Brad Gessner, Sr. Vice President, Los Angeles Convention Center, and Sr. Vice President, AEG Facilities Convention Center shared that AEG Facilities is currently transitioning management at the Palm Springs Convention Center and Bureau of Tourism for the company to assume full management on September 25. To read about how the venue plans to focus on meetings, click here.

Boise State Athletics has reached an agreement with ExtraMile Convenience Stores, LLC, to change the name of Taco Bell Arena to ExtraMile Arena, Director of Athletics Curt Apsey announced.

During the 15-year, $8.4 million agreement for ExtraMile Arena, Boise State will receive more than $550,000 annually.

ExtraMile is a joint venture between Chevron, USA Inc. and Jacksons Food Stores Inc.

“We have been working on this for quite some time, and I know this is going to be a great partnership – as was the case previously with Taco Bell,” Apsey said. “We’re especially grateful that John Jackson and his family, longtime Boise State supporters, were involved in putting this partnership together with ExtraMile.”

“This is a tremendous development for all parties – Boise State, Bronco fans, ExtraMile, consumers, everyone,” said Paul Casadont, EMCS president. “Not only are we supporting a top learning institution with a rich and storied athletic program, we are reaffirming our commitment to consumers as we continue to expand the ExtraMile brand in Idaho, Utah and Nevada.”

Jacksons purchased a 50 percent interest in the ExtraMile joint venture partnership with Chevron in February of 2018. Jacksons’ Shell stores will continue to operate under the Jacksons’ brand banner.

“We believe this is an exciting way to engage the fan base in building the ExtraMile brand here in Idaho and a great partnership to support the university and its athletic programs,” said Cory Jackson, president of Jacksons Food Stores and a board member of the joint venture.

–broncosports.com–

By Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association

The Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) wishes to assure all participants, buyers and exhibitors attending trade exhibitions and conferences in Hong Kong that events are running smoothly and without interruption. Hong Kong is a welcoming city for investors and visitors.

Although there have been road closures during several public activities, up until the time of this announcement, both of the two major venues for trade exhibitions and international conferences, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), are accessible by foot, private cars / freight trucks and public transportation including subway, and are fully operational.

HKECIA Chairman Mr Stuart Bailey stated, “Business is as usual in Hong Kong. At this time we are seeing that major exhibitions and conferences in Hong Kong are running without incident or interruption. Exhibition and conference events were not targeted for disruption. Hong Kong is definitely still open for business and safe to travel.

“Of course visitors should take extra care and be mindful of areas in which protests might be taking place and take note of any special traffic arrangements such as temporary road closures and disruptions on public transport. But it’s worth remembering that Hong Kong is consistently ranked one of the safest cities in the world.”

June to August are peak months for mega consumer exhibitions in Hong Kong while a few public processions took place in different locations. All those exhibitions ran smoothly without interruption. The annual Hong Kong Book Fair was attended by nearly 1 million visitors over seven show days.

The annual trade and consumer exhibition, the Food Expo, and three concurrent exhibitions which utilize all the exhibition halls at the HKCEC was held as scheduled August 15-19 with no interruption despite there was the large scale peaceful rally on August 18. The four exhibitions brought together more than 2,100 exhibitors and welcomed a total of nearly 450,000 visitors.

There were cancellations of flights departing and arriving Hong Kong on August 12-13 due to operation disruption of the Hong Kong International Airport. Smooth operations of the airport terminals and normal flight movements have been resumed since August 14. Currently, the Airport Authority Hong Kong has obtained an interim injunction to restrain persons from unlawfully obstructing the airport’s operation. At the same time, access control at the airport terminal buildings has been implemented. Passengers are reminded to arrive early for the relevant checks.

As of today, the Seafood Expo Asia (SEA), originally scheduled for 3-5 September at the HKCEC, is the only one international exhibition that has been cancelled. Other international trade exhibitions scheduled for early September will go on as planned. They are: Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong X Gourmet Asia 2019 (September 3-5), Natural Organic Asia 2019 (September 3-5), Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair (September 3-7), Asia Fruit Logistica (September 4-6) with Asiafruit Congress on September 3, and CENTRESTAGE (September 4-7).

Further statements updating international participants will be issued by the HKECIA should the current situation changes.

About the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association: The Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) was established in 1990 to promote Hong Kong as a world-class exhibition and conference destination and the trade fair capital of Asia Pacific. It works to represent the interests of all members involved in the exhibition and convention industries, and provides a unified voice in dealing with the government, legislative and statutory bodies, the media and public organisations, on all matters associate with the role of the exhibition and convention industry in Hong Kong’s economy. In addition, it offers training and educational programmes, and collects, analyses and distributes information and statistics relating to the industry. Currently, HKECIA has over 100 members including exhibition organisers, venue managers and operators, contractors, hotels, and travel agents.

