By Nancy Walker

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by ASM Global, the premier venue management and services company, marked 50 eventful years with a live celebration on Thursday, July 29th.

After touring the LA Art Show, the first large-scale event to be hosted by the Convention Center since re-opening, City of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (pictured) addressed approximately 200 attendees that included City and State officials, event organizers, Convention Center partners, the downtown LA hospitality community, and current and former LACC employees.

Additional remarks were made by Doane Liu – Executive Director of the Los Angeles City Tourism Department, Adam Burke – President & CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Ron Bension – President & CEO of ASM Global, and Ellen Schwartz – General Manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“After an extended hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to bring large scale events back to Los Angeles. The Convention Center has been an economic engine for our city’s economy for the past 50 years, and we look forward to building on that legacy by welcoming even more visitors and conventions in the future,” commented Liu.

At the celebration, the Los Angeles Convention Center Hall of Fame was officially unveiled. Three events were named as the 2021 inaugural LACC Hall of Fame inductees: Anime Expo, the Los Angeles Auto Show, and Ski Dazzle. These iconic events were recognized by Ellen Schwartz during the program. “We are thrilled to have the 50th Anniversary celebration be a platform to launch the LACC Hall of Fame. Here, we can formally recognize the events that have contributed to the success of this Center,” Schwartz said. “Each July, additional events will be named to the LACC Hall of Fame and collectively, these events will illustrate the vibrant history of this great facility.”

The 50th Anniversary celebration coincided with the opening of the LA Art Show, the most comprehensive international contemporary art show in America. Kassandra Voyagis, Producer and Director of the LA Art Show, said, “I am so excited to be bringing the LA Art Show to the Los Angeles Convention Center, on the heels of a difficult year. Now more than ever, we need a physical art fair to unite the creative community. Thanks to this incredible space, we are able to safely welcome our artists, exhibitors, and patrons for a celebration of art and culture. We are thrilled to celebrate the LACC’s 50th Anniversary in conjunction with our return.”

Nancy Walker is VP, Sales & Marketing for the Los Angeles Convention Center.

By Lauren Crawford Shaver

Oxford Economics released an economic report entitled, “The Concerts and Live Entertainment Industry: A Significant Economic Engine,” that highlights the industry’s contributions to the U.S. economy. The report, commissioned by Live Nation Entertainment, was conducted by Oxford Economics to better understand this important industry’s contributions to the U.S. economy nationally and at the state and local levels.

“Beyond its important cultural contributions, the concert and live entertainment industry generates massive economic upside, supporting the livelihoods of nearly a million people in the US and sustaining public services with nearly $18 billion in taxes generated in 2019,” said Adam Sacks, President of Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company. “The US needs a flourishing concert and live entertainment industry to achieve full economic recovery.”

The report’s key findings revealed that:

· The industry’s total nationwide economic impact of $132.6 billion supported 913,000 total jobs with associated labor income of approximately $42.2 billion in 2019.

· The industry generated a direct impact of $55.2 billion in 2019, which included local operational spending by live events venues and off-site spending by out-of-town live event attendees.

· Overall, the live events industry generated a total fiscal impact of $17.5 billion in 2019, including nearly $9.3 billion in federal tax revenues and $8.3 billion in state and local tax revenues

While the national impact of the live event industry is significant, live’s impact starts locally. Concerts and live entertainment events generate significant economic impacts at the state and local level as its venues spend money in local economies to sustain daily operations, including spending on payroll, marketing costs, legal services, and professional services. And, the economic impact of live events extends beyond the jobs, event, and venue itself to local restaurants, hotels, bars, retailers, and small businesses. For example, If an out-of-town attendee were to spend $100.00 on a concert ticket, the local economy would benefit from an additional $334.92 in spending, resulting in a total spending impact of $434.92.

Live events also contribute to the overall quality of life in a region that helps to attract and retain businesses and talent and helps to create the sense of community so many crave after this year of isolation caused by COVID-19. Beyond the cultural loss involved, the US economy has incurred massive losses in GDP, employment, household income, and tax revenue due to the shutdown of live events during the pandemic. Due to this, the report examined 2019 data to ensure a complete analysis could be conducted that is in line with regular performance of the industry.

