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.

Prodigy Sports announced the appointment of Eric Staufer, CVP, as Vice President, Events for TD Garden in Boston.

Staufer most recently served as Division Manager, Event Services at Amway Center & Camping World Stadium. He joined the former Amway Arena in 2006, holding various positions such as Event Coordinator II and Event Supervisor. In 2010 he was named Assistant Event Manger, Booking at Amway Center & Camping World Stadium.

In his new role with TD Garden, Staufer will lead the overall strategy on event organization, which includes scheduling home games of the NHL’s Boston Bruins and the NBA’s Boston Celtics along with more than 200 other concerts, family shows and special events each year at TD Garden.

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Business Operations, Staufer will focus on maximizing TD Garden’s calendar by negotiating, contracting, booking and scheduling high quality sports and entertainment events. In this role, Staufer is responsible for generating new business lines and assembling bids and proposals for up and coming special event opportunities. He will be the primary relationship manager for all new and pre-existing accounts, including the NHL and NBA. In support of the arena’s overarching business strategy, Staufer will collaborate and partner with departments across the company to ensure the maximization of revenue opportunities while increasing healthy brand awareness for TD Garden.