By R.V. Baugus

Not saying that Gary Smith and I go back a long ways, but when I began working at then IAAM in April of 1990, his Pollstar magazine was one that arrived weekly in the mail. Gary was one of the first people in the industry I remember calling on, most likely because he was a media guy as well as someone who basically knew everyone in the music and concert industry.

Yes, it was another time and another era, but through it all Gary Smith was the ultimate professional as a co-founder of Pollstar. Recently retired, Smith was honored at the TJ Martell Foundation’s Spirit of Excellence Dinner along with manager Scott Rodger of Maverick (Paul McCartney, Andrea Bocelli and Shania Twain) and Dr. Deepa Bhojwani, Director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles at a fundraising event for the foundation’s cancer research programs.

Smith teamed with Gary Bongiovanni to begin Pollstar. Both got their chops in the agent/promoter side of the business and had a new publication to begin covering that part of the industry. I remember well my own excitement in receiving Pollstar and seeing the dates and locations for concert acts from A to Z. Pollstar truly covered the show business.

The duo began their magazine in 1981 with a clear vision of what they wanted, and sure enough it not only bore fruition but lives on. Most publications arrive with a story behind their name, and Pollstar was no different. According to Smith, the first four letters stood for Promoters On Line Listings, with the word “star” tacked on a bit later.

As many IAVM members know, there are few things more exciting than attending Pollstar’s annual conference, which brims with the biggest names in the business and always gives IAVM members an opportunity to do some serious networking for lining up concerts in their venues.

Congratulations on a career done well, Gary, and all the best in what the future brings to you!

Pictured: IAVM Chair Tammy Koolbeck, CVE, and Michael Marion, CVE, had an opportunity to celebrate Gary’s Spirit of Excellence Dinner recognition.



By IQ

Bob Newman, the president and CEO of ASM Global, has unveiled the executive leadership team tasked with steering the world’s largest venue management company.

ASM – formed earlier this month upon the merger of SMG and AEG Facilities – operates more than 300 arenas, stadia and other large venues on five continents, and employs 61,000 staff. Its portfolio includes the likes of the O2 and Manchester Arena in the UK, the Stockholm Globe arenas in Sweden, Mercedes-Benz Arena and Barclaycard Arena in Germany, Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney and Staples Center in Los Angeles, with venues under construction in Buenos Aires, Seoul, Moscow and Bangkok.

“Since closing the merger two weeks ago, our top priority has been to ensure that we have the right leadership in place to advance our priorities and growth strategies focused on creating the best experience for our clients, guests and staff across all venues,” says Newman, formerly president of AEG Facilities.

“We are honored that the executives we are announcing today represent the very top industry professionals, who will collectively lead our new company and global teams as we reinforce and expand our venue management services and capabilities.”

Said executives include John Sharkey, formerly executive vice-president (EVP) of European operations for SMG, who will hold the same role at ASM; Harvey Lister, the former CEO of AEG Ogden, who will continue to oversee venues in Asia and Australasia as CEO of ASM Asia Pacific; and newly appointed CFO Mark Rozells, who will oversee financial planning, accounting and M&A.

Effective immediately, the full ASM Global executive team is as follows:

Mark Rozells, chief financial officer

Rozells brings “strong financial and operational management experience to the position”, says ASM. Previous career experience includes spells as EVP and CEO for Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, and in senior finance and strategy roles at Liberty Media, Starwood Hotels and the Walt Disney Company

Chuck Steedman, EVP of strategy and business development, arenas and stadia

Steedman previously served as chief operating and development officer for AEG Facilities. He’s responsible for “identifying, evaluating and implementing global account acquisition growth strategies for ASM’s arena and stadium accounts”

Gregg Caren, EVP of sales and business development, convention centers
The former EVP of convention centers for SMG, Caren is tasked with acquiring new convention and exhibition center accounts, as well as developing sales initiatives to drive events to the company’s existing portfolio

Doug Thornton, EVP of arenas, stadia and theatres

Thornton, lately EVP of stadia and arenas for SMG, expands his role to include ASM’s entire portfolio of arenas, stadia and theatres, directing the operations and financial performance of the division

Richard Krezwick, chief commercial officer

Krezwick, ex-senior vice-president (SVP) for AEG Facilities, will oversee the company’s “commercialization strategy and the cross-functional adoption of new services, products and technologies”

