The upcoming 20,000-seat arena from AEG and MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas now has a name: T-Mobile Arena.

“We’re going to light up Las Vegas in magenta and give everyone who visits T-Mobile Arena a chance to experience what it means to be Un-carrier!” said Mike Sievert, chief operating officer of T-Mobile, in a statement. “T-Mobile Arena will have the biggest shows in a town known for big shows and T-Mobile customers will always be treated like VIPs with priority access and exclusive benefits.”

T-Mobile customer benefits at the arena include a dedicated fast-track VIP venue entrance at every event, exclusive tickets and premium VIP experiences at select events, and pre-sales and seat upgrade opportunities. Charging stations will be located throughout the arena, too, for everyone.

“T-Mobile is disruptive and irreverent − a perfect complement to our vision of entertainment in Las Vegas,” said Todd Goldstein, chief revenue officer for AEG, in a statement. “Their commitment to the best and the most cutting-edge technology and customer experience makes them ideal for Las Vegas’ newest showplace for the top sports and entertainment events. There will be no finer destination to bring T-Mobile’s Un-carrier revolution and tech innovation to life than T-Mobile Arena where guests, performers and other partners will truly benefit from the overall experience.”

T-Mobile Arena already has events confirmed, such as musical act The Killers performing on opening night, April 6. Other events include UFC 200 in July, Harlem Globetrotters, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks, Janet Jackson, UNLV/Duke college basketball, and the 2016 PBR World Finals.

“Today’s announcement highlights T-Mobile’s commitment to both its customers and the community here in Las Vegas − the Entertainment Capital of the World,” MGM Resorts International’s President Bill Hornbuckle said in a statement. “T-Mobile has set itself apart through its industry-changing Un-carrier moves that put the customer first. Together with our arena founding partners, we will deliver even more entertaining and engaging fan experiences in what is destined to be one of the world’s leading arenas.”

(Image: AEG)

We are excited to let you know that Daymond John will be our opening keynote speaker at VenueConnect 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 23-26.

John is the CEO of FUBU, a “shark” on ABC’s Shark Tank, and author of the new book, The Power of Broke. He will offer attendees his expert view on growing business, leveraging technology, and harnessing desperation and adversity to build powerful, meaningful brands. He has received more than 35 awards over the years, including the Brandweek Marketer of the Year, Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, and Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Last year, the White House appointed him Global Ambassador of Entrepreneurship as part of the PAGE Program where he will work with underserved entrepreneurs and emerging digital influencers to help them build customer bases and brands.

VenueConnect 2016 registration will open soon. In the meantime, sign up now to be notified when early-bird rates become available. See you in Minneapolis!

You, as an IAVM member, are our most important asset. Without your commitment to the association and to the venue management industry, we wouldn’t be here. Because of your support, we are featuring member profiles in our I Am Venue Management series. If you are interested in participating in the I Am Venue Management series, please visit http://www.iavm.org/i-am-venue-management-share-your-story.

If I wasn’t doing this I’d be an: actor, singer, dancer.

Most impressive person I’ve ever met was: HRH Prince Charles.

I unwind by: listening to classical music and reading a good book.

On my desk right now is: a lot of paperwork, LOL.

My favorite IAVM conference I ever attended was: PAMC. It always ROCKS.

If I were on the other side of the stage I’d be an: actor, singer, dancer.

One trait an up-and-coming venue manager should have is: patience.

One up-and-coming venue star in the industry is: Jenny Pollock.

One of my goals for this year is to: retire on Dec. 31, 2015, YES!

How do you plan to help elevate the profession? Continue to be a mentor.

Where do you see new growth opportunities in the profession? Small and mid-size communities and the development of outdoor festivals.

How do you stay current with industry trends and developments? Through social media and IAVM.

Who are three people you’d invite to a dinner party and why? Pope Francis for his commitment to humankind; Harry Connick, Jr., for his commitment to his profession and music education and to our hometown – New Orleans; and Stephen Sondheim for his brilliant musical compositions for the American Broadway stage.

Michael S. Taormina, CFE, is managing director of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Feeling anxious about being anxious? Don’t worry about it, because you may be more attuned to danger.

According to a study by French researchers, the brain allocates more processing resources to social situations that are more threatening than benign. Also, anxious individuals identify threats in a different brain region than individuals who are calmer. Anxious individuals process threats in brain regions responsible for action. Calmer people process threats in sensory regions that are responsible for face recognition.

“In contrast to previous work, our findings demonstrate that the brain devotes more processing resources to negative emotions that signal threat, rather than to any display of negative emotion,” said lead author Marwa El Zein from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and the Ecole Normale Supérieurein Paris.

Twenty-four volunteers had electrical signals measured in their brains. They were asked in the study to decide if a digitally altered face expressed anger or fear, with some of the faces displaying the same expression but with a different gaze. The researchers found that the direction a person looks is key to enhancing sensitivity to their emotions. For example, anger paired with a direct gaze produced a brain response in 200 milliseconds faster than if the anger was directed elsewhere.

“In a crowd, you will be most sensitive to an angry face looking towards you, and will be less alert to an angry person looking somewhere else,”  El Zein said.

For anxious people, the neural “coding” of a threat shifts to motor circuits that produce action, compared to sensory circuits, which help people recognize faces.

(Image: Amanda Tipton/Creative Commons)

We as an association get to make some exciting decisions in 2016 regarding future conference strategies. I encourage each of you to join our members-only IAVM webinar on January 6 so your IAVM leadership and IAVM staff can share data that will lay out relevant information your board is currently pondering.

We have been presenting this same data to various committees in order to gather input and feedback from as many of you as possible. Our hope is a webinar may work for many that have not had the opportunity as of yet to see and hear the shared information.

At the end of January, the IAVM Board of Directors will meet in Dallas to hear further information that has been requested of staff. The goal is to make a decision as to the best course of action for the future of our conferences. The action decided upon will not affect conferences in 2016.

The board takes its responsibility seriously and wants as much feedback as we can gather so the end result will be a positive, forward movement for our association, for our members, and a clear direction for our CEO and staff as it relates to the future of our conference structure.

Please join us January 6, 2016 at 4pm EST!

Sign up now.