Young Professionals: Make the Most of Your VenueConnect Experience!
If you’re a Young Professional and are planning on attending IAVM’s VenueConnect conference and trade show in Baltimore next week, NOW is the time to plan ahead to make the most of your experience! VenueConnect offers all venue managers multiple educational, networking, and socialization opportunities, and the professional benefits for Young Professionals can be profound. Take time now to examine all that VenueConnect has to offer to ensure that you are making the most of your time in Baltimore!
EDUCATION
VenueConnect offers such a diverse array of educational seminars, panels, and classes. Check out the schedule ahead of time so you can plan out what topics apply the most to your current job, career interest, or areas of weakness that you are seeking to improve. The VenueConnect schedule contains seminars on topics that range from industry technical expertise to developing your arsenal of leadership skills. Be sure to check the schedule for classes recommended for Young Professionals. Also, or the first time in 2015, IAVM is offering the UpStart program for young professionals and students to build and expand professional relationships and to interact with and pick the brains of venue management leaders. If you are interested in UpStart and have not yet registered, please email Taylor Daniel at Taylor.Daniel@iavm.org as soon as possible to guarantee yourself a spot. Opportunities for young professionals like this do not come about often, so make sure to maximize your return on investment by participating in seminars and programs like UpStart as much as your schedule will allow.
TRADE SHOW
While as a Young Professional, your position may not hold a lot of purchasing power, be sure to stop by the floor of the state-of-the-art VenueConnect Trade Show. Part of knowing and understanding the venue management business is knowing the state of the tools and technology of our trade. VenueConnect will have it all on the floor (literally) in Baltimore for you to peruse and ask questions from the exhibitors in attendance. You will never know when the knowledge and ideas you see at the Trade Show will come in handy in your job or further down the road in your career, so make the most of the Trade Show floor experience while in Baltimore. A special perk to take advantage of at this year’s VenueConnect Trade Show is the opportunity to have your professional headshot photograph taken, so be sure to come prepared to take advantage of this added benefit.
CAREER RESOURCES
Young Professionals will find many career resources at every turn at VenueConnect. The IAVM Career Resource Center will feature the opportunity for Young Professionals (and others) to post their resumes, review the job board for current job postings, as well as the chance to post jobs if needed. Mark Gnatovic from SearchWide will be on hand to review your resume and to offer tips and advice on ways to ensure that your resume is top-notch, so be sure to bring copies of your resume with you to Baltimore.
NETWORKING
Perhaps one of the largest benefits Young Professionals in our industry have to gain from VenueConnect is the benefit of networking with your peers within the venue management industry while at the conference. Whether in seminars, on the Trade Show floor, or between events in the hotel or convention center, take the time to get to know those who work around you within our profession. Not only will you gain industry insights and have the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices for your career and facility, but you will also make contacts that you will be able to rely upon down the road. Having a network of colleagues that you can turn to when a problem comes up in your building can prove to be invaluable as your career progresses. No one quite knows what it is like to experience a job in a career field as specifically-diverse quite like members of IAVM; don’t let this opportunity to learn from them pass you by! VenueConnect offers fun ways to network, from the Trade Show reception, the Venue Industry Awards Luncheon, and the Legacy Project, which offers the opportunity to give back to the community while networking with other venue professionals! (Not signed up for the Legacy Project yet? No problem! Email Taylor Daniel at Taylor.Daniel@iavm.org!) Not only will you develop professional relationships at VenueConnect, but also lifelong friends.
In a nutshell, the time you spend at VenueConnect will last only a few days. The long-lasting effects of your investment in the experience will last throughout the course of your career and lifetime. Taking a few minutes now to chart your course through Baltimore will pay off many times over once you arrive in just a few short days!
(Image: Visit Baltimore)
Sponsored Story: Load Monitoring in Venues – Improve Safety, Space Utilization, and Revenues
Why is load monitoring so important?
Tens of tons of equipment are hung above people in live events.
Anytime a load is suspended using multiple lift points there exists the potential for a structure to become “statically indeterminate,” making it impossible to calculate the loads on each point; this is known as unpredictable load distribution. Even if a truss/structure appears to be leveled, it is no indication that it is balanced from a load distribution point of view; these circumstances can easily lead to an overload. This is dangerous and in extreme cases can result in truss collapse. The combination of enormous loads suspended above people and the potential for unpredictable load distribution creates an absolute necessity for load monitoring.
For more information on unpredictable load distribution, click here.
Load monitoring systems, like the Ron StageMaster detects all overloads, including those caused due to unpredictable load distribution, and thus prevents potential accidents. They enable the rigger to take immediate preventive actions and balance the load before an overload can occur. Load monitoring systems can also provide “black box” capability, allowing operators to analyze months worth of load data and history.
Beyond Safety – Benefits
The Ron StageMaster can do a lot more than protect people, venue infrastructure, and expensive equipment. Constantly monitoring loads on stage can allow venues to host larger, heavier, more dynamic shows and widen the scope of their activities. Being protected from overload accidents can protect the venue from potential litigation, damages, reputation risk, and prevent costly shut-downs and downtime. Some current StageMaster operators have also increased their revenues by allowing customers to pay for load cell use, and some customers report increases of $500,000 or more per each hall or venue. Ownership of a sophisticated load monitoring system also shows customers that a venue is safety oriented and an adopter of the latest technologies.
The Load Monitoring Revolution
Eilon Engineering launched the first generation of the Ron StageMaster in 2006 after many years of developing cutting edge load monitoring solutions for customers like NASA, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. Since then, the Ron StageMaster has been adopted by some of the most prestigious venues, tours, and rigging companies including: The Orange County Convention Center, The Boston Symphony, The AT&T Performing Arts Center, The Royal Shakespeare Company, and many others.
