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

A Pre-history of the Electronic Music Festival
—Resident Advisor
“The international festival circuit is booming, but little is known about the decades of evolution that got us here. In his latest extended feature, Luis-Manuel Garcia travels back in time to trace the roots of festival culture.”

Why College Football Is Studying Major League Soccer
—The Wall Street Journal
“To fix its mysterious attendance woes, the sport looks far afield—to professional soccer.”

Live Nation to Debut New Country Festival in Las Vegas
—Encore
“The event, which uses the historical name of present-day Las Vegas Boulevard, will include country A-listers Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley and Brantley Gilbert. Others on the roster include Dwight Yoakam, Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch.”

Social Sharing Has Become the Biggest Thing in Sports Marketing
—Adweek
“What most brands and agencies don’t know, or don’t act on, is that sponsorship is a new game now, one most are playing by old rules. If you are still slapping logos on stadium signage and hoping that counts as ‘unique impressions,’ you’ve got a problem.”

How Music Affects Your Productivity
—Fast Company
“You might be rocking headphones while you read this—but does what’s playing make you better at your job?”

(Image: Resident Advisor)

My two favorite bands when I was five were KISS and the Village People. Obviously, I had preference for dramatic flair when it came to music. You know what else has a taste for dramatic flair? Las Vegas. So, it makes sense to have the hottest band in the world play America’s grown-up playground for a string of dates, or as they say in the biz, a residency.

“What happens in Vegas will not stay in Vegas, not if we have anything to do with it,” said Gene “The Demon” Simmons. “We intend to blow the roof off the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.” Tickets go on sale July 18.

KISS’s first-ever residency runs November 5-23 at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. It’s called “KISS Rocks Vegas,” and it was designed exclusively for the venue in partnership with AEG Live. Expect elaborate sets, pyrotechnics, platform boots, and plenty of rock ‘n rolling all night.

And if you can’t wait to see KISS in Vegas, Yahoo will stream their concert from the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, North Carolina, via the Live Nation Channel on Yahoo Screen on Saturday, July 19.

Now, excuse me while I go listen to my Destroyer album.

(photo credit: Beanhammer via photopin cc)

WESTADIUM revealed today its design for the new Perth Stadium in Australia. The facility will feature five tiers, more than 70 food and beverage options, and LED lights that will show home sports team colors at night.

“This is a very exciting day for all West Australians, and I am delighted to reveal the design of this world-class venue, which will play a pivotal role in the transformation of Perth,” said Premier Colin Barnett. “The winning design successfully meets the state’s requirement for a world-class, multi-purpose stadium within a parkland setting, and does so with a uniquely Western Australian focus. The seating bowl maximises stadium atmosphere, gives fans exceptional views, and brings them close to the action, providing a special home ground advantage for our teams. I’m also particularly pleased to announce that the successful negotiations for this contract have confirmed that the capital cost of the stadium is around AUS$40 million less than what was originally budgeted.”

Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron said that a focus on the fan experience was a priority in the stadium’s design.

“The emphasis on delivering a venue that has the fan experience at the very heart is very much in evidence in this design,” Waldron said. “Seat sizes are generous, and each one will have a cup holder; fans will enjoy access to more than 70 food and beverage outlets; and those requiring higher levels of access—such as people in wheelchairs—will be able to use designated seating platforms across all seating tiers.

“The technology provisions include 4G Wi-Fi coverage across the stadium and precinct, two giant 240sqm video screens—some of the biggest in the country—and a further 1,000 screens throughout the stadium so fans never miss any of the action,” he continued. “The stadium will include the widest range of seating and hospitality options of any stadia in Australia.”

The design of the sporting and recreation precinct surrounding the stadium is inspired by Dreamtime stories and the connection with the Swan River and will have three distinct recreational spaces encouraging yearly use by the community.

A covered Community Arbour, linking the stadium station to the river, will represent Noongar community stories.  The western section of the precinct will be home to an amphitheater, two children’s playgrounds, picnic areas, and a boardwalk, while the community sporting oval to the north will be available for public use on non-event days, as well as providing event-day parking.

The new Perth Stadium will be open in time for the 2018 AFL season.

Greg Wolfe, IAVM’s professional development manager, recently spoke with Krister Ungerboeck, CEO of Ungerboeck Software International about the session he’s moderating at VenueConnect in Portland.

The panel, “Visionary Venues on Customer Relationship Management,” takes place Monday, July 28, from 10:45-11:30 a.m. Panelists include Randy Brown, CFE, executive vice president and general manager, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum; Allen Johnson, CFE,  executive director, Orlando Venues/Amway Center; and Robyn Williams, CFE, executive director, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts.

You can listen to the short podcast below to learn more about the session and Ungerboeck’s thoughts about customer relationship management.

VenueConnect is just around the corner and excitement is building. By now, you should have received your conference poster. Part of that mailing included a cut-out beard, and we’ve been asking you to send in photos of yourself wearing the beard. We received some pretty great photos from our members, as you can see above.

Please continue to email or tweet us more photos of yourself wearing the beard, and we can pretend to live the dream of the 1890s.

See you soon in Portland!