Perhaps, when Puxatony Phil emerged from his hiding place this past February 2, someone should have shot him (with an elephant dart and gently set him back to sleep in his nest of twigs and leaves, of course). With reports coming in of record snowfalls across the country, many of us are really ready for this winter to end!

Much of the country has suffered serious winter weather woes, from the bitter temperatures in the Northeast and Central U.S. to the freezing rains and sleet experienced by Southern states from Texas to Georgia.

In fact, many news channels are projecting that the 2013-2014 Season may turn out to be one of the worst on record. Here are some snow stats from the major cities:

Philadelphia is in the midst of their 3^rd snowiest winter ever with a current total of 58.7 inches and counting.

New York is reporting the 7^th snowiest winter at 57.1 inches.

Chicago is digging out of its fifth snowiest season with 66.8 inches.

Detroit is coming in with its 3^rd largest snowfall report of 76.4 inches.

Washington, D.C., is reporting that their 15.2 inches of snow reported at Reagan National Airport is roughly the equivalent of the past three winter accumulations put together.

All of this winter weather is just a pre-cursor to the real severe weather season, which begins in April, when snow and ice turn to straight-line winds, lightning, tornadoes, and rain. And, if the extreme winter is any indication, our spring season could be quite challenging for our venues. With this, we want to remind you to be prepared, take out your severe weather preparedness plans, dust them off, and bring them with you to IAVM’s Severe Weather Planning and Preparedness this March 4-5, in Norman, Oklahoma. The experts at the National Weather Center will help you ensure your venue is ready for what we will all hope is a mild one.

Register today for IAVM’s Severe Weather Planning and Preparedness

(photo credit: Gilles Gonthier via photopin cc)

The following article covers much of what our members already know—that their jobs are incredibly complex. They live them every day. So, why are we writing this story? Hopefully to inspire the next generation to take up the charge, and experience a venue manager’s life for just a few days, by becoming an intern at IAVM’s Venue Management School and the Graduate Institute in picturesque Wheeling, West Virginia, at Oglebay Resort.

With that, we encourage you to share this story with your college contacts, interns, Facebook followers, or through your own channels, to help us encourage students looking to enter our industry to take advantage of this opportunity.

If you are one of those people who love to multitask, keep all the balls in the air, and like to bring people together for amazing once-in-a-lifetime moments, venue management might be for you. Venue managers are cool and calm under pressure with the ability to change hats at a moment’s notice. They have a passion to learn about each area of their industries and to keep learning throughout their careers.

The variety of tasks, and the breadth of understanding each venue manager has, is quite impressive. They help handle their facility’s operations, maintenance, manage tenants, assist with performer and event contract negotiations, hire staff, manage human capital, consider legal liability, plan events and productions, oversee sales and marketing, safety and security, food service, and customer service to name just a few of their talents.

One way venue professionals expand their understanding across the entire venue spectrum is to attend IAVM’s Venue Management School and the Graduate Institute. At VMS, venue managers from all levels of their careers learn the skills and topics they need to succeed in our industry.

VMS and the Graduate Institute is a great place for students to see first hand what a venue manager is responsible for. To connect with the other people who have chosen this professional path. To network, and more importantly, to be reminded why  we have all chose this business in the first place—to entertain, educate, and inspire others through joined experiences.

We asked Richard Andersen, CFE, past president of IAVM’s board of directors and a VMS instructor, what makes the school so special and why someone should intern for VMS. Continue Reading →

There’s always that one person at work or a meeting that stands out from the crowd. It’s not necessarily what he’s saying. It’s more what he’s wearing. Or maybe not wearing.

For example, say there’s a group of men all wearing long ties. However, there’s one who decides to wear a bow tie, or (gasp!) not wear a tie at all (that would be me). What is your opinion of this nonconformist? High? Low?

Well, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, non-conformity can increase a person’s perceived success .

“We proposed that, under certain conditions, nonconforming behaviors can be more beneficial to someone than simply trying to fit in,” wrote study authors Silvia Bellezza, Francesca Gino, and Anat Keinan. “In other words, when it looks deliberate, a person can appear to have a higher status and sense of competency.”

Five lab and field studies were conducted across different populations. One study, for example, had students rank the professional status of a professor employed at local collage or a top-tier university and was either clean-shaven and in a suit or had a beard and wore a t-shirt. The students attributed more status and competence to the unshaven professor at the top-tier university. In another experiment, luxury shop employees thought a woman dressed in gym clothes was more of a celebrity or had a lot of money when compared to another woman dressed in a fur coat.

Take that woman in the fur coat, though, and put her in a shop that isn’t luxurious. Then she’ll be perceived as having a higher status. The point is, you have to know your audience and your environment. (For the record, I don’t like wearing ties because I find them suffocating.)

Do you tailor your dress style for certain situations? How so? Please contribute to the conversation in the comments.

(photo credit: The James Kendall via photopin cc)

There was a lot of news this past week you may have missed. Here are some headlines that caught our eyes.

Mark Cuban Wants You to Put Away Your Phone at NBA Games
—Bloomberg Businessweek
“[Vivek] Ranadive and Cuban represent the two poles in a debate about how to keep fans coming to games when it’s cheaper, easier, and maybe better to stay home and watch on a big-screen TV and Twitter.”

Vote for Best Convention City
—10Best.com/USA Today
“You have until March 10 at noon to vote on your favorite convention city. What makes you happiest about anticipating or attending a big show?”

Sochi’s Lego-like Stadiums Can be Moved to Other Cities
—Metro
“The Russians have looked at the struggles of former Olympic host cities that have built massive, expensive arenas for specialized sports that often make them irrelevant after the games leave town.”

Manager’s Box Puts Red Bulls Fans in the Driver’s Seat
—Association of Luxury Suite Directors
“The last few years have seen the proliferation of loge boxes, theater boxes, patio suites, and many other variations on the premium seating theme, all packaged with unique benefits and amenities.”

Veteran Theater Executive Richard Baker Will be Starlight’s Next President and CEO
—The Kansas City Star
“One of the first things on his to-do list will be to book the 2015 season. Baker said he was impressed by Starlight’s technical facilities as well as the enthusiasm of the staff and the board’s open-mindedness when it comes to Starlight’s future.”

(photo credit: dannyb via photopin cc)

A business card is the one item I seem to always forget to bring with me to a meeting or networking event. Maybe it’s because I believe I can remember someone’s name and connect with the person later on Facebook or LinkedIn. Perhaps, though, I should just do away with business cards altogether. That’s what entrepreneur Kevin Daum did.

“About two years ago, I stopped carrying business cards to meetings and networking events,” he wrote on Inc.com. “It wasn’t because I was bumping with my smartphone or using Google Glass to identify worthy prospects with face-recognition programming. It wasn’t even because I wanted to save trees. I simply found a more effective way to engage with people I met.”

Daum recognizes that when people request a business card that there is an interest in his job and thoughts. He asks for an email address so he can send them his contact info, and he asks if he can send them an interesting link, too. He says he’s never been refused.

That interesting link, he says, is the key for making a lasting impression. Here are his three strategies for making the link interesting.

1)  Make the link useful
“Send the person content you know will have real educational value. If you don’t have any, create some.”

2) Make it entertaining
“Give the person a reason to smile. People do business with people they like. Help him or her like you.”

3) Make it personal
“Show your new contacts that you are a listener who heard clearly what they had to say when you met.”

If you often forget your business cards like I do, now you can follow Daum’s strategy and make more of a lasting impression on those you meet. And please, send us your interesting links!

(photo credit: Tokyo Social Events via photopin cc)