As awareness of the problem of unpredictable load distribution grows, so will the use of load monitoring systems like the Ron StageMaster. In some countries legislation has even been enacted requiring riggers to confirm the weight of each and every load that will be suspended above people. Continuous load monitoring allows these riggers to streamline their operation and measure the weight of each and every piece of equipment while lifting. It is only a matter of time before load monitoring systems become a regulated requirement for any venue that suspends equipment above people.
See us at VenueConnect 2015, Booth #659.
Eilon Engineering – Who We Are
Ron StageMaster – Safety Above All
More Education for Your Time
Time is one of the world’s most cherished commodities, and when attending a conference, time is one thing you wish you had more of. Because of that, we’re offering VenueConnect attendees several sessions and interactive round tables that are short on time but big in content.
Let’s take a look at some selected sessions.
Sodexo Composting Mini Session
Saturday, August 1, 5:10-5:25 p.m.
IAVM Membership Booth
Mike Tully, national executive, Sports, Entertainment & Gaming, Sodexo
Sustainability is about protecting the world for future generations. Food waste is a growing global problem of breathtaking scope and is the single greatest contributor of American landfills. Visit the IAVM Membership booth to learn how composting can be part of the solution to solving the food waste crisis.
Green Sports Alliance Mini Session
Sunday, August 2, 12:20-12:35 p.m.
IAVM Membership Booth
David Muller, membership director, Green Sports Alliance
The Green Sports Alliance Greener Cleaning Playbook is designed to help sports facilities reduce the health and environmental threats associated with cleaning sports venues. Beyond protecting health, the cleaning industry uses significant quantities of chemicals, paper products, cleaning equipment, plastic liners for waste receptacles, and other supplies. Visit the IAVM Membership booth to learn how your venue can reduce operating expenses and health risks to cleaning staff, athletes, and fans by greening their cleaning program.
In addition to the mini sessions on the trade show floor, attendees are encouraged to participate in 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
You can view the full lineup on the VenueConnect schedule. See you in Baltimore!
IAVM Loves Baltimore!
“The only thing you take with you when you’re gone is what you leave behind.” — John Allston
The IAVM Foundation Legacy Project offers you the opportunity to work together with your industry peers to leave a lasting legacy of caring and support in our host city.
As chair of the IAVM Foundation Legacy Project, I invite you to join us as we make a difference in the Baltimore community. We’ve teamed up with the United Way of Central Maryland for a “Stone Soup Event.”
As the Stone Soup story goes, a stranger enters a village. After being told by all the villagers that there is no food to eat, he puts a pot of water on a fire to boil and places a big stone into the pot. The villagers grow curious. One by one, they begin contributing one ingredient each, until they have assembled a hearty soup for all to feast on.
The United Way movement was founded on this concept: that each one of us can give, advocate, and volunteer to improve conditions in our communities.
This year, with the record-breaking number of volunteers already signed up, VenueConnect attendees will be making over 200 casserole dishes that will create 1,600 individual servings and feed up to 125 families. This IAVM Foundation Legacy Project couldn’t happen without your compassion for giving and serving others—thank you. It is not too late to join us. If you haven’t yet registered, please contact Sarah Rogers with the IAVM Foundation to sign up.
I’d like to give very special thanks to our outstanding sponsors—Aramark, Centerplate, Portland’5, Spectra, and Sodexo. These companies already generously feed the spirit of the venues and communities they serve, and we are blessed by their willingness to step up and support the IAVM Foundation Legacy Project. To all of you, thank you—we admire and honor your servant leadership and appreciate your loyalty to IAVM and its members.
IAVM Foundation Legacy Project Event Details:
Event Location: Matthew A. Henson Elementary School
Date + Time: Friday, July 31, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Bus Transportation provided for all attendees.
For questions regarding the project or to sign up, please contact Sarah Rogers at sarah.rogers@iavm.org.
30|UNDER|30 Spotlights: Covart, Feinstein, Lekhy, and Shreve
This week’s spotlight of recipients in the IAVM Foundation’s inaugural class of 30|UNDER|30 are asked, “As a future leader, what areas do you deem necessary for future success in this competitive industry?”
Kelsey Metzger Covart
Sales and Event Manager
Ames Center
Burnsville, Minnesota
“I think it’s important to keep up with the ever-changing trends as well as having a firm foundation of what built this industry. Things like VenueConnect—and other continuing education opportunities—are important, because it gives us a chance to work with the industry’s leading professionals and to network with our peers to see what works for them and other best practices. It’s also important to stay connected to the communities we serve, whether that is working with the convention and visitors bureau, the chamber of commerce, or just being involved in the community. This truly lets us see what the community wants in terms of programming and products. One also has to have a strong passion for this industry to succeed. It’s such a crazy, ever-changing industry that without a deep love for it one can’t be successful.”
Sari Feinstein
Events Supervisor
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
Santa Rosa, California
“A motivation to learn from those around you is necessary for future success in this competitive industry. Future leaders need the spark to continue to grow with the times, look at those venues around us, and learn from their successes and their downfalls. One venue does not have all the answers, and curiosity is essential.”
Nikki Lekhy
Program Associate
Cultural Tourism DC
Washington, D.C.
“We are a flexible and adaptable industry, and I think it’s necessary to use our comfort in change as an opportunity to change the role that we play in the communities we serve. Future success in this industry takes a willingness to try new things and to create opportunities that affect more than our own bottom line.”
Andrew Shreve
Assistant Box Office/Parking Manager
Global Spectrum – Greater Richmond Convention Center
Richmond, Virginia
“I believe one key to staying competitive is seeking out traditional and non-traditional marketing tactics, utilizing social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and maintaining user-friendly content. It’s a great way to promote an upcoming show, an upcoming convention, or even the venue itself.”
