Congratulations to Karen Totaro, CFE, IAVM’s 2015-2016 chair, on being named the new senior vice president and general manager for the San Diego Convention Center!

“In our industry, the San Diego Convention Center has always been recognized as a venue at the forefront, so I am simply thrilled to be able to join such a strong team already in place with a great leader like its President & CEO Clifford ‘Rip’ Rippetoe,” Totaro said in a statement.

Totaro most recently served as the general manager of the Atlantic City Convention Center. She has also worked as the assistant general manager at the Duke Energy Convention Center, the assistant executive director of the Oregon Convention Center, and the associate director at the University of Dayton Arena.

“We are excited to have someone of Karen’s standards and qualifications join us here at the San Diego Convention Center,” Rippetoe said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming her to a facility whose purpose is to be the premiere gathering place located at the heart of a world-class destination.”

Totaro has been widely involved in IAVM leadership for many years and currently chairs the IAVM Leadership/Nominating Committee.

“As the recent chairman of the board for the 5,000-member International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), I have had the opportunity to travel extensively and nothing compares to the San Diego community in terms of warmth of spirit and creating a unique lifestyle that others only hope to emulate,” Totaro said.

Totaro begins her new job on Sept. 30, 2016.

Once again, congratulations Karen!

(Image: San Diego Convention Center)

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn. It is republished with permission.

I just completed a long, hard journey to achieve industry certification: the International Association of Venue Managers’ (IAVM) coveted designation of Certified Facilities Executive (CFE). Yes, the achievement is gratifying but the real story comes from the surprising opportunities that sprang up during the year-long work to get there.

“It is the journey and not the destination that matters.”—T.S. Eliot

To qualify for CFE exams applicants must have worked for a minimum of seven years in the top levels of public venue management: arenas, stadiums, performing arts centers, or convention centers. This was a valuable opportunity to pause and reflect on the direction of my career while gathering proof points of education and industry involvement. It was surprising that reaching out to industry professionals for the required testimonial letters resulted in an unexpected opportunity for me to join IAVM’s Senior Executive Symposium Board of Governors.

Lisanne Lewis, CFE, with CFE coach Russell Vandenberg, general manager of the Seaside Civic & Convention Center.

Completing the written essay, the next step of testing, meant writing a challenging mini-thesis on the core competencies of venue management. An interesting coincidence during the same time I was a candidate for the general manager role in our organization. The timing was perfect. Writing the essay forced an in-depth review of everything I had learned at IAVM’s Venue Management School, giving me the confidence and validation that ultimately led to successfully becoming the new general manager.

Opportunities and benefits continued to manifest as I moved further along the accreditation process. Studying for the next step, the written exam, forced me to review detailed operations material during the same time I was seeking answers to develop our strategic plan at work. Our convention centre required a more comprehensive Emergency Preparedness Plan – and suddenly there is was, all the guidelines and expert resources we needed listed in my study material.

The final step in the process was an oral interview with a panel of peers. This involved attending VenueConnect, a conference I would normally not attend and without which I would have missed forming the deeper commitment to our industry that I now feel. I gained a new appreciation that I am part of an international community of venue managers who are guided by service values, integrity, fairness, and a belief in constant learning and growth.

A venue executive who earns the CFE designation is recognized, by those inside and outside the industry, as trusted experts in their profession, skilled managers of any type of public assembly venue. You can also trust that they carry the learning and benefits of every step they took in the journey toward achieving that goal.

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival – The Hubble Cantata, July 6, 2016, Prospect Park, New York

Heads up: There’s a free webinar on Thursday, August 18, 3-4 p.m. (EST) in which IAVM’s own Mark Herrera will be speaking. The topic is on security for outdoor performing arts events, and Herrea will talk about the following points:

—Public spaces as soft targets.
—What are the particular vulnerabilities of outdoor events?
—Where to get information on potential threats; how to see indicators of terrorism.
—Ingraining in staff and volunteers a mindset of situational awareness, and freedom to respond: If you see something, say something.
—What are easy/immediate things open-air spaces can put into place to reduce risk?
—Awareness and mitigating other risks in outdoor spaces: weather, accidents, earthquake, disruptive individuals.
—How to balance having security measures/people being visible and making people feel safe, without overdoing it and making people uncomfortable.

