These are selected news articles that showed up in our inboxes on Monday morning that we want to pass along to you.

Street View Now Shows You the Inside Of Sports Arenas and Stadiums (AndroidPolice.com)
“The feature is not limited to any one sport. In an announcement post, Google shows such views as the 40-yard line of CenturyLink Field, (Seattle Seahawks)….”

Big Top Gala in Palmetto Raises More Than $250,000 for Cancer Research (Bradenton Herald)
“It was just the second year the cancer society has partnered with Feld, and Karr said the partnership and opportunity to hold the event in Feld’s massive headquarters was a key element of the gala’s success this year.”

Live Nation Reports $7.2 Billion in Revenue for 2015 (Billboard)
“The company cites on-site advertising as its prime growth driver for the year, with growth in that division at 17 percent for the year.”

4 Secret Plans Unveiled for a Cultural Center in Downtown Miami (Miami Herald)
“Miami Dade College’s purchasing office told developers they wanted projects to include a 3,000-seat conference center, 1,600-seat performing arts theater, and a museum around 100,000 square feet in size.”

K-State Athletics Announces Clear Bag Policy for Next School Year (KUSports.com)
“…the goal of the new policy is to provide a safer environment and speedier entry into venues.”

(Images: Google Maps/AndroidPolice)

VenuWorks plans to produce theatrical events under the banner VenuWorks Theatricals, led by IAVM member Steve Peters, VenuWorks founder and president, and Michael Londra, an international singer and producer.

“In 2014, VenuWorks joined the ranks of Broadway producers. This afforded me involvement in an area that I am quite passionate about – producing shows,” said Steve Peters, VenuWorks founder and president, in a statement. “VenuWorks Theatricals is something that I have dreamed about creating for years. With Michael’s partnership and the business plan we have established, I could not be more excited about the future of VenuWorks Theatricals.”

VenuWorks Theatricals’ first project is a Christmas musical titled NOËL, written by Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer with music by Liam Bates. It will debut at the National Opera House in Ireland on December 19, 2016, with plans for a U.S. premier in 2017.

VenuWorks Theatricals will also produce a Michael Londra national tour in 2017.

“I have always enjoyed producing as much as performing in events. Working with Steve while producing and performing was an opportunity that I could not pass up,” said Londra in a statement. “I am excited to produce new shows for Broadway, to bring artists and theatrical events to the Midwest, and to collaborate with the entire VenuWorks team.”

Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is selling the naming rights and commercial sponsorships for the London Convention Centre (LCC) in Ontario, Canada.

“Spectra has an outstanding reputation in London for their many successes at the Budweiser Gardens,” said Lori Da Silva, general manager and CEO of the London Convention Centre Corp., in a statement. “With their incredible resources, their knowledge of London and the Province, and their ability to identify the best sponsors for the right situations, this is a win-win situation for the LCC and Spectra. The naming rights partner will be integral in the economic growth and subsequent improvement in the physical property.

“We are always exploring new strategies that will help us generate revenue for the London Convention Centre,” Da Silva continued. “Spectra’s Corporate Partnership Services is a leader in valuing, soliciting, and negotiating naming rights for an assortment of clients worldwide. Their experience and expertise in this field will assist us in developing potential additional revenue for the convention centre.”

The LCC plays host of up to 400 annual events, contributing up to CAN$20 million to the local economy each year. The center is an internationally certified AIPC Gold Standard venue offering more than 63,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space.

“The naming rights to the London Convention Centre presents a significant opportunity for a business partner to integrate their brand into a venue that has become so important to the people of southwestern Ontario,” said Spectra’s Liam Weseloh, regional vice president for the company who will lead the team’s efforts in securing the naming rights in London, in a statement. “Not only will the naming rights partner receive millions of unique impressions from the local community, but will also have the ability to showcase their products and services in front of hundreds of organizations from around the world who will visit and use the centre.”

(Image: Facebook)

The IAVM Foundation is proud to announce the Joseph A. Floreano Scholarship + Internship Program recipients for the 2016 Performing Arts Managers Conference (PAMC). The awards recognize deserving individuals who demonstrate leadership, character, community involvement, and the potential to be future leaders in the venue management industry.

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Between IAVM’s Academy for Venue Safety and Security (AVSS), GuestX, and SevereWeather Preparedness (currently underway), and the safety and security session at Pollstar, venue managers and security professionals have recently shared a tremendous amount of insight and resources with one another.

The Pollstar panel, moderated by Eric Colby (AVSS faculty), featuring Lee Zeidman (STAPLES Center, Microsoft Theater, L.A. Live); Jim Mercurio (Levi’s Stadium); Captain Phil Cooke (Super Bowl 50, Santa Clara Police Department); and Cory Meredith (Staff Pro), explored lessons learned and smart practices shaped by recent incidents affecting the safety and security landscape.

Fresh off of Super Bowl 50, Mercurio and Cooke described an operation of massive proportions, including 15,000-plus credentialed staff and crew, 200 magnetometers, and more than 1,000 calls for service (janitorial, medical, etc.) during the game. To supplement the onsite operations, a situation room monitored everything from area traffic to social media content and global events (social media tracking led to preventing a few attempts by guests to access the field).

The relationship between visible and invisible security was a significant point of discussion during the session, and monitoring social media content associated with an event is one example that was shared of the emerging ways that venue teams are supplementing traditional frontline security. Having visible police with a sidearm remains an important deterrent, but as the panel discussed, an invisible layer of security and support behind them is an important aspect of modern security.

Three Ways to Improve Your Venue Safety and Security

During the session, Zeidman shared three very accessible ways that every venue manager can improve their safety and security.

1. Foster Great Relationships With Law Enforcement

“We host training sessions in our venues, have weekly meetings to cover upcoming events, and share extra tickets to games and events with the police and fire departments whenever we can,” Zeidman said.

2. Table Top Exercises

At Zeidman’s venues, issues such as earthquakes, bomb threats, and active attacker scenarios are worked into staff exercises that engage all staff positions—with Zeidman emphasizing all staff.

Similarly, at AVSS and GuestX this week, all attendees participated in IAVM’s American Airlines Center Experience. Developed by Paul Turner, CFE, CSSP (AT&T Stadium) and Ed Klima (Dover International Speedway), the event included a table top exercise for more than 200 attendees—immersing several small groups into focused discussions on managing various aspects of a large rigging accident occurring during a concert.

“The exercise enabled the entire group to collaborate on multiple aspects of a very plausible scenario,” Turner said, “And it equipped everyone with a great example of how to coordinate training exercises with their own teams back home.”

3. Improving Visibility

Following the Paris attacks, Zeidman shared that he expanded the use of K9 Units to include public areas around the venue instead of primarily focusing on vehicle searches in private areas. Improving visibility, and doing so consistently, is very important to Zeidman, regardless of the type of event or the makeup of the crowd attending.

“People want to see a show of force because they want to feel comfortable and safe,” Zeidman said. “And it shouldn’t change because the event changes. I’m not going to be the one who allowed something to happen at a certain event because we downplayed a security plan.”

As both the session at Pollstar, and the sellout crowd at AVSS show, venue safety and security is demanding more attention and training than ever, and will undoubtedly continue to draw us together for new thinking and ongoing collaboration to ensure a vibrant, safe, and secure future.