The Mobile Sports Report recently published a story about how Levi’s Stadium San Francisco, California, received $802,791 in revenue from having a mobile app for in-seat food and beverage delivery. Over in Oakland, Golden State Warriors go-owner Peter Guber is working on way to put millions of people courtside at a basketball game via virtual reality.

“It doesn’t replace being here,” Guber told CNBC. “That’s still a different experience. But it is a phenomenally new and exciting method to bring basketball to disparate communities all over the country.”

We could then talk about drones, live streaming, or any number of new technological advancements that are currently—or will—affecting venues and the guest experience. And that’s just what we’ll do at this year’s VenueConnect in Baltimore, August 1-4.

For example, there will a technology showcase during the conference trade show where companies will present seven-minute quick demos of a new or existing product. Companies participating in the showcase include Daktronics, Eventbooking, and Sherpa Solutions, among others.

We’re offering several sessions, too, on new technologies and trends. Here are some of the highlights:

Understanding the Right Mobile Mix for Your Venue
This session will cover the differences between DAS, Wi-Fi, microcells, picocells, other small cells, and which technology is best suited for your venue environment.

Wi-Fi Expectations, Bandwidth, and Regulations
IAVM, IAEE, and the IAVM Wi-Fi Coalition dive into current issues centering on high-density Wi-Fi environments and how recent collaborative efforts to standardize how Wi-Fi performance can be effectively measured and maintained by venues.

Tweets From the Top: How Venue Executives Are Excelling in the Social Stream
Learn the 101 of not just sending a tweet, but leveraging your role in the organization in creative ways that builds new audiences and helps grow your business.

Revenue Generating Technology for Convention Centers
Understand how business strategy and technology can best sync with each other, and review new technologies, with a focus on venue-wide geolocation, iBeacon, and location analytics.

Big Data: How to Measure Success
Explore the world of big data as it applies to more effectively managing venues—everything from marketing and ticketing to risk management, human resources, and HVAC maintenance.

We hope to see you at VenueConnect, where we call experience new technologies together and consider how they will influence the venue management industry.

The annual Green Sports Alliance Summit quickly approaching. This year, the wonderful McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, plays host to the event, June 29-July 1.

In addition to all the great speakers and sessions offered, attendees are provided the opportunity to tour some of the city’s iconic sports venues. This year’s tours include

• Soldier Field
• DePaul University
• Allstate Arena
• Toyota Park
• The University of Illinois at Chicago
• Loyola University Chicago – Lake Shore Campus
• U.S. Cellular Field

Please visit the Green Sports Alliance Summit’s tours page to learn more about the tours.

Voting is now open and will remain so through July 20, 2015. The complete slate, including biographical information and photos, can now be viewed through the ballot site.

All voting members should have received an email titled “2015-2016 Board of Directors Election-login information below.” The email contains a generated user name and password to use when logging in to submit votes.  If you haven’t received the email, please contact Rosanne Duke via email or by calling 972.538.1025.

Once again, the ballot is available through Survey & Ballot Systems, allowing complete confidentiality and security to our members.

The results of the voting will be posted following the closing of the ballot on July 20. However, join us in Baltimore for VenueConnect, Aug. 1-4 and have the opportunity to meet the new board members in person. Every minute of this year’s program is distinct, offering new dynamic sessions, topic round-tables, and the largest industry trade show and networking events only possible in a city like Baltimore!

Our next recipient spotlight of the IAVM Foundation’s inaugural class of 30|UNDER|30 is Matthew Boring, marketing and sales manager at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“You have to have a great experience for your patrons,” Boring said when asked what he deems necessary for success in the industry. “When they come to the venue, it’s not just the performance—it’s their ticket buying experience, it’s the concessions you provide, it’s your lounge areas, what type of premium services you’re able to offer. You have to constantly be evolving and using patron feedback, otherwise you end up with a stagnant venue”

Please watch the video above to learn more about Boring, and thank you to SearchWide and Ungerboeck Software International for their generous support of the IAVM Foundation’s 30|UNDER|30 program.

I’m about to tell you two great things about chocolate and cats. You’re probably thinking, “Those two things are already great; how much greater can they be?”

Well, according to research published in the journal Heart, eating up to 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk.

Researchers tracked the health of more than 20,000 people over 12 years before concluding their findings, which showed that higher levels of chocolate consumption were associated with younger age and lower weight (BMI), waist: hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, inflammatory proteins, diabetes, and more regular physical activity. The calculations showed that compared with those who ate no chocolate, higher intake was linked to an 11 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 25 percent lower risk of associated death.

Also, the researchers said that there doesn’t appear to be any evidence showing that chocolate should be avoided in those who are concerned about cardiovascular risk.

Now, let’s talk about cats.

Jessica Gall Myrick, an assistant professor at Indiana University, surveyed approximately 7,000 people about their cat video viewing behaviors and how that affects their moods.

“Some people may think watching online cat videos isn’t a serious enough topic for academic research, but the fact is that it’s one of the most popular uses of the Internet today,” Myrick said. “If we want to better understand the effects the Internet may have on us as individuals and on society, then researchers can’t ignore Internet cats anymore.”

Myrick found that participants in the study

—were more energetic and felt more positive after watching cat-related online media than before.
—had fewer negative emotions, such as anxiety, annoyance, and sadness after watching cat-related online media than before.
—often view Internet cats at work or during studying.

“Even if they are watching cat videos on YouTube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward,” Myrick said.

So, grab a chocolate bar and watch more cat videos online. Your health will thank you.

(Image: Justina Kochansky/Creative Commons)