IAVM reached a notable membership milestone this year with Candice De Hont, an event manager at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, becoming the association’s 5,000th member. We briefly spoke with De Hont at VenueConnect to learn more about her.

Why did you join IAVM?

“I joined through the encouragement of my boss, Mindy Corr, and it’s a good way to meet all of my peers and interact with them face to face instead of just over email and the phone, which I’m used to. It was a good opportunity, and I took it.”

What’s the most surprising aspect of attending VenueConnect?

“The most surprising thing is how many people here I’m familiar with. I work a lot with them over the phone, over email, through LinkedIn. Now I can put a face with a name.”

What are you looking forward to with your membership?

“Continuing those relationships. I’ve moved from a couple of venues now. It really helps to have those relationships. If I ever want to move up or move on or move to a new city, I’ve got a family here I can reach out to and get some help from.”

Congratulations, Candice, on becoming our 5,000th member!

(Image: Orange Photography)

Betsy Myers has always been curious about what people do and why they do what they do. This curiosity has driven her to research what it means to be a leader and the most effective ways to lead. And it was during her opening keynote address at VenueConnect that she shared some of her findings with attendees.

“Leadership is about results and what matters to you,” Myers said. “Leadership, today, is about getting the heart of an employee.”

Myers is the founding director of Bentley University. Previously, she was executive director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She also was former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s senior adviser on women’s issues and a senior adviser on U.S. President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

During her keynote, she asked attendees to imagine if leaders brought out the productive feelings in the people around them.

“We are human beings first, and our feelings determine our motivation, engagement, and how we connect,” Myers said. “When people feel valued, supported, appreciated, and understood, they do their best work.”

She suggested that attendees be specific with praise.

“Take time to thank people around you,” she said. “Successful leaders have a walking around strategy. The strength of your leadership comes from the willingness and curiosity to ask questions, seek input from those around you, and build relationships.”

In the end, though, there’s one thing a leader can do that offers a greater pay back than anything else.

“Be nice.”

(Image: Orange Photography)

Fifty-two VenueConnect 2015 attendees visited Matthew A. Henson Elementary School in Baltimore on Friday, July 31, to participate in the IAVM Foundation’s Legacy Project.

There, they made more than 200 casserole dishes that created 1,600 individual servings, feeding up to 125 families. The event overall was a success, with many volunteers happy they signed up for the project.

“I enjoyed spending time helping making a small difference in someone’s life,” said Jason Blackwell, director of operations for the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts. “We attendees come from all across the country and to band together to help a city is an amazing experience. We brought four-star energy to the community, and I’m proud that Portland’5 is one of the sponsors of this great event.”

Jabari Earl, with the University of Texas San Antonio, echoed Blackwell’s sentiments.

“I wanted to give back to the community and help out,” Earl said. “It was a really great experience. It was good to get everyone together, making food for people who need it.”

Peggy Daidakis, executive director of the Baltimore Convention Center, said that she appreciated the hard work and effort the volunteers displayed.

“Personally, an event like this solidifies and validates that there’s so much more good that’s happening in our community,” Daidakis said. “To be able to give back to the people who need it most is very heart warming and rewarding.”

Thank you to Sodexo, Aramark, Spectra by Comcast Spectacor, Centerplate, and Portland’5 Centers for the Arts for helping fund the IAVM Foundation’s Legacy Project. Below are some select photos from the project.

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(All images: Orange Photography)

We’re excited to be in Baltimore this year for VenueConnect. In addition to great educational sessions and networking opportunities, we’re happy to offer several new conference experiences for attendees. The following are new this year for VenueConnect:

UpStart: Emerging Leaders Experience| Room 339-342 | 8 AM – 2 PM
Presented by: IAVM Foundation & Western Kentucky University
FREE for students, young professionals, and faculty. US$35 for other VenueConnect attendees. Prior registration required.

Fireside chats: Located on the Trade Show floor. Fireside chats are short, informative discussions about products and ideas relevant to the venue management industry.

Tech showcase: Located on the Trade Show floor. These are 20-minute presentations by suppliers featuring their products.

Spark: Small Tables, Big Topics. These interactive round tables take place on Monday, August 3, 8:30-9:45 a.m. Attendees can move from table to table based on their interests. Here is just a sampling of the many topics to be discussed:

—Cloud Based Parking Technologies
—Dance Flooring
—Motorized Rigging—Pros and Cons
—Selling Your Alternative Space
—Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Leadership

Perhaps you’re unable to attend VenueConnect this year. No problem. Just follow the IAVM on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, where we’ll be posting content with the #VC15 hashtag. We’ll also be using Periscope to live-stream some events. Follow us on it, too!

If you’re at the conference, be sure and download our new mobile app powered by Sherpa Solutions. You’ll have access to speaker bios, receive real-time notifications, schedule updates, and be able to create a personal itinerary to remind you of the sessions, programs, and events you don’t want to miss. From your mobile device, you can download it directly from the App Store or Google Play (available July 31). Just search for IAVM.

One of the best tools on the new mobile app is the ActivLocator, a geolocation solution that uses beacons to help attendees see more, do more, and get more face time with the people who matter on the Trade Show floor. An interactive map allows users to locate themselves on the floor, see what’s happening around them, get relevant suggestions and find their next opportunity quickly. Exhibitors, too, can use this tool to reach the right people.

From Triple Bottom Line to Net Positive, Materiality Matrix to Circular Economy, the buzz words and language of sustainability can be overwhelming if you’re not living it day in and day out. As venue operators, where do we begin with developing a sustainability program? Is my current program on track? What models are other venues using that might work for me?

While we cannot answer all those questions in a single blurb, IAVM’s Sustainability Committee is here to assist you in finding answers and helping you grow your programs. With that, we invite you to stop by Booth 260, just north of the IAVM Membership Booth at VenueConnect for one of two mini-sessions on sustainability:

Saturday, August 1 @ 5:10 p.m. – Sodexo Composting Mini Session
A growing global problem of breathtaking scope, food waste is the single greatest contributor to American landfills. In this 15-minute session, we’ll explore how composting can be part of the solution to solving the food waste crisis.

Sunday, August 2 @ 12:20 p.m. – GSA’s Greener Cleaning Playbook
Have you thought about green cleaning as a way to reduce operating expenses and health risks to staff and event attendees? It’s possible, and in this 15-minute session, the Green Sports Alliance will introduce you to the Greener Cleaning Playbook, which features some take-aways any venue can implement.

(Image: Intel Free Press/Creative Commons)