By R.V. Baugus

The Venue Managers Mom’s Affinity Group, created for networking and to support opportunities for women in the venue management profession who are mothers, will launch with its first meeting scheduled for May 18 at 3pm EST/2pm CST. Meetings will be held monthly on the third Tuesday.

“The intent is to create space, virtually and eventually in-person, where women can gather to support one another, to speak from various perspectives, and to learn from one another,” said Jennifer Norris, CVE, Assistant Managing Director, San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. “The group will be inclusive – adoptive mothers, biological mothers, stepmothers, single mothers, partnered mothers of any and all sexualities.”

Norris noted that the group is IAVM member-created, although IAVM membership is not required to participate. That said, individuals must be IAVM members in order to access the group on VenueNet. “It came about organically as a result of the April IAVM Foundation E3 focused on Working Moms and the Women in Leadership Roundtables,” she said.

Here is what the some of the members who came together to form the planning committee for this group are saying about why it is important to them and what they hope to create with and for each other:

“I jumped at the opportunity to help build the Venue Managers Mom’s Affinity Group because being a mom in this industry can feel very isolating. I love the idea of having a ‘safe’ space to share all of my mom related joys and frustrations. It is incredibly uplifting to talk to a group of powerful women who can understand all the intricacies that go into being a working mom in our industry. I can’t wait to simply have a conversation with all the awesome moms out there!”
Sara Beatty, CVP
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

“Being a mom is often tough and being a mom in this industry can add additional challenges. I’m looking forward to meeting moms who share the same passions, but also connecting over things not related to our day jobs. Having a space to air frustrations, share milestones or learn about new mom trends is an invaluable resource, especially after the past year where moms seemed to have added even more to their plates. I can’t wait to connect with other moms and build on the support we all need.”
Lauren Burch
Old National Events Plaza

“Having a group of fellow moms to connect with in IAVM and our industry has already been so beneficial to me. Even in our planning meetings to put the group together, we’ve been able to laugh and complain about our kiddos while doing video chats with babies and toddlers hanging on us. I so look forward to starting this meet-up so we can all learn from each other, connect with one another, and hopefully help us all through this experience in the ever-crazy venue and events industry!”
Ashley Peacock, CVP
COX Business Convention Center

“I became a mom at the very beginning of the pandemic–the world literally shut down as I was in the hospital. It’s been 14 months of really high personal highs and really low professional lows, all during a time when the professional and personal lines have become blurred into non-existence. I am so excited to help get this group started to help provide a much-needed respite from the isolation and constant white-knuckling we do to get through every day. Our calls so far have been one of the few times I haven’t felt the need to apologize for my reality, which currently is a teething toddler who only takes zoom calls on the top of my head! As venue professionals, our strength is keeping all the balls in the air and always having backup and contingency plans. The uncertainty of this year has made it impossible to plan and impossible to keep juggling all the balls. Connecting with other women in our industry who are doing the best they can with humor, grace, and a ‘show must go on’ attitude has been inspiring and vital. I look forward to meeting new friends and colleagues and celebrating our successes, commiserating about our struggles, discovering my next favorite Netflix show, and building a community where we all feel a little less alone!”
Annie Wilson, CPA
The 5th Avenue Theatre

Interested moms should register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcudOyoqTIvGta4Gr61Qddf5dTyPJDL4aOR

And for moms that are members we hope you will join our VenueNet Community titled Venue Moms’ Group
https://venuenet.iavm.org/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=794c3767-ee7f-486e-ac19-5a833bcd867e

By NBC 12 News

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced that as of May 25, they will be lifting all COVID-19 seating restrictions at Chase Field.

The first set of home games following the restriction lift will be May 25 and 26 against the San Francisco Giants and May 27 through May 30 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Diamondbacks said that fans will still be required to wear masks and social distancing as much as possible is still encouraged.

“We continue to hear from our season ticket holders that they want to return to their original seats and we feel that they can do so safely,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said in a release. “While the seating restrictions will no longer be in place, we believe seat selection for the majority of games should still allow fans to spread out. We continue to work very hard to provide a safe and comfortable environment for fans and will monitor their feedback throughout the season.”

The Dbacks were initially only going to allow about 12,000 fans for their home opener, but expanded it to 20,000 and have been going with that capacity since.

The Texas Rangers were the first team to allow full capacity as they started the season allowing 100% capacity at home games.

The International Association of Venue Managers, the Venue Safety and Security Committee and the AVSS Faculty have expanded our safety and security offerings through AVSS to a virtual format, also known as AVSS Extension (AVSS/E). Our goal is to provide virtual training opportunities in 2021, with anticipation of returning to AVSS in-person training once the current health safety concerns are resolved.

With AVSS/E, you can explore the following recorded sessions:

• Post Orders: Tools and Techniques for Creating Great Foundational Documents
• Mitigating Risk at Mass Gatherings
• Situational Crime Prevention
• Risk Management and Mitigation Tools for Small Venues
• Preparedness: Virtual Workshops and Tabletop Exercises
• Preparing for the Inevitable – Liability Considerations for Venue Managers and Personnel
• Incident Reports
• Venue Renovations – How will the Building and Fire Officials Respond?
• Risk Management and Mitigation Tools for Small Venues

When you purchase access to AVSS/E, you will will have access to the virtual site until April 2022, affording you the opportunity to work at your own pace!

Click HERE to purchase AVSS/E now! Venues can save by purchasing group access (up to 5 attendees) by clicking HERE.