Shauna Elvin, EVP of global talent

Previously SVP of human resources for SMG, Elvin been promoted to EVP of global talent, overseeing HR, staffing and employee retention, benefits, compensation, training and diversity strategy

Bob McClintock, EVP of convention centers

McClintock, the former senior vice-president of convention centers for SMG, has been promoted to EVP of the same division at ASM, leading the global operations of the company’s convention and exhibition venues business

John Sharkey, EVP of European operations

Sharkey will continue in the same role as at SMG, with focus on “maximizing positive results” across all ASM’s European venue and F&B operations, as well as supporting and implementing the company’s business development initiatives across the continent

Harvey Lister, chairman and CEO of ASM Asia Pacific

“Utilizing his unmatched industry experience”, Lister, formerly of AEG Ogden, will continue to oversee ASM’s portfolio of business activities in Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and the Middle East

Shaun Beard, SVP of food and beverage

Beard will oversee ASM’s North American and European F&B operations, including Savor, Premier and CGC Event Caterers

“We are confident that this impressive team will accelerate our momentum as we look to invest in innovations that bring new ASM Global services, solutions and technologies to our clients,” says Newman. “The team’s depth of leadership will also enable us to advance our mission to realize the potential of the world’s greatest places, spaces and events by driving revenue generation and operational excellence that will allow us to take our industry to the next level.”

Pictured from left: Harvey Lister, CEO Asia Pacific, John Sharkey, EVP European operations, Mark Rozells, CFO

By Kristina Lankow

KultureCity has partnered with the Swiftel Center to make the facility and all hosted events sensory inclusive. Full and part-time staff at the Brookings, SD, venue are required to complete industry training to provide maximum inclusiveness for all attendees.

This initiative promotes an accommodating and positive experience for guests with a sensory issue. Swiftel Center staff are trained to recognize guests with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. Sensory bags – equipped with noise canceling headphones, fidget tools and verbal cue cards – are available to all Swiftel Center guests who may feel overwhelmed by the environment.

Sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions. One of the major barriers for these individuals is sensitivity to over stimulation and noise, which is an enormous part of the environment in a venue like the Swiftel Center. With this certification, the Swiftel Center prepared to assist guests with sensory sensitivities in having the most comfortable and accommodating experience possible when attending an event.

The Swiftel Center hosts regular training for full- and part-time staff to stay current with the leading safety and hospitality industry standards. Attendees at the Swiftel Center can expect to experience excellent customer service and a feeling of safety and security while in the facility. The Swiftel Center has built a reputation of providing “Midwest hospitality at its best.”

Kristina Lankow is sales and marketing manager for Swiftel Center, managed by VenuWorks.

By John Goodman

AtmosAir Solutions, which provides clean indoor air technology for commercial, industrial and residential buildings, teamed with Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland with the installment of its Bipolar Ionization (BPI) air purification technology.

AtmosAir indoor air treatment technology was included in the venue’s recent $185 million renovation that has transformed the publicly-owned building into an updated and modernized world-class sports and entertainment showplace for Cleveland and the entire Northeast Ohio region.

AtmosAir was a more sustainable alternative to the maintenance intensive carbon filters that were installed in the older HVAC systems serving the venue’s bowl air handling units. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse now features some of the latest cutting-edge technology around building controls, automation, and sustainability.

“We are thrilled to announce our installation at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse,” stated Steve Levine, president and CEO of AtmosAir Solutions in Fairfield, CT. “This didn’t happen overnight. We know every technology they installed in the building was thoroughly vetted as the architects and operations personnel have been working on this investment for years. We are happy to play a small part. AtmosAir technology will create a better experience throughout the building, but also help the city and venue save money right away by reducing load and reducing filter maintenance costs.”

“We’ve touched every aspect our venue as part of the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse transformation project, including updating the operational facility systems that ensures that the air inside our building is clean and healthy,” said Antony Bonavita, CVE, executive vice president, venue operations of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “We’re proud to partner with AtmosAir to not only do just that, but also reduce our carbon footprint, which is very important to us.”

By Meredith Adams

Since opening its doors for business in October 1999, the Smoothie King Center quickly established itself as the
number one entertainment and sports venue in the region. It has hosted many of the world’s largest concert acts,
sporting events, and family shows as well as numerous convention sessions and special events.

