Events DC has selected architectural firm OMA to develop short- and long-term concepts for the future usage of the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus. OMA will collaborate with Brailsford and Dunlavey and existing subcontractors on the project and help develop a holistic conceptual plan.

“On behalf of Events DC, we are tremendously excited about bringing OMA on board to help us reimagine the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus. OMA will help us develop both short and long-term redevelopment concepts for this important site in our nation’s capital,” said Max Brown, chairman of Events DC Board of Directors, in a statement. “They will bring world-class credentials and ideas to this effort, and we are looking forward to working with all our stakeholders on this important effort.”

OMA’s conceptual designs will address connectivity across the 190 acre site – while creating a sense of place for the Campus that resonates with the surrounding community and across the District. The conceptual concepts will be available and made public in mid-January 2016.

“It’s an honor to work with Events DC on a sports and recreation hub for the residents of our nation’s capital, on a site that will play an important part in reconnecting the city to the Anacostia waterfront,” said Jason Long, partner-in-charge of both projects, in a statement.

This project marks the second development plan project for OMA in Washington, D.C., following their award of the 11st Bridge Park in 2014. OMA is globally recognized for international partnership architecture, urbanism, and culture analysis. Additional OMA projects include the Qatar National Library, the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, and the Faena Arts Center in Miami.

(Image: Ken Hammond/Public Domain) 

The Paris Bercy will now be known as AccorHotels Arena and will reopen on October 17 after an 18-month, €140 million refurbishment that increased its capacity to 20,300 seats (from 17,000) and upgraded the facility.

The naming rights for the French venue managed by AEG and the city of Paris will last 10 years.

“AccorHotels have seen how beneficial the naming rights model can be for brands such as O2 and Barclaycard,” said Paul Samuels, executive vice president of AEG Global Partnerships, in a statement. “By acquiring the rights to the upgraded and renovated arena, the brand will connect with music, sport, and entertainment fans in a new and exciting way, a first for the French market and a hotel chain. We’re excited for what this partnership can do for the venue and AccorHotels customers.”

In addition to receiving naming rights, AccorHotels will have the ability to provide a series of benefits to their card holders, including priority ticketing, fast-lane entrance to the venue as well as access to exclusive lounges and suites. AccorHotels will also receive exclusive opportunities, including the ability to deploy a wide array of digital activations thru the venue’s Wi-Fi facilities.

“We are proud to have been selected by the city of Paris and AEG and involve AccorHotels tag for this emblematic place of sport and entertainment,” said Sébastien Bazin, AccorHotels chairman and managing director, in a statement. “We built this partnership with the objective of making AccorHotels Arena a showcase of French hospitality, welcoming, warm, and innovative.”

AccorHotels Arena now features 30 different seating configurations ranging from 8,000 to 20,300 seats. The redesigned venue also offers more than 4,000 square meters of hospitality space, including 54 lodges (increased from 18) over four levels.

(Image: Facebook)

We recently told you about NERF Combat Zones and how they may offer an alternative revenue stream for venues. With that in mind, you might want to keep an eye what Microsoft is doing with its HoloLens development.

The company showcased a demonstration during its recent product event in New York that was nothing short of amazing.

“The team kicked off their new products announcement with a live HoloLens demonstration that pitted one headset-wearing Microsoft employee against arachnid alien bots crawling through a living room situation in what the company is calling ‘mixed reality gaming,'” Brian Lufkin reported for Gizmodo. “The demoed gameplay, codenamed Project X, allows you to defend any room in your home (or any other building) against encroaching alien invasion.”

That’s right, you can turn your venue into a holographic game room. Even better is that it doesn’t require any wires, cords, phones, or a connection to a personal computer.

For the full effect, please watch the video above.

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 I wasn’t doing this I’d be a: High School Drama and/or English Literature Teacher.

Most impressive person I’ve ever met: I met Adam and Jaime from MythBusters backstage at work not too long ago. I spent a long time talking to them about building a t-shirt cannon for one of their upcoming live shows. That’s probably my biggest “star-struck” moment.

I unwind by: working out at the aerial gym.

On my desk right now: are lots of toys. I have Legos, figurines, and an electronic cat bank. If anyone is ever having a bad day, I invite them to sit in my chair and use the cat bank. It looks like a cardboard box. When you put a coin on top of the box, a cat comes out and steals your money. It instantly makes any bad day better. I even have a stash of change specifically for use in the cat bank.

My favorite IAVM program/conference/event/session I ever attended was: Jason Robert’s keynote speech at VenueConnect this year. His Build a Better Block program is amazing, and I found his whole approach to life very inspiring.

If I were on the other side out on the arena field concert stage I’d be an: aerial artist!

One trait an up-and-coming venue manager should have is: an eagerness to learn.

One of my goals for this year is to: help my department grow.

I plan to help elevate the profession: by always showing professionalism, patience, kindness, and humility.

Where do you see new growth opportunities in the profession? Technology is becoming more prevalent and constant in all our lives. I think we will start seeing more and technology incorporated in our live experiences. We, as an industry, need to embrace the prevalence of technology in our patrons’ lives. I think we will start seeing more incorporation of their devices into our events.

How do you stay current with industry trends and developments? Read, read, read, read, read.

Who are three people you’d invite to a dinner party and why? Do they have to be alive? I would love to spend time talking to Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso. I would want to hear from each of them where they found inspiration for their art and what the meaning behind some of my favorites are. If they have to be living… I’d say David Sedaris, Agusten Burroughs, and Neil Gaiman. All three of them have stories to tell. I would sit and listen to them share.

Ashley Keen is the technical director/production manager at the Mesa Arts Center in Tempe, Arizona.

(Image: Orange Photography)

Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) won’t begin playing in Major League Soccer until 2018 or 2019 as an expansion team, but that hasn’t stopped them from planning one of the premier soccer venues not only in the U.S., but the world.

Recently, LAFC ownership, staff, and Gensler held a Stadium Design & Programming workshop with their future supporters to receive feedback on what they are looking for in their stadium. Included in the workshop were discussions on the design of the supporters’ section and entrance, pre-game festivities outside the stadium, mobile apps, as well as other in-stadium technology.

Read more about the Stadium Design & Programming workshop hosted at Gensler’s L.A. office here. (I’d like to remind you that Gensler is currently working with IAVM on our brand evaluation, too.)

Additionally, in the recently published “LA 2024 Olympic Bid,” the new stadium would serve as the aquatics center, spending US$100 million on the temporary pool as you can see in the renderings.

With new soccer specific stadiums popping up all over North America annually, will you find yourself working in a soccer venue in the near future?

(Images: LAFC Facebook)