From Sportsnet Canada

A new sensory room and infant-feeding room have been added to Rogers Centre as the Toronto Blue Jays work toward making their ballpark more accessible.

The new rooms are part of the ongoing renovations to the Blue Jays’ downtown stadium and are free to use for all fans attending a game.

The sensory room is designed for fans who have Down syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, are autistic, or just need a quiet space so they can self-regulate if the sights and sounds of the ballpark become overwhelming.

“They can come here, make their way here, and come on in,” said Christine Robertson, the Blue Jays director of fan services, as she stood in the sensory room located in section 212 of Rogers Centre.

“We always have staff at the fan services room. They’re here to support and keep an eye out but you don’t need to check in, you don’t need to make a reservation, you just come as needed.”

The sensory room is the first of its kind at any professional sports venue in Canada.

It includes several features designed to help soothe people experiencing dysregulation, including beanbag chairs, a coloring station, bubble walls, textured walls, a Nanoleaf wall that changes colors, and a muted TV so caregivers can still follow what’s happening in the Blue Jays game.

Sensory bags are also available to be borrowed at any fan services desk around Rogers Centre. These packs include noise-cancelling earmuffs, fidget toys, and color-coded cards so that people experiencing dysregulation or are non-verbal can point to the card to express how they’re feeling or what they need.

Both the sensory room and the sensory bags were put together in collaboration with KultureCity, a non-profit focused on sensory accessibility and acceptance for those with invisible disabilities.

“Our communities are what shapes our lives and to know that the Blue Jays are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that everyone, no matter their ability, is included in their community is amazing,” said Uma Srivastava, KultureCity’s executive director.

“We’re honored to partner with Blue Jays to provide a truly inclusive experience for all fans and guests.”

An infant-feeding room has also been added to Rogers Centre, near Section 240 across from the Gate 13 elevator. Like the sensory room, it is open to any ticket holder regardless of where they may be sitting in the ballpark.

The infant-feeding room has four rocking chairs with partitions between them for privacy, all of them facing a muted TV that has the game on so that parents don’t miss out on any of the action. There are also change tables with diapers and wipes provided as well as bottle warmers and sinks.

“This is really again, a simple thing, that can make a really big difference,” said Robertson. “That’s what we’ve heard from fans, is what a difference it makes because now I don’t have to wonder should I bring my child to the game? Is it going to be OK?

“You can be confident it’s going to be OK.”

Both the sensory room and the infant-feeding room have QR codes posted so fans can make suggestions about how to improve the spaces.

Robertson said that the Blue Jays’ accessibility committee is also exploring other additions, including more infant-feeding rooms and multi-faith prayer rooms.

Photo by Steven Crawford/Toronto Blue Jays

From jaguars.com

The Jacksonville Jaguars introduced conceptual designs for the Stadium of the Future, a design project nearly three years in the making intended to inspire a transformation of Downtown Jacksonville and secure NFL football in Northeast Florida well into the future.

The video visualization and renderings were unveiled on 1stdowntownjacksonville.com and across Jaguars’ social media channels.

“We have reached the end of this important and initial phase of this project, the design of the stadium we envision will be the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars and serve our entire community for generations to come,” said Jaguars team owner Shad Khan. “From stadium discussions starting in 2016 to the formal process launched in July 2020 and now concluding, our objective has always been the same – lock in a promising future for the Jaguars and help our downtown become an economic engine to lift all of Jacksonville, particularly areas that have been underserved. Being able to share the video and stadium design highlights with the people of Jacksonville is a significant step forward in that effort.

“This is also all happening at a fantastic time for everyone. Jacksonville is red hot. Just check out all of the recent rankings — best places to live, best housing market, hottest job market, best place to start a business, Jacksonville ranks within the top five in all of those lists. Add the fact the Jaguars are coming off a playoff season, and positioned for even better days ahead, and it all points to better and hopefully our best days just ahead in Jacksonville.”

The Jaguars and City of Jacksonville officials began work toward a long-term stadium solution in July 2020 with a thorough engineering assessment of the current stadium, TIAA Bank Field. The assessment concluded it was possible to solve stadium challenges via a renovation of the city-owned facility versus new construction.

In-depth surveys of fans and other key stakeholders followed along with a comprehensive selection process for a design partner. After its selection as architect for the project team, HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice then collaborated with the Jaguars on turning concepts into more definitive renovation plans.

