From Communications Department

In an effort to streamline many of the interior and exterior functions of its facility and to better align with its mission, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center announced the creation of a new “Campus Operations” department which will combine the current functions of Public Safety, Safety and Emergency Management, Campus Logistics, Guest Services, Grounds Maintenance, and Asset Management. Brett Slocum has been named Senior Director of Campus Operations and Wendell Findley as Director of Security.

The decision to establish a Campus Operations department followed a thorough analysis of the operations of the Safety and Logistics departments. The analysis revealed that the Convention Center’s more than 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space, coupled with an additional seventy acres of land outside the facility that includes a pedestrian park and transportation center, presented unique opportunities and efficiencies that required a specialized team to address.

“The scope and scale to ensure a facility as wide-reaching as ours continues to operate at maximum efficiency requires specialized knowledge and commitment as well as familiarity with our history and operation,” said Adam J. Straight, Vice President of Operations. “Fortunately, Brett and Wendell are existing highly skilled members of our team, and their unique skillsets will ensure that our Convention Center continues to be a safe, exceptional destination for premiere event experiences.”

Slocum has been with the Convention Center since 2016 where he started as Assistant Director of Public Safety. He was promoted to Director of Safety and Emergency Management in 2021. Before joining the Convention Center, Slocum began his 20-year career in public safety as a Disaster Coordinator with the United Way in Lee County, FL before serving the State of Florida for ten years as a Regional Coordinator and a Regional Emergency Response Advisor.

Findley has been with the facility since 2021 and brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role. Before joining the Convention Center, Findley served as the Director of Security for the Astor Crowne Plaza New Orleans, as well as the Security Director for InterContinental Hotels Group. Findley is also a Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) Certified police officer in the Reserve Division of the Gretna Police Department.

“As we continue with our five-year $557M Capital Improvement Plan, it is key and critical that we continue to value safety as our highest priority,” said Convention Center President Michael J. Sawaya. “The creation of a Campus Operations Department, as well as naming Brett and Wendell to new leadership positions, is the continuation of our pledge to ensure a safe, secure, and hospitable environment for both our external and internal customers.”

The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) announced the nomination of Anne Wheat, CVE for Second Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. Wheat will become a senior officer and serve a four-year term, taking on the Chairman position in 2025-2026.

Wheat currently serves as the Event Operations General Manager at Pier 57 with Google. This marquee venue features over 130,000 sq ft of broadcast-quality event space floating on the Hudson River in a historically preserved building that is longer than the Empire State Building is tall.

“Anne is an accomplished venue professional and perfectly positioned to lead IAVM’s future as the global resource for the public venue industry,” stated Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM President and CEO. “With Anne joining the current officers, our members will be a major focus in her ability to guide IAVM in remaining relevant and strong.”

Wheat has previously served on IAVM’s Board of Governors from 2016-2021, with her holding the chair position from 2019-2020. She is currently serving on the Academic Committee through July 2023.

“The leadership of IAVM works every day for the betterment of our members and the venue management industry, and we work to advance persons of distinction into key leadership roles,” said Adina Erwin, CVE, Chair of the IAVM Board of Directors. “With that in mind, after an extensive review of applicants for the position of Second Vice Chair, the Leadership Development Committee recommended Anne Wheat, CVE for this vital leadership position. Anne brings 26 years of experience to the table, as well as having previously served as chair of the Board of Governors and on various IAVM Committees. We welcome Anne to her new position and look forward to the insight and ideas she will bring as part of the Executive Committee over the next four years.”

Prior to taking the GM position at Pier 57, Wheat served as the Vice President, Guest Services and Special Projects for MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. In addition to hundreds of MetLife Stadium events, she has also worked as an NFL consultant for nine Super Bowls and as the Venue Director for the three NYNJ games of the 2016 COPA America Centenario tournament.

“As a long-time member of IAVM, I am so proud to have been selected by the membership to serve as the Second Vice Chair,” stated Wheat. “I look forward to continuing the important themes of education and development of our current and future venue leaders while looking for new ways for IAVM to engage with its membership as we work to welcome new and different voices into our community.”

IAVM members will vote electronically in June on Wheat’s nomination, and if elected, she will take office in July during IAVM’s VenueConnect Annual Conference and Trade Show, July 31 – August 3, in Pittsburgh, PA.

