You know, if you’ve been following this blog closely, that I’m fascinated with virtual reality (VR) technology. Let’s be clear, though. I don’t believe it will kill the live event business. Humans are social animals, and we’ll always want to surrounded by friends, families, or complete strangers during an event where our energies mingle.

VR, however, can be used as a great marketing tool or an additional revenue stream for sold-out events. Case in point, Disney recently shot VR footage of a performance of “Circle of Life” from the musical The Lion King.

“It seemed like a really perfect marriage: A universally known song like ‘Circle of Life’ being distributed and displayed through a completely new technology that we hope will open up The Lion King to a new generation of theater-goers,” Andrew Flatt, senior vice president for marketing at Disney Theatrical Group, told the Associated Press.

VR users get a 360-degree experience of the performance, along with some extra visuals.

“Viewers can follow one performer, or look out into the aisles to see elephants arriving, see the conductor and audience faces, or peer backstage to find out what’s coming next,” Mark Kennedy reported. “It is a thrilling, heady experience.”

Lately, the sports and concert worlds have experimented with VR; however, this is the first time it has been done in a Broadway theater. I’m sure more will be on the way, and proponents hope this drives more people to productions.

“Nothing will replace the actual theatrical experience,” Flatt said. “We’re well aware of that. But I think the way that consumers are trending at the moment is they want to know more. They want to go beyond the surface of something, and that includes the Broadway experience. That’s why the virtual reality platform is groundbreaking.”

(Image: Twitter)

Some of you may be celebrating a certain U.S. holiday this week and will find yourselves with some free time on your hands. If that’s the case, consider applying for a Certified Venue Professional (CVP) designation. Also, we’ve extended the deadline from Dec. 1, 2015, to Jan. 1, 2016, so you have more time to complete your application.

If you haven’t yet reviewed the materials on our website, please take a moment to complete the “CVP Checklist” to ascertain if you have earned the 100 points needed to apply and start the formal process. And if you’re seeking some article writing points, consider writing some blog posts for us. Those count toward your needed points, too.

The CVP designation says three important things about an individual: he or she is a capable professional, is committed to the industry, and is pledged to continued professional growth and development. Venue professionals who earn the CVP designation are recognized, by those inside and outside the industry, as skilled in their profession.

We look forward to receiving your applications, and please let us know if you have any questions.

The New York Times published a great article last week about Feld Entertainment, specifically about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. The story by Stephanie Sinclair and Taffy Brodesser-Akner shows how the business adapts to change in order to stay relevant and entertaining to audiences.

“The circus has changed over the years,” Feld Entertainment CEO and Chairman Kenneth Feld told the reporters. “There’s no other entertainment that’s been around for this long that you could name. We’re older than baseball. We’re older than Coca-Cola. I don’t know how many times it’s been reimagined, reinvented, but I know we’ve probably done it six, eight times. We’re going to do it again without the elephants in a whole different way. Then we’re going to do it again and we’re going to do it again and we’re going to do it again.”

Even though the circus isn’t Feld’s most popular entertainment offering, the company considers itself “stewards of an important legacy” and it is an “inspiration for everything they do,” because technology is making it harder for live events to amaze people.

“Somehow, over the past few decades, we’ve forgotten how to be impressed by physical achievements, incredible feats that no normal person can do,” the reporters wrote. “Nowadays, you go to Times Square, and you don’t see people juggling and eating fire and doing delightful busking; you see people in superhero and Elmo costumes doing nothing but existing off versions of something that appears in movies, on TVs and in toy stores.

“The circus is the last bulwark against all that,” the reporters conclude. “Which is why the Felds are driven to demonstrate, once again, what is magical and singular about it.”

For more about Feld, the circus, and its performers, please read “Running Away With the Circus” in The New York Times.

(Image: Darrell Miller/Creative Commons)

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

Bataclan Killings Underscore Vulnerabilities At Small Venues In Paris, Around The World (International Business Times)
“While the extreme force used Friday would have overwhelmed most small venues, the reality is that larger stadiums and arenas around the world have made substantial investments to improve the security measures in place for both event attendees and performers, while smaller venues like the Bataclan have patchwork security protocols that may involve little more than checking an ID.”

