IAVM is proud to announce Linda Deckard, founder of Venues Today (VenuesNow), as the new editor of its trade publication, Venue Professional (VP) magazine.

Following the retirement of the magazine’s long-time editor, R.V. Baugus, Deckard was recruited to take the helm of the publication.

“I am extremely excited that Linda has agreed to take on the responsibility of leading Venue Professional to higher levels of communication for the industries our diverse membership serves,” stated Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM President & CEO. “Replacing R.V. Baugus is not an easy task, yet I know Linda will continue with the important storytelling and reporting for our members.”

“If it weren’t for the networking made available through IAVM, I would not have been as effective as a reporter, editor, and publisher covering live entertainment,” noted Deckard. “I have known some members of this association for 40 years, in some cases their entire careers, and they mine.”

Deckard was first introduced to industry trade publications in 1976 by Tom Powell, editor of Amusement Business (a part of Billboard publications), when hired to report on the business of operating venues, including arenas, convention centers, performing arts centers, theaters, stadiums and amphitheaters, amusement parks, fairs, and carnivals.

In 2002, Deckard founded Venues Today to report the “news behind the headlines.” Her innovations at Venues Today included the institution of the Hall of Headlines Awards, Venues Today Women of Influence Award, Ticketing Stars (in association with INTIX), GenerationNext, and Excellence in Concessions Awards.

After selling Venues Today to Oak View Group (owned by Irving Azoff and Tim Leiweke, leaders in the industry) in 2016 and aiding in ushering in the redesign to VenuesNow, Linda left the publication in 2018 to pursue her new passion – telling venue-centric stories in books and blogs.

“In my many years in this venue industry, I have dealt with a myriad of media interviews and must state that the one person I have always trusted in being truthful and supportive of our industry has been Linda Deckard,” said Mayne. “I look forward to seeing what she does with VP, especially considering she is coming on board at the start of IAVM’s 100-Year celebration!”

“IAVM’s 100th-anniversary celebration goes a long way in motivating me to take this job,” said Deckard. “We’re going to have a lot of fun in 2024 remembering where we came from as we plan where we’re going. I look forward to continuing to cover the industry’s people and places, challenges, and victories in this new role, relying on history and contacts to make a difference.”

Deckard will officially begin her role as Editor of Venue Professional on September 5.

Linda can be reached at linda.deckard@iavm.org.

By Molly Rosenberg

Entertainment consulting company Venue Coalition recently announced industry veteran Steve Kirsner will be joining the company as Vice President of Booking. In his new role, Kirsner will focus on servicing the company’s 150+ member venues across North America, assisting them with national and regional booking as well as providing strong advocacy within the touring industry.

The addition of Kirsner comes on the heels of steady growth within the company adding several new arena members to its roster over the past few months. These venues include Capital One Arena in Washington, DC and sister venue EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA, Agganis Arena in Boston, MA, Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield MO, John F. Savage Arena in Toledo, OH, Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL, and Mexico City’s Pepsi Center WTC.

“I’m excited to join the team at Venue Coalition,” said Kirsner, who most recently served as Vice President of Booking & Events at SAP Center at San Jose. “As a former venue client and member of Venue Coalition, I have intimate knowledge of how valuable their services are to independent venues. I’m eager to get started and represent so many members, many of whom I call friends, and to assist as we drive more first-class content into their buildings and help them navigate the touring landscape.”

Kirsner’s forty-seven-year career runs deep in the live entertainment industry. He spent a decade as an integral part of magician Doug Henning’s team, working his way up to vice president and general manager of Henning’s company where he was responsible for all aspects of the magician’s business. In the early nineties, Kirsner left Los Angeles and moved to Omaha, NE producing tours, music videos, and special events for Mannheim Steamroller, where the group was based.

Looking to return to California, in 1996 Kirsner took on a role he would play for over two and a half decades as Director, and then VP of Booking & Events at SAP Center at San Jose (formerly San Jose Arena, Compaq Center and HP Pavilion). Booking the venue under the mentorship and leadership of Frank Jirik and Jim Goddard, the arena became one of the top twenty venues in the country for ticket sales. Kirsner was also instrumental in several industry innovations including the transition in Pollstar and Billboard of ranking venues based on ticket sales rather than grosses as was once industry practice.

“We are so excited to bring Steve onboard,” said Andrew Prince, President of Venue Coalition. “He has decades of extensive operational and programming experience running one of the most successful venues in the country. We welcome his expertise and passion for this industry and know his strong relationships and stellar reputation will be a great benefit to our organization.”

Molly Rosenberg is Director of Administration and Special Projects for Venue Coalition, Inc.

By Kara Nelson

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has received the 2023 New Orleans CityBusiness Empowering Women Award for its commitment to elevating and supporting women. The annual award honors companies that exhibit innovative efforts to help advance women in the workplace and within the community.

“The women in leadership positions at the Convention Center play an integral role in the strategic direction of one of the state’s most valued assets and economic impact drivers,” said Michael J. Sawaya, Convention Center President and CEO. “Our Center offers significant opportunities for growth and advancement to women and has for many years provided upward mobility as a preferred hospitality employer. As a leader in contemporary initiatives such as innovation and diversity, our advancement opportunities are expected to grow exponentially, as our business expands through this era of dramatic growth and facility modernization.”

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center continues to achieve success with women leaders at the forefront of various projects. From sustainability and innovation to communications and financial operations, almost half of NOENMCC leadership positions is held by women, each one with notable accomplishments that have helped elevate the organization.

Prioritizing the promotion of women into executive positions and leadership roles is paying off. Under the direction of NOENMCC Chief Administrative Officer Alita Caparotta, the Convention Center maintained financial stability — and kept all staff fully employed — throughout the pandemic when the travel industry shut down. In 2023, Caparotta was recognized as a “Power 20” Leader in tourism and hospitality by New Orleans CityBusiness.

