By Katarina Dos Santos, MA

Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings, along with Florida Department of Health in Orange County Director Dr. Raul Pino, recognized Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) Event Manager Janice Reindl with Orange County’s Public Health Hero Award at the Orlando International Airport.

Reindl has served as the Event Manager for the COVID-19 mass vaccination site at the OCCC for the last five months.

“She is a shining example of a civil servant, and she truly deserves this honor,” said Mayor Demings during his remarks.

Her unwavering dedication and service to the community has been a pillar in the success of the vaccination site. For five months, six days a week, she has displayed impressive skills in helping to plan and organize the use of the Center’s North Concourse for the first COVID-19 mass vaccination site in Orange County.

Ever-present and ever-vigilant, she became an indispensable daily resource, addressing problems before they disrupted the operation.

Janice also took on the task of feeding the staff and nurses by coordinating with numerous hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and food trucks to feed the more than 200 team members it took to run the vaccination operation each day. This feat alone had a profound, positive impact on the staff’s morale.

A large portion of the credit for the great success of the joint Orange County Government and Florida Department of Health COVID-19 mass vaccination site is due to the dedication, determination and personal drive of Janice Reindl.

Reindl is a resident of Windermere and has been an employee of the OCCC since 2018.

Katarina Dos Santos, MA, is Marketing and Communications Assistant Manager | Marketing & Communications, at the Orange County Convention Center.

Photo: OCCC’s Event Manager Janice Reindl was recently awarded with Orange County’s Public Health Hero Award by Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings and Florida Department of Health in Orange County Director Dr. Raul Pino.

By Teddi Anderson

The Hawai‘i Convention Center welcomed 1,200 participants for the Hawai‘i Prayer Breakfast on May 7, 2021. It was the Center’s largest in-person meeting since the start of COVID-19 pandemic health and safety
restrictions in March 2020. The breakfast included state and local leaders, as well as noted speakers Dr. Tony Evans and Priscilla Shirer.

The Center has implemented industry-leading health and safety measures led by ASM Global’s comprehensive Venue Shield program. This includes health and safety technologies, new food and beverage options, revised layouts for socially distanced gatherings, and extensive staff training. During the breakfast, the Center’s Exhibit Hall featured socially distanced tables, as well as freshly made, individually packaged meals, with staff and guests observing PPE guidelines.

The City & County of Honolulu eased COVID-19 restrictions for the island of O‘ahu to allow for select gatherings, meetings and events under the Tier 3 reopening strategy. Tier 3 allows venues such as convention centers, third-party conference room providers, and banquet halls to host low-risk structured events.

Teddi Anderson is President, TLC PR.

By Region 6 Newsletter

Before the confetti could drop and the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship trophy could be raised in San Antonio, one team would have to navigate an unprecedented tournament year and deliver an extraordinary effort amidst the challenges of a global pandemic.

The aforementioned “One Team” consisted of the Alamodome, the City of San Antonio and partners like San
Antonio Sports that helped parlay a championship bid win into an opportunity to host the entire 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament with 64 teams competing from March 21 through April 4 in the local region. For its part, the Alamodome expanded a three game championship weekend into a 38 game schedule with an additional 108 practices at the venue. The facility hosted match-ups in the First and Second Rounds and all games of the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and the Finals. Staff made history by creating under one roof, a dual-arena configuration that helped expedite COVID-19 cleaning efforts and enhance social distance protocols. Other fan safety procedures implemented included digital ticketing in socially distanced pods, touch less venue entry, mobile food ordering and the enforced wearing of face covers unless actively eating or drinking.

“Since reopening in the fall of 2020 for the UTSA football season, the Alamodome’s main priority has been fan safety but we also want to help create jobs and paychecks and promote the local economy,” said General Manager Steve Zito, CVE. The NCAA tournament generated an estimated $27.2 million in economic impact for San Antonio and filled 35,000 room nights at area hotels. Tourism was noticeably impacted and images of San Antonio were abundant since all tournament games were broadcasted on either ESPN or ABC networks. An estimated 33,246,000 national broadcast viewers were able to cheer on their teams and experience San Antonio and the Alamodome virtually.

Venue Operations veteran Tim McNeff has been hired as the Los Angeles Forum’s Vice President of Arena Operations. McNeff comes to the Forum from the Los Angeles Football Club and Banc of California Stadium, where he was the Assistant General Manager and Senior Director, Facilities. He guided the stadium from construction to its inaugural season as an award-winning sports and entertainment venue and beyond. McNeff has more than 25 years of operations experience and has also worked at Circuit of the Americas, STAPLES Center, and Disneyland Resort.

McNeff has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Long Beach. He began his new position on May 17 and reports to Forum General Manager and Senior Vice President of Live Events Geni Lincoln.

By Frank Bradshaw, Ph.D., CVE

An increasing number of companies, non-profits, and government organizations want (or may even be required) to engage and employ those who have specific certifications from recognized programs. We want to ensure that the Certification Programs of the IAVM say that its certifications offer proof that those individuals who obtain these certifications have achieved the highest standards of experience, education, and credentialing in the venue management field. We know that certification demonstrates your commitment to superior professionalism, upholding industry standards, and continued learning. These merits can help boost your professional credibility and prestige within the venue management industry as well as your networks.

The IAVM Certification Board wants to ensure that the Certified Venue Executive program continues to give those who earned the CVE designation recognition of competency, shows a commitment to the venue management profession, and help with job advancement. Toward that end, the Board is conducting an in-depth review of the CVE program, its competency standards, and the certification examination to make sure it reflects the changing dynamics of our industry.

This is where we need the assistance of the current CVEs. You are the subject matter experts. We want you to be a part of this review so that we can continue to hold the CVE as the “mark of excellence” in our industry.

CALLING ALL CVEs!

Your IAVM Certification Board is launching a project to update the knowledge, skills and attributes required of a Certified Venue Executive (CVE).

The Certification Board needs your help to identify, verify, and formalize the range of core competencies that must be demonstrated by venue executives. This project will include research using international occupational classification standards, documented venue management industry norms, and – most importantly in-depth consultation with experienced practitioners (our CVEs) who will serve as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

We would like your commitment to complete 6-8 short surveys over a period of approximately 8-12 months. You will receive a survey approximately every 4-6 weeks. Each should take you no more than 5-7 minutes to complete. You will receive 1 certification renewal point for each survey completed … but you must complete every survey in order to qualify for the reward.

More detailed information will be distributed shortly, inviting you to participate in this important project. Please answer the call!

Frank Bradshaw, Ph.D., CVE, is a Retired IAVM Member who serves on the IAVM Certification Board.