Musician Alicia Keys recently made headlines by having a phone-free concert. Fans locked their devices into a pouch made by Yondr. Attendees keep the pouches with them, but they could only be unlocked by venue employees.

Yondr was founded by Graham Dugoni two years ago, and already artists and acts such as Louis C.K., the Lumineers, and Dave Chappelle have hired the company to police fans’ phone use.

“If you haven’t been to a phone-free show, you just don’t know what you’re missing,” Dugoni told The Washington Post. “There’s something about living in real life that can’t be replicated.”

I hate to break it to you, sir, but smartphones are a part of real life, too. I’ve been to concerts where multiple phones were in the air and I’ve been to shows where no phones were there. THEY WERE BOTH THE SAME EXPERIENCE. Sorry to yell at you. This is something I feel very passionate about. I admit, though, my passion for the freedom to take a photo is probably equal to someone’s passion for having a phone-free event.

Consider this, however. Taking photos actually helps you enjoy events more.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that those who took photos enjoyed and were more engaged with their experiences.

“To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first extensive investigation examining how taking photos affects people’s enjoyment of their experiences,” wrote Kristin Diehl, PhD, of the University of Southern California; Gal Zauberman, PhD, of Yale University; and Alixandra Barasch, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania. “We show that, relative to not taking photos, photography can heighten enjoyment of positive experiences by increasing engagement.”

The researchers included more than 2,000 participants in the study, having them take part in an activity where they either took photos or didn’t. The participants then completed a survey and in almost every instance those who took photographs reported higher levels of enjoyment than those who didn’t.

“Surprisingly, despite the prevalence of photo-taking today, prior research has not studied how taking photos affects the experiences being photographed,” the researchers wrote. “In this paper, we are interested in this very question: how does photo-taking affect people’s enjoyment of their experiences? Lay beliefs regarding this question vary widely. For example, some business owners and performers have banned cameras from restaurants and concerts, arguing that taking photos will ruin individuals’ experiences. However, the prevalence of photo-taking across countless situations suggests that many individuals do not share this opinion.”

Thank you, science.

(photo credit: ShutterRunner via photopin cc)

“Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet.”—Paul Klee

Our understanding of color has come a long way since Henry Ford told Model T customers they could “have any color they wanted as long as it was black.”

Today, we know colors have a physiological impact on the brain. Scientists tell us that when we view a color, our eyes send a message to the hypothalamus, which then sends messages to the pituitary gland and thyroid glands, causing the body to release hormones that affect mood, emotions, and behavior.

Color is an important part of our everyday lives. We slow down for yellow lights, stop for red lights, and go when the lights turn green. Color has even found its way into our language. When we’re sad, we say we “feel blue.” When we’re angry, we “see red.” And when we’re jealous, we’re “green with envy.”

Color also plays a critical role in triggering and reinforcing brand recognition. When we see a certain shade of green, we think of Holiday Inn. When we see a certain orange, we think of Home Depot. Some company colors, such as UPS brown and Target red are even trademarked.

We understand that effective use of color is one of the keys to success in creating seating for the hospitality industry. It has to complement a company’s design aesthetic, blend seamlessly with the existing décor, and enhance, or at the very least, not detract from the overall enjoyment of visitors and guests.

According to Josh Swy, MTS Seating’s director of design, we interact with color differently when it’s part of a seating experience. “Seating is something we touch and feel and connect with, and

“Seating is something we touch and feel and connect with, and color is a critical part of that exchange,” Swy said. “When you engage color on that tactile level, it can really speak to you.”

MTS customers have the final say when it comes to color selection.

“They tell us what they want,” Swy said. “We help them achieve it, which not only means matching the desired color as closely as possible but finding the right designer and fabric supplier to keep it from being cost-prohibitive. If our customers are happy, we’re happy, and we do everything we can to make sure they’re happy.”

(Image: EnKayTee/Creative Commons)

Congratulations to the following individual who was recently awarded the Certified Venue Professional (CVP) designation.

Thanks to the generous funding and support from the IAVM Foundation, the CVP program was launched in August 2015 at VenueConnect in Baltimore. It recognizes the competence of middle-to-senior-level managers of public assembly venues as well as assisting the managers in creating a professional roadmap in the venue industry.

The CVP designation says three important things about an individual: he or she is a capable professional, is committed to the industry, and is pledged to continued professional growth and development. Venue professionals who earn the CVP designation are recognized, by those inside and outside the industry, as skilled in their profession.

Wendy Atkinson, CVP
Rentals & Programming Manager
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Vancouver, British Columbia

Sarah Brown, CVP
Nashville, Tennessee

Kathryn Carlson, CVP
Guest Services & Security Manager
American Airlines Center
Dallas, Texas

David Humphrey, CVP
Production Manager
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Vancouver, British Columbia

Christopher G. Post, CVP
Operations Manager
Amarillo Civic Center Complex
Amarillo, Texas

Mike Santa, CVP
General Manager
Indiana University Event Services
Bloomington, Indiana

Wearable Experiments sees its new Football Fan shirt as the fourth dimension of entertainment because fans are physically and digitally connected to their favorite teams.

The shirt uses haptic technology to connect soccer fans with game actions, such as fouls, shots on goals, and celebrations.

“Using the skin as an interface, we are able to transmit plays from the game directly to the wearer using choreographed haptic feedback,” the company said. “This creates a heightened sense of excitement blurring the lines between player and spectator. As well as connecting fans to fans and capturing the data from fan excitement.”

Fans connect the shirt via an app and they can select which teams to follow.  Wearable Experiments also unveiled a similar shirt at the 2016 Super Bowl.

I imagine this could be a good item to sell in a team store. What are your thoughts? Please share them in the comments section below.

(Image: Facebook)

IAVM is proud to announce that the Grand Ole Opry House is our 100^th Venue Group Member. It just seems fitting since both were founded in the 1920s. To celebrate, we are excited to offer our Group Members a special promotion rate for VenueConnect 2016 of $795 now through July 17. To take advantage, select the Professional Group Member option. The conference dates are July 23-26 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

If you are a decision maker for your venue and you want your employees to get involved in IAVM, we urge you to join; complete your Group Membership Application today. Group Membership is $3,000 for up to 20 employees for one venue, one address, an average of $150 per membership.

Register for VenueConnect soon. This special Group Member rate expires July 17. Contact the Meetings Department if you have any questions.