By Lauren Dean

Nashville based engineering and consulting firm Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) has announced changes to its executive leadership structure. CEO and President, Steve Lane, PE, BCEE, FACEC, announced that the SSR Board of Directors promoted Susan Osterberg to Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Mike Rogers, PE, LEED AP, to Chief Growth Officer (CGO). Lane stated that the moves are an extension of the firm’s overall succession planning efforts.

“We recognized that seasoned, committed leaders are needed to seize emerging opportunities,” said Lane. “In their respective roles, they will drive SSR’s new strategic plan and move forward the plan’s emphasis on people and culture, processes, partners and clients, and performance.”

Susan Osterberg previously served as SSR’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) since 2015. Prior to that she was Vice President of Human Resources. As CAO, Osterberg was responsible for support services and effectively encouraged collaboration between the different support groups and partnership with operations. She focused on fostering increased employee engagement, organizational development, and leadership succession planning. Over her tenure, Osterberg has taken on additional duties as part of the management team, including facilitating operational restructuring and strategic planning.

“Susan’s background and career are ideally suited to guide continuous learning, sustained career growth for our people, and assure consistency in the quality and delivery of our services,” stated Lane. “She is first-rate at building a better team and processes.”

“SSR is well positioned for growth,” said Osterberg on the new position. “Shifting from CAO to COO provides the opportunity to more closely blend our focus on people with solid operational processes and execution. Success with our clients always begins with the commitment and engagement of our colleagues.”

Osterberg received both her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Organizational Communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. She takes pride on giving back and has a passion to grow and develop people around her. In her free time, is an enthusiastic baseball fan and loves to bike.

Mike Rogers has served as SSR’s Sports and Entertainment Market Leader for the past 18 years. His leadership has proven instrumental in establishing SSR as one of the top engineering firms in the sports and entertainment market. SSR was ranked 9th in Building Design + Construction’s 2020 Giants report for Sports Facilities Sector Engineering firms. Under his direction, SSR has designed numerous high-profile sports facilities, including the recently completed Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, and the Chase Center, home to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

“Mike’s varied experience combined with his ability to embrace customer needs, understand their success factors, and build strong connections quickly,” Lane added. “He will ensure that mutually beneficial client relationships and rewarding outcomes flourish.”

“SSR is a diverse enterprise spanning multiple markets and geographies,” said Rogers. “We have many opportunities before us. My goal is to help us multiply our impact in these existing markets, move effectively into new market opportunities, and have positive impacts on our clients and colleagues. Our success and growth will revolve around two main things: success of our clients and growth of our people.”

Rogers is a 35-year veteran of the AEC industry. He joined SSR in 2000 and served in numerous roles before overseeing the sports and entertainment market. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. After graduation Rogers served as a Combat Construction Engineer for the United States Air Force. In his spare time, he’s an avid runner and gear head.

Lauren Dean is Senior Communications Associate for Smith Seckman Reid.

From ASM Global Communications

ASM Global has been selected to co-manage operations, run the commercialization, and oversee the development of a new arena in Cantù, Italy. The nearly 6,000-seat facility, which will be completed in late 2023, extends ASM’s geographic footprint to Italy. Once completed, the arena will be the new home of Pallacanestro Cantù, the professional basketball team in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and one of the most successful clubs in all of Europe.

“Today we plant the flag in Italy, a region with incredible growth potential,” said Ron Bension, President and CEO of ASM Global. “ASM brings to Cantù the decades of expertise and world-class service that have made ASM the premier venue service company it is today. We are looking forward to building on our success and making the new arena one of the most recognized facilities in the region.”

The entry into Italy continues ASM’s international market expansion. Already known for operating some of the most iconic and successful venues in the world like the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, The Globe in Stockholm, SSE Arena Wembley in London, and Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, ASM will provide the Cantù facility the strength and depth of its sports and entertainment networks. The arena will also benefit from ASM’s professional management services, operations assistance, market knowledge, building design support and planning expertise. Including the addition of this new facility, ASM’s European portfolio currently consists of approximately 50 theaters, stadiums, equestrian centers and arenas.

“The Cantù arena is but another example of ASM’s ability to help turn a great idea into reality,” said John Sharkey, Executive Vice President, Europe, at ASM Global. “We were introduced to this project last year and even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic we remained steadfast to get to today. I couldn’t be prouder of our team and our new Italian partners and I cannot wait to break ground.”

The arena will be developed with the full support of Cantù Municipality by Cantù Next, a financial services and real estate development firm that will also provide most of the project’s funding. In addition to indoor and outdoor training facilities for the basketball club, the two-tier facility will provide structural flexibility to allow for other sports and events, including expos, fairs, conventions, and corporate gatherings.

“We are honored to be able to link the names of Cantù Next and Pallacanestro Cantù with ASM Global, the premier name in entertainment and venue management,” said Andrea Mauri, Managing Director of Cantù Next and Pallacanestro Cantù. “This alliance represents a great opportunity not only for the club, but for the new sports arena. Thanks to ASM, we will be able to develop new partnerships with international brands and will be able to better attract non-sporting events that will provide added value for the city of Cantù and, more generally, for our territory.”

Umberto Gandini, President of LBA, added: “In locating the stadium in a central area surrounded by city and regional institutions, the new Cantù arena follows the path of other Serie A clubs, such as the new facility in Brindisi, home of New Basket, or the Segafredo Arena, which houses the Virtus Bologna and is located in the Fiera District.

Having the ability to find the energy and resources in a difficult season is an important sign that confirms the vitality and strength of our league.”