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

Stadium Tech Report: DAS, Wi-Fi puts end to no-signal problem at Denver’s Sports Authority Field
—Mobile Sports Report
“When Sports Authority Field is at its listed capacity of 76,125 on game days, it becomes the 14th-largest city in Colorado…”

Australian Open Halted Because of Extreme Heat
—The Weather Channel
“The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts.”

For Senior Leaders, Fit Matters More than Skill
—Harvard Business Review
“A recent CEB survey of C-suite executives indicates that organizations will require significantly higher performance—23% improvement, on average, in performance ratings— from their executive-level direct reports in the new year.”

Sounds of Silence: NYC’s Historic Music Venues Are Becoming History
—New York Observer
“Many New Yorkers will tell you that music spaces have been closing down in the city for decades—the Palladium, Fillmore East and Hippodrome all perished before the turn of the millennium—but never before, it seems, have we seen this kind of widespread, unchecked growth at the expense of so many hallowed venues.”

Two’s Company: Competitive Venues Should be Communicative, Complementary
—The Enid News and Eagle
“How do the two taxpayer-financed venues coexist, and where do they overlap?”

(Image: Mobile Sports Report)

Some interesting stats came out of The Broadway League‘s 16th annual demographics report, “The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2012-2013,” and I thought I’d pass them along to you. The findings pertain to New York, so they may not exactly match your findings in another city, but I think they’re good indicators to keep an eye on.

“The 2012 – 2013 season attracted the largest number of admissions by visitors from other countries since this study has begun, with international tourists accounting for 23 percent of all admissions to Broadway shows in New York City,” said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League. “We also saw a notable increase in the diversity of our audiences. In particular, we have seen a growth in the Hispanic audience to nearly 8 percent of our theater-going audience. We will continue our efforts to diversify the audience with programs like Viva Broadway, which was initiated two years ago. This season also attracted the largest number of theater-goers age 18-24, and we are hopeful that this trend will continue and these young adults will continue to attend theatre as they age and introduce the theatre-going tradition to their own families.”

The findings include

• 66 percent of tickets purchased were by tourists
• Average theatre attendee age was 42.5 years old
• 78 percent of theatre attendees were Caucasian
• 68 percent of guests were female
• 41 percent purchased their tickets online

The Internet and technology was a topic that came out when we asked members for their 2014 industry predictions for the Dec/Jan issue of FM magazine.

“More social media technology will be permitted at traditional (e.g., symphonies, ballets, operas, Broadway) performing arts events to increase immediate personal interaction, response, and recommendation of the live experience, which helps to promote ticket sales to a ‘non-traditional,’ younger ticket buyer,” said Michael S. Taormina, CFE, managing director of the Cobby Energy Performing Arts Centre. “Also, more venue managers will (should) increase their social media presence as it becomes an important function of their job duties, as well as, develop innovative smart phone applications that promote the convenience, ownership and fun of attending PAC events.”

Speaking of performing arts centers, there’s still time to register for the Performing Arts Mangers Conference, Feb. 22-25, in Kansas City, Mo.

Are you seeing an increase in online ticket sales? How are you using social media to market your venue? Please let us know in the comments section.

(photo credit: s.yume via photopin cc)

Let’s talk about cats on the Internet. It’s a day that ends in “y” so why not.

In 2012, the world’s first Internet Cat Video Festival was held at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minn. More than 10,000 people gathered to watch videos that are easily found for free online.

“In fact, it was this desire for community engagement that led to the event’s inception as part of a program at the Walker Art Center called Open Field,” Anna Weltner wrote in New Times. “Curated by [Scott] Stulen, the program turns the Walker’s lawn into a community gathering space over the summer, with opportunities to share skills, enjoy music and poetry, participate in activities hosted by artists in residence, and simply hang out. One of the activities Stulen and one of his interns thought of was a crowd-sourced festival of cat videos. An announcement for the event, Stulen said, went viral in two hours. He was shocked when, instead of the predicted 100-or-so viewers, thousands of cat video enthusiasts turned up on the Walker’s lawn.”

