IAVM is pleased to announce Richard Andersen, CVE, CIO (Chief Illuminations Officer) of Venue Solutions Group Advantage Training, as the recipient of the 2023 Joseph J. Anzivino Distinguished Allied Award.

Andersen’s professional career includes 28 years in Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Richard served as Executive Vice President of the San Diego Padres and General Manager of PETCO Park, and as President and CEO of Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami, Florida, current home to the Miami Dolphins and then home of the Florida (now Miami) Marlins. He has overseen Super Bowls, World Series, Olympic Games activities and a host of large sports and entertainment events – and wrestled an actual bear.

A member of IAVM for almost 30 years, Andersen’s contributions to the association have been tremendous, including having served as Chair of the Board of Directors. He continues to instruct at the IAVM Venue Management School and Graduate Institute and has served as Chair of its Board of Regents. Additionally, he regularly teaches internationally including as part of the faculty of the Venue Management Association Asia Pacific School and Leadership Institute.

“Richard has served the members of IAVM for many years, and his work has been invaluable to our mission,” stated Brad Mayne, IAVM CEO and President. “We are excited to celebrate him live at VenueConnect 2023 in Pittsburgh, where we will all honor his dedication to our industry.”

Upon being notified of receiving the award, Andersen said, “It has been my honor to be part of and serve the IAVM for the past 30 years. While I am humbled by and grateful for the recognition, I accept the Joseph J. Anzivino Award on behalf of the many volunteers who have helped make the IAVM what it is today.”

Andersen will be presented with the award at VenueConnect 2023, which is being held in Pittsburgh, PA July 31-August 3. For more information on VC23 or to register, please click here.

The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) is pleased to announce Beth Wade, CVE, as the recipient of the 2023 Charles A McElravy Award.

Currently, Wade is the Director of Berry Center, a venue complex owned by a K-12 school district  Houston, TX, a position she has held since 2005 when it opened.  The facility included an 11,000-seat stadium, 8,500 seat arena, 456 seat theatre and 15,000 square foot convention space.  Although the primary tenant is the school district who uses the facility for training, sporting events, student productions, banquets and parties, the facility hosts concerts, family shows and community meetings.

Wade has been a member of IAVM since 1981.  She has chaired the Certification Board, Membership Committee, Mentoring Committee and served on the Board of Directors, as well as numerous other committees.  Wade earned her Certified Venue Executive (CVE) designation in 1996 and was awarded the Chair Citation in 2019.

“I am excited to celebrate Beth and her contributions to IAVM and our industry at VenueConnect in Pittsburgh,” stated Brad Mayne, IAVM CEO and President. “Beth’s service to the association spans over 40 years, and she is the epitome of the best of the best in our industry. Her volunteerism and service has been instrumental in making who we are and what we do stronger, the exact reason the McElravy award is awarded.”

Upon being notified of receiving the award, Wade said, “Being selected as this year’s recipient of the Charles McElravy Award is an unexpected honor and privilege.  I love being part of IAVM and have received so much more from IT than I could ever give back.  I am overwhelmed that the Board of Directors would acknowledge my work to further our industry in this way and am deeply grateful.”

Wade will be presented with the award at VenueConnect 2023, which is being held in Pittsburgh, PA July 31-August 3.  For more information on VC23 or to register, please visit https://venueconnect.iavm.org/.

By R.V. Baugus

Editor’s Note: Part II of the interview with VenueConnect Opening Keynote Speaker Kevin Clayton continues below. In this portion of the interview, Clayton shares more about his upcoming presentation along with how the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse partner with the local community.

IT WAS INTERESTING TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND INFLUENCE IN THE AREAS OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. AS A MATTER OF FACT, DEI ALMOST IS SPOKEN AS IF ALL THREE OF THE LETTERS STAND FOR THE SAME THING BUT OBVIOUSLY, THEY DO NOT. HOW WILL YOU PRESENT THAT ELEMENT OF DEI?

I’m going to define the differences in several ways. I’m going to do it through the presentation but before I even get to that I do it in a way that is experiential and actually include members from the audience in a way that is so profound. It is one quick little exercise. I did this exercise today with some high school seniors. It’s the first time that I’ve done this with someone so young because people couldn’t understand why in our definition do we have similarities.

So, I went through this exercise and showed them and what it does right in front of you, you see, wow, you know, if I let my biases and my kind of life experiences block me from seeing Kevin as a person and seeing Kevin as only a Black male, then I’m going to lose the richness of the potential of us being the way we work together as colleagues or if we’re friends or neighbors. Let me add this: Each time I kind of go through a segment I wrap it up with a how-to, so you know that’s coming. It’s not like I get to the end, and I list here’s five things. I give it in real time so people can mentally massage it, but I also connect this back to this industry. My examples will range from what happens in venues to what happens in communities and everything around it.

SPEAKING OF COMMUNITY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GREAT THINGS YOU ARE DOING IN CLEVELAND?

