A warm welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in January 2016—a total of 219 new members. 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 http://www.iavm.org/i-am-venue-management-share-your-story to share your story and photo.

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

Los Angeles May Throw Out Convention Center Redesign Plan For Something Much Bigger (Curbed.com)
“Last week, the City Council’s Economic Development Committee approved a proposal from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana that would send the city down an entirely new path to redevelop a much more extensive LA Convention Center campus in a public-private partnership (aka P3), where LA would essentially hand over the project to a private developer to do its thing.”

Bucks Arena Project Players Grow with Wisconsin Center District Pick of Owner’s Representative (Milwaukee Business Journal)
“PC Sports Inc., which has handled owners-representative duties on NBA and NCAA basketball arena projects, will represent the Wisconsin Center District on the $500 million Milwaukee Bucks arena project.”

Marcia White to Retire From SPAC after 2016 (Albany Times Union)
“Marcia White, a former nurse and political aide who, with minimal arts experience, rescued the Saratoga Performing Arts Center from its worst crisis in history and years of red ink, plans to retire as president and executive director at the end of 2016.”

Melbourne Soccer Teams May Play in Empty Stadiums if Flares Continue, Police Warn (Herald Sun)
“Assistant Commissioner for North West Metro Region Stephen Leane said dangerous behaviour was from active supporters, the equivalent of cheer squad members in AFL, and he called on club bosses to ramp up their efforts to weed out rogue fans.”

New Outdoor Cobo plaza May Host Biergartens, Movies (Detroit Free Press)
“Thom Connors, general manager of Cobo, said activities ranging from music, art events, yoga and other exercise programs, biergartens, outdoor movie nights, corporate game events, and possibly a downtown farmers’ market could all be programmed for the Cobo Square space that fronts onto East Jefferson.”

(Image: HMC/Populous)

Fox Sports and NextVR have signed a five-year, non-exclusive deal to broadcast major sporting events in virtual reality (VR).

“It’s important for us to be at the forefront of how sports fans are consuming content well into the future. I think virtual reality represents that,” David Nathanson, head of business operations for FOX Sports, told Fox News. “We believe what NextVR is doing in live sports is best in class.”

The first broadcast of the new deal will be of the Daytona 500 this Sunday. The VR broadcast will be free via the NextVR portal.

“This is a watershed moment, or tipping point in the world of virtual reality,” Brad Allen, executive chairman at NextVR, told Fox News. “FOX Sports is a major player and this partnership with them is a milestone in VR and providing these live experiences is unlike anything before. We’re very excited.”

VR viewing is not done in order to replace regular viewing, the organizations explained. It’s there to supplement it.

“We’re calling this the Daytona 500 experience, we’re not trying to cover the race,” Allen said. “It’s going to be as if you’re there, but you’ll be in pit row, the start line, the finish line, up in the stands, on the infield, in the garage—lots of places you normally can’t go.”

(Image: The Golden State Warriors/NBA)

I don’t recall ever meeting a stadium management professional who thought that they had an easy job. Even if we are surrounded by talented people and have the support we need to do our job, managing the safety and security function for stadiums today is a complex and demanding proposition. But if we break it down and understand the challenges thoroughly, we can identify some strategies that can help us achieve success.

But before we look at our current challenges, let’s consider the “olden days.” And by that, I really only mean about 20 years ago. That’s not too long ago, but it takes us back to a time when stadium management was less complicated and less demanding than it is today. Back then, the stadium manager’s concern was largely on the building itself. The area of responsibility started at the gates and flowed through the building and onto the playing field. On event days, we made sure that the building was provisioned, the equipment readied, and we opened the gates and took tickets. Event days required minimal planning, few resources, and very little changed over time.

Fast forward to today. Modern stadiums at all levels—high school, college, minor league, and major league—have a range of amenities, a variety of spaces, and operations that have a lot of moving parts. Even older buildings enter the fray as multimillion dollar renovation projects add clubs, suites, outdoor event areas, and other elements. What was once a simple process of opening a building has now evolved into managing a complex site with multiple concurrent activities.

To understand and appreciate the complexities of modern stadium safety and security management, let’s consider three factors: the environment, resources, and processes. By examining each of these factors, we can better understand the scope and scale of the challenges we face and identify how we can manage the growing needs of safety and security for stadium events.

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As AVSS and PAMC 2016 approach, we looked back on our 2015 Joseph A. Floreano Scholarship + Internship Recipients for AVSS and PAMC to see where some of them are in the industry today. Learn more about them below.

AVSS:

• Aaron Dimatulac, Student Intern, Missouri State University – Entertainment Management
  • After interning at AVSS and VenueConnect in 2015, Aaron accepted a position as the audio & visual technician at JQH Arena in Springfield, Missouri. Recently, Aaron joined the band SayWeCanFly, where he currently serves as a guitar tech, merchandising manager, and assistant tour manager as they begin their 2016 tour of North America and Europe. Click here to learn more about Aaron’s experience as the AVSS Student Intern in 2015.

PAMC:

• Annie (Salamunovich) Wilson, Outstanding Leadership Scholarship Recipient
  • After serving as the part-time marketing & promotions coordinator with Portland’5 Centers for the Arts in Portland, Oregon, Annie accepted a full-time position as the assistant production supervisor. Additionally, Annie joined the PAMC Planning Committee and was selected to the IAVM Foundation’s inaugural 30|UNDER|30 class of 2015.

• Jennifer Smart, Scholarship for Industry Women Recipient
  • After serving as a box office assistant at the Missouri Theatre in Columbia, Missouri, Jennifer accepted a position with VenuWorks as the assistant box officer manager at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

• Kendall Judy, Student Intern, University of Alabama – Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre Management
  • After interning at PAMC and graduating from the University of Alabama, Kendall accepted a full-time position as the marketing project coordinator at Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Please join us in congratulating these young professionals as they continue to develop and Build Amazing Futures in the industry!