JustOne officially begins now! The Membership Committee created this annual campaign to encourage IAVM‘s volunteer leaders to bring on one new member, including your coworkers, employees, Allied suppliers, interns, stakeholders, and more.

Who makes up the IAVM Leadership? Boards, Committees, and Task Forces.

Why is this endeavor important? As you spread the word about the importance of joining, our membership grows and becomes more diversified, which encourages new ideas and smart business practices. Your referral might become the next trailblazer in the industry.

GOAL: Our objective is for all 294 of our volunteer leaders to participate.

RECOGNITION: The board, committee, task force, and individual that refers the most members will be recognized at VenueConnect in Pittsburgh.

SAVINGS: Instruct your referral to use the following promotion code, JUSTONE, to save the $150.00 one-time initiation fee*. The savings apply for new Professional  and Allied members.

For you to receive credit for your new member, ask your applicant to list you as a reference. Also, under the payment information, they should enter the promo code: JUSTONE. The system will remove the $150.00 initiation fee; the remaining balance will be the dues only.

With JustOne, you have the chance to encourage someone to realize their potential and have access to tools that will guarantee their success. Get your competitive juices flowing and help us achieve our goal of 294 volunteers connecting 294 new members to IAVM.Refer your one new member today. Contact membership@iavm.org if you have any questions.

The campaign kicks off now and runs through June 30, 2023.

*Some membership types do not have an initiation fee; the dues will not be discounted.

The 2023 IAVM Call for Volunteers launched January 31, 2023 with an email message from First Vice Chair, Kerry Painter, CVE, CMP, CEM and President & CEO, Brad Mayne, CVE.

Volunteers are at the heart of what we do, and it is only because of the time and knowledge our volunteers contribute that we are able to fulfill our purpose. We hope, therefore, that you will consider responding to this Call for Volunteers for the term August 1, 2023, through July 31, 2024.

As a volunteer, you will be making a difference to this industry, and giving back to other members. You will get value out of your service, making connections with other IAVM leaders and learning about the issues that face us all. If you have not served before, please consider making the commitment as your diverse thoughts, ideas, and viewpoint are greatly appreciated and needed to keep the Association moving forward.

Among the many volunteer opportunities is service on one of the Association’s committees. IAVM has two types of committees: board committees and management committees. A board committee helps the board do its work, of oversight, strategy and member engagement. Management committees help IAVM’s management do its work, of meeting the board’s goals and effectively operating the Association to deliver benefits to our members.

The deadline to respond to the Call for Volunteers is March 20, 2023; reminder emails will be sent later today to any member who has not completed their application.  If you do not see the reminder email in your INBOX, please check your SPAM FOLDER.  If neither folder shows your personalized link to the application, please reach out to Rosanne Duke or Tyson Gingery for assistance.

Volunteers will be notified of their management or board committee assignment no later than the end of June. 

By R.V. Baugus

I really am not writing more obituaries than normal to share with IAVM members. It just seems that way because most of them that I write are of people I came to know as friends in this amazing industry. Tom Liegler is an anomaly, the man who stood as a pillar in this industry for decades but one that sadly for me I did not really get to know well for one reason or another.

Know ABOUT Tom? That of course is quite a different story and certainly from others I knew about the man and his impact on the public assembly venue industry. It is rare to admire someone from afar, but Tom is indeed for me that exception, someone I would always know as an industry giant.

Against that backdrop, I felt as though I had lost a long-time dear friend when news came of Tom’s passing on February 20 at the age of 94 in Palm Springs.

Chris Bigelow, an industry icon in his own right, summed up Tom beautifully: “An amazing guy. Mentor to many of us. Father of the convention center and stadium management associations.” Not much more needs to be said, but then by not doing so I would be depriving many of our readers of the same knowledge of Tom Liegler that I grew to know and respect.

“Most of us have had mentors in our lives that took us under their wings and helped guide our careers,” said Brad Gessner, CVE (pictured alongside his mentor). “Tom Liegler was one of those leaders that I was fortunate to have worked for and learn from during my tenure at the San Diego Convention Center. Mr. Liegler’s career spanned 50 years which began at the original Comiskey Park in Chicago and progressed to helping oversee the design and construction of the Colt Stadium in Houston and managing the Houston Astrodome. From Houston, he moved to Anaheim, CA, where he held the position of general manager of the Anaheim Stadium and Convention Center and where he developed one of the first (and best) service programs titled “THE ANAHEIM WAY”.

