By Britaney Wehrmeister

The Overland Park (KS) Convention Center announced a partnership with Pete’s Garden, a food recovery organization that recovers surplus prepared foods from local caterers, restaurants, and food service operations, and repackages and redirects the food as healthy take-home meals for families who need assistance in the greater Kansas City area.

The take-home meals are distributed for free through social service organizations that serve families with children. Current recipients include Kansas City area Head Start programs and social service organizations including Operation Breakthrough, Boys & Girls Club, Jewish Family Services, Avenue of Life, and Shawnee Community Services.

“Pete’s Garden makes it easier for families to share healthy meals together at home,” said Tamara Weber, founder and executive director of Pete’s Garden. “To ensure food safety and provide fresh and healthy meals to families, Pete’s Garden is very selective about what food can be donated. The Overland Park Convention Center has demonstrated exemplary adherence to these food safety standards.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food waste is estimated to be between 30 and 40% of the entire food supply. In 2022, Pete’s Garden recovered nearly 70,000 pounds of prepared proteins and side dishes and distributed over 75,000 meals to local families. By collaborating with the convention center, they can make an even greater impact.

“Minimizing food waste is a significant challenge in the hospitality industry, especially in larger venues like ours,” said Jessica Corona, director of food and beverage at the Overland Park Convention Center. “To tackle this issue, we have implemented a two-pronged approach: first, by donating prepared food to those in need, and second, through food composting as a part of our current sustainability program. We are always seeking ways to be more sustainable while also being a people-focused organization—what better way to meet this goal then by serving those in our local community.”

Pete’s Garden accepts food only if it has been prepared in a health department inspected kitchen and handled and stored in accordance with safe time-temperature standards. Volunteers then package the meals in a commercial kitchen facility overseen by food safety certified staff. All meals are labeled with a use-by date.

Britaney Wehrmeister is District Marketing Director at OVG360 – Overland Park Convention Center.

By Gail Sawyer

Quandamooka traditional owner and prominent First Nations Advocate Cameron Costello has been appointed First Nations Ambassador for ASM Global Australia.

ASM Global Asia Pacific (APAC) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Harvey Lister AM, said he was honoured that Cameron Costello had accepted this important role at a time in history when the country was on the verge of change for Indigenous Australians.

“Cameron brings a 25-year legacy delivering First Nations arts and cultural policies in Queensland and has extraordinary experience particularly in the tourism and events sector. His contribution and advice will be pivotal to the group’s reconciliation journey and cultural competency.”

Costello is Deputy Chair of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council, Interim Chair of the Queensland First Nations Tourism Council, and has been appointed to Queensland Government’s Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Committee.

He describes the opportunity as very exciting, partnering with the ASM Global leadership team and in particular Lister, who he says is an astute leader and someone who has provided him with guidance and advice over the years.

“In terms of what we want to achieve, for me it is around leadership and legacy,” Costello said. “It is important that there is opportunity for real outcomes for First Nations peoples through training and employment that will empower them to achieve their potential, to help close the gap and improve their quality of life. There are so many amazing opportunities within the structure of ASM Global that can help drive and deliver practical outcomes.”

Costello believes there is a once in a lifetime opportunity to harness the growing momentum and recognition across the arts and cultural sectors, politics, and language and the acceptance of traditional knowledge. “Looking towards 2032 I hope we will look back and be able to say we have unlocked a First Nations renaissance period in Australia where we have grown and celebrated our oldest living culture with Australians from all backgrounds walking together hand in hand seeing historic moments unfolding.”

He said would use his many years’ experience to guide and assist with the preparation and development of a Reconciliation Action Plan for ASM Global and advise the Leadership Team on First Nations projects and protocols. He will also work with the group’s Australian venues on cultural competency training and assisting when needed.

Gail Sawyer is Group Communications Manager for ASM Global (Asia Pacific).

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in April 2023. Thank you for being a part of the association! Also, let us get to know you better by participating in the I Am Venue Management series. Please visit here to share your story and photo.

