Join us at VenueConnect in Pittsburgh on July 31-August 1 to celebrate the 2023 Venue Excellence Award and Education and Service Award winners! IAVM congratulates the folliowing 2023 award recipients for outstanding community outreach and demonstrated leadership within the industry:

Venue Excellence Awards (VEA)

The Venue Excellence Awards recognize five IAVM venues, across all sectors within membership, which demonstrate excellence in the management and operation of public assembly venues. Award applicants must demonstrate distinction in the management and operations of a public assembly venue including: operational excellence, safety and security, team building/professional development, and service to the community. A committee of IAVM members chooses the finalists, and winners are approved by the IAVM Board of Directors.

The 2023 Venue Excellence Award Winners

Baltimore Convention Center – Baltimore, MD

BC Place Stadium – Vancouver, BC, Canada

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts – Orlando, FL

INTRUST Bank Arena – Wichita, KS

New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center – New Orleans, LA

Schottenstein Center/Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH

Education & Service Awards

IAVM also announced the 2023 winners for the Education & Service Award. This prestigious award recognizes member involvement through community outreach, educational opportunities, mentorship, and internships that demonstrate excellence within our industry, as well as giving back to the community. This award is open to university staff, professional members, faculty, allied companies and individuals, as well as retired members.

The 2023 Education & Service Award Winners

Lee A. Esckilsen, CVE – Principal, ESVenues, LLC

Raleigh Convention Center – Raleigh, NC

All award recipients will be honored during VenueConnect 2023 in Pittsburgh, Not yet registered for VC23? Don’t delay!  Register now!

By R.V. Baugus

After some 48 years of dedicated service to the world of public assembly venue management before his retirement in February 2020, it is fair to say it takes something out of the ordinary to pull the wool over the eyes of Courtney Dyer, CVE. That being the case, score one for Jim Finch, CVE.

“I was shocked,” Dyer said in recalling when Finch phoned to tell him that he was the 2023 recipient of the Convention Center Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented to Dyer at VenueConnect in Pittsburgh. “I was like, do you have the right person? There are plenty of worthy people out there. Why me? I was very humbled by it. I wouldn’t have put myself in that category. There is a lot of strong leadership in IAVM and over the years I have gotten to know them.”

It was somewhat natural that Dyer was taken aback by the good-news call from Finch, who serves on IAVM’s Convention Center Committee. Dyer, after all, took a break from his retirement to return to the Virginia Beach Convention Center to help on routine audit work, something he was very familiar with from his time at the venue. As his work wound down, Dyer said that the position was open and he thought that Finch was calling to inquire about the job.

“I have been helping on the audit until they find a replacement,” Dyer recounted. “When I saw the number come up on my phone and Port St. Lucie, I thought, that’s where Jim Finch is. I wonder if he is calling about the job. He said, you might know why I’m calling. I said, I think I might and when he said it was about the award, I said, well, that’s not what I thought!”

Dyer is especially well known for service in his beloved Region 5, where he has served on just about every position on the board, on committees, and hosted a couple of region meetings and a couple of mid-manager meetings over the years.

“I have tried to involve as many people as possible in positions on the board that’s going to guarantee it keeps peopled engaged, informed, and moving the organization forward,” Dyer said. “It was a great learning experience to host a meeting and I’ve helped others do it. I have gained a lot of perspective from a lot of people in Region 5.”

Dyer is that extremely rare individual who has worked his entire career in the same town he was born – Virginia Beach. He began in 1972 “pouring Cokes and popping popcorn at the snack bar at the Municipal Auditorium at the Virginia Beach Dome, the Virginia Beach Civic Center.”

Dyer spent 25 years working his way up to general manager at the Virginia Beach Pavilion before spending another 15 years as general manager at the convention center. He is proud of the opportunity he had to serve on the design and construction and working with the ownership team when the convention center was being built.

“I represented the owner and built this $206 million facility,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed my career and had an opportunity to run a performing arts theater that was part of the Pavilion. I had an opportunity to run a soccer stadium for a few minutes as an ancillary thing when I was building the new convention center. My IAVM experience helped out in all of those areas, and all of those areas helped me get my CVE.”

Dyer’s career, thus, covers several venues with one employer. Again, this is very rare in a profession that contributes mightily to U-Haul shareholders.

“That’s kind of unusual today,” Dyer said. “I did spread that around with a number of different venues. I guess between the three buildings, the theater and the stadium, I got exposed to a bit more. I’m kind of a hometown guy. I was born and raised here, commuted to school, drove back and forth and say I tried to squeeze four years into seven. I was working full-time and went to school part-time.”

As for Dyer’s “first” retirement in February 2020, it was only natural to wonder if that was due in any part to the COVID-19 pandemic that took off one month later. It wasn’t.

“I told my boss a year before that my time was up here, I’m almost done,” Dyer said. “The retirement party they had for me was one of the last events (before the pandemic). We didn’t know it was coming. My last day in the office had been sometime at the end of January.”

