Thank you members, partners, sponsors, and volunteer leaders for helping make 2015 an eventful year at IAVM! We’re grateful for all of the great things that happen when we work together, and we look forward to where that will take us in 2016.

It’s that time of year again as our Leadership/Nominating Committee prepare to select the 2nd Vice Chair for IAVM who will ascend to the role of Chairman of the Board in 2018!

Could this be you? Thanks to all the hard work our Governance Committee has put in this year, they have made the criteria and process as simple and as transparent as possible. Click to see the criteria and application.

IAVM is the “mothership” of all we hold near and dear in this industry that we love. Why not truly become a part of molding its future? Since day one, the IAVM’s leadership has been a strong force in ensuring we live by our mission: “To educate, advocate for, and inspire public assembly venue professionals worldwide.” If those words resonate with you, then this may be the perfect role for you.

Our volunteers give so much of their time and talent to working alongside our IAVM CEO and staff so that we work as one to produce the best deliverables we can. Our membership continues to grow and strengthen the quality and depth of those joining us in our passion for venue management. Won’t you consider helping us lead this industry that has given you so much?

Please consider applying for the role of 2nd Vice Chair today. The deadline to receive completed applications is January 31. Let this be your 2016 resolution!

I look forward to seeing your name in the mix. Happy 2016!

A certain science-fiction movie opened over the weekend, but not every droid wanted to see it. For example, this little guy just wanted to go see Jersey Boys at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas.

Starting in April 2016, six teams will compete in the inaugural season of the Professional Rugby Organization (PRO Rugby) with a goal to add multiple Canadian teams in 2017.

As the fastest growing team sport in North America, franchises have already been announced for Sacramento, San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia, where their teams will play in stadiums such as Talen Energy Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Union (MLS) with 18,500 seats, or Bonney Field, home of Sacramento Republic (USL) with 11,000 seats.

“You have to build from the ground up,” said Nigel Melville, USA Rugby CEO. “There’s a world to get this started, everyone’s keen to get onboard and help and start building the competition in the sport, and I think we’ll have great success.”

In addition to launching the new PRO Rugby League, USA Rugby was also selected to host the 2018 Rugby World Cup that will take place at AT&T Park in San Francisco and Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California. There will also be an international women’s sevens series at Kennesaw State University in April 2016.

“Hosting the World Cup will bring the sport to the doorstep of the American sports fan and will continue to grow the game,” Melville said.

Major League Soccer launched in 1996 after the U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup, and the league just celebrated its 20th anniversary by averaging over 21,000 fans per game. Where will PRO Rugby be in 20 years?

“With the completion of the record-breaking 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, and the reintroduction of the sport into the 2016 Rio Olympics, now is the time to launch,” said Doug Schoninger, PRO Rugby CEO.

(Image: Andrew A/Creative Commons)

The U.S. Congress approved a tax law change that would incentivise investment in live theater, much the same way film and TV industries benefit from tax tax benefits.

“The tax law change, part of a bill that President Obama is expected to sign, would provide an incentive for investors in live theatrical productions by accelerating deductions and by ending the practice of requiring them to pay income tax on what producers call ‘phantom profits,’ which is money returned to investors that is less than the amount they had initially invested,” Michael Paulson reported for The New York Times. “Investment in theater is highly risky — most Broadway shows fail financially — so the industry wants to make it as attractive as possible.”

Supporters of the incentive hope that more plays are produced in the U.S. because of the change.

“We’re having incredible seasons these days, but it’s not always going to be that way, and I want to keep jobs in New York and, if not, certainly in the U.S.,” Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, told the Times. “This will open the pipeline for more productions—it’s money producers can put into other shows.”

(photo credit: Justin in SD via photopin cc)