2015 VenueConnect interns.

2015 was a year that really fostered my development as a young professional in the entertainment and venue industry. I did two event internships, one in Sydney, Australia, for a company called Business Chicks and another through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks. Fortunately, 2015 was also the year when I got involved with the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM). Being a student in my senior year, it was hands down the best decision I made for my career and future in the industry.

I attended and interned at two conferences, VenueConnect in Baltimore, Maryland, and the International Convention Center Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The IAVM Foundation helped me fund these learning experiences and gave me the opportunity to network with industry leaders through the Joseph A. Floreano Scholarship + Internship Program. I made connections and developed relationships that were essential to my growth and success. The people of IAVM were not only supportive but eager to build up young leaders and were always there to lend a hand. Many doors have opened through being a student intern at these conferences. Additionally, the industry knowledge I attained through these conferences is astonishing. Being able to participate in discussions and attend cutting-edge sessions on current trends helped me understand the industry in a whole new light.

I have since graduated from Missouri State with an entertainment management degree and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career. With the help of the people I met through IAVM, I am more than ecstatic to say that I got a job as the events and talent coordinator at the Grand Ole Opry House. I owe a lot to the IAVM Foundation for helping me achieve my goals to be able to work with a company I admire so much doing exactly what I am most passionate about. I could easily say that I got my dream job, and I am so excited for what the future holds and send my greatest gratitude to this organization.

These are selected news articles that showed up in our inboxes on Monday morning that we want to pass along to you.

BOK New Safety Protocols Encourage Other Venues to Boost Security (KTUL.com)
“Madonna headlined the first big event of the year at the BOK Center in Tulsa. The concert is also the biggest event where the arena’s new security protocols were enforced.”

Rangers Extend Deal With XL Center (TheAHL.com)
“The New York Rangers today extended their contract with Spectra by Comcast Spectacor, the providers of venue management to the XL Center, for the Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate, to continue playing their home games at the XL Center through the 2016-17 season.”

CAA Premium Experience Forms Exclusive Partnership With iRENA, Expands Event Management and Corporate Hospitality Footprint in China (Business Wire)
“CAA Premium Experience, a division of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and iRENA International, China’s preeminent sports hospitality and event management company, have formed an exclusive partnership to curate and fulfill completely customized once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences, with a preliminary focus on basketball, tennis, entertainment, and fashion, for individuals and corporations in China.”

Tampa Bay Lightning Integrate Retail POS and Inventory Management with NCR Counterpoint Software (Business Wire)
“NCR software delivers purchasing, receiving, inventory control and credit card processing in single solution at Amalie Arena.”

Omaha City Council Approves First Step for Holland Center’s Expansion Downtown (KETV.com)
“The vote Tuesday doesn’t approve any bonds, a purchase agreement for the buildings, or any demolition permits. It adds Holland’s eventual expansion to a northeast downtown redevelopment plan.”

(Image: Facebook)

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke yesterday, January 14, at the Leaders Meet Innovation event in London, England, about how technology is changing the business of basketball, both on the court and off. In addition to topics such as player tracking and analytics, he spoke about apps and arenas.

“If you watched a game at home, you would have access to a lot of information that you wouldn’t have while sitting at the game – that struck us as getting things backwards,” he said, as reported by Patrick Burgoyne for Creative Review. “The people who were paying the most money and who are the most devoted fans didn’t have the same access to information as those at home.”

Silvers said that apps can provide a “driveway to driveway” game day experience. For example, fans can access the best driving routes to an arena, best parking choices, and best entrances to use, all through an app.

“Because we know where that fan is in the arena and their prior habits, we know if somebody likes to buy a hotdog before the game, so there’s a discount for them,” Silver said. “We know if they are a fan of a particular player, they might want to buy a jersey, so a promotion comes up for that jersey and it can be delivered to their seat. The opportunities are endless.”

For more on Silver’s thoughts about virtual reality (“a game changer”) and live streaming, please read Burgoyne’s article in Creative Review.

(Image: Twitter)

The San Diego Symphony plans to build a $25 million, 10,000-seat waterfront concert venue on San Diego Bay, and this week the San Diego Unified Port District board unanimously approved the project. The symphony can now work on negotiations for a 66-year lease on 3.6 acres on Embarcadero Marina Park South.

“First and foremost, we want to create a venue with superb acoustics that will be stunning … a postcard for San Diego,” San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “The location on the bay is a premium and we need to create a premium that matches.”

The venue will be permanent, include a 4,800-square-foot stage, and covered by an acoustic bandshell with material similar to the San Diego Convention Center Sail Pavilion. Tucker Sadler Architects designed the complex. Capacity will range from 2,700 to 10,000 seats. The venue plans to open by June 2017.

Please read Roger Showley’s article in The San Diego Union-Tribune for more on the development.

(Image: San Diego Symplony/Tucker Sadler Architects)

The Bristol Old Vic in the U.K. is one of the world’s oldest theatres and in it is a contraption called a “thunder run.” It’s been restored to mark the venue’s 250th anniversary for a production of King Lear later this year. Check out the BBC video above to learn more and to hear the “thunder run” along with a few other sounds.