“When seeing women in leadership roles is not an exception but the norm, that’s real progress,” said attorney Geri Broussard, Vice President of NOENMCC governing body The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority. “As a major economic engine for the city of New Orleans, the Convention Center is leading by example — proving that hiring and promoting women is more than a mandate; it’s an important key to the organization’s continued growth and success.”

The NOENMCC continues to make strides to ensure that women have opportunities to advance and succeed. In 2019, it launched the Small and Emerging Business (SEB) Program to promote diversity, inclusion, and small business development at the Convention Center which has an emphasis on women owned businesses. In January 2023, the NOENMCC promoted its former SEB Director Rocsean Spencer to Chief Diversity Officer, making it the first Convention Center in the nation to establish this position. Under Spencer’s leadership, the Convention Center is working to implement more diverse, equitable, and inclusive policies and practices across the organization.

“Having more women in the workforce, at every level, is good for business,” said Sandra Lombana Lindquist, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce President/CEO, founder of the Chamber’s monthly Women’s Business Alliance and the annual Women’s Leadership Conference. “And it’s especially important to see women in high-level, visible roles at an organization like the Convention Center, which serves as an ambassador for our city. We want visitors to experience the best hospitality New Orleans has to offer, and the women decisionmakers at the Convention Center are getting it done.”

Kara Nelson is with The Ehrhardt Group.

From huskers.com

It was a record-breaking night at Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, August 30, when Nebraska hosted Omaha in an outdoor volleyball match. The attendance of 92,003 set a record for the largest crowd to watch a women’s sporting event in the United States. The crowd of more than 92,000 also surpassed what is widely regarded as the world-record attendance for any women’s sporting event.

The previously recognized world record was 91,648 fans in an UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg on April 22, 2022, at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. The previous record for an American women’s sporting event was 90,185 in USA’s FIFA World Cup Final against China on July 10, 1999, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Along with the two records mentioned above, the Huskers shattered a pair of NCAA records on Wednesday night, exceeding the previous records for any NCAA volleyball match and an NCAA volleyball regular-season match.

Entering Wednesday night, the largest-ever crowd for any NCAA volleyball match was 18,755 when Nebraska played Wisconsin in the NCAA Final at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 18, 2021. The largest NCAA volleyball regular-season attendance was 16,833 when Wisconsin hosted Florida at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., on Sept 16, 2022.

The Husker volleyball program has sold out 306 consecutive regular season matches, though this match does not count toward the streak as it is being played outside the Huskers’ main home facility, the Devaney Center. Nebraska’s sellout streak is an NCAA women’s record. The Huskers have led the nation in attendance every season since moving into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013.

By Jim Yeager

The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) board of directors has approved a five-year contract renewal for ASM Global as its venue management company with the convention center poised as the launch location for a dramatic series of innovations in ASM Global’s convention and conference portfolio — the largest in North America and worldwide.

The new agreement will commence on Dec. 1, 2023, for five years, through Nov. 30, 2028, with the international entertainment leader planning to bring many of its most innovative designs to a leading group of convention centers beginning with PCCA. It will be the first in a program creating unique environments such as immersive LED moments, speed-action offerings to accelerate business strategies, elevated VIP lounges, and quiet spaces for business connectivity.

“We are thrilled to announce the continued partnership between the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority and ASM Global as the venue-management provider for the Pennsylvania Convention Center,” said David A. Nasatir, Esq., chair of the board, PCCA. “For 10 years, ASM Global has been a valued collaborator and, because of their outstanding contributions, has elevated the Pennsylvania Convention Center to world-class status.”

In 2013 the PCCA first made the decision to privatize management of the center with an initial contract being awarded to SMG, which was subsequently rebranded to ASM Global following the 2019 merger of AEG Facilities and SMG. The merger created a venue management powerhouse that spans five continents, 14 countries and more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, theaters, and convention centers and has positioned ASM Global as the world’s preeminent venue-management and live-experiences company.

“The ASM Global team at the Pennsylvania Convention Center is, without exception, the finest in the industry,” said John J. McNichol, president and CEO, PCCA. “Their innovative leadership and commitment to delivering an unmatched customer experience have positioned the center, globally, as an industry trailblazer and venue of choice, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration as we take the Pennsylvania Convention Center to the next level.”

Under the management of ASM Global, the Pennsylvania Convention Center has already implemented several cutting-edge and industry-changing initiatives such as the 2014 execution of the Customer Satisfaction Agreement, a document that guides the relationship between the center and the labor unions that work at the facility with the goal of providing a more productive, customer-centric and cost-effective worksite for guests and the ASM Global Acts program, under which the center has successfully executed a robust sustainability and social impact plan.

Dan Hoffend, ASM Global executive vice president, convention centers, said, “We’re excited to begin the next chapter for the convention universe beginning with the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This includes sustainability features that create substantial movement toward carbon neutral; new Flex-space exhibit halls that can adapt to the needs of our diverse attendees; and LED walls that provide sponsorship, wayfinding, and entertainment.

“We’re bringing our proven best features from our stadiums and arenas directly to our convention centers to create a premium line of facilities like no other in the industry. Our attendees require entertainment as a part of their business paradigm. We are changing the industry by creating a unique environment for all of our guests,” Hoffend said.

PCC’s ASM Global general manager, Tony Hodgins, said, “We thank the PCCA for their continued trust in our ASM Global team and for their unwavering support over the years. Our team at the center remains focused on our goal of providing a first-class customer experience to all our guests, and we are honored to be able to continue working with our key partners to showcase all that Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Convention Center have to offer.”

Jim Yeager is with breakwhitelight (for ASM Global).