Miami Beach Convention Center Partners with Encore to Deliver World-Class Meeting Experiences 

The Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) is proud to announce a new partnership with Encore, a global event production leader, as the venue’s preferred on-site provider for audiovisual, rigging, and digital branding services. Effective October 1, 2025, this collaboration aims to set a new industry standard for meeting and convention experiences in South Florida and beyond.

With more than 85+ years of expertise, Encore brings unparalleled capability and innovation to the MBCC, ensuring each event benefits from state-of-the-art technology, creative solutions, and seamless production support. As the preferred on-site event production partner, Encore will deliver comprehensive AV and event technology services, manage all rigging plan reviews and approvals, and oversee digital branding for MBCC’s extensive digital assets. Significant ongoing investments in technology and workforce training keep Encore at the forefront of the industry, providing exhibitors and attendees an immersive, high-impact event experience.

“Our priority is always to provide our guests with a memorable experience that matches the global vibrancy of Miami Beach,” said Freddie Peterson, General Manager of the Miami Beach Convention Center. “By working closely with Encore, our customers, and our contract partners, we are committed to delivering not just state-of-the-art technology, but also a truly seamless and client-focused event journey. This partnership creates mutually beneficial opportunities for innovation and collaboration, ensuring that every event is tailored to our clients’ unique needs and aspirations. Together, we will set a new benchmark for service, value, and industry-leading experiences in Miami Beach and beyond.”

Encore has depth of experience with over 100 venue partnerships in South Florida, employing over 450 team members in the region, the Miami Beach Convention Center will benefit with on-site leaders having a collective 75+ years of technology hospitality experience. In addition, Encore has strong ties to Miami-Dade hospitality organizations serving as board members of the FRLA & GMBHA and is an in-kind contributor to many charitable organizations.

“Encore is thrilled to partner with the Miami Beach Convention Center,” stated Mike Stengel, Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Partnerships and Venue Relations at Encore. “This partnership will bring an abundance of resources to MBCC and synergies to the event planning process, while ensuring value, production expertise, and decades of meeting prowess with a people-first mindset to create memorable in-person experiences for millions of event goers.”

Encore’s extensive network includes partnerships with over 2,100 venues across 21 countries, producing more than 350,000 events annually and engaging more than 25 million attendees worldwide. The company’s 12,000 professionals are recognized for delivering exceptional service and technical excellence, contributing to Encore’s recent placement on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2025.

As an economic engine for South Florida, the MBCC—owned by the City of Miami Beach and managed by Oak View Group—continues to anchor the region’s status as a global destination for conferences, tradeshows, and conventions. Following a $640 million reimagining completed in 2020, the MBCC boasts 1.4 million square feet of event space, including a 60,000 sq. ft. Grand Ballroom, 500,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, 84 breakout rooms, four junior ballrooms, and nine acres of vibrant green spaces such as Pride Park and Collins Canal Park. New amenities like the 1920s-inspired Rum Room restaurant and Venu private event space, coupled with ongoing investments—including $19 million in FY25 capital projects and a $1.5 million LED wall initiative—underscore the MBCC’s commitment to innovation and excellence. The campus will soon expand further with the 800-room Grand Hyatt Miami Beach, opening in 2027 and connected via skybridge.

Major Public Infrastructure Investment Will Create Jobs, Attract Visitors and Generate Revenue

L.A. Convention Center Expansion Approved — A New Era Begins!

The Los Angeles City Council voted to approve the L.A. Convention Center (LACC) Expansion and Modernization Project, underscoring the City’s commitment to maintaining its status as a world-class destination with a thriving tourism industry. This public infrastructure investment will create more than 15,000 jobs, add $652 million in General Fund tax revenue over 30 years and draw in over $150 million in additional visitor spending each year. View a video with renderings of the project here and download images and the video here.

This project will spur much-needed economic growth in the region. Local businesses, especially in Downtown L.A., are dependent on direct and indirect spending from the LACC. This vote immediately helps local hotels as new bookings for the LACC will be confirmed for the upgraded space. It signals to investors, developers, local businesses and major industries that the City is committed to building a more prosperous future as a global leader and the chosen destination for organizations and associations to convene.

