There was a lot of news this past week. Here are some stories that caught our eyes.

Why Major League Baseball Got Into…the Wine Business?
—Fast Company
“This season, seven teams–the Giants, Yankees, Mariners, Red Sox, Rangers, Phillies, and Cubs–became the first to hawk custom blends.”

Music Festival Travel Site Festicket Raises $2.7M
—Billboard
“The fast-growing startup gives music fans a way to discover and book complete travel packages — tickets, transportation and hotel — for festivals around the globe. Festicket works with over 200 festivals, including Tomorrowland, Leeds and Reading, and puts its membership at over 300,000.”

Ticketmaster Acquires Eventjoy
—Encore
“Eventjoy offers event organizers a system to to self-manage their events and ticketing, with resources such as social marketing, analytics, and customer engagement tools and can stay connected with attendees through tools like embedded direct messaging and real time notifications. All of their services are available through a mobile application so that event management can be handled from a mobile device.”

An Economic Giant: SXSW’s Impact on Austin Blows Past $300M Mark
—Austin Business Journal
“That number reflects the money festival attendees and participating brands spend on registration, food, lodging and other expenses during the 10-day event.”

Triple-A Toledo Mudhens Turned Their Outfield Into a Mini-Golf Course
—Sports Illustrated
“The course winds its way through the outfield before heading towards the basepaths, with one hole finishing on top of the pitcher’s mound.”

(Image: Fast Company/Major League Baseball)

IAVM introduced its Venue Group Membership program this summer. The program delivers an affordable discount pricing structure that enables venues to sign up to 20 employees who are involved in venue management. Since its debut, several venues have joined the program, including the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas, which was the first venue to sign up for it.

“We believe IAVM memberships provide extraordinary value for team members in their personal and work lives,” said Russell Read, CFE, vice president of operations for the AT&T Performing Arts Center. “Ideally, we would like for all our team members to hold memberships, but budgets constraints always played a factor. This new program now allows us to bring more people into the fold and reap the benefits that IAVM offers.”

Read said that nothing is more important than the relationships that are found and strengthen through IAVM.

“It is through our fellow venue managers we find education, mentorship, collaboration, and support,” he said. “All employees, no matter what stage they are in within our company or industry, benefit from being plugged into a community of their peers. The more input you have the more output you get. That output, of course, translates to new opinions, increased participation in the association’s development programs, and a robust pipeline of new venue managers who will inevitably be our next industry leaders.”

The San Diego Convention Center is also a member of the new program.

“At the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, we take great pride in our staff as they are our greatest asset,” said Carol Wallace, president and CEO of the San Diego Convention Center. “Participation in the IAVM group membership program is a great way for us to afford our employees the opportunity to grow as professionals via training and insight with the industry’s leading venue managers.”

Wallace said the group membership program has allowed the corporation to not only bring more of its experienced professionals to the table, but also to identify and introduce its leaders of tomorrow to the industry conversation in the early stages of their professional development.

“IAVM is made strong by the knowledgeable and accomplished membership they maintain,” Wallace said. “The insight each member brings to the association from their corner of the industry is of great value. The environment of mentorship and collaboration allows leaders to better understand and address issues relating to the public assembly venues management industry. By increasing the participation of our leading professionals, the IAVM group membership program can only benefit the industry as a whole.”

The current venues officially participating in the program are the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the San Diego Convention Center, the Swiftel Center (Brookings, South Dakota), the MassMutual Center (Springfield, Massachusetts), and the Chaifetz Arena (St. Louis, Missouri).

“We are excited about the increased engagement opportunities that this new membership model affords. Our network will grow significantly and our expertise will broaden as a result. More collaboration from members with a wider scope of perspectives will make the industry and IAVM stronger,” said Gina Brydson, IAVM’s director of membership. “Member venues supporting this program means more mid-level managers and young professionals will be brought into the fold, which sets the tone to nurture the future leaders of our wonderful association. Group Membership will assist our members in training their staff more affordably while weaving them into attending schools and conferences on an annual basis, again at discount pricing. These new members will increase their participation, learn important skill sets, and build lifelong relationships with their peers and our Allied Partners, which helps them achieve their goals, too. Our Allied Partners want a bigger network—individuals that either have purchasing power or influence the sale. This is a win for everyone in our industry.”

Please read “Introducing IAVM’s Venue Group Membership Program” for more information, and if you have questions or you’re ready to sign up, please call IAVM Member Services at 972.906.7441 or membership@iavm.org.

(Image: Tim Hursley/AT&T Performing Arts Center)

IAVM has awarded the prestigious 2014 Convention Center Lifetime Achievement Award to Bob Mayer, CFE, an IAVM member since 1982.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented during the 2014 International Convention Center Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact on the convention center industry and the IAVM community.

Mayer’s decades of experience are marked with accolades that recognize his commitment, drive, and passion for an industry he has been active in since his first job as assistant manager of the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City in 1978.

