There was a sold-out event this past weekend at Madison Square Garden and it had nothing to do with music, hockey, or basketball. The event was the regional championship for the video game “League of Legends.”

“The dimly lit stadium was arranged around a stage featuring 10 chairs specially designed for gamers,” Sarah E. Needleman reported for the Wall Street Journal. “The historic arena began to look and sound more like a major league sports event as fans started pouring in, waving blue and red plastic batons and munching on popcorn and other snacks. Their cheers overpowered blaring music, as they shouted the names of their favorite teams and players.”

We’ve written a couple of posts (here and here) about the increasing popularity of eSports, and if you’re interested (and have 10 minutes to spare) to learn more about the phenomenon, watch the video below.

(Image: Business Insider Australia)

In a statement released on August 18, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Enforcement Bureau announced a $750,000 settlement with Smart City Holdings, LLC, for “blocking consumers’ Wi-Fi at various convention centers around the United States.”

Smart City Networks has shared the following response on its web site:

“Smart City Networks (Smart City), the largest independent provider of managed network services to the convention and trade show industry, today announced it has entered into a Consent Decree with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that resolves an investigation related to the use of enabling technologies for managing and protecting Wi-Fi networks. As part of the Consent Decree, Smart City did not admit liability, and the FCC did not find that Smart City violated any laws.”

The following is a statement issued by Mark Haley, president of Smart City:

“Our goal has always been to provide world-class services to our customers, and our company takes regulatory compliance extremely seriously. We are not gatekeepers to the Internet. As recommended by the Department of Commerce and Department of Defense, we have occasionally used technologies made available by major equipment manufacturers to prevent wireless devices from significantly interfering with and disrupting the operations of neighboring exhibitors on our convention floors. This activity resulted in significantly less than one percent (1%) of all devices being deauthenticated and these same technologies are widely used by major convention centers across the globe as well as many federal agencies.

“We have always acted in good faith, and we had no prior notice that the FCC considered the use of this standardized, ‘available-out-of-the-box’ technology to be a violation of its rules. But when we were contacted by the FCC in October 2014, we ceased using the technology in question.

“While we have strong legal arguments, we’ve determined that mounting a vigorous defense would ultimately prove too costly and too great a distraction for our leadership team. As a result, we’ve chosen to work cooperatively with the FCC, and we are pleased to have resolved this matter. We are eager to return our energies to providing leadership to our industry and delivering world-class services to our clients.”

Managing high-density Wi-Fi environments is an issue that IAVM has been watching closely. After the FCC ruling against Marriott less than a year ago, IAVM’s Industry Affairs Committee responded with the formation of a Wi-Fi Coalition—currently tasked with providing resources and education that look at the issue of Wi-Fi management from all perspectives.

As an extension of the coalition’s efforts, IAVM is publishing a series of articles in Facility Manager magazine that look closer at the realities of high-density Wi-Fi environments. “The Wi-Fi Dilemma, Part 1”, sets the stage by documenting the unprecedented surge in data usage that networks must try to keep pace with.

As mentioned by event planner Brandt Krueger in 2014 after the Marriott fine, the “pollution” of a dense Wi-Fi environment is a very real problem for everyone paying for and expecting a high-performing network.

“Wi-Fi pollution is real, and the more hotspots that are jammed into an area, the more the integrity of the signals is degraded due to natural interference. When Marriott offers high speed Wi-Fi to their meeting and convention guests, usually for what some might call exorbitant rates, their guests are going to expect it to work properly. They do indeed have an obligation to provide certain levels of service to their guests, and they can’t offer that level of service if things are all jammed up with Wi-Fi traffic.”

The recent FCC rulings are eliminating tools used to ensure that a network can survive high-density situations. This, coupled with an absence of clarity on acceptable practices—or agreed upon standards that network managers can operate against—poses a seemingly impossible challenge to everyone tasked with operating large, functional Wi-Fi networks.

IAVM and the Wi-Fi Coalition will continue to focus on a potential way forward for network operators, trade show/event organizers, and venue managers, but the viability of building consensus and implementing improved procedures or policies will be determined largely by the decisions of the FCC.

I was telling a friend of mine that the millennial generation seems to continually take a little bit of a beating. At VenueConnect, I heard some comments about work ethic, about not wanting to pay their dues, and about wanting a perfect balance with work and life. These words were generally uttered with disdain as if, “The nerve of someone just out of college looking for these things. Don’t they know it doesn’t work that way? This generation ….”

My friend suggested that when we were in our 20s we wanted everything, too. I reminded him that all I remember wanting was to be able to afford better beer in the fridge. But I admitted that my memory might not be totally clear on that. Regardless, he made me stop and realize that while I am at the back end of the baby boomer generation and have a lot of those typical boomer traits, who am I to judge what’s right or wrong? After all, I have certainly questioned whether spending 60-80 hours a week at work is too many and whether my relationships have suffered as a result. Besides, there are usually many ways to get something accomplished, and how presumptuous am I to think mine is the best one?