“I want to thank the Mayor and the City Council for their bold leadership and commitment to this legacy project that will make the Convention Center a premier destination for decades to come,” said Doane Liu, Chief Tourism Officer and Executive Director of the L.A. City Tourism Department. “This decision is the result of years of work with our City leaders and departments and I’m proud of the tremendous effort put into this project. When the City of Los Angeles locks arms and shares a vision, we can successfully complete complex projects that make a positive lasting impact for Angelenos.”

Los Angeles has been at a competitive disadvantage in attracting large, citywide conventions due to the lack of contiguous space, especially as competitors have completed or are in the process of completing major expansions. The new construction will connect the two existing South and West Exhibit Halls by adding 190,000 square feet of space to create one contiguous hall with over 750,000 square feet, and will add 39,000 square feet of new meeting room space and 95,000 square feet of multipurpose space.

“An expanded and modernized Convention Center will transform the landscape of Downtown Los Angeles for following generations,” said Kimberly Weedmark, General Manager of the LA Convention Center. “We appreciate the LA City Council for their future facing vision as this project will allow us to increase the number of top-tier programs that we welcome to Los Angeles while granting our current clients continued growth opportunities. We are profoundly grateful to the teams at AEG, Plenary Group, Webcor, PCL and Populous, whose collaboration continues to set a new standard for excellence in the convention industry and we look forward to the continued partnership as we move forward with the execution of the construction of the project. This is an incredibly exciting time for Los Angeles!”

“On behalf of the entire team at Los Angeles Tourism, we are incredibly grateful that the City Council has voted to advance the modernization of the Los Angeles Convention Center,” said Adam Burke, President & CEO, Los Angeles Tourism. “As one of the most powerful yet often unseen drivers of LA’s tourism economy, meetings and events generate billions of dollars annually for Los Angeles. They not only support the City’s General Fund and help fund essential services for all Angelenos, but also sustain local businesses across the greater Los Angeles region. As we look ahead to historic years on the horizon, and as the global spotlight on Los Angeles intensifies, we know the Los Angeles Convention Center will play an even more vital role in shaping our city’s future while continuing to welcome guests from around the globe.”

Steve Hyman, who opened The MARK of the Quad Cities, now Vibrant Arena at The MARK, in Moline, Ill., in 1993, and left in 2004, died earlier this year. His widow, Helen, contacted Michael Bogucki, senior principal, Venue Strategies, LLC, for which Hyman had been a consultant, with news of his death.

Venue Strategies, LLC posted a tribute on its website:

“It is with great sadness that we report the recent passing of our friend, colleague, and Special Principal Stephen Hyman.

​“Steve’s extraordinary professional career encompassed a unique mix of skills and experience across virtually every aspect of multi-purpose event center development and management. He possessed particular expertise in event creation, booking, and production and consulted on venue operations at major arenas, stadiums, theaters, and event centers throughout the United States. Steve brought excellence and passion to every project he worked on, and his insights were often the critical difference in achieving success.

“Most recently, Steve was Director of Venue Management at HB Concerts, Inc., and prior he was the Executive Director of The Stranahan Theatre and Great Hall in Toledo, Ohio. Earlier in his career, Steve was City Planner and Economic Development Director for the City of Moline, Ill., before transitioning into multi-purpose venue development and management.

“He oversaw the design, construction, grand opening, staffing and day-to-day management of the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and the MARK of the Quad Cities (now known as Vibrant Arena) in Moline, Ill., where he was one of two people responsible for the founding the Quad City Sports Commission and served as the Chairman of the Quad City Convention and Visitors Bureau. Steve also served as the Executive Director of the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., and The Plex in Syracuse, New York.

“He earned his Master’s in Urban Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and was also a long-standing member of the International Association of Venue Managers.”

He is survived by his wife, Helen.

