Congratulations to IAVM member Kevin Bruder on his appointment as chairman of the board for TEAM Coalition. Bruder is president of Centennial Management Group, general manager of the Maverik Center in Utah, and CEO of the Utah Grizzlies Hockey Club. He represents IAVM on the Coalition.

“TEAM Coalition has been very successful reaching the major league sports venues with our responsibility messages and alcohol management training,” Bruder said. “I look forward to expanding the reach of the Coalition to other facilities while continuing the great relationship with all the member organizations. IAVM members like the Maverik Center have a great deal to gain from becoming more involved with TEAM Coalition. I am committed to help make that happen.”

Ray Whitworth, vice president of operations and security for Major League Soccer, will serve as the board’s vice chairman; and Carl Mittleman, president of Aramark Sports and Entertainment, will serve as second vice chairman and treasurer. Jordan Jiloty, director of public affairs for NASCAR was elected as third vice chairman and secretary.

“The success of TEAM Coalition depends on the commitment of our member organizations,” said IAVM member Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. “Without their support, we would not be able to achieve the accomplishments we have enjoyed of more than 50,000 facility personnel TEAM-certified annually and 972,000 sports and entertainment fans pledging to be designated drivers last year alone. I know our new officers will challenge the organization to find new and creative ways to reach a larger audience with our responsibility message.”

TEAM Coalition is a 21-member association whose mission is to enhance the entertainment experience, provide effective alcohol management training in public assembly facilities, and promote responsible alcohol consumption through the use of positive messages that reward responsible behavior and help to reduce negative alcohol-related incidents in facilities and on surrounding roadways.

I recently attended a lecture at a performing arts center. The seats were great. The sound was great. The presentation was great. Everything was great, except for the eager usher who emphatically told patrons not to take photos with their mobile phones. A phone would go up, and the usher rushed with a wagging finger toward the person.

A show at a theater is not my first rodeo. I’ve heard the requests to turn off our phones and to not take photos many times. I know the drill. I understand, too, how taking a photo can be distracting to the performers on stage. However, not every show is equal. In this instance, it was a lecture, and people just wanted to take a photo to post on a social media site to prove or brag they were in attendance.

Not every theater is the same. Some encourage the use of photos and posting them on social media channels (it’s free marketing). Maybe the venue I visited had a house policy of no photos, never, at all. Maybe the speaker didn’t want photos taken. If that’s the case, then say that via the PA system (e.g., “So-and-So requests that you not take photos.”).

Let’s face it, mobile devices are not going away. In fact, they’re getting smaller, more wearable, and less intrusive. They’re a part of our everyday lives, inside and outside venues.

According to a recent study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and InMobi, 89 percent of live performance fans conducted mobile activities in direct relation to performances they have attended in the last six months. These activities occurred during all stages of a live performance—before, during, and after.

“There is no question that mobile has become a central part of live entertainment events,” said Anna Bager, vice president and general manager of IAB’s Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. “Whether learning about the next big rock concert to hit town or planning a trip to see the hottest show on Broadway, consumers who adore live performances are turning to mobile devices as part of the entertainment experience—signaling that marketers and agencies need to include mobile in their media strategy, if they want to successfully reach prospective ticket buyers.”

The study found that 22 percent of attendees check-in at a live performance via social apps, 31 percent use mobile devices to make plans before or after a show, and 41 percent purchase tickets directly through mobile devices.

“Clearly, the mobile experience at live performances has gone well beyond waving around a mobile screen with the image of a fired up lighter,” said Joe Laszlo, senior director at IAB’s Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. “With live entertainment seekers leveraging mobile throughout all the phases of going to a show, marketers should pay keen attention to the insights offered in this research. Investing in mobile could be the difference between a full house and a flop.”

After the lecture I attended, I saw several photos from the event posted on Facebook. Some were posted during the event, and some were uploaded afterwards. Every single one, though, positioned the venue and event in a good light. Once again, free marketing.

How do you handle mobile phone photography at your venue? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

(photo credit: ShutterRunner via photopin cc)

A few brave souls from IAVM’s Region 6 took a very, very rare (only one other group has ever done this!) walk up the catwalks to the top of the AT&T Stadium dome. The group began making its way to the upper level as a part of an exclusive tour offered by IAVM colleagues at AT&T Stadium, the gracious host of the Region 6 Meeting Closing Reception.

Before climbing the dome, the tour ventured out onto the roof. Spectacular views of the nearby ballpark, rumors of a sunbathing celebrity, and a bonus peek at the HVAC system and the tops of the elevator shafts made the tour exceptionally geeky fantastic for this crowd of venue professionals.

Access to the roof began with a climb to the last row of seats, where we passed through the service doorway and onto a staircase leading up to the dome catwalks.

Once we had walked around the edge of the dome to the 50-yard-line, a new catwalk launched up the spine of the ceiling and began a steep ascent up toward the retractable roof. The transition from a flat surface to the steep grade of this catwalk was significant, and it was at this point that almost everyone tightened their grip on the handrails.

The end of the climb brought us 382-feet over the floor, providing a breathtaking view of AT&T Stadium and a memorable reward to everyone on the tour! A huge thanks to Paul Turner, CFE, and the team at AT&T Stadium for providing this fantastic end to the Region 6 Meeting.

I’m happy to introduce our newest IAVM members—a total of 171 members in March and April. Our network is growing, and our membership now totals 4,332 members. Once again, a huge thank you to those of you that referred new members to our ranks!

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Okay, the video is a couple of years old, but it’s still cool. Also, football season can’t get here soon enough for me.

Host Wendy Bounds speaks with several MetLife Stadium employees, including IAVM member Alan Kashian, about the process of changing from the Giants to the Jets (or if you prefer, Jets to Giants). For example, 1,100 manual elements need to be changed when transitioning from one team to the other.

Go ahead and watch the video above, and also check out our Super Bowl success stories feature from the February/March issue in FM magazine.