“In 1984 he became the general manager of the planned San Diego Convention Center, saw it through its design, construction, and successful grand opening and the first year of operation. He developed the service program “THE SAN DIEGO SPIRIT” which is still considered a model for client and customer service in the convention center industry.

“I encourage everyone to take the time and effort to mentor the next generation and be sure to appreciate and thank those that have mentored you. Thanks Tom!”

To Gessner’s point, Tom was acknowledged as the first recipient of the Convention Center Lifetime Achievement Award, one of his many accolades.

Daughter Tracy Liegler Albrecht said that a service is not yet scheduled but penciled in as Saturday, April 8 in the Rancho Santa Margarita or Irvine area. Further information can be found here.

Tom was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on March 24, 1928, growing up amid four generations of the Liegler family. He enlisted in the Navy in May 1945 at the end of WWII and was stationed in Oakland, California at an airlift base whose mission, “Keep ‘Em Flying”, was to keep men, machinery, and supplies moving across the Pacific. After returning home, he enrolled at Grinnell College in Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Euthenics. At Grinnell, he was a member of the football and debate teams.

Tom married the love of his life, Joyce Langmade, in January 1955 and shortly afterwards began his career with the Waterloo Whitehawks, the Triple A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox (very shortly indeed; Tom and Joyce spent their honeymoon preparing the White Sox spring training facility in Florida, giving Joyce an early initiation into how Tom would combine his love of work, baseball, and family into the energetic and enthusiastic ethos that defined his life). Tom later moved into the management suite of the White Sox, focusing on stadium operations. In 1962, he was hired by the Houston Colt 45’s baseball team, and became a central participant in the club’s transformation into the Houston Astros and the building of the world-famous Astrodome. The peak of his career came in 1965, when he was lured west by Gene Autry, owner of the then Los Angeles Angels, to oversee the design and construction of the team’s sparkling new home, Anaheim Stadium. For more than twenty years – as Anaheim and Disneyland helped make Orange County one of the world’s leading destinations for vacations, conventions and sporting events – Tom directed operations not only at the Big A, but also Anaheim Convention Center, and the city’s two golf courses. Later in his career, he worked as a consultant around the world, on stadium and convention center projects in San Diego, Ontario, Sao Paulo, Sydney, and Paris.

Tom’s love of family and faith was of utmost important in his life. He and Joyce raised three children, Scott, Teri, and Tracy. The Liegler home was lively with pets, scout activities, skit nights, and the family rarely missed an Angels game. His children continued to bless him with spouses and grandchildren. He is survived by his son Scott (Hilary), daughter Tracy Albrecht (Lance) and son-in-law Terry London, as well as grandchildren Laura, Lindsay, Emma, Mhairi and Spencer. He was preceded in death by his wife Joyce and his daughter Teri.

Tom was grateful for his Creator and his strong Catholic faith, his family, and his country which continues to be a land of opportunity.

He will be buried alongside Joyce at Ascension Cemetery 24754 Trabuco Rd, Lake Forest, CA 92630 at a date to be determined.

“May you live all the days in your life.”

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.tridentsociety.com/location/palm-desert-ca for the Liegler family.

By Tracy Liegler Albrecht

There are many family memories that are based out of venue experiences that come to mind about my dad, so here goes,

When my mom told me about her romance period with my dad it of course involved where they spent their honeymoon. Their plans got hijacked to turn south and assist with the Waterloo Whitehawk’s spring training in Florida. It was an introduction and initiation to my dad’s world of sports facilities and operations, and they had a blast driving south from Waterloo, Iowa, in January to the warmth of Florida to work among the buzz of minor league baseball.

As we grew up in Chicago, Houston, and then Anaheim, we always stopped at venues whether it was our destination or if we were passing by. Dad had a recording system using 3″ x 5″ cards. We were each given one and tasked to observe and record details of the experience. Whether it was service of parking attendants and ticket takers, ushers and food sales, comfort or seating, view satisfaction and cleanliness of the buildings and grounds, dad wanted to know. His special request was attention at the restrooms for cleanliness. This was so ordinary that we knew to grab a 3″ x 5″ card when departing to a Stones or Who concert.

We often went to IAAM conventions as the destination point of a summer vacation. New Orleans, Vancouver, and San Diego come to mind. Usually traveling by car, one year we rented an Explorer 26′ motor home to get there. That was so fun I don’t even remember the city we were driving to. Dad drove it down Lombard Lane in San Francisco so it may have been Vancouver. In case you are unaware, it is considered the curviest street in the US and not a good vacation experience, to put it simply. We made it through with a few less geraniums on the garden block walls than when we started. Once at the conference it was pure fun and interaction. Lots for kids to do, mainly a pool and entertainment in the evenings. I enjoyed seeing my mom and dad interact with people they loved to see after a year’s time.