No official obituary was posted online, but stories about Hyman’s years in Moline abound. He made a huge success of that venue from its opening in 1993 until he departed in 2004 to oversee construction of the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Pictured: Scott Sloman, retiring from the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

After four decades in facility management and 27 years of dedicated IAVM membership, Scott Sloman has announced his retirement from the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, effective September 30.

Scott’s remarkable career began at the former Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, OH, and went on to include leadership roles across the country. Before joining the Straz Center as a Talent Buyer, he spent 22 years as Assistant General Manager and Booking Director of the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, FL. There, he helped bring marquee events to the community, including the NCAA Elite 8 Men’s Basketball Championships, WWE, FHSAA Championships, and the NBA G-League’s Lakeland Magic, as well as multiple minor league franchises in indoor football, soccer, and hockey. He also played a key role in the Center’s $17 million renovation project.

Earlier in his career, Scott helped open both the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD, serving as Director of Sales & Marketing, and the Sovereign Bank Arena (now CURE Insurance Arena) in Trenton, NJ, where he was General Manager and home to ECHL and CBA franchises. While his resume highlights major milestones, Scott takes the greatest pride in something far simpler: “helping to make memories and create smiles.”

When asked what’s next, the New Jersey native shared, “In addition to working on my third-shot drop and reviving my golf game, all these years I’ve had the pleasure of working for other people’s fun, now it’s time to have some of my own.”

New offerings include an Indigenous menu item created in partnership with Chef Andrew George, and BC’s first self-serve alcohol concession

This fall, BC Place is rolling out several new food and beverage innovations, including Canada’s first stadium-wide reusable cup program. Fans at BC Place can also now enjoy a new permanent menu item, the Salmon and Bannock burger, created in partnership with renowned Indigenous chef, Andrew George. In addition, the stadium is introducing B.C.’s first self-serve alcohol concession, part of a multi-phase plan that will eventually include full self-service experience.

Reusable Cup Program Becomes a Canada First

BC Place is the first Canadian stadium to implement a reusable cup program for all draft beer, cocktails, and wine, marking the venue’s next step towards its mission to achieve Zero Waste Certification by 2026. In collaboration with Vancouver-based company ShareWares, the program eliminates the need for new materials and manufacturing for each serving, offering a more sustainable alternative to single-use recycling and composting.

After enjoying their beverage, guests simply drop their cup in the designated reusable cups bins around the stadium. After each event, cups are washed and sanitized at the ShareWares Mount Pleasant wash lab, where they are readied for use at another event.

The reusable cup program was launched as a pilot program in select areas of BC Place stadium last year and is officially in circulation across the full venue as of late September 2025.

Indigenous Offerings Added to Permanent Menu

BC Place and Sodexo Live! are making permanent a new Indigenous food item at the stadium. Initially unveiled as special feature at select events, the delectable Salmon and Bannock burger is now available at every event at the Beast on Fire locations in sections 217 and 236. Created in partnership with Chef Andrew George of the Wet’suwet’en Bear Clan and the first Indigenous Red Seal chef in British Columbia, the Indigenous menu offering is part of the stadium’s commitment to using its events and platform for promoting Indigenous culture and delivering a true local experience. Additional Indigenous menu items created in partnership with Chef George will debut as special features throughout 2025, with plans underway for a fully Indigenous-focused concession stand in the future.

Self-Serve Alcohol Concession Now Available

British Columbia’s first self-serve alcohol concession is also now available at BC Place – the first of a multi-phased launch of an eventual cashierless and checkout-free concession experience. In Phase One, launched this September, guests aged 19 and over can visit the self-serve concession area at section 215 to hand-select an alcoholic beverage, along with hot food, snacks, and non-alcoholic options, and complete their purchase via self-checkout.

Under development for Phase Two is checkout-free concession technology, a first for any venue in British Columbia. Details will be shared closer to the launch date.

The above food and beverage initiatives are available at BC Place in time for a packed event calendar to round out the year, featuring late-season BC Lions and Whitecaps FC games, the inaugural Canada Super 60 cricket tournament, and the return of FIM World Supercross Championship. The full event calendar can be found at bcplace.com/event-calendar.