To celebrate the venue’s 20th anniversary, ASM Global, the State of Louisiana’s contracted manager of the Smoothie
King Center, selected the theme “20 Years as the King” in recognition of the arena having hosted a wide spectrum
of the most memorable entertainment events in the Big Easy!

On October 29, 1999, the arena presented its first event – the New Orleans Brass vs. Baton Rouge King Fish hockey
game. A few days later, on November 5, ZZ Top played the first concert and immediately created a new standard
for concert experiences in New Orleans. Over the past 20 years the arena has played host to over 500 entertainment events which have sold over 13.6 million tickets.

Professional basketball returned to New Orleans in 2002, with the arrival of the New Orleans Hornets. Further
bolstering New Orleans reputation as a great host of major events, the arena has also showcased three NBA All-Star
Games and two NCAA Women’s Final Fours.

Even before staging its first event, the Smoothie King Center, at an initial construction cost of $114 million, was viewed as a model for a well-managed publicly funded project. The investment in the Smoothie King Center, when
compared to the cost of new NBA arenas such as Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, (2018 – $524 million) and Little
Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, (2017 – $863 million) certainly warrants favorable reviews. In addition to providing
memorable fan experiences, the arena continues to generate a substantial economic return to the State of
Louisiana.

Over the course of the past 20 years, the Smoothie King Center has continuously been improved with both fanfacing and back-of-house upgrades, all of which have allowed the facility to maintain its first-in-class status. The
most extensive of these improvements followed Tom Benson’s purchase of the then New Orleans Hornets in 2012
from the NBA. In addition to rechristening the team as the Pelicans, shortly thereafter a two year, $54 million state funded renovation and improvement project was initiated. These improvements included the installation of 16 new loge boxes in the lower seating bowl, new club section chairs, new and re-engineered concession stands, and the construction of a large street level atrium entrance. The premium/club spaces were refurbished, a new team store was built, new ticket windows were added, and a complete remodel of all 56 suites was completed. Most
noticeably, the exterior green facade was repainted a sleek modern gray color, which was further enhanced with
the addition of stunning LED lighting. Another impressive addition at the Smoothie King Center included a new
massive center-hung HD video scoreboard, funded by ASM Global, which was in place for the start of the 2015-16
NBA season.

In February of 2014, a venue naming rights deal was secured with Smoothie King. This 10-year deal resulted in the
building’s official name change from New Orleans Arena to Smoothie King Center. On February 6, 2014 the New
Orleans Pelicans defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves at their first game with the arena’s new name.

Twenty years after its opening, the Smoothie King Center is truly better than ever and stands ready and able to host major events that will enhance the venue’s rich history. ASM Global General Manager Alan Freeman observes “The Smoothie King Center continues to be consistently ranked as a Top 50 arena in the U.S. for touring attractions. This is not only a testament to the dedicated staff we have on the ASM Global team, but also reflective of the vibrant New Orleans market, which attracts visitors from across the entire region.”

Event numbers at the Smoothie King Center are the highest since opening, hosting on average over 30 major
ticketed shows (not including Pelicans Games and private events) each year. Artists like Bruce Springsteen, Taylor
Swift, Stevie Wonder, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Bruno Mars and Fleetwood Mac have performed for thousands on
the Smoothie King Center stage. When asked about the arena, Don Fox of Beaver Productions said “20 years ago, I
opened the building with the 1st concert ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Since then, it has been a pleasure to continue
bringing shows to the Smoothie King Center.”

The future of the Smoothie King Center is strong and exciting. The building is a must play for all major touring
events as well as such sporting events as the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championships, the Sun Belt
Conference Basketball Championships, and the 2020 NCAA Women’s Final Four scheduled in April of 2020.

As part of the ASM Global managed New Orleans Sports and Entertainment Complex, the Smoothie King Center
continues to provide unforgettable experiences for fans of all ages and entertainment inclinations, while sustaining its role as an economic engine for New Orleans and all of Louisiana. The Smoothie King Center is well positioned to continue its reign as the “King” for years to come.

Meredith Adams is Event Marketing & Media Coordinator for Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Smoothie King Center | Champions Square.