Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco—these cities aren’t just rich with baseball history. They’re also the first three to ban smokeless tobacco in their ballparks and any ticketed ballpark event. New York, Chicago, Oakland, Anaheim, San Diego, and Toronto are on their heels and the rest of Major League Baseball may not be far behind as they aim to act as a positive role model to young fans. While many articles focus on the impact on the players themselves, it will also have a huge impact on fans and as a result, an impact on venue managers. How do these bans affect us and how do we help enforce something that is as much a part of baseball history as peanuts and Cracker Jack?

Venue managers have a responsibility to enforce their prohibited items policy and in this instance, ensuring that venues stay smoke-free including the use of tobacco. In speaking with local venue managers, there is some concern as to how we enforce something that is done so frequently and, often times, discreetly. However, it should be easy! Whatever your venue’s policy is in enforcing non-smoking, prohibited items or unruly guests, just do the same thing for tobacco users. If your ushers give a warning for the first offense and ask guests to leave after the second offense, do the same thing with tobacco. Just because it’s entrenched in baseball history doesn’t mean we can’t enforce and spearhead change.

An important aspect in enforcing any new policy is getting the message out early and often. Venue managers can work with their marketing, ticketing, and social media staff ahead of time on content and information to send out to season ticket holders and guests informing them of the new policies. Have your staff ready to explain to guests not just that the policy has changed but why. Guests are much more responsive if they understand why something is happening as opposed to telling them that they simply just can’t do something they’re accustomed to doing. We’ve seen this recently with walk-through magnetometers and soon we’ll see it with protective netting. Both are good examples of how change can be enforced and ultimately embraced by fans.

These tobacco bans can also serve as a reminder that new policies can actually help us as they are good opportunities to “get back to basics” with our game-day staff. This allows the opportunity to refresh and reinforce our training, clarify any confusion on current policies, and set a standard moving forward to include the new policies. This will also help keep your front-line staff sharp and ready to handle any incident that comes up.

For more information on the tobacco-free initiative across cities, visit this website http://tobaccofreebaseball.org/content/.

(Image: Eric Kilby/Creative Commons)

In-building wireless coverage and capacity has become akin to a building utility. Today’s wireless subscribers expect anytime, anywhere access to mobile data services and weak signal strength or “dead spots” in and around your buildings won’t be tolerated.

As you make tremendous investments in wireless infrastructure, strategy and planning for the future is paramount, as the technology options, solution providers, and business models available to you constantly evolve.

Get your grounding and keep pace with the dynamic nature of wireless coverage and capacity solutions at the DAS & Small Cells Congress which, for nine years, has been the No. 1 event for in-building/outdoor distributed antenna systems (DAS), small cells, and carrier-grade Wi-Fi solutions.

The event attracts 600-plus senior executives and decision makers from wireless carriers, third-party infrastructure owners, system integrators, equipment manufacturers and solution providers, and the heads of IT and technology from building owners and managers across industry verticals.

Whether your wireless project is at the conception stage, in contract, design, installation, or start up, the DAS & Small Cells Congress is a must attend. It features a comprehensive and substantive conference agenda that addresses the business and technical challenges and opportunities. The extensive exhibit hall offers you a “one-stop-shop” to learn about the latest technological advances available and identify potential project partners. There are also a number of organized networking events for you to meet with and learn from other building owners/managers, in addition to representatives from wireless carriers and service providers.

Deep discounts and group rates are available for enterprise representatives to attend. For full details and to register, visit www.DAScongress.com or call 888-224-2480. IAVM members – use this code (P10-999-IAVM16) when registering to qualify for an additional 10 percent off your registration fee.

National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver spoke at the 2016 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference as part of the SXsports convergence track. And because it was at SXSW, his discussion with moderator CNN’s Brian Stelter focused primarily on technology.

“I often find myself using my app more than my TV,” Silver said when asked about his viewing habits.

One app stood out for Silver: Twitter.

“The best way to replicate an arena experience is through social media,” he said. “You can get the same ooh’s and ahh’s via Twitter.”

Silver spoke about how the NBA wants to be on the forefront of technology and how the league is utilizing virtual reality (VR) to market itself and grow audiences.

“There’s no way, yet, that people are going to sit for two-and-a-half hours with a VR headset on,” he said. “But everyone wants a courtside ticket, and not everyone can afford it. Arenas are also broadcast studios for us since most people will never step foot into one of our venues.”

And since the league and arena audiences are growing, offering VR is a way to meet the growing demand for content.

Silver reassured that any new technology the league experiments with will not take away from the live experience of attending a game.

“Arenas are a form of the modern town hall,” Silver said. “People sill have a hunger for a communal experience.”

For more than 30 years, Pollstar has been the Concert Industry’s leading business trade publication. Pollstar manages the world’s most extensive international database of concert tour information and industry contacts, providing reliable and accurate news, box office summaries, route book itineraries, and research for industry professionals.

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The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) is pleased to announce Jimmy Earl, CFE, senior associate director of the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, as the recipient of the 2016 Charles A. McElravy Award. The McElravy Award, named in honor of one of IAVM’s founding organizers, Charles A. McElravy, was initiated in 1963 and is granted for extraordinary contributions to the Association and the professional venue management industry it serves.

“Receiving this award is very special to me. To be recognized by peers is the highest honor one can achieve; however, it takes an incredible amount of support from many to accomplish this,” Earl said. “I wish to acknowledge all who have helped along the way—family, mentors, staff, colleagues, friends, and countless others who have been so generous with their time, wisdom, and knowledge. I am humbled and grateful beyond measure to receive this award.”

The award will be presented during IAVM’s annual conference and trade show, VenueConnect, July 23-26, 2016, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Jimmy Earl, CFE, is a man with a giant heart and a giant passion for IAVM. He inspires me and so many of us in the industry each and every day,” said Karen Totaro, CFE, general manager of the Atlantic City Convention Center and 2015-2016 IAVM Chair. “A huge highlight of my year as Chair for IAVM was having the opportunity to advise Jimmy of the unanimous vote by the Board of Directors to extend the McElravy Award to him. Join me in a toast to one of our most esteemed colleagues, Jimmy Earl, CFE!”