CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore reopened on April 7 to a ribbon cutting ceremony heralding a massive scale of renovations and upgrades.

Oak View Group executives joined city and state leaders along with venue owners to mark the occasion. It would preclude a weekend that included the debut of new a new outdoor multimedia video experience on the exterior of CFG Bank Arena along with a number of concerts and other activities.

Concerts for the venue’s official opening weekend included Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band and the Eagles. How is that for a 1-2 punch?

The most recent renovations included the removal of the venue’s permanent stage along with the addition of new seating and VIP areas. Upgrades to the arena’s concession areas and an overall improvement of the building’s appearance were also highlights of the renovations.

Additional upgrades to the facility will include focuses on sustainability such as using locally sourced materials such as repurposing the steel from the original venue, Oak View Group said.

Other new features include LED lighting, low flow and waterless fixtures, and more; upgraded acoustics to amplify the audio experience; modernized touchless and self-serve technologies for food & beverage and merchandise purchases to minimize transaction times; renovations to the venue’s back-of-house; structural, mechanical, electrical, lighting and fire protection upgrades; as well as construction encompassing, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, lighting; and updates to the arena’s telecommunications infrastructure, wireless network, and video/network/security systems.

The renovations to the CFG Arena were overseen by Clark Construction Group, who have previously handled renovations in Baltimore that include Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Sheik Zayed Tower and Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center, and the University of Maryland Midtown Outpatient Tower, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

From tennesseetitans.com

The Tennessee Titans have received final approval from the Metropolitan Nashville Council to move forward with plans to build a new, enclosed stadium set on Nashville’s East Bank.

Metro Nashville Council issued the final approval on Wednesday, April 26, in a vote of 26-12. The Metro Nashville Sports Authority, the owner and landlord of both the current and new stadium, unanimously approved the stadium agreement on April 4.

“For more than 25 years, Nashville, Tennessee, has been the Titans’ home, and with the approval of the new stadium agreement, we are grateful to know the Titans will be a part of this great city and state for decades to come,” said Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk. “I remember the early days of our time here feeling all the promise and opportunity ahead, and I feel that same enthusiasm and excitement again today. We are thankful for the support of Mayor Cooper, Metro Council, the Sports Authority, the State of Tennessee, and most importantly, the people of Nashville and Tennessee as we all embark on this new chapter together.”

The stadium agreement includes a new 30-year lease and non-relocation agreement between the Titans and the Sports Authority. The terms of the new agreement remove the current obligation of Nashville’s General Fund to maintain and upgrade the stadium and returns 66 acres of land to the City of Nashville previously restricted by parking lots through 2039. The City has announced plans to include the returned property in the creation of a new neighborhood set along Nashville’s Cumberland River. The neighborhood, through new revenue sources generated by its development, is projected to bring in over a billion dollars to Nashville’s General Fund over its first 30 years of development.

The team will also contribute nearly $48 million over the life of the lease to the Nashville Needs Impact Fund, a fund directed by the Metro Council to support city needs such as public education, public transit, affordable housing, and several other areas.

“Tonight is a huge win for Nashville taxpayers,” said Nashville Mayor John Cooper. “We’ve eliminated a billion-dollar liability created by an aging stadium lease and created a platform for the city to thrive for decades. This was always about more than football. This vote unlocks the East Bank Vision for Nashville’s next generation. It enables a true smart growth plan for the decades ahead. It will expand our transit network, create affordable housing, build parks and civic space, activate the waterfront, and drive resilience and sustainability.

Mayor Cooper continued: “It allows us to build a transformational north-south boulevard. From neighborhoods across the city, this plan will cut commute times by getting cars off the interstate for intracity trips. It will allow frequent, fast, affordable bus service with dedicated lanes connecting residents to jobs and new opportunities. This is how a city effectively manages growth. It creates a bright future for Nashville, and I’m grateful for Metro Council’s support and confidence in this plan.”

The stadium is currently estimated at 1.75 million square feet, with a capacity of approximately 60,000. It is anticipated to bring in year-round events, with aspirations to host Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, College Football Playoffs, Wrestlemanias, and more. It will also continue to host Tennessee State University home football games, extending the long-standing partnership between TSU and the Titans. The stadium will include a 12,000 square foot community space to host classes for local schools, job trainings, and other community-minded events.

Groundbreaking is expected to occur in early-to-mid 2024, with an opening anticipated in 2027. It will set a goal of achieving a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold certification. Titans games and other major events will continue to operate in the current Nissan Stadium until the new building opens.

