Puerto Rico Convention Center Authority Executive Director Omar Marrero announced that the island’s main convention center and Dr. Pedro Rosselló hosted Puerto Rico’s National Baseball Team homeland welcome on March 23 after the team received the silver medal at the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles.

The team didn’t win gold but were welcomed home as champions.

A sea of Puerto Rican flags greeted the team when the plane landed at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The display was followed by a press conference where the players and managers received a heroes reception from government officials representing Puerto Rico’s Governor, Dr. Ricardo Rosselló, who couldn’t be there to celebrate but was present during the team’s final game.

After the airport reception, a victory parade led by two large buses headed toward the PRCCA for the welcome ceremony. All throughout the eight-mile route, Puerto Ricans greeted the baseball players by waving flags, chanting, and showing their love and appreciation. Once the parade stopped at the convention center an impressive line-up of local artists, singers, and musical groups entertained more than 12,000 overjoyed locals.

The baseball team showed their gratitude by taking pictures with fans, signing autographs, and addressing the Boricua crowd. “It was a magical night at the PRCCA for the country and its people. This small island is full of talent and pride; the turnout today illustrates the unity of our people and the heart of Puerto Rico,” said Marrero Díaz, executive director of the Puerto Rico Port Authority.

The Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority and AEG invited PRCCA neighbors “Casa De Niños Manuel Fernandez Juncos” (CNMFJ), a non-profit charity that shelters orphan boys, to be special guests at the ceremony. Children from the ages of 8 to 18 were greeted by director Marrero and Jorge Perez, general manager of the PRCCA, who gave them a tour through the PRCC facilities and took them backstage to meet Puerto Rico’s National Baseball Team.

“This is a historical moment in Puerto Rico’s history, and we are honored to share this memorable experience with the boys of Casa Manuel Fernandez Juncos,” Perez said.

Tricia Gonyo, vice president of sales and marketing at VenuWorks, was nominated by The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a candidate for its 2017 Man & Woman of the Year (MWOY)
national campaign.

Candidates of the MWOY campaign have 10 weeks from March 9 through May 20 to raise funds for LLS blood
cancer research in honor of local children who are blood cancer survivors, the Boy & Girl of the Year. The
titles are awarded to the man and woman who raises the most funds during the 10-week campaign.
Funds raised through the MWOY campaign are used for research, patient access and policy and advocacy.
Gonyo accepted the nomination in honor of her daughter, Ashley, who was diagnosed with Leukemia in
2013.

“On February 20, 2013, I heard the words that are every mother’s worst nightmare – ‘Your daughter has
cancer.’” Gonyo said. “While in treatment, Ashley represented LLS as the 2014 Girl of the Year. After 26 months of
treatment, Ashley won her battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To say it was a long, difficult
road would be an understatement. Ashley’s diagnosis and treatment affected our family, our friends and
our community.

“LLS is dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer
patients. The funds raised during this campaign will make a difference.”

The 2017 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man & Woman of the Year kicked off on March 9. Winners will be announced at the Grand Finale Gala on Saturday, May 20. For more information on the campaign, please visit www.triciagonyo.com or contact Tricia directly at (515) 240-7137.

The IAVM iCommit campaign was created in 2012 to enable our members to identify and encourage potential venue management superstars as new members. As a result, our network has become larger and everyone benefits from a collective sharing of smart practices across all venue types. Due to the great response of our annual recruitment campaign, we added 148 new members to our membership. We thank all of our members who helped support this effort!

The winners are: 

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By Chelsea Johnson

The University of Phoenix Stadium is unlike any other stadium in the country. With its retractable roof and field, and critically acclaimed space design, the venue is sure to be a perfect match for this year’s 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournament.

Located in Glendale, Arizona, the stadium has been transformed into a fully functional basketball arena for the tournament that will start on Saturday, April 1. Designed to be a multi-purpose facility, the University of Phoenix Stadium has certainly held its own when it comes to versatility in sports – but it has never hosted a basketball event of this size or configuration before. To assist in the conversion from a football stadium to a basketball arena for this anticipated event, Staging Concepts helped supply equipment along with the Colonnade Group and other partners.

Since 2008, Staging Concepts has helped the NCAA transform these spaces by customizing a seating riser and supports for each venue, which maximizes sight lines and creates a world-class fan experience. Around 5,200 seats were removed to allow for additional temporary seating to be built for the game. This year, Staging Concepts provided almost 5,000 platforms which allowed temporary seating to be built for almost 17,000 patrons. Additionally, Staging Concepts provides over 1,000 SC9600 Frames and supports that support the risen floor, allowing better sight lines and an overall excellent viewing experience for the audience. Guardrail, aisle rail, step units, frames and accessories accompany the platforms to create a reliable and impressive riser system.

Staging Concepts was thrilled to return to the Final Four Tournament again this year to continue providing customized systems to enhance the experience for each venue. Check out upcoming tournaments below where you will see our equipment again!

Alamodome-San Antonio, TX- 2018
US Bank Stadium- Minneapolis, MN – 2019
Mercedes-Benz Stadium- Atlanta, GA – 2020
Lucas Oil Stadium- Indianapolis, IN- 2021
Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans, LA – 2022

Chelsea Johnson is a marketing specialist for Staging Concepts

Think TicketsWest and you have to think of Jack Lucas, founder of the Spokane, Washington-based company in 1987. Thirty years later, Lucas said that while his zeal and passion for the business remain, the timing was right to pass the presidential torch to Dusty Kurtz, who assumed leadership of the company on March 26.

“When we started TicketsWest in 1987, we had a goal to be the best ticketing company that we could be,” Lucas wrote in an email to close industry colleagues. “As I now reflect back on 30 years, and realize the significance of where we started and where we are currently at in our history, I am thankful for the many team members, both current and those in the past, that have helped to make TicketsWest into a national brand, and one of the premiere full service/full enterprise ticketing solutions in the United States.

“I am so fortunate that for the past 30 years I have had the great joy of being part of this history. To this day, I still enjoy and look forward to walking through the front door each and every day. I must confess, after 30 years, I still love what I do, and still have a passion for my work.

“But after 30 years, there comes a time when you have to pass the torch on to someone else, and let them lead and create the vision for the next 30 years. I have finally made that decision.”

While announcing the promotion of Kurtz, who had served as the company’s vice president since 2010, Lucas said that he will remain as president of WestCoast Entertainment.

“Dusty has had a great career with TicketsWest and has worked alongside me as my vice president for the past several years,” Lucas said. “I can state without reservation that Dusty is ready to take TicketsWest to the next level. Dusty is ready to create the vision and the strategy to position TicketsWest for the future. There isn’t anyone that I would want to have lead TicketsWest than Dusty Kurtz. He is honest, forthright, a hard worker, and provides all of the skills and experience needed to lead TicketsWest.”

Lucas said that he looks forward to devoting more time to WestCoast Entertainment and to expand the business into other regions while growing the business into a more recognizable national brand.