As local government officials are providing approved health and safety guidelines, concerts, festivals, and live events are beginning to return to communities around the country. After a year of isolation, many crave getting back to enjoying memorable live experiences safely in 2021 and into the 2022 and 2023 seasons. This renewed enthusiasm for live positions the industry for growth in the coming years as long as safety measures and vaccinations continue across the country.

To read the full report, click here.

The Concerts and Live Entertainment Industry, as defined by this report, includes all live musical performances, such as festivals and concerts, and comedy shows held in amphitheaters, clubs, theaters, arenas, stadiums, and other venues. Not included in this analysis are theater, Broadway, sporting events, and family shows.

Lauren Crawford Shaver is with Forbes Tate Partners.

CareerConnect is a FREE program encompassing career coaching, job fair, and recruitment open house coinciding with IAVM’s 2021 VenueConnect Annual Conference. Individuals seeking full time employment opportunities in the Venues & Live Events Industry from Georgia and the surrounding states are encouraged to attend. VenueConnect attendees are invited to attend and/or assist with the job fair/career advice portion. Volunteer Career Coaches are encouraged to bring information on their open positions. Participating Job Fair organizations include: OVG, Spectra, TeamWork Online & VenuWorks.

Where: Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center
When: Monday, August 2
11am-1pm ET – Career Coaching & Job Fair
1-5pm ET – Open House with Recruiters from: OVG, Spectra & VenuWorks

Registration is FREE!
Click HERE to register as an attendee.
Click HERE to volunteer as a Career Coach. Please remember to indicate if you have positions available.

Before attending, be sure to view the below links:
OVG: Facility Positions / Corporate Positions
Spectra: Open Positions
TeamWork Online: Open Positions 
VenuWorks: Open Positions

By R.V. Baugus

Barry Strafacci knows a thing or two about the Convention Center Lifetime Achievement Award as presented by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) after nomination and selection from the association’s Convention Centers Committee. It was Strafacci, after all, who served as the chair of the committee when the award was formed some 20 years ago. The award has now come full circle as Strafacci — an IAVM Retired Member residing in St. Petersburg, FL, is the latest recipient for the award and will be honored at IAVM’s VenueConnect in Atlanta on Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 2 pm (ET).

For Strafacci, being recognized by his peers provides an extra satisfaction.

“Stacey Church (Convention Centers Committee chair) called to give me the good news,” Strafacci said. “Stacey was actually one of the very first managers I worked with.

“What it means to me is a lot and it’s emotional because there is no greater recognition professionally than being recognized by your peers and the other people that do what you did for a living. That’s the best. When you look at sports awards or theatrical awards it’s when people that are the entertainers would get to vote it would mean more. I think that is probably why it is so overwhelming to me.”

Strafacci’s distinguished and accomplished career certainly makes him a due — if not overdue — honoree for the award. While he still serves part-time as CEO in Barry Strafacci Venue Services, where he provides a wide range of consulting services in pre-opening and management areas of Convention Centers, Expos, and Fairgrounds, it is his tenure in the public assembly venue world that he is most remarkable for.

Strafacci began his career in the public sector as senior policy and budget advisor for the Kentucky Governor’s Office of Planning and Management after earning a graduate degree in Commercial Recreation from Western Kentucky University. After affecting policy at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Board, which is responsible for the operation of the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, Freedom Hall Arena, Broadbent arena and Cardinal Stadium and the Commonwealth Convention Center in Louisville, KY, Strafacci was named as vice president of the combined facilities. During his tenure, he expanded the Kentucky Fair and Exhibition Center to over 1-million-square feet of exhibit space before he left in 1989.

Strafacci would go on to serve as a Regional Vice President Special Projects Convention Centers for Global Spectrum (now Spectra Venue Management) and remained in that position while being named the first General Manager at the Harborview Center in Clearwater, FL in 1996. Strafacci’s career with the private management company covered almost 20 years.

Strafacci was introduced to then IAAM in 1985 by Louisville colleague Jeff Blosser, who departed Louisville ahead of Strafacci to lead the Oregon Convention Center and currently is President/CEO of the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.

“One of the first things Jeff said to me was if you want to be in this business to join IAAM and I did,” Strafacci said. “How fortunate it was for me to get in the business there, to be paired with Jeff as a partner and boss, and to be immediately exposed to the association. IAVM members — and not just convention center members — but our association people help each other which is what makes it so wonderful.”

