By Kate Little

As the governing body of Bon Secours Wellness Arena, the Greenville Arena District is excited to announce the renewal of its naming rights partnership with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. An extension of the partnership for an additional five years will ensure that the award-winning arena will continue to be known as Bon Secours Wellness Arena. This renewed partnership running until 2029 solidifies the ongoing collaboration between these esteemed community partners and reinforces their commitment to providing exceptional experiences for fans, athletes, and artists alike.

Matt Caldwell, Market President of Bon Secours St. Francis, expressed his excitement about the extended partnership: “It’s been nearly a decade since we took over the naming rights of Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and it’s been a fantastic partnership that continues to be a source of pride. Together with General Manager Beth Paul and her staff at the Arena, we’ve continued to keep wellness as the central focus of this partnership – hosting important health screenings and community programs such as Well Walkers in addition to providing educational events like the annual Human Trafficking Symposium.”

Since the original agreement in 2013, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System has demonstrated unwavering support for the Greenville community, making a positive impact through their dedication to healthcare and wellness. The extension of this naming rights partnership underscores their continued commitment to position the arena and the city of Greenville as a premier sports and entertainment destination.

“We’ve truly used this collaboration to expand our reach beyond hospital walls and live out our mission of building healthier communities, which is why we are very excited to extend this partnership and continue working together to make a difference in our community for many years to come,” Caldwell continued.

Bon Secours Wellness Arena has established itself as a leading sports and entertainment venue, attracting a diverse range of high-profile events including family shows, concerts, sports championships, and conventions. The continued support from Bon Secours St. Francis Health System allows the arena to thrive and contribute to the vibrant cultural fabric of Greenville.

Beth Paul, General Manager of Bon Secours Wellness Arena, emphasized the importance of extending the naming rights partnership: “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, and they share in our commitment to a first-class fan experience and a long-standing commitment to our community. The Bon Secours Wellness Arena has long been a hub of entertainment in Greenville, and we are fast approaching our 25th Anniversary- we are proud to enter the next chapter of community impact, together with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.”

As part of the renewal, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System’s branding will continue to be prominently featured throughout the arena, ensuring widespread recognition of their commitment to the Greenville community. The partnership will continue to deliver community events such as Well-Walkers, health-screenings, and other wellness-oriented programs.

The arena’s continued success is a testament to the strong collaboration between these partners and their shared dedication to providing exceptional experiences for attendees.

Kate Little is Senior Account Director with Hughes Agency.

From Sportsnet Canada

A new sensory room and infant-feeding room have been added to Rogers Centre as the Toronto Blue Jays work toward making their ballpark more accessible.

The new rooms are part of the ongoing renovations to the Blue Jays’ downtown stadium and are free to use for all fans attending a game.

The sensory room is designed for fans who have Down syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, are autistic, or just need a quiet space so they can self-regulate if the sights and sounds of the ballpark become overwhelming.

“They can come here, make their way here, and come on in,” said Christine Robertson, the Blue Jays director of fan services, as she stood in the sensory room located in section 212 of Rogers Centre.

“We always have staff at the fan services room. They’re here to support and keep an eye out but you don’t need to check in, you don’t need to make a reservation, you just come as needed.”

The sensory room is the first of its kind at any professional sports venue in Canada.

It includes several features designed to help soothe people experiencing dysregulation, including beanbag chairs, a coloring station, bubble walls, textured walls, a Nanoleaf wall that changes colors, and a muted TV so caregivers can still follow what’s happening in the Blue Jays game.

Sensory bags are also available to be borrowed at any fan services desk around Rogers Centre. These packs include noise-cancelling earmuffs, fidget toys, and color-coded cards so that people experiencing dysregulation or are non-verbal can point to the card to express how they’re feeling or what they need.

Both the sensory room and the sensory bags were put together in collaboration with KultureCity, a non-profit focused on sensory accessibility and acceptance for those with invisible disabilities.

“Our communities are what shapes our lives and to know that the Blue Jays are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that everyone, no matter their ability, is included in their community is amazing,” said Uma Srivastava, KultureCity’s executive director.

“We’re honored to partner with Blue Jays to provide a truly inclusive experience for all fans and guests.”

An infant-feeding room has also been added to Rogers Centre, near Section 240 across from the Gate 13 elevator. Like the sensory room, it is open to any ticket holder regardless of where they may be sitting in the ballpark.

The infant-feeding room has four rocking chairs with partitions between them for privacy, all of them facing a muted TV that has the game on so that parents don’t miss out on any of the action. There are also change tables with diapers and wipes provided as well as bottle warmers and sinks.

“This is really again, a simple thing, that can make a really big difference,” said Robertson. “That’s what we’ve heard from fans, is what a difference it makes because now I don’t have to wonder should I bring my child to the game? Is it going to be OK?

“You can be confident it’s going to be OK.”

Both the sensory room and the infant-feeding room have QR codes posted so fans can make suggestions about how to improve the spaces.

Robertson said that the Blue Jays’ accessibility committee is also exploring other additions, including more infant-feeding rooms and multi-faith prayer rooms.