Caitlyn Abbott, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
Todd Alexander, Berkley Entertainment, Irving, TX
Christine Anglin, Historic Clayborn Temple, Memphis, TN
Jayda Bennett, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
Alex Blair, TIAA Bank Field & Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, FL
Derek Bliss, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR
Ian Bohan, Qwick, Scottsdale, AZ
Alissa Britigan, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra – Hilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
Alyssa Brooks, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra – Hilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
Gary Bryant, ANNT Bollards, Georgetown, ON, Canada
Stephanie Charles, Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT
Jonathan Chin, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, CA
Leonil Corbett, Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, College Park, MD
Rob Dadez, RP Funding Center, Lakeland, FL
Jenny DeFreece, Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, Kansas City, MO
Janaine Dickens, Miller High Life Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
John Enterline, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA
Bart Esplin, Cache County Corp., Logan, UT
Jack Fassler, Levy Restaurants, Chicago, IL
Antonio Ferraro, Erie Events, Erie, PA
Ashley Ficken, Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City Royals, Kansas City, MO
Kyle Gale, Qwick, Scottsdale, AZ
Suzette George, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, CA
Terry Gerard, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, CA
Jaycee Gill, Price LeBlanc PACE Center, Gonzales, LA
Rodney Gray, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra – Hilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
Jennifer Guevarra, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
Mary Jo Hardiman, Embassy Theatre, Fort Wayne, IN
Kim Hardy, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Bethany Hastings, Plano Event Center, Plano, TX
Lauren Hatton, RP Funding Center, Lakeland, FL
Caroline Hawkins, ExtraMile Arena, Boise, ID
Dan Hoffend, ASM Global, Conshohocken, PA
Christian Holguin, Ector County Coliseum, Odessa, TX
Sam Hughes, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Erica Johnson, UTA Special Event Facilities, Arlington, TX
Nicole Koch, Old National Events Plaza, Evansville, IN
Erik Koehler, Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill, NC
Mark Kozy, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago, IL
Todd Kunze, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Angela Largo, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Victoria Leatherman, Sottile Theatre – College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
Hennessy Locsin, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
Mary Maxine Luber, Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, Kansas City, MO
Bobby Lyle, TIAA Bank Field & Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, FL
Justin Lynch, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Meredith Lyon, The Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park, MN
Scot Mangold, Old National Events Plaza, Evansville, IN
Caren Mansholt, Essity North America, Phoenix, AZ
Josh Martin, Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT
Katie Masterson, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Chase McDermott, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
Devin McKinley, OnePlan, Atlanta, GA
Brian Mori, Exploria Stadium – Orlando City SC, Orlando, FL
Courtney Mount, UTA Special Event Facilities, Arlington, TX
Luis Murillo, MGM Resorts, Las Vegas, NV
Anna Nash, ASM Global, Conshohocken, PA
James Ogden, 3QC, Folsom, CA
Albert Perez, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA
Alison Prather, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA
Jason Refermat, RP Funding Center, Lakeland, FL
Paul Richardson, University of California, Riverside, Beaumont, CA
Ron Richey, MGM Resorts, Las Vegas, NV
Arnold Rodriguez, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
Jennafer Rolf, Beeches Manor, Rome, NY
Kelly Schwantes, Miller High Life Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
KC Sheffler, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
Klaus Simon, Von Braun Center, Huntsville, AL
David Sinclair, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, CA
Michael Spear, Qwick, Scottsdale, AZ
Jennifer Stark, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Joseph Stommel, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA
Hal Thomas, Kotobuki Seating, Portage, MI
Rachel Thomas, INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
Hannah Trinh, World Bank Group, Washington, DC
Jessica Turner, American Tower Corporation, Schaumburg, IL
Kelly Updike, Embassy Theatre, Fort Wayne, IN
Cliff Wallgren, Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT
Jason Way, Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, Kansas City, MO
Kim Weedmark, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
Lara Wettig, ASM Global, Conshohocken, PA
Tyler Wilcox, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Victoria Wood, Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT
Leslie Yost-Waits, Spokane Public Facilities District, Spokane, WA
Chris Zaccone, Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT

