By Paul Pettas

The San Diego Symphony officially announced partnerships for The Shell Provisions, its signature culinary program featured at its new permanent waterfront venue, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, in downtown San Diego. The program, conceived and created by Frank ODea Hospitality for the San Diego Symphony, curated by Centerplate, offers an impressive range of local specialties in partnership with some of the city’s most popular purveyors including celebrity Chef Richard Blais, URBAN KITCHEN Group, Biga, Lola55, Achilles Coffee Roasters and more.

In addition to top-notch food and beverage selections, The Shell Provisions at the Prebys Plaza Dining Pavilion and Market boasts new state-of-the-art kitchens and incredible dining spaces, allowing concertgoers to enjoy some of the best tastes San Diego has to offer, while taking in the beautiful sights and sounds of the city. The Rady Shell’s inaugural season started on Friday, August 6, 2021 with Music Director Rafael Payare conducting the Symphony in the world premiere of Mason Bates’s Soundcheck in C Major.

“Our goal with The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is to not only give San Diegans and visitors an unforgettable musical experience, but also a well-rounded cultural experience that reflects our city. The Shell Provisions highlights cuisine San Diego is famous for, while supporting local businesses and elevating the concert-going experience,” said San Diego Symphony, CEO Martha Gilmer. “We are thrilled to partner with Centerplate and Chef Richard Blais as well as Chef Tim Kolanka and restaurateur, Tracy Borkum with URBAN KITCHEN Group to give concertgoers an unmatched tableside dining experience. We are equally excited to showcase beloved local purveyors along with our dynamic programming this summer. We are infinitely grateful for every partner, donor and community member who helped make this possible.”

Paul Pettas is PR & Communications Director for Centerplate.

By Ian Cox

Kentucky Venues, which operates the Kentucky Exposition Center and the Kentucky International Convention Center, announced a new partnership with Spectra to expand sponsorship and client-building opportunities across the state and generate new revenue sources.

Spectra Partnerships – a major division of Spectra, an industry leader in live events and entertainment – will serve as KY Venues’ sales consulting agency. The team will be responsible for identifying and cultivating naming rights and corporate sponsorships for the sixth largest convention center in the U.S. – Kentucky Exposition Center, and one of North America’s newly renovated and LEED Silver – Kentucky International Convention Center to generate new revenue sources.

“Kentucky Venues is in the business of generating economic impact for our city and state. We want to use our resources wisely to attract new clients and build partnerships with sponsors,” David S. Beck, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues, said. “We’re excited to work with the professionals at Spectra, leaning on their expertise and experience to help improve events and generate revenue at both of our facilities.”

Spectra Partnerships will also focus on six annual, signature events that are owned and produced by Kentucky Venues: the Kentucky State Fair, World’s Championship Horse Show, National Farm Machinery Show, Championship Tractor Pull, North American International Livestock Exposition, and North American Championship Rodeo.

“We are thankful that the State of Kentucky has entrusted Spectra to represent the commonwealth throughout this important campaign, as well as offered the opportunity to work with a visionary leader like David Beck,” Bryan Furey, senior vice president, Spectra Partnerships, said. “With two major venues and six quintessential events, Kentucky Venues engaged Spectra to evaluate the available assets and outline a far-reaching strategy for building meaningful, long-term partnerships. We’re eager to begin identifying potential naming rights partners in Louisville, regionally and across the state who recognize the value of this remarkable compilation of venues and signature events.”

Spectra Partnerships – which has secured more than 40 naming rights partnerships in the last 10 years, more than any other company in the space – is a leader in sales representation and strategic consulting for convention centers, sports facilities, and entertainment properties across North America and globally. Its experienced sales team drives revenue via the marketing and sale of naming rights, corporate partnerships, advertising, premium seating, and hospitality initiatives. Spectra provides a blend of management, hospitality, and partnerships services for top-tier clients like the City of Miami Beach and Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio, as well as more than 150 properties, such as Navy Pier, Duke Energy Convention Center, Owensboro Sportscenter, and the Iowa Events Center complex.