“Today marks a huge milestone for both the Tennessee Titans organization and the City of Nashville as we move forward with plans for a new stadium,” said Titans President and CEO, Burke Nihill. “We are extremely excited about this building’s ability to host the world’s best and greatest events, but this agreement is about so much more than a stadium. This is a generational opportunity to address our city’s priorities and ensure its health and vitality for the next 30 years. Our city and our state have bright futures ahead, and we’re humbled by the opportunity to continue to be a part of it.”

The Titans are responsible for $840 million of stadium funding and any cost overruns. $500 million will come from a contribution from the State of Tennessee. The remaining $760 million of the $2.1 billion budget will come from revenue bonds issued by the Metro Sports Authority to be repaid through a one-percent increase in Davidson County’s hotel occupancy tax, in-stadium sales tax, 50 percent of sales tax from future development of the stadium’s campus, rent paid by the team, and a pre-existing ticket tax of three dollars per ticket sold that will carry over to the new building. The stadium budget includes stadium-related infrastructure required to open the building.

From baltimoreravens.com

The Baltimore Ravens will continue to play their home games at “The Bank” through the 2037 season.

M&T Bank and the Ravens have reached an agreement to extend their strategic partnership for another 10 years beyond the current contract, which was set to expire after the 2027 season. The announcement comes almost 20 years to the day after the organizations entered a partnership that has always been about more than putting the bank’s name on the 71,000-seat M&T Bank Stadium – often referred to simply as “The Bank.”

Since first announcing their partnership May 6, 2003, M&T and the Ravens have worked together with numerous business, community, and elected leaders to strengthen communities throughout the Baltimore region. That commitment will continue as part of the organizations’ partnership extension and include additional investments in providing financial education programs to Greater Baltimore students each year.

The contract extension also preserves one of the longest-running stadium naming rights deals in the National Football League (NFL). Only Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), FedExField (Washington Commanders), Ford Field (Detroit Lions) and Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots) have maintained their relationships longer than M&T Bank and the Baltimore Ravens.

Financial terms of the latest agreement were not disclosed.

“The partnership between M&T and the Ravens has worked so well for so long because the organizations share similar values of integrity, determination, and teamwork and a common mission to make Baltimore better. That’s also why it made sense from M&T’s perspective to extend our partnership with the Ravens through the 2037 season,” said Augie Chiasera, M&T Bank’s regional president for Greater Baltimore. “We take a lot of pride in seeing the M&T Bank name on our football team’s stadium. It’s a symbol of our commitment to serve the Baltimore community.”

This marks the second time M&T and the Ravens have extended their partnership, which began as a 15-year agreement in 2003. The two sides also announced in May 2014 a 10-year extension that took the partnership through the 2027 NFL season. With five more seasons remaining on that contract, the latest agreement extends the partnership through 2037.

“When I first met [former M&T regional president] Bob Sadler in 2003, it quickly became apparent that M&T Bank is a special organization and that we could be tremendous partners,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said. “From that moment, I knew we were aligned in the objective to serve our community, and it was clear that this wouldn’t be a short-term partnership. Their commitment is so much deeper than the name on a stadium. They have impacted countless individuals and organizations with exceptional compassion, and I couldn’t be happier with our relationship. We take great pride in our collaboration with M&T Bank, because our efforts are built on mutual respect and a meaningful connection to the community.”

Ravens president Sashi Brown added: “We are thrilled and honored to extend our longstanding partnership with M&T Bank, our great teammates in serving Baltimore. M&T has grown into one of the top banks in the nation and established itself as a leader in community impact work. We share M&T’s commitment to pursuing excellence and community impact, and that alignment has allowed our partnership to flourish. The past two decades together are worth celebrating, and it brings us great excitement to know that the iconic moments at M&T Bank Stadium – ‘The Bank’ – will continue.”

A Partnership Focused on More Than Football

When M&T and the Ravens began their partnership 20 years ago, they pledged to combine the strength of the two organizations to improve communities throughout the Baltimore area. M&T and the Ravens have delivered on those promises – and many more.

Since 2003, the Ravens have distributed more than 15,000 tickets to young people and their family members to attend games at M&T Bank Stadium, receive an Honor Rows T-shirt, visit the field during pre-game warmups and be recognized during the game on the RavensVision high-definition video screens. M&T and the Ravens also have worked with other philanthropic businesses throughout the area to serve nonprofit organizations like the Maryland Food Bank, Civic Works, Blue Water Baltimore, Catch a Lift Fund, Parks and People Foundation, and more.

