The VenueConnect Annual Conference and Trade Show hosts professionals from a spectrum of public assembly venues including arenas, convention centers, amphitheaters, fairgrounds, performing arts centers, stadiums, universities, and more. 

Professionals of every level from all types of venues attend VenueConnect for the inspiration, expertise, and life-long relationships that the conference provides. IAVM understands that the agenda of a young professional could be very different from the agenda of an experienced venue veteran and that the interests of a university professional could be very different from the interests of a performing arts professional. 

Discover why these multi-level, venue-diverse professionals attend VenueConnect, then find your reason and register today!

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You, as an IAVM member, are our most important asset. Without your commitment to the association and to the venue management industry, we wouldn’t be here. Because of your support, we are featuring member profiles in our I Am Venue Management series. If you are interested in participating in the I Am Venue Management series, please visit http://www.iavm.org/i-am-venue-management-share-your-story.

If I wasn’t doing this I’d be a: Health Care Administrator – which represents 15 years of my first career prior to venue management.

Most impressive person I’ve ever met: Pope Francis. It was more of a wave to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, but the Pope’s presence had a profound and permanent impression on me.

I unwind by: Outdoor activities – golf, biking, lakes, and pools, enjoying family, Cody the Chihuahua, and reading too. Of course, there are the baking frenzies that can calm the nerves when needed!!!

My favorite IAVM event I ever attended was: Public Facility Management School – now known as Venue Management School. I attended as a bookings manager and knew I wanted to be an executive director when I grew up!

One trait an up-and-coming venue manager should have is: Flexibility and resiliency. Must easily adapt to constant change.

One of my goals for this year is to: Present another successful Venue Management School. As Chair of the Board of Regents, we are committed to continuous improvement to ensure the program remains relevant and meaningful. As my friend and previous Chair of the BOR Michael Marion always says, “Don’t mess it up!”

How do you plan to help elevate the profession: Continue to identify educational needs in an ever changing industry and provide appropriate content. We also need to assess the delivery methods to connect with different generations in the way they prefer.

Where do you see new growth opportunities in the profession: Technology. Guests, fans, or attendees in a venue expect to be a part of the event whether it’s a concert, lecture, reception, or conference. Venues must provide technology so [guests] are fully informed and engaged in the experience.

How do you stay current with industry trends and developments: Constantly reading all sources, communicating with colleagues, benchmarking with other venues and service providers, and attending conferences and educational opportunities.

Who are three people you’d invite to a dinner party and why: My husband, because he is always with me, and my parents, because I miss the days when we could all have dinner together.

There is a staggering statistic that over the course of a year, 16 of the largest container ships, or super-vessels, can emit as much sulfur into the atmosphere as all of the cars in the world running during that same year timeframe.  If you stop for a minute to think about that fact, it becomes difficult to even wrap your mind around it.   The same amount of sulfur as ALL of the cars in the world over the course of an entire year!  And the sulfur pollution is only the beginning of this story.   

Almost everything we purchase as American consumers is produced in Asia.  This requires a constant flow of cargo ships back and forth between continents.  There are an estimated 100,000 container ships on the seas and this number continues to grow.  Some of the larger vessels can carry 14,000 full sized containers!  The larger cargo ships have engines that are the size of a house!  So just imagine the pollution created by an engine that large.   

Couple this with the fact that, because of zero international regulations, these ships are allowed to burn the cheapest, filthiest, high-sulfur fuel only compounds the problem. This
“bunker fuel” as it is called is the lowest grade of liquid fuel in use and contains 2,000 times the amount of sulfur as automobile diesel fuel. Its basically what’s left over after all of the cleaner fuels have been extracted from crude oil.

Environmental organizations across the globe have tried to ban this type of fuel but for now it is still in use.  The United States itself has tried to impart regulations on these ships once they are within a certain distance to our shores, but the ships are no longer liable once they are in international waters. 