Many memories of our family outings were at the Anaheim Convention Center, and all were engaging and memorable for both us kids and my parents. The Recreational Vehicle show always involved us getting separated as we explored large and small vehicle interiors, and the last part of the night was finding each other. It also involved watching audience volunteers, including my brother Scott wrestling Victor, the Wrestling Bear (an unforgettable memory!), and handler Tuffy Truesdale at the mic. The House and Garden Show was loaded with colorful flowers and always left my mom wanting to improve the yard, my siblings and I wanting a jacuzzi. Of course, a most appreciated connection with dad was the show-biz tie to rock and roll.

My first memory of a concert was the Doors with Jefferson Airplane as the starting band. I attended with my sister Teri when I was in second grade and old enough to remember Jim Morrison drinking whiskey between songs and walking with a bit more, well, floppiness than normal, and performing as a singer and pianist despite how “relaxed” he was. My brother, sister, and I put our money together and bought “The Doors”, their debut album, and I continued to witness their short-lived career with high idealism that second graders have. The rock and roll connection was a major source of excitement and privilege in my life. It began at the dinner table when dad would throw out names to get our reactions and discuss if these bands were worthy of bookings. Always a fun exchange, once I recall dad asking about “Pink Joe” when he intended to refer to Pink Floyd! Naturally, we hailed their booking. At concerts we sat independently with a friend or two and may or may not see dad. If we did it was in the halls or from lines at the snack bar, him walking and observing the event happenings firsthand.

I’ve been told that my family functioned best at Angel games. It was meant as kind of a joke, as at home there was the usual generation gap and us kids often longed to be with our friends when not at the dinner table or sleeping. I think the statement is true. At Angel games we all loved being there and loved being together. My mom kept scoring and play details in the program, my brother intently watched and spoke of players’ strengths, my sister the academic often brought her homework and played “find the fan in 10 questions or less” with me, and I simply adored being there and being together. Together, without dad at our side and that was the normal. I would shell my peanuts and have a small pile ready for him. We knew he was perusing the facility and always showed up sometime during the game, and with an interesting story of inside information of something going on in the background.

As an adult I have been privileged to attend social events at IAVM conferences with my mom and dad while occurring near my home just outside of Palm Springs. The productive energy of this group of talented people that touched my life as a child prevails today. I know this network of venue managers touched my dad’s life on a level of much greater magnitude as he noted “Friendly” on many of his 3″ x 5″ cards.

Photo Notes: Tracy and Tom enjoyed one last baseball game in early February in Palm Springs. Tom along with Tracy and his son, Scott, last September.

By Joyce Clendening

Raleigh’s premier arts venue raised the curtain and shined the spotlight on its official new name: Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. Hosted in its grand lobby, the center honored its new name and unveiled signage during a special ceremony on Thursday, March 2.

“Martin Marietta’s commitment to lend its name and showcase our iconic performing arts center is impressive,” said Kerry Painter, CVE, Director/General Manager of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex. “The company saw the value of continuing to provide access to cultural arts and entertainment that reflect Raleigh’s community for years to come, while also creating a sense of pride for their employees to see their name on the venue. Providing this diverse entertainment will continue to be our primary focus as we present the best variety of events for our community.”

In January 2023, the City of Raleigh and Martin Marietta entered a 20-year agreement to name Raleigh’s premier arts venue.

The center hosts over 600 events each year, attracting approximately 400,000 guests annually to its four unique venues: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Meymandi Concert Hall, A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater, and Kennedy Theatre. The center’s many activities create an average of $35.4 million in economic benefit for Raleigh’s businesses, hotels, and restaurants each year.

During the March 2nd event, executive leadership from Martin Marietta, the City, and the center discussed the exciting new partnership. In addition to the grand lobby, the venue’s newly branded name will also be featured throughout the grounds, as well as a new 8’ x 5’ x 2.5’ boulder from Martin Marietta’s Garner Quarry that sits prominently on the outdoor Lichtin Plaza.

“At Martin Marietta, we are invested in the strength of our communities and committed to the long-term success of our neighbors and stakeholders,” said Martin Marietta Chairman and CEO Ward Nye. “It is a true honor to partner with the City of Raleigh and the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex to ensure this historic and elegant venue will continue to serve our community and be an ongoing beacon for renowned artists and performers for many years to come.”

Joyce Clendening is Media Relations Manager with McKeeman Communications.