By R.V. Baugus

When you are from Canton, Ohio, home to the NFL Hall of Fame, you know that sports have to be in your blood. This is especially true of Heather Lyke, director of athletics at the University of Pittsburgh and Arenas/Stadium keynote speaker on August 1 at VenueConnect. Lyke is well versed in leadership, city/university relations, university/venue relations, and has some thoughts about the future of college athletics.

Named athletic director in March 2017, Lyke oversees an athletic program that has experienced unprecedented success during her tenure. As her bio shares, the 2021-22 academic year vividly illustrated Pitt’s rising tide of success.

Pitt football won 11 games, the most in 40 years, and captured its first outright conference title with a 45-21 triumph over Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game. The Panthers earned a No. 13 ranking in the final polls, their highest finish since 1982.

Volleyball continued to entrench itself as a national power, winning 30 games and advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time ever.

Men’s soccer won the ACC’s Coastal Division and made another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. One year after reaching their first College Cup, the Panthers advanced to a second consecutive Elite Eight.

Wrestling achieved a second consecutive Top 25 national finish, placing No. 24 at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

Lacrosse played its inaugural season to rave reviews and earned votes in the final national coaches’ poll. The program was the subject of an ESPN-produced documentary, All Access with Pitt Women’s Lacrosse: The Inaugural Season.

The Panthers scored victories off the field as well. Pitt Athletics ranked ninth in NCAA Division I—and first among Power Five institutions—in community service efforts during the 2021-22 academic year. Five Pitt programs ranked in the top 5 of their respective sport, including football, rated No. 1 nationwide.

Lyke has launched a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives for Pitt Athletics, including Panthers United, a committee of more than 45 student-athletes, coaches, administrators and campus partners that develops action items to foster a culture of inclusion. These include Pitt Athletics’ Voting Matters campaign and community service programming.

Against this impressive backdrop, we were able to secure a few minutes to have Lyke share some of her impressive story with us leading into VenueConnect.

First, I wanted to congratulate you on winning the 2003 Cushman and Wakefield AD of the Year by NACDA. Share a bit about your thoughts on winning that award over a very talented field.

It is more than humbling and an honor I am deeply appreciative for because it is voted on by my peers and colleagues who I have tremendous respect for because no one truly understands the role until you are in the role. Additionally, I am incredibly proud because it a direct reflection of the extraordinary work done by our team of coaches, student-athletes, and staff. Success is never about one person; rather it is the result of thousands of decisions by our team over time that has led to the results and success we continue working to achieve every day. I am grateful to my team for their relentless hard work and the unselfish confidence they bring to Pitt Athletics.

How about a little background on yourself, including your education and how you got into the world of university athletics.

I am a product of college athletics having played softball and was the captain of our team at the University of Michigan for Carol “Hutch” Hutchins, the winningest coach in NCAA softball history. After graduating from Michigan, I proceeded to law school at the University of Akron School of Law. I was not interested in practicing traditional law but wanted to do something that combined my interest in law with my passion for college sports. I hoped to be able to help others have the type of extraordinary student-athlete experience that I had. So, after passing the Ohio Bar and law school graduation, I received the opportunity to be an “intern” at the NCAA in the enforcement department. Then what really got me engaged was the opportunity to work for three of the best Directors of Athletics ever – Bob Goin at Cincinnati, Andy Geiger at The Ohio State University, and Gene Smith at Ohio State, too. All three leaders were incredible role models and allowed me to grow, learn, and make a difference in their organizations. So, they inspired me to continue to lead and stay in the world of college athletics.

Your Pitt Panthers have had banner seasons in the revenue-producing sports of football and basketball. You must be excited for those programs going forward as well as your other teams there on campus.