Nederlander and TAG Presents Form Venture in Austin, Launch Venue Called Skyline Theater (Billboard)
“The Skyline Theater is located on the grounds of the Long Center for the Performing Arts, situated in the heart of downtown Austin, overlooking Ladybird Lake. In a multi-year contract, Paragon Presents will be the exclusive promoter for productions at the Skyline and will present a wide range of concerts and productions.”

Washington State Convention Center to Acquire Land for Expansion (Meetings & Conventions)
“The WSCC will pay $238 million in principal and interest payments to King County Metro over the next 30 years for the site.”

The Coolest Stadium Features in the NFL (Bleacher Report)
“When fans attend a football game in person, they want a superb experience, and NFL teams are making sure they get it.”

Smart City Networks Implements IPv6 at Orange County Convention Center (Nevada Business)
“IPv6 provides expansive space for IP addresses, allowing convention center visitors with IPv6-compatible devices to access all areas of the Internet.”

Sporting Kansas City’s Stadium Will be Named Children’s Mercy Park (The Kansas City Star)
“Sporting Park has not had a naming-rights sponsorship since the club ended its agreement with the Livestrong Foundation in January 2013.”

(Image: Kmeron/Creative Commons)

As promised IAVM members, the plan is to take you all along for the journey this year as the board tackles several items that are instrumental to the future of IAVM. With that in mind, we wanted to update you on some helpful information that was shared on the October Board of Directors call so that you have as much insight into the happenings of our favorite association as the board does.

The three most pertinent items of interest:

• 2nd Vice Chair Selection Criteria – The Governance Committee chaired by Mark Mettes, CFE, was given the task of developing a fair, transparent 2nd Vice-Chair selection criteria and process that will carry the IAVM into the future. The goal was to ensure all members know and understand the necessary accomplishments needed to be considered for 2nd Vice Chair thus the ascension to the Chairman of the Board role for IAVM. The results are challenging as they should be, but we found them to be fair and easily transparent. We encourage you to read the criteria and share them with other members. The application will be made available on Nov. 20, 2015 and can be found on the IAVM website. In addition, the Leadership Development/Nominating Committee chaired by Kim Bedier, CFE, will help roll out the information in several ways to ensure our members have the criteria and a complete understanding of the process prior to the Dec. 31, 2015 deadline.

• Conference Structure – This past July, the team at IAVM headquarters presented some very relevant information to the board about the challenges we are facing with the continued decline of attendance at VenueConnect. It was a fact-based, data-driven presentation in terms of attendance numbers and revenue dollars over the last 15 years. In addition, the team shared some “big picture” ideas of what possibilities might be worth considering to help turn the numbers around. They were and still are just potential ideas to get us all thinking about where we want to go with our conferences and trade show. The largest revenue producing event that accounts for 33 percent of the overall IAVM operating budget is indeed VenueConnect. Over the next two months, a tag-team of one of our Executive Committee members along with a team member from headquarters will share the same information with all of our sector committees, the VenueConnect Program Committee, and our Allied Committee, just to name a few. We are also going to have a webinar to share this information so that all members may have the opportunity to see the data. Stay tuned for dates and times. We need and very much want all of your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions. Please participate, as you just might have the perfect idea! The Executive Committee and staff want to gather as much feedback as possible so that when the board re-groups in January we will be able to share the members’ feedback with the entire board. After the board meeting, we will contact all the committees again to share updates and gather additional input for whatever might be the next step we agree to.

• Board Structure – Last year, we started the conversation at the board level with regard to challenges in how the board is currently structured. We shared this information with all the members through various listening exercises throughout the year to gather your input and thoughts. In January, the board is going to re-group and share the feedback so we can understand what is critical in the make-up of the board to all of us as members. The idea on this item is to delve into what structure can best sustain IAVM well into the future, while ensuring there is continual input and feedback from representation of all our members.

As a board, we are representing each one of our members so it is important to us and to the future of IAVM that our members are part of the decision making process. Please check out the 2nd Vice Chair criteria and share it with others who might be perfect for the role! Continue to give feedback and ideas to any board member to bring to our January mid-year meeting, and know I am an email or phone call away.

Have a wonderful holiday season!