The IAVM Foundation has announced the 30|UNDER|30 Class of 2023. The program, in its eighth year, is made possible thanks to the ongoing support of Momentus Technologies, as well as many IAVM Foundation donors.

Designed to engage the best and brightest young professionals in the venue management industry, the 30|UNDER|30 program recognizes emerging leaders – and their talents – which help accelerate the industry and carry it into the future. The Class of 2023 will convene at VenueConnect 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA, July 31-August 3.

“This year’s 30|UNDER|30 class was incredibly competitive with 143 nominations,” stated James Wynkoop, CVE, Chair of the IAVM Foundation Board of Trustees. “The members of the Class of 23 are not only talented at what they do, but also able to communicate effectively in multiple formats. They have demonstrated both creative and critical thinking abilities. The IAVM Foundation is proud to announce this class of 30|UNDER|30 as one of the best in the history of the program. We’d like to thank all the nominees, the judges, and the members who nominated such a deserving group of young professionals.”

Award recipients will receive full complimentary registration to VenueConnect, as well as four nights’ accommodations at one of the conference host hotels. Honorees will be recognized throughout the annual meeting.

Congratulations to the IAVM 30|UNDER|30 Class of 2023:

Eveline Alford, Peel Compton Foundation
Zack Barletta, F&M Bank Arena/Sabertooth Sports & Entertainment
Shanna Benfiet, Rose Quarter
Abigail Bergman, The Classic Center
Carter Bondy, Niagara Falls Convention Centre
Kenzie Bush, BOK Center – ASM Tulsa
Ray Caraballo, Severance Music Center
Christina DeCoppi, Exhibition Place
Taylor Elliott, INTRUST Bank Arena – ASM Global
Kendra Foreman, INTRUST Bank Arena
Kat Guenet , Angel Of The Winds Arena – OVG360
Samuel Guerrero, Bryce Jordan Center
Daniel Healey, Indiana University
Ramsey Henderson, Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center – OVG360
Abby Hunt, Landers Center
Adrienne Hutchens, Ball Arena, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment
Julia James, Venue Coalition
David LaVanne, FirstBank Amphitheater
Megan Lenertz, Alerus Center
Shannon Madden, Momentus Technologies
Sophia Mobayen, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park
Mackenzie Myrkle, Scheels Arena
Dani O’Callahan, The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Ellie Oegema, Clowes Memorial Hall
Eli Schellinger, Mesa Arts Center
Kelly Schmidt, Gogue Performing Arts Center, Auburn University
Trevor Thomas, UBS Arena – Oak View Group
Nicholas Turgeon, PNC Arena
Travis Winters, ExtraMile Arena
Lindsey Zybrick, Jacksonville Jaguars – TIAA Bank Field

Register today and join us at VC23 in Pittsburgh to celebrate your nominees, colleagues and friends.

By John Rhamstine, CVE

I have been asked to write some comments about my career as I prepare to retire from my nearly 30 years here in Norfolk. Honestly, I have never been really good talking about myself as I have always been more comfortable functioning in the background, supporting someone else such as a director or a City Manager or Mayor. It was never by choice but by happenstance that all of my experiences as a venue manager were in municipal settings. Those experiences taught me much about bureaucracy, politics, and patience.

After graduating from UMASS’ Sport Management program in 1980, I did my internship at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., working for the Director, Bob Sigholtz, who generously paid me $4.00/hour for my time there, which was rare for internships at the time. I worked as a groundskeeper, electrician, engineer, parking attendant, and finally helped coordinate the Hall of Stars ceremonies there.

Summertime football came to the country and the USFL was formed. I was able to get a box office job with the Washington Federals, who played their home games at RFK. I was promoted to Box Office Manager for the Federals in year two but as luck would have it, the team and the league went belly up. Nonetheless I learned a lot from my boss with the Federals, Tom Korpiel.

This was the early 1980’s and the stadium concert business was burgeoning. RFK stadium had the Washington Redskins as a prime tenant, but they had no box office of their own to handle the non-football business. I was offered the job and worked for Jim Dalrymple, the GM, and Bob Downey, the Stadium Manager. We hosted every major touring show that was out in the eighties: Rolling Stones, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, U2, the Grateful Dead, among others. The primary promoter in the market was Cellar Door Concerts, run by Jack Boyle and Dave Williams.

I learned so much during those years from my bosses and promoters alike, but I was looking for more responsibility so in 1989 I applied to be the Assistant Director of Civic Facilities for the City of Norfolk, VA. I was lucky enough to be hired and went to work for Bill Luther, the Director, in October of that year.