I’m going to run off a handful. First, our chairman and leader of our organization, Dan Gilbert, believes that we are stewards over the community’s property. So, we look at our building as the community’s property. Our team, it belongs to the community. With that, I’ll give you two or three quick examples. One of the challenges that we have in Cleveland is being the most impoverished city in the country and that’s child poverty and adult poverty. It has been rated as the worst place for African American or Black women to live and when you start talking about maternal health for women, when you start talking about babies and what have you, we’re one of the highest from a death rate standpoint and you look at all those things and understand there are some things in our systems that are creating that.

What we have done is partner with the city, our mayor, our county executive, and the county, to understand better what role we have and what we focus on with food scarcity and gun violence. There are some very specific things I can share with you around what those initiatives are and how we were able to get the entire community to rally behind us.

At the end of the day we’re a trojan horse. I can make a phone call and this is not me being arrogant but you know, any of our venues can make a phone call and say, hey, this is such and such and it doesn’t matter who it is we at least get an audience.

So the fact is our non-profits and others can’t get that kind of audience. It is our responsibility to be a door opener. We are already with the city and the county, because at the end of the day for all of our venues and the venues you have at the conference if they are coming from cities that are perceived as not safe then that is going to have a direct impact on the event planners and where they are going to select.

I’ll say everyone is talking about DEI to the extent that if we leverage the whole DE&I platform with all of our partners and some of our booking partners who understand it. I’ll give you a great example. Lizzo has a passion around voter registration. That’s one of our passions so we’re trying to talk to her about what can we do in connection with you when you’re here about voter registration?

It’s something we’re just now rolling out to interact with the promoters around what can we do from a community standpoint to expand the relationship because all things being equal if you’re a venue in Pittsburgh competing with us and it’s a toss-up but if we have a passion around social justice, we leverage that and it’s a competitive advantage perhaps.

VERY IMPRESSIVE! THE NBA HAS BEEN A LEADER FOR YEARS WHEN IT COMES TO DIVERSITY IN THE FRONT OFFICES AND ON THE COURT. TALK SOME ABOUT THAT.

A couple of things that we’re doing … 85% of the league is African American or players from other countries. Therefore, it makes sense for us to highlight and partner with those visiting teams when they come in that aren’t our players. So, when there’s a star like Luka Doncic with Dallas, when Dallas comes in, we highlight and talk about your star player. We sell packages, we promote, and typically the player will give and take pictures and autographs.

We also have leveraged our relationship in Brazil this past summer with (long-time Cleveland player and fan favorite) Andy Varajao. I’ll show some footage around what we did there. We opened up courts in Brazil and statistics that are amazing as to the impact prior to us doing that and then after us doing that.

YOU’VE BEEN GRACIOUS WITH YOUR TIME. HOW ABOUT WE WRAP UP WITH YOUR DEFINITION OF ‘ALLYSHIP’ AND THEN HOW YOU PREVIOUSLY SHARED THAT OUR CONFERENCE THEME OF ENGAGE / CULTIVATE / THRIVE IS A THEME RIGHT IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE.

I’m going to give you a teaser. The headline teaser on ally ship of what I’m going to give you is “Get in the Boat.” I go through a whole piece not so much dramatic but it’s pretty powerful around what allyship is and what it is not. What I will do is show how this whole concept of DE&I and social responsibility has to be an anchor for any organization to engage, cultivate, and thrive.

By Mary-Michael Rodgers

The Greater Boise Auditorium District Board of Directors announced Cody Lund as the new Executive Director of Boise Centre. Lund was selected following a three-month search and is currently the Assistant Executive Director of Boise Centre. He will succeed Pat Rice, who retires at the end of 2023. In his new role Lund will oversee a senior leadership team responsible for the facility’s daily operations, manage Boise Centre’s $9 million annual budget, and ongoing sales and promotion activity. Lund will also serve as a liaison and represent the District Board of Directors as it relates to community resources.

“During the search for a new Executive Director, candidates throughout the country were interviewed and
Cody Lund stood out among the rest,” said District Chairwoman Kristin Muchow. “His passion, current
leadership of day-to-day activities at Boise Centre, and depth of experience in all facets of venue
management, operations, and food and beverage make him the perfect candidate to continue the Centre’s
place in the community. Cody is a well-respected leader in the convention center industry and the board
looks forward to working with him in the years to come.”

As Assistant Executive Director of Boise Centre from 2017 to 2023, he was responsible for leading and
managing four of the convention center’s largest departments including food and beverage services, event
management, building facility operations, and technology services. His upward progression spans twelve
years and includes Director of Operations where he played a key role in the successful opening of Boise
Centre’s expansion and renovation project.

“I look forward to leading Boise Centre and to continuing to build upon our reputation for service excellence,” Lund said. “It is a privilege to work with some of the most passionate and skilled event and venue management professionals in the business. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead them and to serve the District and the community I call home.”