Yes, thanks to our exceptional head coaches, coaching staff, and all the staff that support our coaches and student-athletes, we have been fortunate to build these programs and see them progress on the right trajectory. Success is contagious. As one team starts to perform well, other coaches see what is possible and never underestimate what they can accomplish. We are all committed to excellence and building champions and our work is starting to make a positive difference.

What makes for a strong leader such as yourself in Division I college athletics?

A leader is only as strong as the team around them. I feel blessed to have an extraordinary staff and coaches that are committed to excellence every day in what we do. A strong leader has the ability to set a vision and get others to believe in it too. A strong leader has values that guide their decisions, listens to others for input or feedback, manages and resolves issues daily, and makes a positive difference in the organization.

In what ways does the university work there in Pittsburgh with the city?

The University is an integral part of Pittsburgh because it is a major employer in the city and there are a significant number of alumni who live in or near in the city. The University of Pittsburgh is intertwined because of its location, its brand, and the many connections people have in Pittsburgh to Pitt in one form or another. The University has the ability to unite and engage the community in athletics, special events, community service, community engagement centers, and numerous other ways.

How about university relations when it comes to the venues on campus?

Athletic venues are a tremendous asset to the University not only because of the athletic events we can host in those venues, but because of the varied uses that can occur in those facilities. The venues on campus serve numerous constituents across campus, whether hosting large scale events, corporate outings, to small scale events. Additionally, athletic venues are a great way to connect with the community because we can host camps and clinics for the youth in the surrounding areas. Camps and clinics give us the opportunity to expose young people to campus and a place of higher education.

College athletics is changing at warp speed with the transfer portal, NIL, realignment of conferences. Will all of this eventually settle down or what do you see going forward in the future with other changes?

It is challenging to predict the future, but I anticipate more changes will come that will address both the needs of our student athletes and the importance of preserving what we all love about the world of college athletics. We always have to be willing to evolve and adapt as the landscape changes, rules changes, and look for opportunities to make the student-athlete experience better today than it was in the past.

By Molly Rosenberg

Entertainment consulting company Venue Coalition announced industry veteran JoAnn Armstrong will be joining the company as Vice President of Programming. In her new role, Armstrong will focus on servicing the company’s 150+ member venues across North America, assisting them with national and regional booking as well as providing them strong advocacy within the touring industry.

“I’m delighted to join the team at Venue Coalition,” said Armstrong, who most recently served as Vice President of Programming at Acrisure Arena. “As a former venue client, I know first-hand how valuable the network’s services are to independent venues. I’m eager to get started and represent so many venue members across the US and Canada, many of whom I call friends, and to assist them as we drive more first-class content into their buildings.”

Armstrong’s career is deeply rooted in Southern Californian venues, starting with her time at Costa Mesa’s Pacific Amphitheatre as Operations Manager. From there, she was part of the inaugural team that opened Anaheim’s Honda Center (then named Arrowhead Pond), rising through the ranks from Booking Coordinator to Director of Booking, a role she held for 15 years. In 2021, Armstrong left Anaheim to join the leadership team for another new venue. This time it was Coachella Valley’s Acrisure Arena where in her role as VP of Programming she was charged with strategic content programming for all concerts, family shows, and special events, as well as facilitating the AHL hockey schedules. During her tenure, the arena would see successful, sold-out events from artists such as Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle, Maroon 5, and Grupo Firme, in addition to a robust calendar of artists from diverse genres.

“We are thrilled to add JoAnn to our talented team,” said Andrew Prince, President of Venue Coalition. “She brings with her decades of extensive operational and programming experience at several high-profile venues, including a world-class NHL arena, and we welcome JoAnn’s expertise and continued passion for live entertainment. JoAnn is very highly regarded amongst her peers, and her strong relationships and reputation within the industry will be a great benefit to our organization as we continue to grow and expand on our mission to empower independent venues.”

Molly Rosenberg is Director of Administration and Special Projects for Venue Coalition, Inc.