HKECIA is a member of UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and AFECA – The Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations.

IAVM is YOUR Association, and that we, as staff, serve as stewards for it.

When it comes to Facility Manager and FM Encore magazines, we are fortunate to have tremendous member participation in writing many of the features that you enjoy reading. Your voices ring loud and clear in these publications, and we are grateful and thankful to have such a dedicated and knowledge-sharing membership base.

Another valuable communication tool we have are our blogs, which are generally much shorter in word count, but full of industry insights, ideas, tips, and even just plain talking about life and personal experiences.

We want to take this opportunity to invite our esteemed membership to further participate in our well-read blogs that are such a huge part of our social media presence by writing and submitting your own blogs to us to in turn share with your peers in IAVM.

These are purely voluntary and do not bind you in any way. They are, however, a way to have your voice heard and words read, and if you do happen to be someone who truly loves to blog, of course we would be happy to talk with you about putting you on some type of rotation.

Don’t miss this chance to be interactive with your Association!

Contact FM Senior Editor R.V. Baugus with any further questions at rv.baugus@iavm.org. If you simply can’t wait to get started, go ahead and submit those blogs at your convenience. We will be waiting for them, and thank you for giving us the opportunity to provide the greatest breadth and depth of opinions and diversity for our membership!

By Jorge Perez

Puerto Rico Convention Center (PRCC), operated by AEG Facilities, announced fiscal year 2018-2019 as the most successful year in its 14-year history. Driven by the PRCC focus on delivering memorable and positive guest experiences, the Convention Center realized increased financial and operational performance across many key metrics; increase in total attendance of 26%, 644,000 visitors came through PRCC’s doors in comparison to the previous 13-year average, 96% overall customer satisfaction ratings along with a 21% increase in total events, 417 events in comparison to previous 13-year average. The PRCC has also further established itself as the main space for all types of events, including conventions, sports and entertainment events, corporate events, galas and other events that generate a significant economic impact on the local economy.

Since it opened its doors in 2005, PRCC has become a cornerstone of Puerto Rico’s offerings as a tourist and event destination, being an anchor of the Convention District that has gradually continued to develop with new investments and related projects, and that soon will expand its offer with the opening of El Distrito San Juan complex, scheduled for early 2020.

“We are honored to report our most successful year at PRCC, 2018-2019 was a triumphant year full of amazing events. The commitment and hard work of our team along with our continued leadership and forward-looking approach to creating great experiences to our clients and guests is delivering these returns. When we consider the impact that each event generates in terms of number of visitors, hotel nights, use of services and products, and other added activities, the balance is a very significant impact for the local economy, and that should be a source of satisfaction for everyone in the industry, “said Jorge Pérez, general manager of the Center.

Another of the important elements of the AEG operation at PRCC is the continuous investment in improvements to maintain the space in optimal conditions, achieve operational efficiencies and offer customers and visitors a quality atmosphere and excellence in services. “The commitment of AEG and the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority have been instrumental to our success,” Perez added, noting a $3.3M investment for improvements to the venue’s infrastructure, aesthetic remodeling work and periodic renovations such as carpet replacement, the revamping of meeting spaces and the integration of art work are important elements that customers notice and appreciate, and ultimately contribute to the total experience at the venue.”

“We operate a state of the art facility in a first-class destination.” Pérez said. “Staying at the top of a global industry that constantly searches for new elements, more and better service and innovation, requires an extra passion that can only be credited to our excellent team, a group of committed employees who always go above and beyond.”

“There is no doubt that the Convention Center will continue to be the protagonist of our efforts to promote Puerto Rico as the best destination for events of all kinds, relying precisely on the potential economic impact this has for the island. We already have highly important events on the global stage, such as the twenty-second World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit that we announced recently and which will take place in the spring of 2020. This event is expected to bring to Puerto Rico more than 1,500 visitors from 180 countries, “said Noelia García, appointed executive director of the Convention District Authority of Puerto Rico.

“We’re very proud to have the Convention Center as one of our key partners in helping catapult our meetings and conventions business and elevating the Island’s status as a high quality, service-oriented destination in the Caribbean. Our leads and contracted events and rooms are the highest they have been in five years, and the Puerto Rico Convention Center plays a significant role in achieving this goal”, said Brad Dean, CEO for Discover Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization.

Jorge Perez is general manager of the Puerto Rico Convention Center