The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), the unified advocacy voice of the business events industry, is excited to announce the launch of the ECA Advocacy Network, the alliance’s new one-stop digital advocacy platform.

The ECA Advocacy Network is the new home for ECA’s signature advocacy programs where anyone can take action on behalf of the industry from anywhere. These include:

• ECA Action Center, which allows anyone in the industry to contact their members of Congress and other elected officials about ECA’s public policy priorities directly from the ECA website with just a few clicks.

• Social Influencer Program, which encourages people who sign up to engage on social media to educate their network, the general public, and policymakers from coast to coast on ECA’s top issues and important advocacy opportunities.

• Show Floor Program, which brings policymakers to trade shows and conferences across the United States to show them first-hand how our industry operates and the direct impact we have in their backyards.

“The business events industry has the best advocates anywhere,” said Tommy Goodwin, ECA’s Vice President. “With the ECA Advocacy Network, now they don’t have to be in Washington, DC or their state capitals to be part of the action. These new programs and tools will let anyone who wants to advocate on behalf of the industry to get involved wherever they are: at home, in the office, or even on the show floor.”

“ECA advocates are the backbone of the business events industry, and that is why the ECA Advocacy Network is so important,” said Austin O’Boyle, Senior Director of Advocacy for Aristotle International, who led the development of the ECA Advocacy Network. “These programs and tools will allow people throughout the industry who want to take action to make their voices heard on key issues across the country when it truly matters most.”

For more information about the ECA Advocacy Network, please visit ECAAdvocacyNetwork.com.

On Thursday, August 29, the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance will host a free webinar for the business events industry on the recently passed California zero-emission forklift regulation.

While this new regulation does not take effect until 2028, all business events industry stakeholders operating in California need to be aware of it and start preparing now for what’s ahead in the years to come.

During the webinar, attendees will learn about what’s in the regulation and hear from two industry leaders about how they are beginning to prepare for 2028:

• Chris Schimek, Chief Operating Officer, Event & Exhibit Services for Freeman
• Rip Rippetoe, President & Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation

To register for this free webinar, which will take place on Thursday, August 29 at 11:00 AM Pacific Time, please click here.

The JustOne membership campaign was designed by the Membership Committee to encourage IAVM’s leadership to recruit and sign one new member annually. The committee warmly invites all volunteers to join them in growing and advocating for IAVM. At VC25, we would like to report that 100% of our servant leaders recruited a new member!

Who makes up the IAVM Leadership? Boards, Committees, and Task Forces. The new term of service began on August 1^st.

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

GOAL: Our objective is that all 351 volunteers will add just one new member to our community.

PROSPECTS: Encourage your peers, colleagues, stakeholders, employees, interns, and Allied partners to join the Association.

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

SAVINGS: Instruct your referral to use the following promotion code, JUSTONE. Applicants that apply as Professional  or Allied members can save the $150.00 one-time initiation fee – they must enter “JUSTONE” while completing their membership application.*

For you to receive credit for your referral, ask your applicant to list you as a reference on the membership application.

With JustOne, help someone to realize their potential, to hone their leadership skills, and gain access to important resources that will aid in their professional success. Refer your JUSTONE new member today. Contact membership@iavm.org if you have any questions.

The campaign kicks off now and runs through December 31, 2024.

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

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) is pleased to announce the distribution of $135,000 in community grants to local nonprofits, and $7,500 in hospitality scholarships to three Massachusetts-based culinary and hospitality students at its annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, July 31.

“I’m honored to issue the 2024 community partnership grants and hospitality scholarships on behalf of the MCCA to these worthy nonprofits, as well as the next generation of leaders in the hospitality industry.” said Gloria Larson, Interim Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “It was inspiring hearing directly from the recipients the impact these funds will have on the vital work they do in the community, and I would like to thank our internal committee of employees for reviewing all of the applications for this important program.”

The 27 nonprofits were selected to receive funding this year.

The three scholarship winners hail from communities throughout the state:

• Hopkinton – Emmanuel Barris, Boston University
• Hudson – Camille Graffeo, Framingham State University
• North Andover – Jacob Thorn, Michigan State University

Nonprofits were each awarded $5,000 grants and each student was awarded a $2,500 scholarship. Since the launch of the program in 2007, over $2 million has directly supported non-profits operating in neighborhoods across Boston and Massachusetts-based culinary and hospitality students.

For more information on the MCCA’s Community Partnership & Hospitality Fund, please visit:

https://www.massconvention.com/community/grants-program-overview

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in July 2024. Thank you for being a part of the association! Also, let us get to know you better by participating in the I Am Venue Management series. Please visit here to share your story and photo.

