The Colorado Springs World Arena and AEG Facilities announced this week that they have finalized a comprehensive multi-year Venue Services Agreement for the public facility company to provide a diverse range of venue support services that focuses on event booking and sponsorship sales.

It was also announced that through a naming rights agreement, the Colorado Springs World Arena will take on its original name, the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, a nod to the long history and connection shared by the arena and the Broadmoor. The non-profit ownership and management will remain the same under the non-profit Colorado Springs World Arena. The original Broadmoor World Arena opened in 1938 as part of the Broadmoor Hotel and was home ice to many Olympic skaters and special events. Its legacy has continued with the world-class entertainment hosted by the Colorado Springs World Arena since 1998.

“In today’s competitive entertainment environment, associating the World Arena with The Broadmoor, a five-star property known for quality and service and AEG Facilities, the power house of sports and entertainment, is a venue managers dream come true,” said Dot Lischick, CFE, general manager of the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs and an IAVM member. “I look forward to utilizing the added resources and additional value that our partners will provide, but more importantly, I am excited that the Colorado Springs community will reap the benefit of more world-class sports and entertainment.”

Steve Bartolin, president and CEO of The Broadmoor said the agreement with AEG is good for the World Arena, for The Broadmoor, and the community.

“What AEG brings in terms of access to content in sports and entertainment will be a benefit to the entire community,” Bartolin said. “I love the full circle of history, reattaching our name to the World Arena. So many great athletes competed and so many wonderful sporting events took place there. The World Arena is a very well managed facility with a great team in place…. I know AEG and The Broadmoor will work hard to be great partners.”

(Image: Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs)

In his article, “Why We Do What We Do,” in the latest issue of Facility Manager, Adam S. Cook wrote, “In an already fragmented world, our increasing reliance on mobile technology and social media to stay connected can drive an even greater wedge between personal interactions.”

True, the value of in-person connections cannot be overshadowed by online connections. The human touch, the appeal to the five senses, the non-verbal communication aspect—none of this can be replaced by the less emotionally penetrating nature of mobile technology or social media.

That said, according to the latest version of Event Manager Blog’s Event App Bible, “Over 60 percent of smart-phone users are using their devices at social gatherings and events.”

What does this tell us? More than half of attendees don’t want to put their phones down at an event. Per the Event App Bible, “What we are seeing is a surge in event app adoption and it seems inevitable that they will become more and more mainstream.”

Event organizers are realizing that having an online component to their event is a great way to broadly communicate event information, increase engagement with their event, elevate attendee interest, build their brand, please their stakeholders (exhibitors, sponsors, etc.), reach a broader audience than ever, and more.

Still, 63 percent of the event organizers surveyed in the Event App Bible aren’t currently using apps for their events. Why? The majority said it was because they didn’t have the money to invest in developing one of their own for their event.

Do you hear that knocking sound on your venue door? That’s opportunity.

Your event organizer customers want their customers using their mobile technology in your venue. They want people taking pictures, sharing images, tweeting, and posting updates across social media channels live from their events.

What if your venue filled this need for them? The increasing interest in mobile technology from event organizers and attendees alike presents a great opportunity for venues to add a mobile solution to their event services offering. If the app is priced correctly—even bundled with other services your venue offers—perhaps this will solve the issue event organizers are facing related to the cost of developing an app of their own.

Venues are catching on to the many benefits of a mobile offering.

Per IAVM’s 2013 technology report (part of its VenueDataSource industry data collection project), 28 percent of venues already have an app developed for itself, and within three years, an additional 27 percent plan to develop one. However, at this point it isn’t clear how many of these venues have an app they offer event organizers as a service option.

Providing event organizers with a mobile app for use at their event provides a few interesting benefits for venues. For one, the venue can look for a mobile solution partner that offers a reasonable price (perhaps volume discounts) so the venue can make money off the offering, which can create a new revenue stream for the venue.

Second, in order for an event organizer to launch a mobile app in time for their event, the organizer will have to get event details to the venue earlier. This helps the venue get the information they need well in advance of the event so they can plan resources appropriately, which isn’t always the case when details for an event trickle in last minute.

Finally, if the mobile app increases attendee satisfaction and engagement with the event, your direct customer’s satisfaction will increase, thereby increasing the customer’s loyalty with your venue and likeliness that they’ll not only return but also recommend your venue to their peers.

Given the growing prevalence of mobile device usage at events and the fact that social media isn’t going away anytime soon, I imagine a mobile solution offering could give you an edge over your competition when it came time for event organizers to choose a venue. Make sure you’re not missing an opportunity!

