I heard a statement today that epitomizes why associations matter: “You can’t just do it by your skills.” In other words, you can only get so far by yourself. To truly succeed, you need a network of peers and inspiration.

In fact, a new study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) shows that learning and observing from a wide range of teachers can help people better maintain technical skills and increase a group’s average skills over time.

Social networks, such as associations, are then pertinent for knowledge development.

“This is the first study to demonstrate in a laboratory setting what archaeologists and evolutionary theorists have long suggested: that there is an important link between a society’s sociality and the sophistication of its technology,” said Michael Muthukrishna, a PhD student in UBC’s Department of Psychology.

Muthukrishna—and the study’s co-author, UBC Professor Joseph Henrich—asked participants to learn new skills, such as digital photo editing and knot-tying. They then asked them to pass on what they learned to the next “generation” of participants.

The researchers said that the groups with greater access to experts accumulated significantly more skills than those with less access to teachers. Within 10 “generations,” each member of the group with multiple mentors had stronger skills than the group limited to a single mentor. Groups with greater access to experts also retained their skills much longer than groups who began with less access to mentors, sustaining higher levels of “cultural knowledge” over multiple generations.

IAVM is full of knowledgeable experts. Please feel free to share you knowledge by engaging with the community either through comments here on the Front Row News blog, by visiting VenueNet, joining our mentor program, or by attending any of the many conferences and events we stage each year.

(photo: Orange Photography)

Both female and male workers report higher job satisfaction when they believe a woman has a chance of becoming a chief executive in the organization. That’s according to a new study co-authored by Michigan State University economist Susan Linz.

“Promoting gender equality at the top has positive consequences for job satisfaction for both men and women,” Linz said. “So it’s worth it for firms to create environments where women have opportunities to advance, as higher job satisfaction means higher productivity, higher revenues and a healthier bottom line.”

Even though both genders report high job satisfaction, men reported higher satisfaction than women.

“We find little evidence that men dislike working for a woman or view women’s advancement to upper-level positions as creating a more competitive work environment,” Linz said.

The study asked 6,500 workers from 700 employers in former socialist—now capitalist—countries how likely a woman could hold the position of director and then linked the employees’ answers to their job satisfaction.

“Even in cultures where women may still not be considered equal, there is a positive link between job satisfaction and perceived gender equality—and it’s particularly strong among the younger generation,” Linz said.

Do you think these findings would hold true in the U.S.?

(photo credit: Alex E. Proimos via photopin cc)

With the spring semester approaching, your venue may be evaluating its intern program or gearing up to hand off intern responsibilities from the current group to the next. We thought it would be helpful to highlight statistics regarding the use of interns at venues from the recent IAVM Staffing Report. Here’s some of the interesting data in the report:

• Small- and medium-sized convention centers have roughly the same number of interns per year – 2 interns – but large convention centers have nearly three times that amount, sitting at an average of 5.7 interns per year
• The average number of interns for arenas increases incrementally as the venue size increases
• Medium-sized performing arts centers have more interns per year than medium-sized arenas and convention centers combined

According to a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), a record 63 percent of 2013 graduates completed an internship. While there is currently a fierce debate as to whether unpaid internships are lawful, and whether intern labor is harming the economy at large, there is no doubt that internships benefit both the venue and the individual.  When asked, most venue professionals will cite internships as the launching point of their interest in the venue industry, as well as their foot in the door.

Take a look at the interactive infographic below to see how your venue’s intern program compares to the industry average. You can also purchase the complete VenueDataSource Staffing Report for more information on paid versus unpaid interns, statistics on full-time equivalent employees, and more.

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Photo: Muhammad Ghafari / Flickr

As reported recently by NPR, a crucial World Cup qualifying match between Ghana and Egypt took place at the military-owned Air Defense Stadium in Cairo, Egypt. The first international game since the 2011 uprising met great concern from the visiting team, with Ghana repeatedly requesting a location change.

FIFA determined that additional security measures were sufficient, and aside from a few flares lobbed onto the pitch, no significant incidents were reported. Even the protests in Tahrir Square quieted during the game, as hundreds of citizens shifted their attention to a large display screen broadcasting the match.

From an AP report:
“Tuesday’s game at the military Air Defense Stadium was the first international in the troubled Egyptian capital since 2011 and one of the first games to have such a big crowd since the Port Said disaster last year. More than 70 people were killed in a football riot in the Suez Canal city, a disaster that changed the face of Egyptian football and forced games to be taken away from Cairo.”

You may have noticed that I’m one of the newest members of the IAVM staff here in Texas. As I’ve been telling my friends and former co-workers about my new job, I keep getting asked what it is exactly that IAVM does or who makes up the association. I usually share with them a textbook definition, but that rarely hits on an emotional level.

Now, though, there’s something we can all share with people who want to know more about IAVM. It’s our membership video, and we just released it into the wild. It’s right there above all this text, and you can watch it, too. Please feel free to share it with current members and future members. And let us know in the comments your thoughts about it.

Thank you for being a member, and thank you for having me on board.