Bill was a sage veteran of IAAM at the time and had worked in multiple facilities during his career as well as serving as President of IAAM. Again, I learned a lot from Bill during my eight years with him in Norfolk, but I again found myself looking for a new challenge.

This manifested itself in a job 3,000 miles away in Seattle, WA, in 1997. I went to work at Seattle Center as the Director of Event Production. Seattle Center is the campus that included at the time Key Arena, Mercer Arena, the Opera House, and a variety of other gathering facilities at the base of the Space Needle. My boss in Seattle was a woman named Virginia Anderson who wasn’t really caught up in IAAM or venue management, per se, but was one of the most visionary and inspirational leaders that I ever had the pleasure to work for. I was able to work closely with the Seattle Supersonics, the Seattle Storm, the Seattle Thunderbirds, and the Seattle Sea Dogs. It was also my first exposure to union negotiations.

Heading towards my fifth year in Seattle, I received a phone call from a City Council member in Norfolk,
VA, who told me that Bill Luther was retiring, and that the city would be interested in me applying for the Director’s job. I did and was hired in 2001. I have been in that role until today.

I have been fortunate that from my time at RFK Stadium until 2023, I have been affiliated with IAAM/IAVM. So much of my experience has been shaped by the relationships that I developed in IAVM and the programs that IAVM has offered. From District Meetings to Regional Meetings to Chapter Meetings to Oglebay to VenueConnect, participation in these gatherings helped to shape my career and my views about facility management.

I have looked up to many of my colleagues who, whether they knew it or not, taught me a lot. Bob Hunter, Brad Mayne, Michael Marion, Amy Brown, Kevin Twohig, Jimmy Earl, and Bill Holland are some of the leaders that I have admired from afar but also learned from.

As most of us in this business will attest to, they must have the loving support of their family as there are many days and nights where I was not at home but trying to hone my craft at the office or some faraway meeting. My wife Erin and son JD and daughter Callan put up with a lot throughout my career and
I am most grateful for their love and support.

As important as my family has been, the various people on my staffs who have worked with me and supported me deserve most of the credit for any success I have achieved. Left to my own devices, I doubt that I could have amounted to much, but I have always had great people working for me (too many to mention) who made me look much better than I could have on my own.

I don’t know where the next steps of my life and career will go but I know I will have to find something to keep myself busy. I have enjoyed every step I have taken to this point and look forward to the next
one.

John Rhamstine, CVE, most recently served as Director of Cultural Facilities, Arts and Entertainment, at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

By R.V. Baugus

Kevin Clayton serves as Senior Vice President, Head of Social Impact and Equity for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. Clayton will also serve as the Opening Keynote Speaker for VenueConnect in Pittsburgh. As one who works in an important role in a public assembly venue, Clayton is among the best-equipped to blend his experience at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a social responsibility that is crucial to the success of every IAVM member venue. In a far-ranging interview in which Clayton was so gracious with his time and his expertise, much was revealed about his own interesting past to where he is today. We share with you this week Part I of the interview with Kevin Clayton.

AS SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN SOCIAL IMPACT AND EQUITY, GIVE OUR AUDIENCE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THOSE SUBJECT MATTERS AND ESPECIALLY WHY DEI IS SO IMPORTANT AND EVEN WHAT MIGHT BE MISUNDERSTOOD ABOUT IT.

I plan for the audience to hear some things they will take away that will set the tone for the rest of the conference. There’s a handful of things out there, one of which is there is so much misinformation and so many people that really don’t understand what the conversation of diversity, equity, and inclusion is. I’m not saying your audience doesn’t. I just know it doesn’t matter if I’m speaking in front of people that have been doing this work for a few years or have never done this work or businesspeople that are leaders that when they hear the word diversity and now when you hear the acronym DE&I is kind of its own word and it’s like no, they’re not.

I want people to really be clear as to what it is we’re talking about. Like, what is this and the reason why is that the work of DE&I on a national basis is under attack and has been the last six to nine months. It’s because it’s been set up to fail by us as practitioners as well as a lack of common understanding. What I’ll share with you is when you think post-George Floyd how many DE&I or directors or leaders just had those titles or jobs. There is no curriculum for this. There is no undergraduate degree. There are a few certifications that are out there. But for the majority of us that are doing this work it was really who has passion, who is a woman or person of color then, ah, you’re our diversity leader.