Lund developed and led the implementation of Boise Centre’s work culture program, Wowgistics. He is a
strategic and respected leader who values building relationships with clients and team members.

Lund serves as the Region 4 Assistant Director of the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM)
and is a graduate of IAVM Venue Management School. He is a member of the Capital City Kiwanis Club,
Idaho Public Purchasing Association, SKAL Club of Boise, and has served as a mentor in the Boise Young
Professionals B Wise program. In 2022, he was recognized as Manager of the Year in the Recognition of
Service Excellence (ROSE) awards.

Mary-Michael Rodgers is Communications Manager of the Boise Centre.

By Richard Oliver

A new study by St. Mary’s University professor Steve Nivin shows that over its 30-year history, the Alamodome has generated almost $4 billion in economic impact for the City of San Antonio.

The Alamodome, which cost $186 million to construct, has returned nearly $628 million in revenues back to city, county, state and federal governments, along with school districts. Since its opening May 15, 1993, more than 33 million visitors have attended events ranging from concerts, sporting events, graduations, and shows.

“Simply put, the Alamodome is a valued asset that has put our community on the map, time and again, and improved our quality of life on so many levels,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.

Nivin’s study, commissioned by the Convention & Sports Facilities Department of the City of San Antonio, showcases a facility that has driven $130.7 million in financial impact each year for the community. That number includes $46.8 million in annual labor income and $75.5 million in yearly gross regional product tied to the stadium.

“There is little doubt that the Alamodome ranks today as one of the most diverse, popular entertainment venues in the country,” said Patricia Muzquiz Cantor, Director of Convention & Sports Facilities for the City of San Antonio. “Over three decades, it has proven an iconic destination for performers and fans alike. And there’s so much more to come.”

Nivin estimates that apart from events directly tied to San Antonio, such as high school football, graduations, and parties, just under 50 percent of all attendees traveled to the Alamodome from outside the metropolitan area. The seismic impact of that includes daily totals on average including $124 for lodging, $64 for food and beverages, $30 for entertainment and shopping, and $14 for alcohol.

In total, direct spending by visitors to events at the Dome has totaled $2.7 billion.

The Alamodome just completed one of the most successful years in its history. In the final five months of 2022 alone, the facility hosted five headline stadium concerts that drew nearly 230,000 fans and generated more than $31 million in gross receipts. The events included the Motley Crue and Def Leppard Stadium Tour, Bad Bunny, Rammstein, Grupo Firme, and Elton John.

The Bad Bunny and Elton John shows were part of the two largest tours in the world last year. The Bad Bunny concert broke the facility mark for gross ticket sales for one show when more than $11 million was recorded for the Sept. 8 performance. A crowd of 54,000 was on hand for the event.

Additionally, the Dome saw more than 150,000 spectators attend seven University of Texas at San Antonio football games, including the Conference USA championship on Dec. 2. In total, the Alamodome held 135 event days in 2022, with a similar schedule for 2023, exceeding the average of 115 event dates in previous years.

Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, who was the driving force behind the construction of the Dome, said he always envisioned the facility as something more than a place to house competitions, musical performances, or conventions.

“I saw it as a community gathering place that would lift the quality of life for a city that was ready for the next step,” Cisneros said. “Indeed, I told the New York Times before the opening in 1993, ‘It’s the beginning of a new chapter in San Antonio’s life.’ That has certainly been the case.”

Already announced for 2023 are concerts by global superstars Red Hot Chili Peppers (May 17), P!nk (Sept. 25) and Guns ‘N Roses (Sept. 26). The stadium also hosted the debut of the new XFL spring football league co-owned by actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. More events will be unveiled in coming days.

On Jan. 13, the San Antonio Spurs set the NBA record for single-game attendance when 68,323 fans attended the team’s 50th anniversary celebration game against the Golden State Warriors. Two weeks later, WWE held its Royal Rumble there, and more than 51,000 showed up as the wrestling circuit set records for gate revenues.

The Alamodome will host its fifth Men’s Final Four in 2025 and has been selected to host the Women’s Final Four in 2029. On Dec. 29, the Valero Alamo Bowl was played at the Dome for the 30th time.

“The number of unforgettable, impactful events the Alamodome has hosted and will host in the future is staggering,” said Derrick Fox, President/CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl. “With its proximity to downtown hotels, restaurants, and the River Walk, the Alamodome is the perfect complement to a one-of-a-kind trip for the 1.7 million fans that have experienced the Valero Alamo Bowl since our inception and generated $1 billion in economic impact for our community.”

Steve Zito, CVE, Assistant Director/Alamodome for the City of San Antonio, acknowledged the promoters who have helped make the facility so successful, including the Valero Alamo Bowl, Live Nation, Feld Entertainment, University Interscholastic League, Cheer Power, NCAA, San Antonio Home and Garden Show, San Antonio Sports, the Spurs and AEG, among others.

Richard Oliver is Communications Manager at the Alamodome.