The hometown hero gets to take one more major curtain call in Pittsburgh when Dyer gets an award where the word “lifetime” is appropriate within its title. Dyer has given a lifetime to the world of convention centers, and it is now only fitting that world give back to Dyer and all he has meant to it.

Please join us in supporting the IAVM Foundation’s 2023 Diversity & Inclusive Leadership Committee’s “Celebration for the Cause” to be held during VenueConnect in Pittsburgh. There are several price-point opportunities for you to participate as follows.

Backstage Pass Sponsor ($12,500)

• Backstage Pass Sponsor mention on all print & electronic communication about reception (hyperlinked)
• Backstage Pass Sponsor mention on all social media posts about reception (hyperlinked)
• Name/logo as Backstage Pass Sponsor on VC23 website & mobile app (hyperlinked)
• Name/Logo as Backstage Pass Sponsor on all VC23 General Session sponsor decks
• Name/Logo as Backstage Pass Sponsor on all reception signage
• Recognition as Backstage Pass Sponsor on all post reception communication (hyperlinked)

Ballad Sponsor ($5,000)
• Name/logo as Ballad Sponsor on VC23 website & mobile app (hyperlinked)
• Sponsor mention on all social media posts about reception (hyperlinked)
• Name/logo displayed as Ballad Sponsor on signage at reception
• Name/Logo on all VC23 as Ballad Sponsor on VC23 General Session sponsor decks
• Recognition as Ballad Sponsor on all post reception communication (hyperlinked)

Song Sponsor ($2,500)
• Name/logo as Song Sponsor on VC23 website & mobile app (hyperlinked)
• Name/logo displayed as Song Sponsor on signage at reception
• Name/Logo on all VC23 as Song Sponsor on VC23 General Session sponsor decks
• Recognition as Song Sponsor on all post reception communication (hyperlinked)

Lyric Sponsor ($1,500)
• Name/logo as Lyric Sponsor on VC23 website & mobile app (hyperlinked)
• Name/logo displayed as Lyric Sponsor on signage at reception
• Name/Logo on all VC23 as Lyric Sponsor on VC23 General Session sponsor decks

Is your organization unable to sponsor, but want to give? You can reserve a table for your guests. It will include a table for 8 with cocktail service and your name on the table. Table reservations for 8 are $5,000.

To secure your sponsorship or purchase a table, please contact: Cindy van Rensburg at cvanrensburg@Levyrestaurants.com, Shura Garnett at sgarnett@oakviewgroup.com, or Evelyn Ingram at evelyn.ingram@gomomentus.com

John Rhamstine, CVE, most recently served as Director of Cultural Facilities, Arts and Entertainment, at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia before his retirement earlier this year.

The venue held a retirement for the industry veteran and IAVM friend in which several of his friends from the Association were in attendance. Pictured from left: George Cook, Allied, Steve Moore, Hampton Coliseum Retired, Bill Holland, CVE, Virginia Beach Pavilion Retired, John Rhamstine, CVE Norfolk Seven Venus, Joe Tsao, CVE, Hampton Coliseum Retired, Courtney Dyer, CVE, Virginia Beach Convention Center, Retired.

“The power of IAVM has kept these guys from Southeastern Virginia together for years who tell stories at dinner together monthly,” Dyer said.

ASM Global has selected Emilia Mikkola as the new General Manager of the venue Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, Finland, as part of their expansion into the Finnish market.

Mikkola brings extensive experience in the event industry, having held senior executive positions and contributed to over 30 events and festivals across Europe. Notably, she served as the event director for Assembly, Finland’s largest gaming event, and worked as the production manager for Flow Festival for over a decade.

Marie Lindqvist, SVP of Operations Europe at ASM Global, expressed enthusiasm for Mikkola’s addition, saying: “As ASM Global expands into Finland, we’re delighted to have Emilia on board to plant the flag in this exciting new market. Kulttuuritalo is a culturally rich and much-loved venue in Helskinki, and at this important time in its redevelopment, it is key that we have a best-in-class team on board to relaunch the venue with great success and phenomenal impact. Emilia comes with real, on the ground experience working across a huge array of live events of all sizes and scales, making her a perfect fit for a venue like this, which is prided for its varied and diverse program of events. Welcome to the team, Emilia.”

Mikkola commented, “Leading and developing the operations Kulttuuritalo is my dream job! I am extremely grateful and motivated for the opportunity I have been given. Kulttuuritalo is iconic, prestigious, and full of endless possibilities, and our goal is to provide diverse and high-quality program and experiences throughout the year. In recent years, several concert halls in Helsinki area have closed their doors, resulting in a shortage of event venues. We want to strengthen the position of the Kulttuuritalo as the most exciting event arena in the capital region and invest in its functionality.”

(Picture by Marek Sabogal)