Billboard announced the acquisition of leading live entertainment news site Amplify Media Inc., the company announced on its website in a release. Billboard gained full ownership of Amplify on June 18, 2018.

As part of the acquisition, Amplify founder Dave Brooks has joined Billboard’s full-time staff as a senior correspondent, along with writer Taylor Mims, and will lead Billboard’s touring and live entertainment coverage.

Brooks started Amplify in 2014 to provide inside stories from the live music touring industry. In addition, Brooks created The Real, a daily newsletter speaking to topics in the industry.

Both Amplify and The Real continue under the guidance of Brooks, who will additionally work to enhance Billboard’s coverage of concerts and touring. Amplify will continue to operate from its offices in Long Beach.

Brooks has extensive experience in the music/concert/touring world in a career that has also included working for publications Venues Today and Pollstar.

One of Brooks’ major upcoming assignments is programming Billboard’s Live Music Summit & Awards that will be held November 13-14 and brings together artists and concert industry practitioners.

By Andrew Shreve

Similar to other industries, the process of developing as a professional is an enduring one, with lots of twists and unexpected turns, but those of us in this niche venue management industry have to start at square 1. Some may be more fortunate than others where square 1 could be a mid-level manager position but we all add value to our respected departments within our venues and had to start somewhere.

Like most, square 1 for me was seeking part-time jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities that would give me the necessary experience and prepare me for my first full-time job. While still being “green” in the industry and solidifying my first full-time gig, I looked into IAVM and sought out a career development program where I could grow as a venue professional and hone my skill set that would allow me to be successful.

Starting out in operations, I was eager to broaden my knowledge base, develop a personal brand, and learn about different aspects of the industry, especially on the booking side. To quench my thirst for this endeavor, I sought out a career development program in the Mentor Connector Program, a one-on-one, 12-month partnership where mentees develop and expand on their professional network, seek out a range of career opportunities, and identify specific goals to accomplish throughout the program with their mentor. A couple ways I was able to accomplish these objectives, while creating some long-lasting friendships, was attending my first VenueConnect as part of the inaugural 30-Under-30 Class in Baltimore of 2015, and being one of the Class Representatives at IAVM’s Venue Management School the summer of 2017–2018.

While I was going through the Program in 2014-2015, I reflected back on some individuals (college professors, internship supervisors, etc.) that have impacted and showed an overall investment in my professional development. One of my old professors offered this piece of advice, “Throughout your career, wherever you are, however far you climb, remember you are never too good to have a mentor.”

While this may seem generic or cliché, this piece of advice has resonated within me and will continue to fuel the fire I have for this industry. Today, I still talk each of my mentors and often conduct informational interviews with industry professionals I have met along the way. So far, my journey has opened a window of opportunities that I would have never envisioned when I started out, and I have been grateful to have received some recognition and accolades through the IAVM Foundation. My involvement with IAVM all started by seeking out a mentorship through the Mentor Connector Program, and I will continue to give back to the program that ignited my professional development.

If you are interested in learning more about IAVM’s Mentor Connector Program, check our webpage (https://www.iavm.org/mentor-connector-program) and be sure to tune in to our Mentoring Connector Webinar on Thursday, September 27 at 12:30pm PST/3:30pm EST.

You may just impact the life of some-“green”-venue-professional and enhance your contribution to the industry.

Andrew Shreve is the acting Vice Chair of the Young Professionals Committee and serves on the Mentoring Committee.

Hurricane Florence is now a Category 1 hurricane after making landfall along the coast of North Carolina. The ramifications from the storm’s fury will likely be felt for an extended period of time. Prior to the hurricane’s arrival, we were able to speak with Larry Perkins, CVE, assistant general manager of PNC Arena in Raleigh, to check on our friends and to find out what they were planning as a venue to deal with the event.

“Our parking lots are being used for staging,” Perkins said. “We are also opening up our locker rooms to folks coming in from

out of town who can take a shower. We’re going to feed them, give them a bite to eat. We are going to be ready to go to respond to this emergency.

“Then we are going to open the building up to our employees from the surrounding area. If they don’t feel safe in their homes, they’ll come here. We want them to assume they are going on an outing or camping. Bring your blanket and things of that nature because we obviously don’t have beds.”

Perkins said that he and others have been in dialogue with federal agencies in advance of the storm in making preparations and that they are as ready as can be as they began accepting people by noon today (Friday).