Ian Cox is Executive Director of Communications for Kentucky Venues based in Louisville.

IAVM is please to announce Trudy Bourgeois, Founder and CEO of the Center for Workforce Excellence, as this year’s ENCORE keynote speaker!

Trudy is one of America’s leading experts on transformational leadership and a highly regarded leader in the field of leadership and diversity and inclusion and will be speaking at ENCORE on understanding and overcoming unconscious bias. An expert at developing managers and leaders on how to unleash the greatest potential of every employee, she and her firm are known for building inclusive leaders that can create inclusive cultures, leading to better business results.

Named “Best and Brightest Women Leaders” by Dollars and Sense Magazine, Trudy has a rare ability to tackle very difficult subjects such as race and bias without triggering negative emotions. Drawing on her own life’s experience of being born into segregation, she operates from a principle that “everyone has something to learn” on the journey to accepting each other across differences and building workplaces that are truly inclusive.

ENCORE, IAVM’s new annual virtual conference and trade show, will be held Oct0ber 5-6, 2021.  Registration is now open, so save your spot today!

Recently, a Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) survey was sent to members who identified as the primary contact for their venues.  We received almost 100 replies.  Thank you to the members who responded. 

We were asking a few questions for all members who applied for SVOG in order to better help members who were writing appeals or asking for budget reconsiderations.  We were looking for similar venues, organizational structure and venue ownership so we could match up venues in need of assistance.

Now, we need this information to help TwinLogic Solutions (TLS) advocate for our members with the SBA and congressional offices on two fronts: 1) those who were declined and 2) advocating for excess SVOG funds to stay with those eligible for this program as the delta variant is becoming an issue with tours being postponed/cancelled either nationally or locally due to the inability to mandate vaccinations or masks.  If there are excess funds, we want to keep them in SVOG instead of going to other places.

Data is very important for our advocacy efforts.  TLS uses this information (anonymously unless we have your permission) to advocate for our members with congressional offices and federal agencies.

If you did not fill out the survey OR if your status has changed since you filled out the survey the last time, please click this link and complete this quick survey. 

Tammy Koolbeck, CVE

Advocacy/Industry Affairs Committee

By 313 Presents

KultureCity, an organization recognized nationwide for using resources to revolutionize and effect change in the community for those with sensory needs, has named Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena the 2021 Sensory Inclusive Venue of the Year. The award was presented at the KultureBALL in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, August 21.

All events hosted at Little Caesars Arena are sensory inclusive, and promote an accommodating and positive experience for guests and fans with sensory needs. Sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions.

In addition to Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park, Fox Theatre, DTE Energy Music Theatre, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre and Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre are all KultureCity certified.

“Providing a comfortable and inclusive experience for fans and guests is a top priority at all of our venues,” said Chris Granger, Group President, Sports & Entertainment, Ilitch Holdings, Inc. “We support KultureCity’s tremendous mission and look forward to partnering with them for years to come.”

Through the certification process, event staff are trained by leading medical professionals to recognize guests and fans with sensory needs and how best to handle sensory overload situations. Those overwhelmed by the environment may be provided with sensory bags equipped with noise canceling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards and weighted lap pads. Access to quieter and more secure environments are also available.

“Our communities shape our lives and it’s been so enlightening to see Little Caesars Arena go the extra mile to ensure an inclusive and adaptable environment,” said Uma Srivastava, Executive Director of KultureCity. “We’re honored to partner with Olympia Entertainment, and are excited that Little Caesars Arena is the honoree of the 2021 Sensory Inclusive Venue of the Year.”

Former Sensory Inclusive Venue of the Year award winners include Atlanta’s State Farm Arena in 2019, Orlando’s Camping World Stadium in 2018 and Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena in 2017.