Other speakers include Mollie Quinlan-Hayes with South Arts and Jack Walsh with the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival.

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters is offering the webinar, and it’s free for IAVM members. Register now!

(Image: Steven Pisano/Creative Commons)

Live Nation and IdentoGO are working together to make sure music fans can enter airports and venues faster, Pitchfork reported.

“Attendees at certain Live Nation events can sign up for TSA PreCheck, which enables subscribers to bypass the airport security process,” reported Pitchfork‘s Marc Hogan. “Plus, TSA PreCheck members will have their own ‘Fast Pass’ for expedited entry at these events. [A] spokesperson clarified that, contrary to reports, the partnership with IdentoGO is not for security screening purposes, and applies to only ‘a very limited number of venues and events.'”

The recent Watershed music festival was the first event to offer onsite enrollment and a fast-pass line.

“Shorter lines will be available for TSA PreCheck members during the 2016-2017 concert season at these participating venues: the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey; Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas; Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta; P.N.C. Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey; Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida; and San Manuel Amphitheatre in San Bernardino, California,” Hogan reported.

Please read “Live Nation Debuts Airport-Style Fast Lane at Music Festivals” for more on the story.

(Image: Live Nation/Pitchfork)

The recent floods in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area have left more than 11,000 people in shelters and eight people dead as of Monday, August 15.

“The number of people seeking shelter increased about 10 percent between Sunday and Monday night,” Julia O’Donoghue reported for The Times-Picayune. “There are at least two shelters in the Baton Rouge area—Celtic Media Centre studios and the Baton Rouge River Center—capable of holding thousands of people.”

Setting up cots at the Baton Rouge River Center. #laflood #lawx pic.twitter.com/Sho4jHqINj

— Julia O’Donoghue (@JSODonoghue) August 15, 2016

The IAVM family has several members in Louisiana, and we reached out to them for updates.

“We are fine in Metairie (home) and in New Orleans (The University of New Orleans and Lakefront Arena),” said Marco Perez, general manager of the Lakefront Arena. “My daughter was stuck in her apartment in Baton Rouge. She has not flooded and we do not anticipate the backwater flooding to reach her either, but that has us a little tense. My understanding is that the waters should start to go down later today, hopefully.

“Another parent was able to get to her and her roommates and safely bring them home so she is safe in her room,” Perez continued. “Her car was here at home so even that was a plus. So much devastation up there. I am blown away. This may turn out to be as bad a Katrina, but without the wind damage. The flooding is amazing. Historical proportions.”

Many other members let us know that they are OK.

“Our area of the state—along with other venues in southwest region—have been spared from flooding issues,” wrote one IAVM member. “It’s very eerie to think that we’re only approximately 40 miles away from the impacted areas.”

Another IAVM member said, “The river came out of its banks and filled part of the yard, then the river crested before reaching the house and has been receding since. Thank God we were spared this time.”

The New Orleans CVB has offered assistance by accepting donations on its loading dock:
—Non-perishable food items. Needed food items include: canned vegetables, fruit, and meats (tuna and chicken), soups and stews, beans and chili. Peanut butter, pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, shelf-stable milk. Highly nutritious items such as protein bars, Ensure and PediaSure are also needed.
—Bottled Water – prefer in palettes of 24
—Personal Toiletries
—Cleaning Supplies

The CVB team has volunteered to accept and sort donations between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. through Friday, August 19.
—All items will be sent along with the existing LRA and Second Harvest transportation in place to Lamar Dixon where authorities have requested that all assistance be filtered and where teams from Centerplate are already setting up temporary facilities to provide meals.
—We will not accept clothing donations or furniture donations, and those should be coordinated through Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office: http://www.opcso.org
—Mayor Landrieu’s office suggests offering support here: http://www.gnof.org/nolapayitforward/
—We will not accept cash donations. Anyone wishing to contribute CASH, we suggest support of Second Harvest food bank which is partnering with us on the distribution of your contributions: https://give.no-hunger.org/checkout/donation?eid=91189

(Image: Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal/Facebook)