(photo credit: Ed Yourdon via photopin cc)

“Clap along if you know what happiness is to you,” Pharrell Williams sings on his smash hit, “Happy.” For many, happiness is defined as an abstract goal, but that can set up unrealistic expectations. The most effective way to achieve happiness, according to a Stanford University researcher, is to set concrete goals, because they are more likely to be met.

“Although the desire for personal happiness may be clear, the path to achieving it is indefinite,” said Jennifer Aaker, the study‘s co-author and the General Atlantic Professor of Marketing at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “One reason for this hazy route to happiness is that although people often think they know what leads to happiness, their predictions about what will make them happy are often inaccurate.”

To understand how benevolent acts may increase personal happiness, Aaker and her colleagues conducted six experiments involving 543 participants. The experiments focused on the level of abstraction of a person’s “prosocial” goal. Prosocial acts are voluntary actions done to benefit another person.

The researchers found that concretely framed goals, such as causing a smile, let to greater happiness for the giver, as opposed to abstractly framed goals, such as making someone happy. This was due to the givers’ perceptions that their acts met their expectations of creating happiness for others.

Consider these findings the next time you set out to help another person. By making your goals more concrete, you’ll both be happier.

(photo credit: Camdiluv ♥ via photopin cc)

Looks like AARP can lower its age requirement to 24, because that’s now when you’re over the hill.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada came to that conclusion by studying digital performance records of 3,305 StarCraft 2 game players, ages 16 to 44. The researchers used complex statistical modeling from massive amounts of data to understand how players reacted to opponents and how long they took to react in gaming situations.

“After around 24 years of age, players show slowing in a measure of cognitive speed that is known to be important for performance,” said Joe Thompson, a psychology doctoral student and lead author of the study. “This cognitive performance decline is present even at higher levels of skill.”

However, it’s not all bad news.

“Our research tells a new story about human development,” Thompson said. “Older players, though slower, seem to compensate by employing simpler strategies and using the game’s interface more efficiently than younger players, enabling them to retain their skill, despite cognitive motor-speed loss.”

Thompson said that our cognitive-motor capacities are not stable across adulthood, but are constantly in flux.

“Our day-to-day performance is a result of the constant interplay between change and adaptation,” he said.

I’m just happy that I’m old enough for some sweet discounts at Luby’s.

(photo credit: Leo Reynolds via photopin cc)

One of my favorite things to do when I visit a city is to shop at local stores and eat and drink at local restaurants and bars. Sure, you know what you’re getting by patronizing a chain operation. The fun, though, is in discovering something new and knowing you can only experience it in one place.

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) feels the same way. The AEG Facilities-operated venue recently selected the Groundwork Coffee Co. as its official coffee and catering supplier and operator of the venue’s retail coffee locations.

“We felt utilizing a local company with a great product, sustainable business model, and social responsibility as part of their culture was the way to go,” said Brad Gessner, CFE, senior vice president and general manager of the LACC and an IAVM member. “From field to cup, Groundwork’s goal is to provide the highest quality product to customers while maintaining the well-being of our communities, both locally and at origin.”

New retail Groundwork stores are being installed in the West and South Halls of the LACC and will be open for business in mid April. Guests who come to the LACC will have the opportunity to visit the full service, stand-alone Groundwork concession stands that will provide coffee beverages. Groundwork certified organic coffee will also be served at all other food and beverage locations throughout the South and West Halls of the LACC.

“For almost 25 years, we have taken great pride in serving the finest, specialty-grade organic coffee on earth to our customers at our seven retail locations in Southern California. Groundwork proudly offers certified organic coffee from every growing region in the world, always freshly roasted at our local Groundwork Roastery,” said Eddy Cola, principal for Groundwork Coffee Co. “We are delighted to be given the opportunity to partner with AEG and the City of Los Angeles in sharing our diverse coffee, tea, and food offerings with patrons of the LACC. We’re confident that our steadfast commitment to quality—reflected in all of our products and service—will be appreciated and enjoyed by all.”

The announcement is part of the venue’s “Taste of LA” food and beverage experience.

“We are looking forward to continuing developing the Taste of LA brand with the addition of more local flavors,” said Rian Hanneman, director of food and beverage for LACC’s Taste of LA. “When people come to Los Angeles, a big part of the experience is the local food and beverage…things found only in L.A. We think the attendees will enjoy exploring L.A. through the food offerings here in the Los Angeles Convention Center.”