“This transformation transcends the stadium’s boundaries. The design creates an iconic, accessible community nexus that ties together the surrounding neighborhoods and riverfront,” said Peter Broeder, HOK’s design principal. “The venue will celebrate Jacksonville’s natural landscape and climate, offering a park-like ambiance enriched by the latest amenities, engaging social spaces and state of the art technology. This unprecedented project will position Jacksonville as a premier destination for top-tier sports and entertainment events for decades to come.”

In addition to HOK, the project team includes Impact Development and Management as the owner’s representative, with AECOM Hunt and Barton Malow serving in the role of preconstruction manager.

The Stadium of the Future design meets the evolving needs of all stadium stakeholders, which include the Jaguars, the annual Florida-Georgia college football game, the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, international sporting events, major music festivals/tours, and the thousands of fans and guests in attendance at each event.

From theticketingbusiness.com

North American gaming group Great Canadian Entertainment has announced an exclusive partnership with Live Nation to bring leading music and comedy acts to its venues across Canada.

Great Canadian, which operates 25 properties in Canada, including casinos and racetracks, has named Live

Nation Canada as its exclusive booking agent, and the two companies will jointly promote the programming.

Among Great Canadian’s properties is the under-construction 5,000-capacity The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, which will open at the new $1 billion Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto later this year.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Live Nation Canada, the premier live entertainment promoter in the world,” said Gavin Whiteley, chief marketing officer at Great Canadian. “This partnership will bring some of the biggest and most exciting artists to our exceptional venues, providing guests with unforgettable experiences they will cherish for years to come.”

The partners claim this strategic alliance is one of the first of its kind in Canada. The deal will also cover the new The Arena at Pickering Casino Resort, River Rock Casino Resort, Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, Molson Canadian Centre at Casino New Brunswick and The Schooner Showroom at Casino Nova Scotia.

By Margo Madden

APPI Energy, a national energy consulting firm specializing in comprehensive energy management strategies for commercial, industrial, government, and non-profit clients, announced that it has merged with Environ, an energy management company specializing in sustainability consulting services. The partnership aims to strengthen APPI Energy’s current sustainability and efficiency offerings to both the APPI Energy client base and their Affinity Partners.

Established in 1996, APPI Energy was one of the first firms to provide advisory services on the procurement of electricity and natural gas, launching a unique go-to-market strategy and business model that would in time be endorsed by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and national and state trade associations and their more than half a million member companies. The Affinity Partnerships were designed to educate trade associations and chambers of commerce on deregulation in the early years, evolving over time alongside the industry to include more in-depth education on energy management strategies, including sustainability and efficiency technologies and solutions.

With a foundation in assisting commercial, industrial and government entities in deregulated states with the procurement of their electricity and natural gas, it was a natural next step for APPI Energy to expand their services, launching the Energy Solutions Division in 2019. Today, their holistic approach to energy management aims to provide clients with a full suite of energy solutions, an initiative that will be complemented and further strengthened by the new partnership with Environ.

“By merging with APPI, Environ’s suite of leading-edge sustainability solutions has found a powerful new market channel consisting of 160 national and state trade associations and their more than half a million member companies,” said Mark Mininberg, CEO of Environ. “We could not be more pleased with the APPI team or more excited about the future growth of our combined enterprise.”

Being data-driven has also been pivotal to the success of APPI Energy. APPI maintains a proprietary database of more than 250 million pricing data points, enabling their energy consultants to compare historical and real-time prices in every deregulated energy market. Environ’s commitment to data-centric, innovative technologies was appealing to APPI leadership, along with Environ’s steadfast commitment to providing optimal service while guiding clients through the energy transition.

“The merger of APPI Energy and Environ is the perfect combination of advanced energy solutions and national market access” said Walter Moore, APPI Energy Founder and CEO. “Aligning decades of experience, expertise and corporate cultures built on success and integrity brings a truly holistic set of energy solutions to our clients.”

The acquisition was made possible with support from 424 Capital, a growth capital investor that works in partnership with founders and management teams to accelerate and scale for long-term growth.

Margo Madden is Chief Strategy Officer for APPI Energy.

OVG360, operators of the Swiftel Center in Brookings, S.D., announced a new 10-year multi-million-dollar partnership with Dacotah Bank, a state-chartered bank in all of South Dakota and North Dakota as well as counties in neighboring states, whereby Dacotah Bank will become the new naming rights partner of the Brookings 6,000-seat arena, effective immediately.

The public can expect to see name transitions gradually from the Swiftel Center to its new Dacotah Bank Center naming rights across all platforms and media completed by the end of the fourth quarter of 2023. Dacotah Bank previously partnered with OVG360 in past sponsorship capacities at the center.