Event and venue management software leader Ungerboeck announced the addition of Andy Weiss to the company’s executive leadership team. As vice president of marketing, Weiss will lead worldwide brand strategy and demand generation efforts from company headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.

“We are thrilled to welcome Andy to the Ungerboeck team,” said Ungerboeck CEO Manish Chandak. “His considerable experience in tech marketing strategy and the additional complexities involved with working on a global scale make him a particularly great fit for Ungerboeck at this exciting time in our history.”

Prior to his position at Ungerboeck, Weiss served most recently as the global director of marketing at Apollo Global where he headed an international, data-driven digital marketing team focused on driving scale and operational efficiency for the education network. In addition to the development of a worldwide mobile initiative to make education more accessible to people in developing countries, Weiss also led the expansion of Apollo programs in India and South Africa. Most notably, his tenure at the company saw the transformation of marketing from a cost center to a lead-generating revenue driver.

“I am very excited to join a company like Ungerboeck that understands the value of client-focused development and innovation,” Weiss said. “I see incredible opportunity for us to really own our role as a visible and vocal leader not just on the St. Louis tech scene but in the events industry as a whole.”

Weiss holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Theatre from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. When he is not cheering from the sidelines at sporting events for his son, Joe, and daughter, Ella, he enjoys endurance sports and traveling with his with wife, Beth.

The SMG-managed Blue Water Convention Center in Port Huron, Michigan, has named Gino Giacumbo its new general manager. With over two decades of experience in sports and venue management, Giacumbo brings a wealth of knowledge with him to his new position in Port Huron. Most recently, Giacumbo served as the general manager at the Birch Run Expo Center in Birch Run, Michigan.

“We are very happy to have Gino join our team,” said Rich MacKeigan, SMG’s regional general manager who has oversight of the Blue Water Convention Center. “The relationships that Gino has built in the area paired with his years of experience will be a great asset for the venue and SMG as well as the community.”

Giacumbo was chosen to fill the position after an expansive nationwide search by SMG and St. Clair County. In addition to his time at the Birch Run Expo Center, Giacumbo worked in Flint, Michigan, as vice president of business operations for Perani Arena and Event Center and Flint General Hockey Club and in Port Huron as vice president and general manager of the Port Huron Beacons.

“I’m excited at the opportunity to be back in Port Huron and am looking forward to collaborating with SMG and this community to carry on forming a creative and productive environment for the region,” Giacumbo said.

Giacumbo graduated Cum Laude from William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, in 1990 and obtained his Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1994. Before his time with the Port Huron Beacons, Giacumbo spent time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the director of corporate sales and marketing for the USA Hockey-National Team Development Program, Elmira, New York, as the vice president and general manager of the Louisville Panthers and Elmira Jackals, and Moline, Illinois, as the general manager of the Quad City Mallards.

We’re giving you a chance to guess who the VenueConnect 2017 Keynote Speaker is before we make the big reveal on Friday, March 31. Each day leading up to the reveal, we will give you one clue to help you identify the speaker, but here’s the catch: you must be registered for VenueConnect to be eligible to win, and so you can receive the final two clues. Our first two clues will be announced on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so be sure to follow us on social media to stay in the loop. The final two clues will be sent by email to those who have already registered for VenueConnect, so REGISTER NOW and take advantage of the early bird rate.

The first two people to correctly guess who the keynote speaker is will receive the grand prize: a meet and greet with said speaker. The next 3 correct guesses will receive a Nashville Swag Bag upon arrival at VenueConnect. Click here to learn more about VenueConnect, or…

By clicking the “GUESS NOW” button, you are agreeing to the rules & regulations that follow.

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This summer’s Venue Management School at Oglebay will welcome two new faces as Steve Mackenzie, president of EventBooking, and Michael K. Garcia, adjunct assistant professor in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, arrive on the scene at the public assembly venue industry’s premier professional school.

We caught up with both gentlemen to discuss VMS and more. Here are their comments:

What prompted you to become interested as an instructor at the VMS?

Steve Mackenzie: I attended the school 10 years ago as a student, and was blown away by the value I received from it — the quality of the educational content, the caliber of the instructors and the camaraderie that developed with my fellow students. Luckily, I got an opportunity to teach at the Australian VMA school seven years ago when I was living there, and have been teaching there ever since, so when the opportunity came up to be able to participate in the school here I jumped at it. The school is such a great environment and I love being able to give back to the industry in this fashion.