Mayer’s involvement with IAVM has been instrumental to the association’s strengths and successes. He has worked on numerous committees, including serving five years on the board of directors. He was district vice president of IAVM from 1987-1989, IAVM’s second vice president from 1990-1991, and president of the association from 1992-1993.

Mayer’s other roles within IAVM include:
—Founding Member of the Board of Regents
—Instructor for the IAVM’s Venue Management School
—Chairman of the IAVM Foundation (1999-2000)
—Founding Chair of the Association’s first Leadership Institute Program (2001)

Recognition for Mayer’s achievements are many. In 1985, he was presented with the IAVM District VI Francis R. Deering Award; in 1987, he received the Certified Facilities Executive (CFE) designation for professional achievement; and in 2000, he received the industry’s highest honor: the IAVM Charles A. McElravy Award for outstanding contributions to the industry and IAVM. In 2005, he received one of the first Chairman’s Citations.

Since retirement, Mayer has remained highly involved in IAVM in various capacities, including serving as a member of the Performing Arts Committee and the International Convention Center Committee. He also served as chairman of the IAVM International Steering Committee, working with leadership in Europe, Australia, and China. Currently, he is a faculty member of the IAVM Academy for Venue Safety and Security (AVSS) as a subject matter expert pertaining to severe weather planning and preparedness at public assembly venues and outdoor events.

Mayer’s colleagues and peers join IAVM in celebrating his achievement.

“Bob Mayer is the first name that comes to my mind when I think about people in IAVM who would be willing to volunteer for a project assignment or task,” said John Christison, CFE, president of BCI+Network. “Bob has always said yes every time he was called upon, and he is still doing so in retirement.”

Frank Poe, executive director for the Georgia World Congress Center, said Mayer was a role model who directly impacted his work ethic and career.

“A leader is made through his hard work, sacrifice, and unquestioned integrity,” Poe said. “These are the qualities that Bob has displayed—challenging me to be the best I can be.”

Mayer’s unwavering dedication to running events smoothly and his fastidious attention to detail were noted by Harold Hansen, CFE, a senior consultant at VenuWorks.

“While there are many people and organizations that have played a role in the industry’s increased awareness and preparedness around severe weather, Bob Mayer’s contribution to the AVSS Severe Weather Planning and Preparedness Guide was instrumental to this change,” Hansen said. “Bob’s efforts have, and will, allow patrons to attend events, have a good time, and go home safely—saving lives throughout our industry.”

The IAVM Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Mayer on Friday, October 3, 2014, during a luncheon at the International Convention Center Conference. The conference will be held October 2-4 at the Fairmont Waterfront hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Soccer legend Pelé helped open a new, innovative pitch yesterday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The field, sponsored by Royal Dutch Shell, features 200 underground tiles—covered by a layer of Astro Turf—that capture kinetic energy created by the players’ movements. This energy is then stored and combined with energy captured by solar panels next to the pitch to convert renewable electricity for floodlights.

“The pitch proves the potential and power when scientists and entrepreneurs focus their efforts to develop creative and innovative energy solutions,” said André Araujo, Shell Brazil Country Chair. “By tapping into the world’s passion and interest in football [soccer], we aim to capture the attention of youngsters around the world so they think differently about energy and the opportunity of science studies and careers.”

Pelé said that soccer is Brazil’s greatest passion, and he’s seen the sport transition through a lot of technological innovation since he stopped playing.

“This new pitch shows the extraordinary things possible when science and sport come together,” Pelé said. “The Morro da Mineira community will now be able to use this sports facility as a safe gathering place—all thanks to the floodlights powered by the community’s football players.”

A British company named Pavegen developed the tiles, which use a cog system to capture the energy. When a player steps on a tile, the cogs spin, acting similar to generators. Each tile is estimated to cost around US$500, but the price is falling, according to Pavegen founder and CEO Laurence Kemball-Cook.

“Having received support from Shell to develop my vision, I’m lucky enough to now use my ideas to meet the energy challenge,” Kemball-Cook said. “This new football pitch is an exciting example that every child in a classroom can understand and see first-hand the vital role technology and innovation play in shaping our planet not only now, but in the future.”

(Image: ISEBOX)

Bob Hunter, CFE, once noted that, “We are responsible for excellence in the public venue management industry. The more we develop industry professionals, the better prepared they will be to provide leadership in their venues. The CFE designation helps to bolster the image of IAVM and give credibility to our voice in matters of venue safety and security, the production of live entertainment and sports, and customer service.”

Isn’t it time that you take the opportunity to accept more responsibility with your career by becoming a Certified Facilities Executive? The final deadline to apply for certification in 2015 is November 1, 2014.

Once your application has been approved, your second deadline will be to submit your written essay by February 1, 2015.

For a quick check to see if you possibly have enough points to apply for CFE, use the link to the One Minute Guide and see.

The CFE Application and Program Information are now available for download.