As a partner of the Ravens Foundation Inc., M&T Bank also has contributed more than $1 million, which has been allocated to a range of community initiatives during the past 20 years. The Ravens Foundation is the team’s charitable arm committed to encouraging and enabling the healthy development of youth in Baltimore and other parts of Maryland. Recent foundation projects include the installation of new educational spaces at Baltimore City’s Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School and a Ravens-themed playground at Northwest Regional Park in Owings Mills. In July 2022, the foundation distributed $100,000 in grants to help several nonprofit organizations fund a variety of projects, including interscholastic athletic programs for students with disabilities, cooking and nutrition education, boxing training and after-school mentorship programs.

“Our partnership with the Baltimore Ravens is not simply about name recognition,” said Francesco Lagutaine, M&T Bank’s chief marketing officer. “It’s about connecting with the Baltimore community in meaningful ways that improve the lives of our neighbors.”

In 2014, M&T, one of Greater Baltimore’s largest corporate givers, and the Ravens launched Touchdown for Teachers, a program that recognizes local teachers for outstanding service to their students, schools, and communities. Through the first decade of the program, M&T and the Ravens will have awarded more than $35,000 to 40 award finalists, including 10 grand-prize winners. More than 4,000 teachers representing over 2,500 schools have been nominated. This year’s finalists and winner will be announced in May.

Employees of M&T Bank and the Ravens also have rolled up their sleeves together to volunteer in communities throughout Baltimore during the past two decades. Those projects have included neighborhood landscaping and beautification, stream clean-ups, food drives, school supply distribution, playground construction and more. In 2019, M&T and the Ravens partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Baltimore to renovate the Webster Kendrick Club at Callaway Elementary School in Baltimore. In 2022, more than 100 volunteers from M&T and the Ravens picked thousands of pounds of potatoes at First Fruits Farm in Baltimore County for distribution to food banks and pantries throughout Central Maryland and parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia. More than 100 employees from both organizations also have participated in Earth Day clean-up activities over the past two years, including the most recent project at Greenmount West Community Center in Baltimore on April 18.

By Jude-Anne Phillip

In celebration of Earth Month, the Pennsylvania Convention Center released its annual sustainability report. The report provides a summary of the Center’s sustainability initiatives and performance over the past year.

“The Pennsylvania Convention Center is fully committed to sustainability and to reducing the environmental impact of our operations,” said David A. Nasatir, Esq., Chair of the Board, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority. “This past year, our primary focus was on utilizing technology to fully modernize the facility and efficiently manage our energy consumption. In partnership with ASM Global, these efforts have allowed us to effectively do our part to preserve the environment for future generations and enrich the communities in which we serve.”

As highlighted in the report, the building automation upgrade to the DESIGO software system, done in partnership with Siemens, was completed in 2022 and has improved the facility’s efficiency and HVAC operations. Additionally, several phases of the facility’s restroom renovations, escalator modernization, and other upgrades were completed during the year.

“We continue to make significant investments in sustainability and the well-being of all who enter our facility,” said Steve Shepper, Director of Engineering and Capital Projects, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority. “Our ongoing facility upgrades allow us to enhance our health and safety features, reduce our carbon emissions, and focus on providing a welcoming environment for our customers, guests, and workers.”

As part of the sustainability drive at the Center, all capital project contractors are required to recycle their construction and demolition (C&D) materials, and the facility reported that 100.62 tons of C&D materials, 10.38 tons of E-waste and U-waste, and 13.45 tons of retired furniture assets were collected for recycling during the reporting period.

Other sustainability goals that were accomplished during the year included the increase of the Center’s daily purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) to 50%, the achievement of a 60% waste diversion rate, and the reduction of single-use plastics in the venue, all of which form part of ASM Global ACTS, a corporate social responsibility program which was launched in October 2021 by ASM Global, the Center’s venue management partner.

“ASM Global has a visionary approach to sustainability,” said Tony Hodgins, General Manager, ASM Global. “The company recently unveiled its plan to transform its global venue portfolio into the world’s most sustainable, and we are proud to be able to partner with the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority to implement initiatives that deliver on this goal. The Authority continues to be a steadfast supporter of the ASM Global Acts program, and our collective efforts will enable us to make positive impacts on the environment and in our communities.”

Jude-Anne Phillip is senior communications manager at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

By R.V. Baugus

With as many skins on the wall (not to mention abbreviations after his name) that Larry Perkins, CVE, CPP, CMP, has, there is not much out there that surprises one of the industry’s truest gentlemen and respected practitioners. That is, though, until word arrived in a phone call from IAVM Past Chair Eric Hart, CVE, that the retired Perkins is the 2023 recipient of the Ray Ward Award presented annually at Venue Management School (VMS).

