IAVM’s Foundation has once again partnered with Western Kentucky University to bring UpStart: Emerging Leaders Experience to VenueConnect in Nashville, TN August 7-9.  The program is in its third year and will afford Young Professional and student attendees the opportunity to network and connect with experienced industry professionals throughout the three day conference.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are extremely pleased to be offering the third year of UpStart: Emerging Leaders Experience,” stated Bob Hunter, IAVM Foundation, Chair. “This program’s success is due in large part to Western Kentucky University, our founding partner and sponsor. We are grateful for their investment in these young professionals through their continued support of the program” 

UpStart was designed by IAVM’s Foundation, IAVM and WKU as a means to provide professional development to future leaders of venue management by providing young professionals the chance to build relationships with current industry leaders, engage in transformative learning opportunities, and interact with other students and young professionals in a conference setting.

 “WKU is honored to play an instrumental role in the program,” said Dr. Evie Oregon, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Master of Science in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration with the School of Kinesiology, Recreation, & Sport at Western Kentucky University (WKU).  “We believe this program is a great opportunity for up and coming young professionals to learn and network. This program also gives a chance for well-seasoned professionals to give back and help the future leaders. I had the honor to be a part of the first two UpStart programs, and I believe this year will be the best yet.”

This year’s UpStart will be three days of content:

UpStart: Game Changer 
Monday, August 7 | 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Room 201

Breakfast will be served before everyone’s favorite Game Changer session starts. Game Changer brings together Students and Young Professionals with Industry Leaders for fast paced (think speed networking) Q&A. Every 15 minutes you change to another table to ask more questions all the while learning from some of the industry’s best! Industry leaders who are participating this year are Jason Rittenberry, CFE President & CEO Kentucky Venues, Kim Stone, GM American Airlines Center, Michael Marion, CFE GM Verizon Arena, Bob Hunter, CFE Chief Project Development Officer, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Air Canada Centre, Adina Erwin, CFE VP and COO Fox Theatre Atlanta,  Kelly Shea Senior Booking Director FELD Entertainment and many more! 

UpStart: Keynote Speaker
Tuesday, August 8 | 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM | Room 206

Come and learn about how to get into the industry and how to be one of the best in the industry from one of the best Paul Turner, CFE, CSSP, Senior Director of Event Operations AT&T Stadium. Paul will have the attendees learning and excited from the moment he starts with an interactive session. Taking away tips on how to be a leader and succeed in our industry attendees are sure to come out of the room armed with what it takes!  

UpStart: Panel Discussion
Wednesday, August 9 | 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM | Room 206

A panel discussion  will be led by past and current 30 | UNDER | 30 and Young Professional Industry leaders – Mac Campbell, CVP Deputy Director Baltimore Convention Center, Max Long, Event Coordinator Virginia Beach Convention Center, Ashley Keen, CVP Technical Director/Production Manager Mesa Arts Center and Annie Wilson Assistant Production Supervisor Portland’5 Center for the Arts. Come ready to ask questions during the  45 min session to those who were in your shoes not too long ago! 

IAVM’s Women in Leadership program is pleased to welcome Jeanie Buss, CEO and Governor for the Los Angeles Lakers, as part of a panel of industry leaders to address attendees at VenueConnect on Tuesday, August 8^th, in Nashville, TN. The session, which is sponsored by ABM, will be moderated by Kim Stone, Executive Vice President and General Manager for American Airlines Arena in Miami, and cover important topics and trends facing today’s venue management industry.

Entering her fifth season as Chief Executive Officer after 15 seasons as Executive Vice President of Business Operations, Buss is responsible for running all aspects of the Los Angeles Lakers organization. Buss, who not only leads all Laker business operations, which include managing team marketing and sponsorships as well as relationships with broadcast partners, also oversees the team’s basketball operations, working closely with President of Basketball Operations Earvin “Magic” Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 2: at Staples Center on April 2, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

In addition to her role as CEO, Buss also serves as the Lakers’ Governor, representing the team on the NBA’s Board of Governors. She is currently a member of the NBA Advisory and Finance Committee and has served on the NBA Labor Committee during collective bargaining with the NBA Players Association.

Buss, who spent four years serving as President of the Great Western Forum before joining the Lakers, began her career at the age of 19 as general manager of World Team Tennis’ Los Angeles Strings. While guiding the team to two league titles, she also created the Forum Tennis Challenge Series, which became a regular part of the Great Western Forum calendar for years. Buss was responsible for bringing in players such as John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Steffi Graff, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and many other top professionals.

Named by the Sports Business Journal in October of 2011 as one of the Game Changers-Women in Sports Business, Buss serves as a board member on the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games working to bring the Olympics back to Los Angeles. She also is a co-host of Lakers All Access, a yearly event presented by the LA Sports and Entertainment Commission, a nonprofit organization, which draws events and attractions to Los Angeles.

