We recently received word that longtime IAVM member David “Dave” Gordon passed away on March 2. Gordon was a member for 32 years and managed the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center for 21 years.

He got his start in the industry working at the Houston Astrodome where he met his wife, Cathy. He also worked at the Louisiana Superdome and the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

Gordon was instrumental in the Long Beach center’s expansion in 1994.

“The expansion was a major positive improvement in the city,” former Mayor Beverly O’Neill told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. “David worked closely with the city in making the center work. He was very conscientious and helpful.”

The center expanded from 88,000 square feet to 225,000 square feet and helped put Long Beach back on the map for conventions.

“The expansion of the convention center was key,” Gordon told Gazettes in 2010. “We were losing shows that had outgrown us, and with the expansion, we got some of them back. Without that, there would be no aquarium, there’d be no Pike. And the convention and tourism business was very important.”

Gordon is survived by brothers Larry and Chuck Gordon; his wife, Cathy; six children, 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Yes, drone racing is an up-and-coming sport, but doing it with your hands is so last year. The new way is to use your brain, and students at the University of Florida were the first to conduct a brain-powered drone race.

“The race works by fitting pilots with a Brain Computer Interface device, which sits on users’ heads and measures electrical signals from the brain,” Kari Paul reported for Vice. “Users ‘think forward,’ to move the drone forward, and ‘think right or left’ to move it from side to side.”

To see how it works, please watch the video above.

IAVM is pleased to announce the nomination of Michael Marion, CFE, for 2nd Vice Chair of the IAVM Board of Directors, a prestigious honor denoting exemplary leadership and dedication to the sport, entertainment, and convention/exhibition industry. In this role, Marion will become a senior officer of the organization, serving a four-year term, ascending to the chairman position in 2018-2019.

Marion is general manager of the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, where he has been employed since 1997. In 2004, Marion was named Pollstar magazine’s “Facility Executive of the Year.”

“To use a worn cliché, it’s an honor to be nominated. Working in the concert business has been a wonderful experience the last 40 years and I really have enjoyed the friendships I’ve made through IAVM,” Marion said. “I look forward to working with the current and future leadership of IAVM to advance our profession for a brighter future. This should be fun.”

Marion previously worked as program advisor at Mississippi State University, booking such artists as Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and Earth, Wind and Fire. In 1982, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as an agent for Triad Artists. In 1988, he moved back to his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, and became director of the Tupelo Coliseum, presenting such artists as Tom Petty, the Eagles, and Reba McEntire.

“Michael Marion is an esteemed professional colleague and valued personal friend to so many of us,” said Kim Bedier, CFE, chair of IAVM’s Leadership Development/Nominating Committee “I am excited for him to bring his unique style of leadership to influence the future of our association.”

Marion has been an IAVM member since 1992 and graduated from the Public Assembly Facility Management School (now called Venue Management School) in 1994. He received his Certified Facilities Executive (CFE) designation in 2006. He served on the Board of Regents since 2010 and was chair from 2014-2015. Marion has also served on the IAVM Board of Directors as the sector director for the arenas sector, the Arena Sector Committee, the Industry Affairs Committee, the Research Committee, the VenueConnect Program Committee, the Public Relations Committee, and the Board of Education.

He follows the path of several predecessors who, over the past 90 years, have helped to shape the industry, and ultimately, the communities they serve. IAVM members will vote electronically on this nomination, and, if elected, Marion will take office in July during VenueConnect, IAVM’s annual conference and trade show, July 23-26, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Lower your voice. That’s it. That’s the tip.

In a study conducted at the University of Illinois, females and males who lowered the pitch of their voices were rated as more influential than those who didn’t.

“And this approach ends up being effective in that, if you lower your voice, chances are you’ll probably be more effective at becoming leaders and influencing others, because it changes how others see you,” Joey Chang, a social psychologist at the University of Illinois, told Scientific American.

To learn more, please listen to the 60-Second Science podcast, “Lower Your Voice Pitch to Persuade.”