“People can make their claim on a part of our concourse and some of them we will put in our suites to keep families together. We’re doing that. Once the hurricane goes through we are going to collect some donations. We haven’t decided that yet and how it goes. We are going to use some of our crews as we have about nine chain saws and will probably send them out in the community to take down trees and debris.

“Of course, the staging was already in place because we had to get those folks to North Carolina early so that they are in position.”

As for his own well-being, Perkins said he is doing good and will be available throughout the cycle. Perkins, a native of Enfield, NC, said that he has a home in that country setting that he is concerned about.

“it gets flooded easily and I have large trees right over my house. Other than that I am good.”

We have been working with FEMA and the NC State Emergency Management to try an assist in the response and recovery efforts. We are using the PNC Arena parking lots for staging Duke Energy and other Recovery Teams, and PNC Bank will stage mobile ATM equipment and vehicles. Plus, we are offering showers and food to the crews.

Right now, we are not announcing the employee shelter, but may announce tomorrow once we see how the weather is progressing.

Larry Perkins
Vice President of Guest Relations / Assistant GM of PNC Arena

Even as the state of North Carolina takes the brunt of Hurricane Florence, public assembly venues in the state have rallied to assist evacuees in the spirit that venues have become known for.

An emergency shelter for Hurricane Florence evacuees opened Wednesday at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem. While the shelter opened to accommodate people evacuating from the coast, people in the area are also welcome to stay.

The Red Cross indicated that those choosing to come to the shelter should be prepared to bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents, and other comfort items.

Meanwhile, last night the Boston College-Wake Forest football game took place at BB&T Field. The game was moved up two hours to get the game in and get the people out and to safety. A number of other college games around the state were cancelled including West Virginia-NC State, East Carolina-Virginia Tech and UCF-North Carolina.

Further inland, the Charlotte Motor Speedway also opened its Rock City Campground at noon Tuesday for evacuees heading west or inland from Hurricane Florence.

With severe weather in the forecast for other southeastern states, accommodations will be available as long as possible prior to potential landfall. Evacuees will have access to bathhouse facilities on speedway property.

“While the Charlotte area is not completely out of the region that could face the effects of Hurricane Florence, for many of our neighbors to the east it is a safer alternative or a good stopping point as they seek shelter elsewhere,” said Greg Walter, executive vice president of Charlotte Motor Speedway. “We look forward to welcoming anyone who needs a place to stop and to showing them the hospitality they deserve as we ride out this storm together.”

Wilmington is the coastal city that in the early stages has taken the greatest fury of Florence. Even so, the spirit of humanity shows up. Representatives from the corporate office of Waffle House in Norcross, GA, arrived in Wilmington to a local Waffle House and opened it to feed hungry first responders.

(From Region 6 newsletter)

In the year since Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, the city has been defined by its resilience and strength.
While the majority of the city was back and open for business just a few short weeks after the storm touched ground,
many of the city’s neighborhoods and important institutions were deeply affected by Harvey. The Wortham Theater
Center, located in the heart of the Theater District, and one of Houston’s artistic cornerstones, is one such institution
that has faced a longer road to recovery. After almost a year of restoration efforts, the Wortham Theater Center
opened its doors for the Theater District Open House on Sunday, August 26, 2018.

A much-anticipated annual event, this year’s open house festivities held special significance for the city’s
arts groups hosting the event. For the past year, tenant companies Houston Grand Opera (HGO) and the Houston
Ballet have performed in different venues throughout the city, including Resilience Theater, a temporary theater
built in the George R. Brown Convention Center to host the HGO’s Fall Season. Finally back in their home at the
Wortham, the open house was an opportunity for artists and art-lovers alike to celebrate a return to normalcy and
generate excitement for the theater’s upcoming season of events.

The Wortham Theater Center will open officially for its first performance on Wednesday, September 26,
2018—just over one year since Hurricane Harvey hit. The first performance will feature Placido Domingo, who
performed in Verdi’s Aida when the theater first opened thirty years ago. The sold-out performance kicks off a full
season for the theater and Houston’s arts groups, who have shown adaptability, creativity, and spirit for Houston
over the past 12 months. The Wortham is back and ready to showcase the best Houston has to offer in arts and
culture.

For more about the Wortham Theater Center: http://www.houstonfirsttheaters.com/Wortham-Center.