“When you’re a past president (now chair), obviously things slow down for you a little bit,” Perkins recalled. “I got the call from Mr. Hart, and it was amazing. I thought, my phone hasn’t rung in a while other than from the PNC Arena (in Raleigh where Perkins worked before retiring on June 10, 2022), so I was like, ‘Who?’ It was really funny. I thought he was pranking me, and we actually did laugh about it.”
Once reality set in, Perkins felt a sense of being overwhelmed to join not only a select list of individuals recognized for their work at VMS but for the man for whom the award was named.

“There is so much that I can say about Ray Ward. Consummate professional in every sense of the word. When you saw Ray, you knew that everything was in good hands. There was no question about it. He was methodical. He was relentless in his professionalism,” Perkins said.

Perkins remembered how Ward would sit in a classroom, a man with a wealth of knowledge but never so much that he would not look for that one extra nugget that someone might be presenting.

“Now here’s a guy that knew everything and was the godfather of the school, but he would sit there when he wasn’t teaching listening to somebody else,” Perkins said. “I’m thinking, wait a minute, he teaches class over and over. That was one of those lessons that I took away that no matter what you think you know, there’s always one more nugget that you can take away.”

Perkins is also synonymous with VMS as a student in 1997 and 1998, teaching from 1999 to 2006 and serving as chair in 2004. During his term as chair, Perkins and others decided to start the VMS Graduate Institute (of which Perkins will be on a panel this year). It was only fitting that Ward was elected to serve as dean of GI. “I had the honor and privilege of making that appointment and as usual Ray accepted it and the challenge and GI has never looked back,” Perkins said.

“One other thing about Ray and me together. My first year as an instructor at the school I got to go to Australia to teach at their VMA (Venue Management Association) school. I asked Ray if I could teach his management course that he taught at Oglebay (home to the former Public Assembly Facility Management School and later Venue Management School in Wheeling, WV). He gave me his syllabus and everything. We went over together, and I taught his time management class.”

Perkins is one of those Ray Ward Award recipients who obviously knew “the man” very well. Some on the roll call did not have that privilege. To have his name associated with Ray Ward means that much more to Perkins.

“He was always that consummate teacher and teaching and leading by example,” Perkins said. “To be listed among the other recipients before me goes beyond words. It goes to heart of hearts and knowing that whatever you tried to give back was an honor of the person that you will be recognized for.

“It is one of those things you look back on and say, what did I do, because at the time you’re doing it you’re not doing it for an award. You’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do and then you’re looking at leaders such as Ray Ward who set that example and you don’t want to let them down.

“I’m a softie at heart. I try to give back and still give back after retirement. I think in my call with Eric I shed a tear. Knowing, again, Ray Ward and his legacy and to be counted as one of those … it’s tremendous.”

Perkins will forever have a major imprint on the school. Literally, even, as he developed the first PAFMS logo for a school which to that point was simply Oglebay.

Before Oglebay, Perkins was one of the industry’s most sought speakers in the area of crowd management and safety and security.

“I fell in love with IAVM immediately and hosted the 10th anniversary of the International Crowd Management Conference (ICMC) in 1992,” Perkins said. “This was at the Meadowlands Sports Complex; I had a horse race named for IAAM at our complex track. We took people on a New York dinner cruise, around the World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island, where they could take pictures of the New York skyline. We toured Yankee Stadium where Billy Martin and Buck Showalter spoke to us during lunch then we went onto the field. We next toured Radio City Music Hall.”

Perkins said his “bug” for all things safety and security took root in the 1980’s when Frank Poe and Carol Wallace hosted a crowd management conference in Dallas. In 2001, Perkins and Poe were named by association president Lionel Dubay to head a new task force following 9/11. Perkins was already chair of the ICMC that was held in San Diego in November 2001. He remembers that the conference was so big that it had to be relocated to accommodate 400 people.

“All the things that you do in life prepare you for something,” Perkins said. “I got the bug for crowd safety and survival and different things and I’m thankful I have had that experience to help lead the way which then turned into co-founding the Academy for Venue Safety & Security.”

After another tragedy in the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, Perkins would become the association’s president in 2006-07. It was the right person at the right time to help push the industry as a leader when collaborating with government entities in Washington, D.C.

All things come full circle, and so it does for Perkins and the award he will soon receive.

“There was no question about where Ray Ward stood in terms of his professionalism because he was just a terrific man,” he said.

The same can be said of you, my friend.