The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)—representing thousands of venue managers and partner companies in stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, arenas, racetracks, amphitheaters, and other public assembly venues—is deeply grieved by the tragic events that took place in Paris, France, on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015.

“As IAVM members, our hearts and best wishes are with our venue brothers and sisters in Paris as well as with all of the people touched by the tragic events experienced there,” said Karen Totaro, CFE, chair of IAVM and general manager of the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey. “As people who oversee a multitude of venues, much like Stade de France and the Paris Bataclan Concert Hall, we are reminded of the ever-growing need to continually assess, train, and prepare our teams and our community leaders to effectively reduce the opportunity for tragic occurrences in our own venues worldwide.”

As details emerge of the attacks, specifically at the soccer stadium, we are learning that proper safety and security training helped save lives. Rest assured, the safety and security of guests, artists, teams, and venue personnel is always of absolute top priority for our community of venue managers. Together we work hard to maintain venues that are well prepared to address every issue that potentially undermines a safe and secure environment.

In response to the Paris attacks, IAVM has been communicating with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and industry partners such as the Association of Professional Venue Management (A-PVM) in Belgium, to gather information and appropriate updates to keep the IAVM community informed.

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Brad Gessner, senior vice president of AEG Facilities and general manager of the L.A. Convention Center holding the award with L.A. Convention Center senior staff.

Congratulations to the AEG-managed Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) on receiving the Sustainable Innovation Award in the Materials & Resources category at the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)-LA’s 11th Annual Green Gala. The Sustainable Innovation Awards recognizes projects across seven categories that exceed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credit satisfaction and exemplify innovation, multi-tier collaboration, and positive community impact.

“We are honored and excited to have been selected as the recipient of the highly sought after Sustainable Innovation Award,” said Estella Flores, facilities manager at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in a statement. “Consistently seeking ways to improve our operations and processes in order to mitigate negative environmental impact is of utmost importance for the LACC. While we have a robust C&D [construction and demolition] program in place, we believe in on-going collaboration and will continue to refine and update the program.”

The LACC became the largest U.S. convention center to earn LEED EB+OM Gold re-certification in September 2015. The LACC Facilities and Operations Department collaborated with Waste Management to develop the Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste management program, which includes collection and hauling of the waste as well as establishing guidelines for event producers and organizers to follow in disposing of their C&D waste, the venue wrote in a press release. Within the past 12 months, the C&D program has diverted more than 1,000,000 pounds of waste from the landfill, which is a significant portion of the LACC’s overall waste.

The LACC implemented a waste management program for compostable kitchen waste, ongoing consumables, and durable goods that engages event attendees, staff, and community nonprofits. For example, the LACC partnered with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps to assist with a portion of the LACC’s ongoing consumables recycling. The Los Angeles Conservation Corps provides at-risk young adults and school-aged youth with opportunities for success through work experience on conservation and service projects. Partnering with this organization allows the LACC to simultaneously give back to the local community while reducing its environmental footprint.

“The LACC is proud to be recognized as a champion of environmental and social responsibility by the USGBC,” said Brad Gessner, senior vice president of AEG Facilities and general manager of the LACC. “The Sustainable Innovation Award celebrates our efforts in an important category but environmental best-practices are present in every aspect of our operations at the facility. We strive to be an exemplary, green facility both in L.A. and in the convention center industry at large.”

(Story source: LACC news release)

Move over monster trucks. Fighting giant robots plan to battle in arenas and stadiums in the future.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Oakland, California-based Megabots Inc. built a 15-foot robot called the Mark II and challenged Tokyo-based Suidobashi Heavy Industries, creator of the 13-foot Kuratas robot, to a battle. Suidobashi accepted the challenge, though a date and location have yet to be determined.

Still, Megabots wants to make robot battles a recurring event.

“The Megabots founders envision a sports league where teams from around the world build huge humanoid robots that throw each other down in stadiums filled with screaming fans,” Terence Chea reported for AP.

No matter the outcome, the real winners will be the fans.

“Everyone wins as long as there is robot carnage,” Megabots co-founder Matt Oehrlein, an electrical engineer, told Chea. “People want to see these things fight. They want to see them punch each other, they want to see them ripped apart and they want to be entertained.”

Check out the video below to see the Mark II robot.

(Image: Ariel Waldman/Creative Commons)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have partnered with Uber to become the first professional sports team to provide in-app access to promotion-priced tickets for fans using Uber to go to EverBank Field on game days. The initiative begins November 19.

“With Uber, we’ve created an integrated solution to the seating and transportation needs of Jaguars fans,” said Steve Ziff, Jaguars vice president of marketing and digital media, in a statement. “It’s a convenient ticket purchase and safe ride wrapped into one quick and easy transaction.”

According to a Jaguars’ press release, fans going to EverBank Field can access the Uber app on any smartphone and select the Jaguars paw print icon. Upon setting a pickup location, fans are then prompted to select up to four, lower level tickets at a promoted rate and “will be billed directly through Uber. Account holders will receive a confirmation message which can be presented at ticket will-call with a valid ID upon drop-off at EverBank Field.”

It is because of Uber’s forward-thinking partnership with the Jaguars that it is possible for the team to offer tickets at a promotional price, said Chad Johnson, Jaguars senior vice president of sales and service, in a statement.

“For last minute-decision makers not wanting to miss out on the excitement at EverBank Field, it’s a cost-effective choice to get downtown and into the game,” Johnson said.

(Image: Donna McGraw/Creative Commons)

Raise your hand if you love a good venue transformation video. For those with their hands raised, check out the video above, which shows the Royal Albert Hall transforming from a concert venue to a tennis venue. The change-over is part of the Champions Tennis event happening Dec. 2-6, 2015, at the iconic U.K. venue.