Actively involved in the community, Buss lists Canine Companions for Independence, The Amanda Foundation and the Best Buddies organization among her many charitable endeavors, while also working internally with the Lakers Youth Foundation to raise money for Southern California Youth charities.

After nine months of preparation, the team at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML) took pride in the successful conclusion of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to the Motherland, and the Inauguration of the Fifth Term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, attended by President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China.

HML is proud to have served the historic 1997 handover ceremony when Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty. With proven track record serving world-class events since then, the 950-member HML team again embraced challenges associated with extensive logistics and hospitality requirements.

Together with an additional 1,500 temporary supporting staff, HML provided professional support to the Hong Kong Government, including the Police, to ensure efficient, safe and comfortable setting for the Grand Variety Show, Flag Raising and Inaugural Ceremonies, fireworks display dinners and many related meetings during the three days on and before July 1, 2017.

Manchester Arena says it is “working extremely hard” to ensure it can reopen on time following the terrorist attack that claimed more than 20 lives in May.

SMG Europe, which operates the venue, is hopeful of work being completed in time for a John Legend concert on September 16. All events have been cancelled at the 21,000-capacity venue since the attack at an Ariana Grande concert in which a suicide bomber killed 22 adults and children and injured more than 250.

With the nail bomb used by terrorist Salman Abedi also causing major damage to the venue’s foyer, the operator has confirmed that repair work is now under way.

In an update, Manchester Arena officials said: “The renovation work has now started in the main public area outside the arena and we are working extremely hard to ensure our re-opening in early September.

“We will continue to keep you informed as much as possible on our official re-opening date and up and coming show information. We still have some great events to announce for 2017 and of course 2018. You can find all show information on our Event Calendar page.

“We also want to express our thanks to all those who have contacted us with their kind wishes and support. Our ongoing thoughts and prayers still remain with all those affected by the atrocity that happened.”

Concerts by Take That, Kings of Leon and Radiohead are among those to have been cancelled in the last two months. Artists including Metallica, Phil Collins and Little Mix are due to play Manchester Arena before the end of 2017.

By Sarah Britt

After a career of facility openings and expansions, one of our industry greats plans to hang up his radio, exchanging it for a fishing hat and retirement. Charles McKee Stone, known as Mack, will be retiring this June after 43 years in the industry.

With a brief stint in the tradeshow business, Mack has worked in five facilities, opening three and expanding two. Mack started his venue management career in his hometown of Greenwood, SC, where he opened the Greenwood Civic Center, and spent four years getting it off the ground. From there, Mack and his beautiful bride, Amy, moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, where he managed the Myrtle Beach Convention Center for five years, aiding in their expansion plans. In an industry based on relationships, it is no surprise that Mack was reached out to when plans to open a convention center in Chattanooga, TN took place. Five successful years later, the next call came from the Phoenix Civic Plaza, where he and Amy spent the next three years. In 1991, in a desire to move back South, Mack took a job producing tradeshows, where he spent the next 11 years.

There had been talk for years about opening a convention center in Columbia, SC, where Mack went to college and played football for the University of South Carolina. In 2002, the municipal partners pulled together and the center’s plans started to take shape. Steve Camp, who was brought in to help get the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center started, shared with the planning committee that he knew of the perfect start to the CMCC team. In 2003, Mack became the Vice President and General Manager of the empty plot of land that was to become the CMCC. He worked through design and construction of the facility, all while assembling his ideal staff (many of which are still with the building today).

The facility opened in 2004 and has flourished ever since. After 13 successful years, the CMCC has more demand than supply with plans of a possible expansion on the horizon. Mack will tell you, “There is nothing more fun than planning an expansion or opening a building,” and when asked how business is in Columbia, “We’ve gotten to be experts at fitting 10 pounds in a 5-pound bag.”

Notorious for his non-stop, hands-on ways, and unique sayings known as “Mackisms,” Mack’s love and knowledge of the industry is apparent within minutes of meeting him. In those crazy venue moments where we all think we’ve seen it all and something even stranger happens, he’ll tell you, “You just can’t make this stuff up. Don’t you just love show business?” He is also the first one on his hands and knees running power if needed, out in the street directing traffic, or greeting and directing attendees at the main entrance on busy days. When a client is having a stressful planning moment, they are “jumpier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” and when a room is set to maximum capacity, it “can’t fit another hominy grit” into it! He has been a mentor to almost every person who has had the honor of being on his team. Mack has always been very deliberate about passing on his knowledge attained over years of experience. He always encourages those pursing this career to get involved in IAVM and to get to know your peers.

As a person, Mack is one of a kind. He’s the type of friend that will go out of his way to do anything for you. He answers middle of the night distress calls, welcomes all to the building as if they were part of the family and depicts the definition of a southern gentleman. When asking his friends and colleagues, there is no one that deserves the opportunity to relax and enjoy life with his bride of 45 years more than Mack Stone. Congratulations Mack, we are all better having known you.

Sarah Britt is director of sales for the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, SC.