A recent study by the NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that the particulates expelled from container ships contribute to over 60,000 premature human deaths each year.  These health risks are most prevalent in areas in the Mediterranean, India and China because they are heavily trafficked by containers.  However, winds can push cargo ship exhaust anywhere, including our own Florida coast, where the ecosystem and air are being polluted because of these ships.  

Bottom line, the impact that overseas shipping has on our environment is a serious issue.  Many seating manufacturers contribute to this air pollution everyday because of their their non-US based sourcing and manufacturing. 

Made in the USA makes a difference.  Please consider where products are being manufactured before you make your next buying decision. 

Article submitted by MTS Seating

AEG Facilities, a division of AEG, and Arenabolaget in Solna AB, a co-owned company by the listed real estate company Fabege and the Swedish Soccer Association, jointly announced that the two companies have entered into a long-term agreement whereby the Los Angeles-based sports, entertainment and venue organization will manage Friends Arena.

The region’s largest multi-purpose arena with a capacity of 75,000, Friends Arena is located in Solna, outside of Stockholm, and is home to the Swedish National Soccer Team, the AIK Soccer Club, concerts, family shows and other sporting and special events.

As part of the multi-year agreement, AEG Facilities will provide full management services to the arena, including event programming, vendor venue services, advertising and marketing, as well as oversee event-day operations for the arena, which is anchored by the Mall of Scandinavia, the biggest mall in the region, and adjacent the newly developed city district named Arenastaden.

“We are honored to support Friends Arena, an elite venue that complements our other facilities in the marketplace,” said Bob Newman, President, AEG Facilities. “Its location in a growing and vibrant office, residential and retail environment has created a unique world-class destination.”

“We are proud to have been selected to manage the operations of Friends Arena, Sweden’s largest venue and the home of the Swedish National Soccer Team,” added Marie Lindqvist, CEO of AEG operations in Sweden. “Through our experience managing Tele2 Arena, Ericsson Globe, Hovet and Annexet and hosting some of the world’s largest sports matches, concerts and entertainment events, we understand the standard of service that is required to ensure an arena’s success in Stockholm. We look forward to working closely with Arenabolaget on this exciting endeavor.”

“In AEG, with its extensive international network and experience, we’ve found a partner with an excellent reputation with whom we can continue to develop the events experience at Friends Arena while positioning the Stockholm region internationally,” said Klaus Hansen Vikström, Board member at Arenabolaget i Solna.

The House passed a bill May 2 that allows private-sector employees to exchange overtime pay for “compensatory time” off.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL), passed 229-197, mostly along party lines.

Roby said the bill is designed to give workers greater time flexibility to balance work and home obligations. Comp time is an option that has been available to government workers since the mid-1980s, allowing them to choose between an hour and a half of paid comp time or time-and-a-half pay when they work additional hours.

“The workforce has changed tremendously over the years, but the laws and policies that govern the workplace have not,” Roby said. “I’ve always said Congress cannot legislate another hour into the day, but we can update our laws to allow more choice and fairness in how working Americans use their time.”

Congressional Democrats said the bill doesn’t include enough protections for workers who may feel coerced or pressured to opt for comp time instead of overtime pay.

“The choice between overtime pay and comp time is a false choice for workers,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). “We know what happens in the reality of the workplace. The vague promise of time off in the future is often never realized.”

Julia Judish, an employment attorney for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP who worked closely with ASAE on the regulatory changes to the overtime rule proposed by the Obama administration last year, said the bill requires employers to pay employees for unused comp time no later than 13 months after the comp time is earned or, if earlier, on termination.

“It has the effect of delaying payment to employees for overtime hours worked – whether such payment is delivered through granting of paid leave requests or cashing out the banked compensatory time – and it puts control over the timing of such payments primarily in the hands of the employer,” Judish said.

Supporters said there are penalties in the bill for coercion that will serve as a material disincentive for employers to abuse the law. The Trump administration issued a statement of support for the bill and indicated that Trump would sign it into law in its current form.

“After multiple veto threats from the Obama administration, I appreciate the White House working with us to advance this bill,” Roby said.