Perhaps you already knew about this festival; however, I’m just now hearing about it and I’m interested. The first event was so successful that it now goes on tour, visiting venues in several U.S. cities.

“The current Internet Cat Video Festival tour includes 20 cities, and Stulen has done his best to tailor each event to the city it’s in,” Weltner wrote. “This often includes work with local animal nonprofits, and invitations to local artists to discuss related projects. Ironic as it sounds, the goal of the Internet Cat Video Festival is to foster community.

“‘I think there’s really something different about content we experience online when you take it into a social setting,'” Weltner continues, quoting Stulen. “‘There’s something that people really respond to about watching this stuff together.'”

This a great example of why live experiences will never die. Sure, there’s the fear that people would rather stay at home than attend a live event, and  yes, you’re going to have homebodies that want that. But for the most part, people want to be around other people, whether to laugh or cry or cheer, because we’re social creatures. By attending a live event, we meet others that are similar to ourselves, liking the same things we like. By attending a live event, we reassure ourselves that we’re not alone.

The Internet Cat Video Festival stops in Austin, Minneapolis, Oakland, and Portland (home to this year’s VenueConnect) in 2014. Go for the cats. Stay for the people.

(If you’re curious, that is one of my cats, Sailor, in the photo, taken by T. Cole Rachel.)

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in November and December—a total of 212 new members, with 183 members joining in December. Our network of professionals is growing and we are reaching record numbers. Thank you for being a part of the association!

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The Academy for Venue Safety & Security (AVSS) will take place February 23-27 in Dallas, and it offers professionals in the venue industry intensive training in security planning and life safety management. We recently spoke with Russ Simons—chief listening officer and managing partner at Venue Solutions Group—a safety and security expert and former teacher at the academy to learn more about the training and why it’s important for your career in the industry.

When it comes to venue safety, do venue managers need AVSS even if their venue already has a preparedness plan in place?
Venue managers absolutely need to continue take advantage of AVSS. Venue safety, security, and risk management is not static. It is a constantly evolving environment with rapidly changing conditions. There are several benefits, which include a comprehensive understanding of what has happened before and how to look forward to identify and prepare for what is coming next. In addition, the benefit of the network of AVSS instructors and attendees create a vehicle to get information and support going forward.

What is the most surprising thing you see venues doing or not doing when it comes to keeping guests safe?
Complacency! In today’s world, I cannot understand how facility managers and organizations can justify becoming complacent in the areas of venue safety, security, and risk management. The concept of “it cannot happen to me” has a tendency to creep into an organization’s culture. To put this into a sports perspective, we need to play like we are behind, play scared, and prepare every day as if it will happen. There is a direct benefit to this kind of thinking—when you prepare in this manner, then you and your staff will be prepared for anything that occurs.

What AVSS curriculum segment is your specialty?
I no longer teach at AVSS regularly. When I return from time to time, I focus on bringing it all together. This would be a very direct presentation on how what the class has learned represents the challenges that their counterparts in the venue industry face every day. In addition, when I can I like to focus on codes. A great many people in our industry are not aware of their code responsibilities and how important it is to manage and operate within the rules and obligations that are set out in national, state, and local regulations.

What does your venue team use every day that comes directly from your AVSS experience?
I no longer manage a facility on a day-to-day basis; however, I work in a different facility type most every day. This gives me great perspective on what the different facilities do. I can say without reservation that the information and experience gained at AVSS is important for every facility type and is useful every day.

What is one of your most interesting stories or incidents from your venue experience that is safety related, and how did you handle it?
Fortunately or unfortunately, I have had almost every bad thing happen to me as a facility manager. In an effort to offer something helpful, I learned early on that when someone is hurt and injured the natural human reaction is for people to gather around and look. I had a stagehand fall while the lights were still up in full view of the crowd. In an effort to protect the individual, I created a staff cordon around the injured individual facing outward. I was in a facility recently where a person was injured on a public concourse during an event, and there were several“well intentioned” staff members responding but no one took control, managed the concourse traffic flow around the incident, or protected the view to the inured party. This is something that can be emphasized in supervisor and staff training.

Register today for AVSS, and learn from some of the best safety and security experts, like Russ, in the venue industry.