Michael Gray will join the Kentucky Venues Sales Team at the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) on July 1. Gray most recently worked as a Sales and Marketing manager for the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources and the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. He has 15 years of experience within the cabinet.

“I have always been a strong ambassador for the city of Louisville and all the wonderful attractions it offers,” Gray said. “I’ve worked hard to bring tourism, business, and meetings to the city. Working at KICC, I will be able to continue that mission on a daily basis.”

Before joining state government, Gray worked in the sales departments of GE, Pharmacia Corporation and Provident Bank. He graduated from Morehead State University in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Marketing.

“We’re excited to bring Michael onto our team. His experience working in both the private sector and state government will be an asset as we continue to attract new and returning business to our beautiful downtown convention center,” said David S. Beck, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues.

By Sue Oxarart

SMG Worldwide announced it has entered into a partnership agreement with the Southern California Toyota Dealership Association in a new naming-rights deal for the Southern California arena located in Ontario. Formerly known as Citizens Business Bank Arena, the landmark venue has been renamed as the Toyota Arena. The naming rights agreement was negotiated through Vicki Higgins with ConneXion Partnerships and agreed upon by SMG Worldwide. The new 10-year deal begins July 1, 2019.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of the community and support this wonderful entertainment venue that has entertained so many families, sports fans, residents, and visitors over the years,” said Cliff Cummings, President of the Southern California Toyota Dealers Association. “We look forward to an active and engaged partnership to continue building relationships through the best entertainment venue in the Inland Empire.”

The 10,000-seat capacity venue is situated in Southern California’s Ontario near the apex of two major freeways, Interstate 10 and the 15 Freeway. The arena was built and is owned by the City of Ontario and since July of 2016 has been managed by SMG Worldwide. Under new management the arena has seen major improvements including a robust calendar of events. The arena hosts over 225 ticketed shows a year and sees attendance of more than 1,000,000 guests annually.

“Toyota has been an arena partner since the arena opened in 2008. Their long-standing relationship with deep roots in our community will now have new opportunities to provide truly vibrant experiences in a premier venue through live music, sporting competitions, and family shows,” said Michael Krouse, President & CEO of the arena. “We are excited to have found the right partner and look forward to the future as Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.”

Citizens Business Bank will remain a major part of the arena with a new title of the Official Banking partner. “We are excited to continue our sponsorship as the Official Bank of the Toyota Arena. Toyota will be a great name partner and Citizens Business Bank is shoulder to shoulder with them on supporting high quality entertainment in the Inland Empire.” said Chris Myers, President & CEO of Citizens Business Bank.

Sue Oxarart is Director of Marketing & Communications at Toyota Arena.

Gina Brydson, Director of Membership, gave an update about the members’ collaboration with iCommit “Due to your referrals, we’ve added 229 new members, a whopping 4% increase!  As of June 10th, our membership now totals 6,581 members – an 8% increase since February 1^st. IAVM’s members are the absolute best at spreading the word about the value of membership and why their peers should also belong. We are grateful for their continued support.”

The member referral campaign challenge is to increase membership by 10%. We are almost there. If you know a venue professional, potential allied member, professor or student that should be a part of our community, ask them to join by June 30. For each new member you refer by the deadline, your name will be entered as many times into the raffle to win one of five, $500 Apple Gift Cards. The more members you refer, the more chances you have to win!

Prizes

• The grand prize will be a complimentary registration to VenueConnect 2020 (value up to $1,000).
• Win one of five, $500 Apple Gift cards – receive one raffle entry for each new member you refer.
• The IAVM Region that adds the most new members will have one CVP application fee waived (the Region Director will choose the recipient within the winning region).