The other reality whether any of us curmudgeons like it or not is that this coming generation is our future. By 2025, millennials will make up 75 percent of the work force according to our VenueConnect keynote speaker, Betsy Meyers. Further, as we learned in the session on capital improvement this generation is impacting design of our venues with more craft beer (which is not really a bad thing), large open areas for socializing as opposed to great views of the game (which draws casual fans and utilizes under-performing spaces), and phone-charging stations. Great Wi-Fi is essential, and many of us are either already upgrading our systems or planning to. These are our customers now and into the future, so we only benefit from embracing this generation and its needs.

The millennials are here. In fact, as part of the Upstart Emerging Leaders program this year at VenueConnect I was able to meet many of the 30|UNDER|30 award winners. Those I met are all engaged in our industry and have the same desire to make an impact that we all had when we were young and that many of us still have. They are working on their own continuing education and growth and will be the leaders of our industry one day in the not too distant future. However, they are not willing to sacrifice everything else to accomplish that.

I don’t know. But somehow that does not seem like such a bad thing. Maybe the world could use professionals that know how to turn off work once in a while. Maybe we could all benefit from seeing people that are as passionate about their friends and families as they are about work. Balance may seem like too much to ask, but as we have all learned by now, you never get what you don’t at least ask for.

From talking to these emerging leaders, I feel like our future is in good hands and I am excited to see where it will go. The 30|UNDER|30 and the other Young Professionals in our industry have a lot to offer. They want to enjoy the journey, but that does not mean they are not serious about the job they have been asked to do. They want to do a good job, but are not afraid to question the status quo. And maybe that is our dilemma. We are the status quo. Maybe we don’t like being questioned. Hmmm. Interesting problem, but I guess we are going to have to find a way to get over that.

Change is constant. We either adapt or become extinct. The Millennial generation is bringing change. We have all had to change before, and we will be able to change again. We all love this industry, or we would not be involved with it. We will figure it out just like we have always done when faced with a challenge. I even suspect that many of us will come to love the coming generation of employees and customers as much as we have loved those that came before. Our experience with their passion should be unstoppable. Maybe we can change the world together. Maybe we can even learn how to use all our vacation time to see our friends and families.

(Image: Orange Photography)

I published a blog post last month about a wonderful series The Guardian is running titled “How to Put on a Mega-Gig,” all told from people involved in the operation. Well, the paper has updated the series with even more great stories from the front lines.

Here are the recent highlighted jobs, along with some quotes from each one.

The Production Manager
“Now, touring is the main income, which is obviously good for my business. It’s almost snowballed, in that bands have needed to play bigger venues to generate more income. The productions have had to become bigger to catch up. This has driven an industry of companies who design massive productions and have created the means of taking them down and putting them back up again very quickly.”

The Caterer
“Coconut water is so much easier to get than a goat.”

The Sound Engineer
“You definitely get the butterflies, and if you’re not getting them, something’s wrong. It’s an amazing buzz, when the lights go down and the music starts: for the next couple of hours, that’s your life.”

The Tour Manager
“When you’re playing Wembley Arena, the bus is parked inside the venue, so you don’t get fans outside the bus, but fans can be very creative about getting near the band.”

(Image: Lee Gwyn/Creative Commons)

It’s been about a month since Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPYS. Watching her acceptance speech moved me, as it shed some light on an issue I’m still not very familiar with. After reading articles and the comments that followed, looking for more understanding, I realized the harsh reality transgender people face. In addition, the numbers Abby Wambach shared regarding the bullying, murders, and suicides in the transgender community are disheartening. In light of this recent attention to LGBT issues, I wanted to take some time to spotlight how such issues may impact our venues.

An article was recently shared around our office on venues in North Carolina and the continued pressure they were getting from the LGBT community to publicly state their policy on transgender restroom access. In this article, “Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bank of America Stadium, and BB&T Ballpark all went on record to say that transgender patrons can use the restrooms consistent with their gender identity.”

After reading the article, I found it essential to thoroughly examine how our venues address transgender restroom access. The law in Washington, D.C., (where our venues are located) requires certain public places to “allow individuals the right to use gender-specific restrooms and other gender-specific facilities … that are consistent with their gender identity or expression.” I was able to confirm that our venues operate in accordance with this requirement. Ensuring we continue to provide excellent customer service for our guests, we have reminded all of our security and guest relations supervisors of the law and have advised our staff to listen for discriminatory comments made by staff or patrons, and report.

As public and private facility managers, it’s my belief that we owe it to all of our patrons to provide a positive and safe experience at our venues. In furthering my knowledge on this subject, I have found that states have very different human/civil rights laws, some more progressive than others. I would encourage you to look into your local laws on gender identity and expression to ensure your facility is in compliance, and, in the absence of any clear legal requirements, to be fair and open-minded in developing policies and procedures on these issues.

(Image: James Willamor/Creative Commons)