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)

The Oregon Convention Center plans to place 160,000 square feet of solar panels on its roof by mid July. SolarCity will build and own the two-megawatt system and sell the power wholesale to the center in a 20-year deal.

Matt Uchtman, the center’s director of operations, told the Portland Tribune that the system will fulfill approximately 25 percent of the venue’s annual energy needs.

The convention center currently uses 7.6 megawatts to 8 megawatts of energy annually.

“Our utility usage is dropping, but we’re not done,” Uchtman told the paper.

The venue is one of only two U.S. convention centers to be certified LEED platinum.

“We are committed to ongoing LEED certification and continually looking at ways to drive positive change at the convention center, and always hope to be sustainable,” Scott Cruickshank, the center’s executive director, told the Tribune.