. “It was impressive watching the panels go up to form the grid.”

Located in the Woodward Square neighborhood of The District Detroit, Little Caesars Arena is scheduled to open in September 2017.

View of the arena floor through SkyDeck™ during construction. Photo courtesy of Joe Martin, IAStage’s Onsite Installation Supervisor at Little Ceasars Arena.

When current IAVM members begin voting on May 19 on the One Member, One Vote initiative, former IAVM chair Robyn Williams, CFE, knows how she will cast her lot. Her vote will look different than it did three years ago.

“Although I voted against the initiative brought forward in 2014, I support the One Member, One Vote that is coming before the membership now,” said Williams, executive director of the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts. “My past concerns were primarily around who could serve as Chair of the Association and those concerns have all been addressed with the minimum years of senior venue management experience and CFE requirements. I believe our Association will only grow stronger with a vote that is more inclusive and includes our Allied, Honorary, Retired and Associate members. The fear that we are moving away from being a professional association toward a trade association seems unfounded to me and history seems to have proven me right.”

The initiative coming up for a vote by members follows extensive study, review and open discussion over the last two years, at which point the IAVM Board of Directors voted unanimously to bring forward proposed changes to the bylaws that would make the Association more inclusive and diverse in its decision making. As a means to incorporate the perspective of all IAVM members, these changes would allow every member of IAVM equal opportunity to engage in the Association through the right to vote. These proposed changes must be approved by two-thirds of the current voting members of IAVM.

“I remember the ‘early’ days where those of us not in the top position at our venue had to sit at special tables in the rear of the room,” Williams said. “I remember the pushback against allowing anyone in venue management to become a member regardless of their position in a venue. And, I remember the fear of allowing faculty members and students in as members.

“Now that we all sit together with venue staff from all levels of our organizations and we have students participating on panels and faculty members writing our textbooks and Allied members serving on all committee types, you know what changed? We just got better, smarter and more professional in how we do our jobs. I believe this change will allow us to continue doing just that. If we really value our members, they should have a voice in our organization.

“That is why I am supporting the One Member One Vote initiative.”

For more information about the One Member, One Vote initiative, please click here.

Kentucky Venues signaled its commitment to increasing revenue and sales opportunities with two new hires of a chief revenue officer for Kentucky Venues and director of sales for the Kentucky International Convention Center. Both executives are development and sales industry veterans.

“This is the beginning of a strong sales initiative for Kentucky Venues,” said Jason Rittenberry, president and CEO. “We are focused on aggressively increasing revenue streams, identifying new areas of revenue and seeking new business. These new hires are leaders in revenue and business generation, and we look forward to them joining our strategic team May 1.”

Gary Friedman, chief revenue officer, is charged with increasing revenue for the Kentucky Exposition Center, Kentucky International Convention Center and in-house produced events, which include the Kentucky State Fair, National Farm Machinery Show, North American International Livestock Expo and Kentucky Hoopfest. Friedman most recently served as general manager of Louisville Arena Sports and Entertainment Properties at the KFC Yum! Center, and is experienced in college-level athletic promotions and sponsorships.

Patrick Gregory, director of sales, is tasked with recruiting downtown convention and meeting business for the Kentucky International Convention Center. Experienced in hospitality management and having worked with properties in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Cleveland and Jeffersonville, Indiana, Gregory most recently served as director of resort parks for the Kentucky State Park system.

“The Kentucky International Convention Center’s expansion allows us to pursue and sign not only more business, but more types of new business,” said Rittenberry. “Gary and Patrick have the experience and expertise to boost our revenue and client base, accomplishments that will benefit not only Kentucky Venues, but the entire Louisville business community and beyond.”

In another personnel move, Kentucky Venues’ Executive Budget Director Kevin Moore was promoted to chief financial officer. Formerly with Louisville Metro Finance, Moore has been with Kentucky Venues since 2013, and will continue to provide strategic financial leadership. Rittenberry said he is “confident in Kevin’s expertise and acumen. He is certainly deserving of this opportunity and promotion.”