Is there any position at any facility that you can get just based off of your dimension of diversity? No! So, the reason why it is so important to understand what it is and what it’s about one thing, but I also want people to have enough that they can build strategy to operationalize this work. It is way beyond an HR function. It’s a business strategy and for those organizations that get it and understand that they’re the ones that are going to be further ahead. I tie all of this back into the facilities. We operate Rocket Mortage FieldHouse and I am involved in everything that we do in that building so I’ll be able to talk from how we handle our part-time workers, how we handle our union workers to how we get around with our food service. It’s all connected.

How I do this is the sales side of me and also the training side of me. I give people tools on how to do exactly what I say. I’m not going to say, hey, if you want to know how to do this read my book. I will give people at least five or six different ways for them to begin the processes that will be practical and achievable and with so much practical sense it will be like wait a minute, what’s the catch?

FANTASTIC AND WE CAN’T WAIT! DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCES GROWING UP THAT HAVE BEEN BENEFICIAL TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING DEI OR PREPARED YOU FOR YOUR CURRENT WORK?

I’m going to give you a personal and professional parallel because it all adds up. I’m from Cleveland, grew up in Cleveland, raised by three women. My mother, my grandmother and my great grandmother. A single mom and we would move from two-family homes to two-family homes because the landlord would go up on our rent. We moved into Shaker Heights. The reason why we moved every year is because she wanted to stay in the school system and at that point it was my first interaction with Jewish people.

I am 10 or 11 at this point. I was part of the first busing program in Shaker and at that point that I knew I was being groomed for this work based on my destiny and my life’s purpose. I didn’t know then but as I look back now, I’ve always been thrown in these situations where differences were important and how to overcome those differences and what have you. Where differences were an obstacle, but how you overcome those differences for good.

Fast forward and right out of school I started with Procter & Gamble in sales and marketing. I had 10 years at P&G. Let me back up. So, I played basketball at North Carolina Central, a D1 school and an all-Black school. I was there for a year. The program wasn’t what I thought it was and there was no transfer portal at that time. If I was to transfer, I would have to sit out. I then went to a Division 3 school, Wilmington College in Ohio and had a good career. I then started working at P&G two days after my graduation from college and was sent to inner city Detroit. Now, I’ve got no experience in living in the inner cities. For the leaders of P&G then to say, hey, we’ve got a great section for you and it’s in the inner city of Detroit. That was their own biases of seeing me as a Black man … you must be from the inner city.

P&G then began to in the early 90’s, late 80’s, we began to look at diversity – not DE&I but diversity to leverage our business against Japanese companies and Taiwanese companies that were coming to America. You recall back when the US car industry kind of hit rock bottom and so many Asian car companies were moving in with less quality. So, we decided one way for us to actually protect our business leverage was cultural diversity and gender diversity.

Again, I’m a salesperson and I saw it and understood it and was like, wow, that’s a competitive advantage. Fast forward after a decade at P&G I had a great career and then opened my own consulting firm to help other companies do this. I was 31 years old, and I could use the P&G model to help other companies do that.

I worked with Russell Corporation and then worked with the United States Tennis Association. I was the chief diversity officer for the USTA, then went back to doing my consulting work. I worked in healthcare with Mercy Health and then the Cavaliers.

AS WE KNOW, YOU ARE THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SOCIAL IMPACT AND EQUITY. HOW DID THAT TITLE COME ABOUT AND WHAT DOES IT ENCOMPASS?

About my title, I came in as VP of DE&I. My working position got elevated and my CEO and I were like, OK, what’s the position going to be called? I wanted it to be called the Outcome of the Work. I didn’t want to describe it as DEI.

So, community falls under these names — DE&I, community relations, government affairs, our Foundation, everything public-facing within the Cleveland Cavalier Operating Companies and with that as SVP Head of Social Impact, that’s the outcome of our work. It has made an impact. Equity is internal and external so looking at the title, but I also was fortunate enough to understand if I could use a hockey term “where the puck is going.” I knew that if I continued to be connected with DE&I that was going to pigeonhole me although I have done a lot of that work, but I wanted to get away from that to be on the cutting edge of impacting ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance investing). How do we impact social impact? How do we impact corporate responsibility and social responsibility? I can bury DE&I work into my work so that it’s not magnified, and people can relate to impact versus, oh, this is diversity.