By R.V. Baugus and nhl.com

We all know how the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the public assembly venue landscape, and for the teams that play in many IAVM venues, financial losses have been catastrophic. That’s why I read with interest and delight when the National Hockey League announced that in partnership with Discover, Honda, MassMutual and Scotiabank, those four entities would hold naming rights as official division names for the 2020-21 season: Scotia NHL® North Division, Honda NHL® West Division, Discover NHL® Central Division and the MassMutual NHL® East Division.

I love it!

Once upon a time I hated the infiltration of corporate names splashed across sports uniforms. In fact, I held to the notion that only those in the professional auto racing circles should be allowed to have corporate names covering uniforms from head to toe. I don’t know … it just seemed ludicrous that a person would become a walking billboard.

Well, those thoughts have changed, even before Ricky Bobby rocked his uni in Talladega Nights.

It looked a little strange to me when NBA uniforms became adorned with corporate logos, but these days I take extra effort to see if any given team has a new logo from the previous year. It is no longer any big deal and in fact in these trying financial times is often a key to survival to some degree.

Going back to the NHL, the idea was simply brilliant to sell naming rights to the sport’s four divisions. I can truly envision other sports looking to follow suit. I applaud the out-of-the-box thinking of the NHL as they move forward into their 2020-21 season which already has met COVID-19 head-on, with our local Dallas Stars registering 17 players who have tested positive.

Here are the divisions and teams in each (note: the ongoing closure of the U.S.-Canada border required realignment):

• Scotia NHL® North Division (Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg)
• Honda NHL® West Division (Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, St. Louis, Vegas)
• Discover NHL® Central Division (Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay)
• MassMutual NHL® East Division (Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington)

By R.V. Baugus

Andrias White Murdaugh, MBA, CMP, CSEP, CVP, owner and lead event producer for Andrias Events, a full-service convention, special event, and wedding firm, has been named in volunteer service as the Vice President, Strategic Events at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

The CBCF Vision stated on its website is to “envision a world in which all communities have an equal voice in public policy through leadership cultivation, economic empowerment, and civic engagement.”

The website lists the Mission “to advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public.”

Andrias began her professional career at George Mason University where she served as an Event Manager and later progressed to the Director of Logistics and Events for George Mason University’s Office of Admissions. There she lead the Events Team’s planning and execution of recruitment open houses, road shows, college fairs, and youth conferences.

After five years of service, Andrias left her full-time role at Mason to serve as Senior Event Manager for Events DC at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where she managed high-security and high profile conventions, meetings, special events, and athletic events including Presidential Inaugural Balls, The World Gas Congress, The American Israel Public Affairs Policy Conference, and the Congressional Black Caucus’s Annual Legislative Conference. After moving back to her hometown in Richmond, Virginia, she served as the Senior Facility and Sales Manager for SMG Richmond at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center in Richmond, Virginia and lead the efforts for facility marketing, guest relations, and special events during the 2019 Washington Redskins Training Camp.

She is a 2018 graduate of IAVM’s Venue Management School and received her CVP that same year. She was also acknowledged in the 2018 30-Under-30 class.

Congratulations from all your friends in the IAVM world on this extraordinary honor!

By ISSA and R.V. Baugus

Now this is what we like to see. The latest update of all venue types around the world who have earned GBAC STAR accreditation includes a wealth of public assembly venues. IAVM congratulates these venues as well as those currently working hard to receive accreditation.

Facilities of all types and sizes are eligible to participate in the GBAC STAR accreditation program from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council. Accredited facilities follow the proper protocols for cleaning and disinfection, implement thorough training for chemicals, equipment, and procedures, and are committed to continuous learning and improvement.

This week’s new GBAC STAR public assembly venue accreditations include:

Arenas and Stadiums

Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets
Esports Stadium Arlington & Expo Center in Arlington, Texas
Olympia Entertainment in Detroit
SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., home to the NHL’s San Jose Sharks
Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash.
Toyota Center in Houston, home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets
Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisc.

Convention Centers

Alliant Energy Center of Dane County in Madison, Wisc.
Greater Columbus Convention Center/ASM Global in Columbus, Ohio
Greater Tacoma Convention Center in Tacoma, Wash.
Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Va.
Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, Calif.
RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, Calif.
Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC

Theatre or Performing Arts Center

Coliseo de Puerto Rico/ASM Global in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, N.C.

IAVM members seeking to apply for accreditation through GBAC, please use the link https://gbac.issa.com/iavm/!

By Stacie Bauer

Ungerboeck, The World’s Event Software, announced the hiring of Casey Jessmon as Chief Information Security Officer.

Jessmon joins Ungerboeck with more than 10 years of experience in operational information security and has a proven record of accomplishment in leadership roles prior to joining the team. Jessmon was the Business Information Security Officer at Equifax Workforce Solutions and he also served as the Director of Information Security Operations at Mastercard where he managed a global team responsible for building and protecting the Information Security Infrastructure. In addition, he also held various IT (Information Technology) and security roles at Nestle Purina and Boeing.

Jessmon’s focus at Ungerboeck will be continuing to foster and invest in a culture of security. He will be involved in evaluating and recommending the latest tools and technologies to ensure that Ungerboeck can be proactive and well prepared in the company’s approach with security. Ungerboeck’s global customer base is subject to various data security and privacy laws in their respective countries. In addition, customers want to use industry best practices to ensure that their customers’ data is secure. Jessmon will interface with customers to discuss these security processes, protocols and certifications. Plus, he will be involved in maintaining and growing industry security certifications like, PCI-DSS and TISAX and ISO27001.

“The events industry has been taking various measures to ensure physical security of attendees. Today, it’s equally important that we focus on data security and privacy. With the hiring of Casey Jessmon as our Chief Information and Security Officer, we are further bolstering our security team. Casey’s experience will allow us to build new tools, processes and learnings to ensure that our customers have peace of mind using the Ungerboeck cloud solution,” said Manish Chandak, President & Chief Executive Officer at Ungerboeck.

Stacie Bauer is Event & Sponsorship Coordinator, Marketing, for Ungerboeck.

Casey Redish is an Event Manager with Spurs Sports & Entertainment at the AT&T Center where she specializes in managing the arena’s top concert events. Prior to finding her dream job in the Venue Management industry, Casey spent 4 years coordinating magical meetings and events for the Walt Disney Company at Walt Disney World. Casey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Event Management and Hospitality Management from The University of Central Florida

“I felt a wave of shock, excitement, and gratitude. I am passionate about this industry and what we get to do each day, so to be recognized for this honor is extremely gratifying.”

Join your Foundation in congratulating Casey on being honored as one of the 30|UNDER|30 Class of 2020 and don’t forget to come back each Thursday as we spotlight another honoree!