(Barry White Image: Álvaro Tajada Portalo/Creative Commons)

Former IAVM President David Ross, CFE, passed away last week after a long illness. He was 63 years old. The news brought forth many thoughts from IAVM leadership, current and past.

“What a wonderful person. I took the IAAM (IAVM) presidential gavel from David in San Antonio. He gave me a lot of advice during his term as president, and he told me to always carry a camera with me,” said Larry Perkins, CFE. “When I got to Hong Kong, Cliff Wallace had his chauffeur drive me all around and one of the first things I did was to buy a camera there, just like David’s. We all watched his kids grown up over the years as David and Sue attended the conference as a family. It was very nice to see and it was an inspiration to me as well.”

David joined the International Association of Auditorium Managers (IAAM, now called the International Association of Venue Managers) in 1985. He served as president of the board of IAAM in 2005-06, DAL-Universities in 1996 and again in 2001-03, District 3 vice president from 1997-99, a member of the IAAM Foundation Board of Trustees, Board of Regents, Board of Governors, Oglebay Alumni Association, and International Steering Committee. He has chaired the Budget and Finance Committee, Annual Conference Planning Committee, Nominating Committee, History & Awards Committee, and Bylaws Committee. He spent a total of nine years on the board of directors. David graduated from Public Assembly Facility Management School (now called Venue Management School) at Oglebay in 1993. He also earned his CFE in 1993. David graduated from the Senior Executive Symposium in 2006.

“David and I served together for many years on various IAVM boards and committees. He was passionate about our industry and we did not always agree on every issue,” said Jimmy Earl, CFE. “Moreover, David had a way of making it a win-win situation for all and was always highly prepared. The best time I remember with him was in Chattanooga for association business and David invited me to his childhood home for a visit. We had a wonderful southern meal and great fellowship and a great time and I got to know him just a little better. I mention that because the only other thing that was more important to him than his career was his family. He was totally devoted to Sue and the kids. Rest in peace my friend. We will miss you.”

During his presidency, he reacted quickly following the devastating Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma with the commissioning of the Mega Shelters Best Practices Guidelines. His appointment of Greg Davis, director of the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the other committee members of the Task Force to lead this initiative proved to be a major accomplishment and benefit to the association’s membership and to the industry.

“David worked diligently to make IAVM the best that it could be — as a district VP, board member, and president,” said Steve Peters. “But I think his greatest gift to our industry was the way he greeted everyone he met with his warm smile, his gentle manner, and slow, gravelly southern drawl. Dave never met a stranger. Many, many people working in our industry today owe their start to this kind, gentle man.”

Todd Hunt, CFE, first met David in 1992 when he interviewed for a position at the Show Me Center in Missouri.

“He was wise enough not to hire me for a job I wasn’t qualified for, and that became a running joke between us for the past 24 years,” Hunt said. “As managers of small market venues, we bonded often over issues we both faced. His passion for the industry and for IAVM will be missed but his friendship will be missed even more.”

David was also instrumental in securing the VMA Affiliation Agreement in 2007.

“He will always be remembered for successfully negotiating an affiliation agreement between IAVM and the Venue Management Association, expanding a global membership within Australasia,” said John Siehl, CFE. “I also remember David being instrumental in the continuation of the archival history of IAAM and IAVM, working diligently to ensure document collection, date preservation and capturing video testimonial clips and stories from members.”

David was awarded the Charles A. McElravy Award, our industry’s highest honor, in 2010. He is survived by his wife, Susan; his daughter, Erin; his son, Bryan and Bryan’s wife Jennifer; and their son and David’s grandson, Owen.

“David never met a man (a person) he didn’t like,” said Dexter King, CFE. “He was always so engaging, no matter who you were, expressing his personal interest—in what you were saying, what your situation was, how you were doing. Warm and friendly in a disarming manner, he made instant friends of total strangers.”

(Image: Orange Photography)