Keynote Speaker Daymond John entertained a packed room of attendees during Saturday’s Opening General Session at VenueConnect 2016, telling them the world needs venue managers now more than ever before.

“You’re way more important than you’ll ever understand,” John said, reminding them that in a troubled world it’s entertainment and communal gatherings that help raise people’s spirits.

Touching on his thought that “every aspect of business is selling experiences,” John offered his “Five Shark Points” to help attendees remember what they should do or how they got to the places they are in life.

1. Set a goal: “We become what we think about most of the time,” John said.
2. Homework: Study and know what has happened in the past and how it will affect you in the future. Know your industry inside out.
3. Amor: “Love what you do, but love your family more. Consider how you’re offering experiences at home,” John said.
4. Remember you are the brand: Be aware that everything you do is available to everyone else in this social media age.
5. Keep swimming: Never stop moving toward your goals.

John presented his points as he told attendees his life story accompanied by a DJ who played old-school hip-hop and rap songs. John’s showmanship was on full display, and the crowd loved it.

After his address, he walked the trade show floor and met with several exhibitors, illustrating once again he recognizes the importance venue managers have in delivering experiences to others.

(Image: Bruce Challgren)

More than 100 attendees participated in “The Impact of New Gun Laws on Public Venues” workshop at VenueConnect on Saturday, July 23. Andy Jabbour, founder and president of Gate 15, facilitated a panel featuring Russell Read, CFE, CMP, vice president of Operations at AT&T Performing Arts Center; Marcus Travis, guest and security services manager at the Minneapolis Convention Center; Frank Ingoglia, IAVM’s research manager, and Mark Herrera, IAVM’s director of education. The goal of the workshop was to educate attendees about recent gun laws and their impact on venue operations.

Ingoglia opened the workshop with select research findings from the “Firearms in the Venue Study” by VenueDataSource. For example, 66 percent of states have permissive open carry laws, 41 percent of venues that serve alcohol on premises in a state that prohibits open carry are still compelled to allow open carry, and 33 percent of venues have had to increase security due to open carry. The full presentation will be shared on Sunday, July 24, during a Fireside Chat in booth #1347 from 1:10-1:30 p.m.

Following the study presentation, panelists shared their experiences dealing with gun laws.

“Depending on where in Texas, for example, the law is interpreted differently,” Read said. “And it will take a long time and legislation to fix the law.”

Many workshop attendees also shared their thoughts and experiences about the gun laws.

Sherman Bass, CFE

“If it’s important enough for NFL fans, it should be important for fans of Disney on Ice,” said Sherman Bass, CFE, general manager of the Amarillo Civic Center Complex in Texas, comparing how sporting events are excluded from open carry laws compared to other events.

David Causton, regional vice president of the SMG Convention Center Division and general manager of McCormick Place in Chicago, suggested that IAVM help define what a venue is.

“We should work with other coalitions to help the venues be excluded,” Causton said. “We should advocate for a certain security designation.”

IAVM’s Industry Affairs Council is currently working on a position statement regarding the new laws and public venues, and it welcomes member input.

Herrera closed out the workshop by reminding attendees to be very strategic on how they manage their events.

“You need to profile,” Herrera said. “Not people, but behavior. Encourage frontline staff to be aware of unusual behavior.”

(Images: Bruce Challgren)

This year, the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) leadership made three distinct decisions that have changed the associations’ course that has its members excited.

The first decision was the hiring of a new president and CEO—the long-standing, forward-thinking industry leader Brad Mayne, CFE.

The other two, critical decisions are the interwoven “Re-Brand” and “Conference Strategy” initiatives, both of which have been a year in the making.

“It was essential that the new IAVM brand have many fingerprints on it—and it does. Hundreds of members provided input along the way, and months of collaboration with the staff and leadership of the association ensured that the final outcome would embody the passion, commitment, and contributions of the great collective of people at the heart of IAVM,” said Lauren Wanski, design manager with Gensler’s brand and analytics studio in Chicago.

“While our ‘Re-Brand’ highlights who IAVM is and where we are going, it resulted in the driving promise of ‘inspiring leaders, building expertise and CREATING CONNECTIONS FOR LIFE’—what an impactful way to truly share what IAVM is all about,” said Karen Totaro, CFE, 2015-016 IAVM chair.

In turn, the “conference strategy” is focused on just that statement as it builds on some very key goals:  Protect the intimacy and focus of the sector conferences, preserve the cross-sector networking and knowledge sharing enabled by VenueConnect, secure the IAVM marketplace as a thriving hub for Allied and Professional connections, grow the relevance and value of the overall conference experience and, finally, provide the opportunity to integrate private meetings into the design of the conference in future years.

“I’m most looking forward to the strong focus on sector tracks. This structure will make it easier for me to justify in my budget attending the conference or sending my team members to the conference,” said Erin Jepson, CMP, 2016-2017 chair of the VenueConnect Program Committee. “The opportunity to participate in an event that brings the incredible minds that plan each of the sector conferences to the VenueConnect planning table is an opportunity not to be missed next year in Nashville.”

All three decisions had very inclusive processes to ensure IAVM members’ voices were heard.

“The results are better for it,” Totaro said.

IAVM’s 92nd annual VenueConnect will be held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Aug. 7-9, 2017.

VenueConnect 2016 attendees volunteered to help clean up local Minneapolis parks on Friday morning, July 22, before the conference began. The volunteers pruned rose bushes, pulled weeds, and cleared undergrowth at Lyndale Park and its four gardens.

Landmark Event Staffing Services and PROjection Presentation Technology sponsored the project. Please check out some photos below of the day’s activities.

[Show as slideshow]

(Photos: Rob Price)

iCommit, IAVM’s member referral campaign, is in full swing now. Goal: If every member strives to add just one new member, we could DOUBLE our membership; currently, we have 5,083 members. Realistically, we are targeting a minimum of 300 new professional members by December 31, 2016. With the addition of the Group Membership program, these numbers are very attainable—all new members will count towards your referral total. If you know of a venue in your community that is not a part of IAVM, encourage them to consider Group Membership. As of today, 113 active venues participating as group members. Do you have interns, students or young professionals working for you now? Encourage them to become a part of our network.

What’s In It For You?

More members means more collaboration, a bigger and more diverse network for you, and a greater pool of experts to create inspiring and motivating educational content. Besides feeling good about supporting your association, for each new member you refer, your name will be entered into a raffle to win one of five, $500 Apple gift cards to apply toward the purchase of any Apple product, sponsored by Ungerboeck Software International. The more members you refer, the more chances you will have to win. *The gift cards will be mailed to the winners in January 2017.

Prizes

• The grand prize will be a complimentary registration to VenueConnect 2017 in Nashville (value $895).
• Win one of five, $500 Apple Gift cards – receive one raffle entry for each new member you refer.
• The IAVM region that adds the most new members will have one CVP application fee waived; the Region Director will choose the recipient within that region.
• The campaign ends December 31, 2016.

• List your name in the Application Section titled, “Who Recommended IAVM To You/How Did You Hear About IAVM?”
• Enter “iCOMMIT” in the Promotional Code field in the Professional/ Allied Membership Application.
• For new members only, the $150 one-time initiation fee will be waived, if applicable*

Hurry! Start referring new members today. Contact me or Summer Beday, member care manager, at 972.906.7441 for a copy of the recruitment tool, “Why be a member of IAVM?” – for speaking points to encourage prospects to join.

We value and appreciate your support of IAVM!

(photo credit: SimpleSkye via photopin cc)