As his special day quickly arrives, Strafacci reflected on some convention center giants such as Lee Fehrenkamp, John Christison, Blosser, and Roger Dixon, who have helped chart the course for convention centers and the role they play today. Strafacci also mentioned Mich Sauers, who hired him at Global Spectrum and who will be in Atlanta to celebrate along with Strafacci, his family, and IAVM attendees.

“Everybody wants to see each other,” Strafacci said about VenueConnect, which was virtual only in 2020 due to the pandemic. “We get these calls and it’s like long lost friends talking. I worked with Mich Sauers for 20 years and he wasn’t planning on being there when I called to let him know about the award. He called me the next day and said he had made a change of plans and was going to fly in for one day to be there.”

It makes for a fitting moment for someone who has given the industry and association so much through the years and now is the one receiving acknowledgment for meritorious service.

By R.V. Baugus

Darlene Somers, CMP DES, has heard the talk from client friends she has worked with in the past in the hospitality industry when she shared about her new employment as Director of Meetings at IAVM: “Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re a part of IAVM! I’m so excited to see you in Atlanta!”

Indeed, Somers, who carries an impressive portfolio of more than 20 years experience as an association management event professional in the world of hospitality, likes to say that her newest career move “makes the circle complete.”

Somers is just as excited to attend VenueConnect and while she will not have the full thrust of responsibility for the position as next year will carry in Phoenix, she looks forward to observation, learning, and, yes, meeting some of those past acquaintances as well as getting to say hello and meeting attending IAVM members.

“What a blessing to be able to attend VenueConnect,” Somers said. “Not that I’ve got free time, but just to learn about all the parts that make VenueConnect so special. It will almost be from an attendee standpoint for me. When you’re staff all you really see is behind the curtain and you’re very much backstage looking at how the machine works. I will have an opportunity to see it from the opposite side and come back behind the curtain to help make it all come together. I see it as a blessing to be able to attend this meeting before I’m responsible.”

Somers comes to IAVM from her own business with DWS Project & Event Management and prior to that served as Senior Meetings Manager with the Association Management Center from 1996-2020.

“My previous experience has been a lot about building and maintaining functioning teams,” Somers aid. “The company (AMC) worked for a lot of associations all at one time, talking four or five associations, and all of their events were my responsibility. For every client that I worked with or every team that I worked with, it was all different. The dynamics were different, the people were different, and the objectives were different, but it was all about serving the client and bringing the best value to them.”

While COVID-19 resulted in a layoff from a long-time position, Somers offered advice that they used during that time. Mostly, there is no shame in having a career stalled or derailed by a pandemic.

“I call it my time of forced self-reflection,” she said. “It would have been a shame to have wasted that opportunity. Just think deeply about what it is you want to do and what value you can still bring.”

Somers now has one group to work with and concentrate on to bring value, and that is to the IAVM membership and the events and meetings that are held.

“I really look forward to getting down to the granular level of member support,” she said. “To really just understand what members need and give them things that they need before they need it.

“I really wanted to work for AN organization. That was sort of my motivation in looking at IAVM. I did a lot of research and talked to many of my contacts in the industry. I’ve been very involved in PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) from the very beginning and have worked with folks mainly in convention centers and some performing arts buildings. To work directly and serve an industry that I have been a partner to all these years has me really excited.”

In addition to being an active member of PCMA, Somers has served on several international committees and task forces. In addition, she co-authored a chapter in Professional Meeting Management, 6th edition, and has been a highly rated speaker at industry events. She is a committed volunteer with the local Cultural Arts Festival and Fridays@4, an organization focused on helping association and nonprofit leaders develop meaningful connections and skills for career success.

With football season approaching, it is worth noting that Somers took 1st place in her inaugural attempt at playing Fantasy Football and is eager to defend that title this season. She is married with two young adult children, has one dog who wandered up to her house and never left, and is “babysitting more bottles of red wine that any one person really needs.”

Somers holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas A&M University and earned a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida, Muma College of Business.

As for her hiring in July immediately followed by a plane trip to Atlanta for IAVM’s biggest annual event, Somers could only say that it is like “drinking from a fire hose.”

The faucet to that hose has been turned on, and IAVM members can rest assured the Association’s new leader as Director of Meetings is ready to extinguish any fire set before her.