Mike Garcia: After working in public assembly management for over 38 years, I really wanted to give something back to the industry. I have such fond memories of attending VMS, albeit a few years ago (well, OK, 20-plus years ago), that I could not think of a better place to do that. I also enjoy teaching.

What will you be doing as an instructor at VMS?

Steve Mackenzie: I’ll be teaching a new class for Year 2 called Technology. In previous years this topic has been touched upon in most of the other subjects since it pervades all areas of business these days. However, the Board of Regents thought it an important enough topic to have its own class going forward. Additionally, I’ll be teaching a class for Year 1 on Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations. Besides the classes, I’ll be sitting in on as many others as I can. I love listening in and learning from these as well.

Mike Garcia: I will be teaching Venue Ops and Venue Law, which tap into some of my core experience in the industry.

What are you most looking forward to as you prepare for your classes as the school?

Steve Mackenzie: I can’t wait for the chance to interact with the students — as much as I am there to share my knowledge. I love the interaction and feedback from the students both in the classroom and after hours.

Mike Garcia: I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet and reconnect with fellow venue professionals and to teach not only today’s best practices, but also to encourage students to think about how to adapt for the future.

How important is the role of the school for professional education for public assembly venue managers?

Steve Mackenzie: I view the school as the “flagship” education opportunity available to those of us in the venue management industry. Everyone is on an equal footing and it’s important for the students going through now to know that their mentors and managers likely also went through the same school. The program is nothing short of excellent and I am proud to be able to contribute to it.

Mike Garcia: It is paramount! The VMS experience, both inside and outside the classroom, helps students forge a solid foundation to build successful lifelong careers in this industry. The curriculum develops and builds the core competencies necessary to succeed.

What is some of your background in the industry that lends well to the school?

Steve Mackenzie: Showing my age a bit now, but I’ve spent the last 33 years working in hospitality and events, with the past 24 specifically in event technology. Over that time, I’ve learned a lot about the areas I am instructing, mainly learning from my mistakes along the way! It’s great to be abler to share these experiences with the students and hopefully pass on some knowledge that will help them to continue their careers in the industry.

Mike Garcia: My background in facility management is broad and varied, from clubs, theaters and arenas to amphitheaters, stadiums and outdoor music festivals. This variety of experiences allows me to relate to many different types of venue professionals who may have different goals and aspirations. Additionally, I teach two classes at the University of Southern California relating to concert management, venue management and promoting events.

I’ve always been a behind-the-scenes type of guy. In my 15-plus years of venue experience, I’ve met a lot of colleagues who found their way into this amazing career the same way I did: starting out as a volunteer or a part-time employee, just because it sounded fun.

My personal introduction to venue work began in undergraduate school in upstate New York where, through our very autonomous student activities organization, I was able to work in many different capacities at concerts that ran the gamut from solo folk singers to national acts like Bruce Springsteen and Frank Zappa. A few more volunteer stints followed that, and after moving halfway across the country, I ended up volunteering at the venue that eventually hired me as a part-timer, and that soon promoted me into a full-time leadership role. I won’t name names, but even though I was working with well-respected professionals with far more experience than I, virtually no one had any industry-specific training.

Always looking for ways to improve my skills and knowledge, I began researching the field of venue management, which is where I ran across the IAVM, in its previous incarnation as the IAAM (the International Association of Assembly Managers). I began attending conferences, taking online and live classroom training, and more. But once I had completed Trained Crowd Manager, attended enough consecutive conferences to be designated as a Guest Service Professional (remember that?), completed training in ICS, NIMS and other courses through FEMA and other agencies, there was still a substantial gulf between where I was in my career and the eligibility criteria for CFE. That’s why I was elated when I heard that the IAVM was considering a mid-level certification—it was exactly what I was looking for.

My CVP certification tells my peers, my colleagues and my current and future employers that I know what I’m doing when it comes to venue management. It shows that I have demonstrated mastery over a broad range of topics in this complex, detail-driven field. Most importantly, it shows my dedication to professional development and continuing education. I am encouraged by the number of venue job postings I see that say “CVP Preferred” when listing job qualifications. I’m also encouraged by the changes IAVM is instituting to streamline the certification process.

I am responsible for my own career. In my mind, investing in a credential that demonstrates my potential value to others in the industry, whomever they may be, is a move that’s both wise and necessary. My CVP does that for me, and I’m confident it will do the same for you.

Bob Potemski, CVP, is the Event Manager at the Carlsen Center in Overland Park, Kansas. You can reach him by email at bpotemski@gmail.com.