Lynda Alexander, Boise Centre, Boise, ID
David Almany, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Overland Park, KS
Elaine Aye, RWDI, Portland, OR
Ryan Aylmer, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Washington, DC
Jessica Benavides-Soriano, Lynnwood Event Center – OVG, Lynnwood, WA
Shari Bence, Post Guard, Farmington Hills, MI
PJ Berg, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, Fort Walton Beach, FL
Gary Birdsall, PCL Construction, Denver, CO
Tim Bragg, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA
Lori Brown, Boise Centre, Boise, ID
Carmen Campagna, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON, Canada
Krystal Carlson, Butte Civic Center, Butte, MT
Geoff Carns, Ticketmaster, Los Angeles, CA
Sarah Cassidy, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia, SC
Cameron Chambers, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Natalie Chan, Hong Kong Coliseum & Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong, China
Bryan Chatterton, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR
Chun Man Chiu, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong, China
Thom Chuparkoff, OSPORTS, Tampa, FL
Brian Contant, Floreano Convention Center, Rochester, NY
Tom Corden, Algonquin Commons Theatre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Kyle Cottam, Event Services – Utah State University, Logan, UT
Jack Crone, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Camryn D’Angelo, Sottile Theatre – College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
Sarah Dale, Greater Richmond Convention Center – OVG, Richmond, VA
Cathy DeLuca, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Amanda Denton, Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Duluth, MN
Kay Dillon, Boise Centre, Boise, ID
Debbie Dodds, Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, TX
Toni Doucette, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Matthew Dunn, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Michael Elias, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dave Faller, OSPORTS, Cleveland, OH
Devin Ferguson, TCU Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Clare Forbes-Black, Tomcat USA Inc., Knoxville, TN
Fili Gaoteote, IPS Inc., Union City, CA
Denisha Garner, OVG Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
Lori Geres, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, Portland, OR
Nicholas Giampetruzzi, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Sarah Gonzalez, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Jamie Goodman, Town Toyota Center, Wenatchee, WA
William Green, Miami Beach Convention Center – OVG, Miami Beach, FL
Rusty Groh, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Matthew Gutierrez, OvationVOS, Salt Lake City, UT
TJ Guttormson, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN
Audrey Hall, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX
Ryan Hannum, Post Guard, Farmington Hills, MI
Brittney Herrin, Xenial, Charlotte, NC
Flannery Higgins, accesso, Lake Mary, FL
Ethan Hipple, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Craig Hostetler, Historic Theatre Group, LLC, Minneapolis, MN
Eric Huckabee, Spectrohm, Inc., McLean, VA
Erick Hurtado, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, Fort Walton Beach, FL
Danyelle Jackson, Greater Richmond Convention Center – OVG, Richmond, VA
Brady Jacobsen, Daktronics, Sioux Falls, SD
Erik Johannes, Mortenson, Minneapolis, MN
Aulbrie Kitson, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Justin Kizima, Sodexo Live!, Bothell, WA
Dale Koger, PCL Construction, Ashburn, CO
Rusty Lenners, Daktronics, Flagstaff, AZ
Sonya Lester, Perkins Eastman/Pfeiffer, Los Angeles, CA
Jennifer Levear, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Leslie Li, Shenyang New World EXPO, Shenyang, China
Michael Lindsey, HLB Lighting Design, Denver, CO
Lorena Lozada Tecuapetla, The Music Center/PACLAC, Los Angeles, CA
Brian Machiniak, Xenial, Charlotte, NC
Steve Macisso, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Kenneth MacLeod, Algonquin Commons Theatre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Peter Magadini, City of Portland, Portland, ME
James Maldonado, The Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
Angelina Martinez, Levy Restuarants, Las Vegas, NV
Sebastian Mason, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Peter McFarland, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Kevin McPhee, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Ryan Mene, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
Jayme Mescher, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA
Steve Miller, Athletic & Performance Rigging, Tiffin, OH
Emma Miziolek, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON, Canada
Giana Molletta, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
Peter Murdock, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Anurag Nehra, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Olivia Niska, Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Duluth, MN
Mike Noetzel, Langley Events Centre, Langley, BC, Canada
Clare Norton, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Angela O’Connor, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Jake O’Donal, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Charles O’Loughlin, Rider Levett Bucknall, Miami, FL
Belinda Oakley, Sodexo Live!, Stamford, CT
Andrew Ostrowski, Peace Center, Greenville, SC
Daniel Parker, Ferst Center for the Arts (Georgia Tech), Atlanta, GA
Ima Polamalu, IPS Inc., Santa Ana, CA
Trevor Prime, Enterprise Center/Stifel Theatre, Saint Louis, MO
Lucy Puentes, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX
Steven Pyle, Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, MO
Marcel Quiroz, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
Andrew Ransom-Keyek, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Quintin Reed, Enterprise Center/Stifel Theatre, Saint Louis, MO
Scott Reed, Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, OH
Lindsay Rey, Town Toyota Center, Wenatchee, WA
Kelly Rich, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX
Grady Richard, OVG Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
Adam Riggar, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Chris Ring, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN
Amanda Ronchi, Greenwich Odeum, East Greenwich, RI
Nicole Rozier, The Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
Adam Schauer, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA
Kevin Schneck, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Abby Shaftstall, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX
Christopher Sinclair, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA
Brian Sloan, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
Lillian Song, Ticketingbox, Duluth, GA
Alaina Tews, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, Fort Walton Beach, FL
Anna Thompson, Ticketingbox, Duluth, GA
Beth Turnbull, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Eric Van Diggelen, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Newport Beach, CA
Joann Villasenor, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
Rachel-Dawn Wallace, Algonquin Commons Theatre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Mike Wang, Ticketingbox, Duluth, GA
Tammy Whorton, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA
Carol Williams, Greater Richmond Convention Center – OVG, Richmond, VA
Eliza Wilson, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA
Jonathan Wilson, City of Portland, Portland, ME
Ian Wright, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
Lauren Wundrock, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Wade Yang, Ticketingbox, Duluth, GA