Cliff Wallace, CVE, wants you to know he will be in Chicago for VenueConnect. If the esteemed industry veteran falls just shy of his usual gusto self, try to understand.

Wallace embarked on a Harley tour (some with wife Susan) that began on the West Coast and jogged east to eventually lead him to the Windy City. It was a tour that the photography phenom captured through his lens of some of the most breathtaking images and scenery found in the United States.

Wallace gave the final trip total tally as 6,788 miles, or 10.924 km.

“Simply put, it was a blast,” Wallace shared with many on his email list who received daily updates and photos from his journey. “Fifteen states, ocean-to-ocean and a whole lot of America. I learned a lot and appreciate our country even more.”

One can never predict the weather, but Wallace said that even more Mother Nature was quite cooperative.

“Amazingly, I only experienced one-half day of rain during the 25 days in the saddle,” he said. “The temperature during my ride (while riding) varied from 34F (1C) to 91F (33C).”

In signing off, Wallace said, “Thanks for ‘riding along’ and I hope the photos were a tiny indication of the extraordinary experience. You will note today’s photos include the arrival in Ellijay, GA, where our family mountain cabin is (photo attached). I was met by the Georgia family in the Ellijay town square (California clan checked in by FaceTime). Later, we celebrated Susan’s birthday.”

We, Cliff, thank you for taking us along on this beautiful journey!

Cliff’s Key Stats:

Cumulative Trip Mileage: 6,788 miles (10,924 km)

Average Mileage per day: 272 miles ( 438 km)

Miles per gallon of gasoline achieved: 43.66 miles/gallon (18.56 km/l)

IAVM member Beth Murray ends a storied 38-year career as managing director of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center when she retires on July 26.

A fixture in the Bay Area performing arts scene, Murray was hired when Davies Symphony Hall opened in 1980. The trained ballet dancer would end up overseeing not only the Davies, but eventually the War Memorial Opera House, Herbst Theatre, and Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall.

For more about the distinguished career of a distinguished individual and contributor to her community click here.

The Edmonton EXPO Centre is already home to the Stingers, and now it is officially home to the bees. As a newly licensed City of Edmonton urban beekeeping facility, the Edmonton EXPO Centre has welcomed two hives of honeybees to its roof.

Each hive holds a colony of approximately 20,000 bees, and the colonies are expected to grow in numbers as they settle into their new home on the venue’s rooftop. The beehives will enhance the current sustainability initiatives of the Edmonton EXPO Centre by contributing to a resilient local food and agriculture system. Not only will the bees provide honey for the Edmonton EXPO Centre’s culinary initiatives, but the addition of hives also provides a home for bees in a time where the bee population needs support. The presence of bees at the venue additionally allows opportunities for education to the 1.5 million guests who visit each year.

“One of our goals at the Edmonton EXPO Centre is to be environmentally conscious and sustainable,” says Jiju Paul, Executive Chef for the Edmonton EXPO Centre. “Having our own beehives can help us learn and educate others about the importance of bees while improving the environment around us. Our Edmonton EXPO Centre culinary team is also excited about the opportunities to use bee products such as raw honey and beeswax in our kitchen.”

The hives will be located on the rooftop of the Edmonton EXPO Centre ballrooms to eliminate the risk of interaction with guests at the venue, and they will be managed by beekeeper Dustin Bajer. Bajer has over 10 years of experience in handling bees and is a beekeeping instructor who is responsible for the care and maintenance of the beehives at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. He also teaches City of Edmonton approved beekeeping courses at the John Janzen Nature Centre in Edmonton’s River Valley.

The National Football League team that will be play in Las Vegas has selected AEG Facilities as the operator of its under-construction $2 billion venue.

Under the agreement, AEG Facilities will be responsible for the stadium’s operations beginning with providing pre-opening functions including overseeing the hiring and training of the venue’s full-time staff and planning and executing the stadium’s grand opening schedule of events and activities. The firm will also manage key departments such as guest services, event operations, booking, security, ticketing, finance, and human resources.

The 65,000-capacity multi-purpose venue, set to open in August 2020 after almost three years of construction, will serve as the new home of the Raiders, who currently play at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Through the deal, AEG Facilities will fully integrate the Las Vegas Stadium into its global purchasing network while providing vendor venue services, such as sustainability consulting through its AEG1Earth division and event day operations, including staff training through AEG’s proprietary Encore program following the stadium’s opening.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with one of sports’ most recognisable, successful, and iconic international brands and with a city known as the ‘sports and entertainment capital of the world’ in a stadium destined to set new standards for the fan experience that will be created,” said Bob Newman, AEG Facilities president. “The addition of the Las Vegas Stadium into our global stadia network will provide immediate opportunities to bring new high-profile events to Las Vegas to take advantage of the incredible new stadium and a city that knows how to deliver best in class experiences and events.”

The new Las Vegas stadium will also host the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels football team, in addition to other events including concerts, collegiate championships, international sporting events, family shows, festivals, and corporate and special events.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) announced the release of Overcoming Non-Exhibitor Objections, the third report in its newest series providing insights from marketing leadership at organizations in North America.

Exhibit sales teams regularly run into barriers when making the case for exhibiting at their events. What are the most typical barriers? How do typical objections given by a show’s prospects stack up to these industry benchmarks? How does exhibit sales staff counter these objections? How can an event’s content be adjusted to turn more “Nos” to a “Yes”?

This short report on B2B trade shows provides industry benchmarks on these issues and ideas on how to address them.

“A surprise finding from this research is that a substantial percentage of marketing leadership at organizations not using the channel are open to considering the opportunity,” said CEIR Vice President of Research Nancy Drapeau, PRC. “The challenge is to make a compelling offer they value.”

“Overcoming prospect objections is an ongoing challenge,” noted CEIR CEO Cathy Breden, CMP, CAE. “This report identifies how to minimize objections through offering the right event content and deploying other tactics. It can also serve to launch a brainstorming session on refining event content and sales pitches that maximize sales conversions.”

To learn the full listing of typical reasons for not exhibiting and offers that can help turn a “No” into a “Yes”, download the report here.

In addition to sharing survey results, this report offers a listing of suggestions on how to address each objection. This matrix is offered for B2B exhibition management and exhibit sales teams to use as a starting place for brainstorming during strategic planning for an event to help refine event content that will overcome objections and a sharpened sales approach that enhances results.