Jane Chu—president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri—was confirmed at the 11th chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) yesterday the the U.S. Senate.

“I’m honored to receive the Senate’s vote of confirmation, and I look forward to serving our nation as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts,” Chu said. “Together, we have the opportunity to show the value of connecting the arts to all Americans, and the importance of the arts in bringing communities together.”

The White House is set to make the official appointment soon, and then Chu will begin work after that.

“I’m glad the Senate confirmed Dr. Chu’s nomination as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts today,” said U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.). “I was impressed by her successful oversight of the more than $400 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts project and I enjoyed visiting with her in Kansas City several weeks ago. I have no doubt Dr. Chu will serve as a valuable asset to the NEA.”

Chu holds master’s degrees in music and piano pedagogy from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree in business administration from Rockhurst University and a PhD in philanthropic studies from Indiana University, as well as an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.

(Image: NEA)

We’ll be descending on Portland in six weeks for VenueConnect, and we’re super excited. Personally, I’ve never been to Portland (and admittedly, everything I know about it comes from Portlandia). So for those, like me, that aren’t familiar with the “City of Roses,” we asked some of our venue managers that live there for fun recommendations before, during, and after the conference.

For example, Stefanie Arnold with the Oregon Convention Center recommends visiting the watefront if you want to take some good photos.

“The waterfront is always busy with an eclectic sampling of people to photograph,” Arnold said. “You can also get great vistas of Mt. Hood (if the day is right) and the bridges.”

Are you bringing your family along to VenueConnect? Perhaps, then, a visit to the zoo would do.

“Absolutely go to the Oregon Zoo,” said Howard Zuckerman from the Moda Center. “We just had another baby elephant and three baby lion cubs.”

We compiled the ideas and put them on a poster for you (click on the image to view a larger version).

The poster should arrive in your mailbox next week.

Also packaged with the poster is a paper beard. We encourage you to cut it out and take photos of yourself wearing the beard and to tweet (hashtag: #VC14) the images or post them on the VenueConnect Facebook page. For example, here’s a few of us at headquarters sporting our beards.

We look forward to your photos and seeing you in Portland, July 26-29, at VenueConnect!

Joe Floreano, CFE, has given a lot time and energy to the venue management industry, and it’s not going unnoticed. He was awarded the 2014 Legacy Award last month from the IAVM Foundation, and this month he’s receiving another honor.

The Rochester Broadway Theatre League (RBTL) has announced the naming of the “Joe Floreano Entertainment and Education Room” at its Auditorium Theatre in Rochester, New York. It was a unanimous decision from the RBTL Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for Floreano’s many years of support and dedication to the organization.

“RBTL is grateful for Joe’s friendship and involvement, and dedicates this room in sincere appreciation for his many contributions and help in providing arts education opportunities for local students,” said the RBTL Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

Floreano joined the RBTL Board of Directors in 1999 and has been an active member for 15 years. He has devoted countless hours of service, generously supporting Auditorium Theatre shows, fundraising events, and most importantly, arts education programs.

Congratulations, Joe!

(Image: Ira Morris)

IAVM member Bob McClintock, COO and senior vice president of the convention center division of SMG, was featured twice this past week on Philly.com in articles about convention center management. Here’s what he said in the article “In Convention Center Management, What You Don’t See Still Counts” when asked about what he likes about the business.

Visit Philly.com to read the rest of the article, and to read the other piece, “A Marriage of Management and Labor,” that profiles McClintock.

(Image: Charles Fox/Staff Photographer)

Just like Joe Camel, e-cigs’ popularity is due to the “cool” factor. That’s what Michael Steinberg from the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School found when he conducted a study comparing e-cigs and nicotine inhalers. E-cigs were also considered more satisfying and helpful in trying to quit smoking. Steinberg believes that their popularity and “cool” factor is due to better marketing on TV and social media.

“E-cigarettes have the potential to be important nicotine delivery products because of their high acceptance and perceived benefit, but more data are needed to evaluate their actual efficacy and safety,” Steinberg said. “Physicians have the potential to be an important source for answers about e-cigarettes that may influence the public’s perceptions and use of these products.”

In the April/May issue of FM magazine, we addressed e-cigs in our article, “The Vaping Question,” and the uncertainty around e-cigs’ advantages or disadvantages.

“My impression is that a big part of the popularity of e-cigs now is that they represent a way for smokers to access nicotine in places where smoking is prohibited,” said Dr. Chad Babcock, an Austin, Texas-based physician. “Those anti-smoking laws are in place because it’s been well established for years now that there are significant health problems associated with second-hand smoke exposure. E-cigs are new enough that they aren’t specifically prohibited in the same way, but that’s not because they’re necessarily safer. We just don’t have the data yet to know what effects, if any, they have on passive exposure.”

Please read the article to find out how some venue managers are addressing e-cig use in their facilities. And please share your thoughts with us in the comments section about e-cigs.

(Image: Flickr CC/BigMikeYeah)