 
To ensure you are eligible to win one of the prizes, ask your applicant to do the following:

• List your name in the Application Section titled, “Who Recommended IAVM To You/How Did You Hear About IAVM?”
• Enter “iCommit” in the Promotional Code field in the online membership application.
• For new Professional or Allied members only, the $150 one-time initiation fee will be waived *

 
*Some membership types do not have an initiation fee; the dues will not be discounted

All winners will be notified in July 2019 prior to VenueConnect. Contact membership@iavm.org if you have any questions.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) announced that the business-to-business (B2B) exhibition industry’s direct, indirect and induced contribution to U.S. GDP in 2018 was about $97 billion.

The yearly analysis, conducted by Dr. Allen Shaw, Founder, President, and Chief Economist with Global Economic Consulting Associates, Inc., uses a robust formula and algorithm to calculate direct, indirect and induced GDP impact from the B2B exhibitions industry spending.

Dr. Shaw explains the methodology when completing the work to establish the economic impact for the U.S. “Direct, indirect and induced impact multipliers of direct expenditure categories such as trade show services, air transportation, accommodation, and food are derived from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ latest benchmark input/output table for 405 industry groups. This coupled with data from Freeman’s 2018 Benchmarks and Trends in Exhibit and Sponsorship Sales Study and input from the 2018 CEIR Index data for organizer revenues, the number of attendees, and number of exhibitors make up the B2B exhibition industry’s direct, indirect and induced contribution to U.S. GDP of $97 billion in 2018.”

Shaw also noted that the comparable GDP contribution calculation using this updated data and GDP impact multipliers was about $93 billion versus the previously stated $91 billion impact for 2017.

“I am very pleased to learn that the U.S. exhibitions industry continued its growth in 2018. The $97 billion represents an increase of 4.3% over 2017,” said CEIR Chairperson of the board and Promotional Products Association International Executive Vice President, Robert McLean, CPA, CAE. “This growth is an indicator of the power of face-to-face meetings as an important sales and marketing tool.”

CEIR’s annual conference, Predict, taking place at the MGM National Harbor on September 16-17, will address the most current forecast and how it is affecting the 14 industry sectors through a highly anticipated session with Dr. Lindsey Piegza of Stifel Fixed Income. Registration is open for qualified exhibition organizers.

Blake Henry has been named as the general manager of the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC).

Henry most recently served as GM of the Cross Insurance Center Arena and Convention Center Complex in Bangor, Maine. An industry veteran, he has more than 20 years of experience leading major convention, sporting, and entertainment facilities. His career includes leadership positions in venues across the country from Los Angeles to Owensboro, Kentucky, to New York City.

After beginning his career at the STAPLES Center, working with the L.A. Kings, L.A. Lakers and many other organizations, Henry spent 11 years at the PlayStation Theater, overseeing its construction and grand opening, which culminated in winning the “Pollstar’s Best New Venue” award. He has extensive knowledge in developing facility operational policies, rental rate structures, and creative marketing opportunities to drive venue profits while simultaneously improving guest experiences. Henry will be responsible for all day-to-day operations of KICC.

“As we continue building on the success of KICC’s re-opening, Blake’s experience and proven track record will be an asset to Kentucky Venues,” said David S. Beck, President and CEO of Kentucky Venues. “He’s served in numerous roles at different facilities and knows the ins-and-outs of running a successful convention center.”

“Like greater Kentucky, KICC is a beautiful place, filled with hardworking people,” Henry said. “I’m excited to join the Kentucky Venues team and further advance its partnership with Louisville Tourism. A fresh leadership vision coupled with KICC’s state-of-the-art facility will yield significant meetings and conventions and ensure Louisville remains a premier business and tourism friendly destination.”

The convention center re-opened in August 2018 following a two-year, $207 million renovation and expansion. KICC features 200,125 sq. foot of continuous Class A exhibit space, as well as a 40,000 sq. foot ballroom, 52 reimagined meeting rooms, and a 175-seat tiered conference theatre.

KICC and the Kentucky Exposition Center are managed by Kentucky Venues, which is the organizational brand of the Kentucky State Fair Board.