Photo by Steven Crawford/Toronto Blue Jays

From jaguars.com

The Jacksonville Jaguars introduced conceptual designs for the Stadium of the Future, a design project nearly three years in the making intended to inspire a transformation of Downtown Jacksonville and secure NFL football in Northeast Florida well into the future.

The video visualization and renderings were unveiled on 1stdowntownjacksonville.com and across Jaguars’ social media channels.

“We have reached the end of this important and initial phase of this project, the design of the stadium we envision will be the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars and serve our entire community for generations to come,” said Jaguars team owner Shad Khan. “From stadium discussions starting in 2016 to the formal process launched in July 2020 and now concluding, our objective has always been the same – lock in a promising future for the Jaguars and help our downtown become an economic engine to lift all of Jacksonville, particularly areas that have been underserved. Being able to share the video and stadium design highlights with the people of Jacksonville is a significant step forward in that effort.

“This is also all happening at a fantastic time for everyone. Jacksonville is red hot. Just check out all of the recent rankings — best places to live, best housing market, hottest job market, best place to start a business, Jacksonville ranks within the top five in all of those lists. Add the fact the Jaguars are coming off a playoff season, and positioned for even better days ahead, and it all points to better and hopefully our best days just ahead in Jacksonville.”

The Jaguars and City of Jacksonville officials began work toward a long-term stadium solution in July 2020 with a thorough engineering assessment of the current stadium, TIAA Bank Field. The assessment concluded it was possible to solve stadium challenges via a renovation of the city-owned facility versus new construction.

In-depth surveys of fans and other key stakeholders followed along with a comprehensive selection process for a design partner. After its selection as architect for the project team, HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice then collaborated with the Jaguars on turning concepts into more definitive renovation plans.

“This transformation transcends the stadium’s boundaries. The design creates an iconic, accessible community nexus that ties together the surrounding neighborhoods and riverfront,” said Peter Broeder, HOK’s design principal. “The venue will celebrate Jacksonville’s natural landscape and climate, offering a park-like ambiance enriched by the latest amenities, engaging social spaces and state of the art technology. This unprecedented project will position Jacksonville as a premier destination for top-tier sports and entertainment events for decades to come.”

In addition to HOK, the project team includes Impact Development and Management as the owner’s representative, with AECOM Hunt and Barton Malow serving in the role of preconstruction manager.

The Stadium of the Future design meets the evolving needs of all stadium stakeholders, which include the Jaguars, the annual Florida-Georgia college football game, the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, international sporting events, major music festivals/tours, and the thousands of fans and guests in attendance at each event.

From theticketingbusiness.com

North American gaming group Great Canadian Entertainment has announced an exclusive partnership with Live Nation to bring leading music and comedy acts to its venues across Canada.

Great Canadian, which operates 25 properties in Canada, including casinos and racetracks, has named Live

Nation Canada as its exclusive booking agent, and the two companies will jointly promote the programming.

Among Great Canadian’s properties is the under-construction 5,000-capacity The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, which will open at the new $1 billion Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto later this year.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Live Nation Canada, the premier live entertainment promoter in the world,” said Gavin Whiteley, chief marketing officer at Great Canadian. “This partnership will bring some of the biggest and most exciting artists to our exceptional venues, providing guests with unforgettable experiences they will cherish for years to come.”

The partners claim this strategic alliance is one of the first of its kind in Canada. The deal will also cover the new The Arena at Pickering Casino Resort, River Rock Casino Resort, Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, Molson Canadian Centre at Casino New Brunswick and The Schooner Showroom at Casino Nova Scotia.

By R.V. Baugus

The University of Idaho was the latest university to receive safety and security training from IAVM Director of Safety & Security Mark Herrera. The Moscow, Idaho, university went beyond having the training to just its campus as the meeting extended to two individuals from the University of Washington.

Stuart Taylor, Associate Director of Multi-use Facilities at the University, took a few minutes to share what the training meant for his team.

Was this Mark’s first time to train your team and what was the thinking behind having him come do this at the University?

Yes, it was the first time to have Mark come and do a training for us. Our thinking was to get as many staff as possible get crowd manager trained. This was also one step in building our security and guest service training programs. This training has provided us with some of the tools that we will need to accomplish this.

What were some of the specific topics/areas of his training?

Situational Awareness, De-Escalation, Active Threat/Active Shooter, and Crowd Manager program.

How many did he train and were they all staff there at the University?

We had 44 people in attendance. Two members were from the University of Washington. All the rest were from the University of Idaho from different departments on campus. We had tech staff, custodial, concession, guest service and security, special events from campus, and Jazzfest staff.

How was the training received amongst the attendees?

Staff liked what was presented.

How will you utilize the training?

This training is another step in our development of our guest service and security programs. It also provided training to the other departments as to what role they play in our facilities, especially during an emergency.

Does the training carry extra significance (and if so, how) in light of the horrible killing of the four students?

This training is one more step for our staff in how to help make our events and guests feel safe and comfortable on campus.