The Foundation is proud to announce the Joseph A. Floreano Scholarship + Internship Program recipients for the 2015 Academy for Venue Safety & Security (AVSS) recognizing two deserving individuals who demonstrate leadership, character, community involvement, and the potential to be future leaders in the venue management industry.

“As leaders we know there is a cause and effect from the level of preparation and quality to the results we see. How we choose to invest in people impacts our results,” said Sarah Rogers, IAVM director of development. “The Foundation provided the seed funding for AVSS over 10 years ago, and we couldn’t be more proud to further our investment in the continued development of safety & security for venue professionals.”

The Foundation also offers scholarships + internships to a variety of other IAVM conferences and schools, click here to learn more and to apply. Thanks to the support of committed donors, together we are Building Amazing Futures. Click here to learn more about the Foundation’s annual campaign. Continue Reading →

You may have been advised in the past that making a range offer during negotiations is a bad move. However, some new research from Columbia Business School proves differently and that range offers are beneficial.

“For years, we taught students to avoid making range offers in negotiations, assuming that counterparts receiving those offers would have selective attention, hearing only the end of the range that was attractive to them,” said Daniel Ames, co-author of the research and the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. “Our results surprised us, up-ending how we teach the topic. We can’t say that range offers work 100 percent of the time, but they definitely deserve a place in the negotiator’s toolkit.”

For the research, Ames and co-author Malia Mason, the Gantcher Associate Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, conducted a series of studies to understand people’s reactions to negotiators making a variety of different offers. Single-number point offers, such as asking for a 15 percent discount, were compared with three different kinds of range offers. Here’s what they found.

Bolstering Range Offers
These start with the point and stretch in an even more ambitious direction, like asking for a “15 percent to 20 percent” discount instead of just “15 percent.” Most negotiation experts say this strategy is doomed because the bargaining counterpart would hear only the 15 percent end of the range. Ames and Mason found that Bolstering Range Offers frequently led to better settlements for the offer-makers without harming the relationship with the other party.

Bracketing Range Offers 
These span the point, such as asking for “13 percent to 17 percent” instead of “15 percent.” Experts in the past would likely have said this strategy was sure to lose value. Ames and Mason found that negotiators using Bracketing Range Offers didn’t reach worse deals than those using point offers, but they frequently experienced relationship benefits, such as being seen as more flexible.

Backdown Range Offers
These start with the point and then offer a more accommodating value, like asking for “12 percent to 15 percent” instead of “15 percent.” In this instance, Ames and Mason’s research fell in line with prior conventional wisdom. Those using Backdown Range Offers ended up with less value than those using point offers, but didn’t see more relational benefits than Bracketing Range Offers.

“While negotiation experts have been advising against range offers for a long time, many people use them,” Mason said. “A good share of the time, people use backdown range offers, and our work suggests that’s unwise. But many people use bracketing or bolstering range offers, and our research shows that they’re onto something. Those range offers can draw out more accommodating responses from a counterpart.”

(Text and image: Columbia Business School)

The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)’s ConventionCalendar.com has entered into a strategic partnership with the San Francisco Travel Association to feature Moscone Center, San Francisco’s largest convention and meeting space.

The new Internet-based calendar links Moscone Center with tens of thousands of meeting planners, guiding them through the site selection process for potential new meetings and events. IAVM’s ConventionCalendar.com provides convention center partners a destination marketing and convention booking engine that raises awareness of the economic value convention facilities provide to local communities.

“We have a lot of respect for Mr. Shaff and the Moscone management team. Our unique, collaborative partnership with Moscone Center is a real competitive advantage for San Francisco,” said John Reyes, executive vice president and chief sales officer for the San Francisco Travel Association. “The new calendar program will showcase the combined efforts of the DMO and center staff.”

“Moscone Center is a tremendous economic engine for the Bay Area region and we are proud to join with IAVM to demonstrate how conventions and meetings mean big business for San Francisco,” said Dick Shaff, vice president/general manager of Moscone Center.

The three buildings – Moscone South, Moscone North, and Moscone West – cover more than 20 acres on three adjacent blocks with over two million square feet of building area. Combined, the three buildings consist of over 740,000 square feet of exhibit space, more than 100 meeting rooms, and as many as four ballrooms.

Donovan Shia, managing director of IAVM’s ConventionCalendar.com program, says “the partnership between the San Francisco Travel Association and Moscone Center is a winning model. Mr. Shaff is a long-term supporter of IAVM and a recognized leader in the venue management industry. We are very excited about the opportunity to feature Moscone Center.”

One of the talking points at the recent Performing Arts Managers Conference in San Francisco, California, was about attracting new audiences by expanding a venue’s outreach efforts. For example, during the “Building Demand for the Performing Arts” session attendees were encouraged to work with communities and demonstrate a new level of relevancy. One way to do that is through resident companies. Take the Los Angeles Philharmonic, for instance.

“Orchestras across the country have been shaken by the loss of subscribers, aging audiences, declining corporate donations, labor strife, and the struggle of remaining relevant in an era when technology is redefining how people spend their leisure hours,” Jeffrey Fleishman wrote for the Los Angeles Times. “Younger generations, in particular, are demanding more diverse programming and freedom to choose their concerts a la carte instead of buying season tickets. The L.A. Phil’s success—it has the largest budget of any U.S. orchestra—has kept it from feeling the full force of these problems.”

One way the orchestra overcomes its challenges is through the Hollywood Bowl, which gives the orchestra a steady income through a 30-year lease. The orchestra runs the complex, booking rentals to promoters for other acts when it’s not performing.

“The Bowl, which this year will add new box seats and increase its movie-themed programming, including a screening of Back to the Future, attracts audiences that are more diverse than those who attend the more formal concerts in Disney Hall,” Fleishman wrote. “That’s a big plus at a time when orchestras nationwide are looking to broaden their cachet beyond the tuxedo set.”

And the L.A. Phil isn’t the only orchestra working to bring in new audiences with unique programming. Other organizations are doing such things as Web-streaming live performances, late-night concert events, and partnering with pop artists for shows.

“We have to set a tone and excitement around classical music that it’s not just for an elite group of people who want to get dressed up on Thursday nights,” Diane B. Paul, chairman of the Phil’s board of directors, told Fleishman. “People are experiencing classical music in different ways. You can’t stay still.”

[photo credit: Opening Night @ the Hollywood Bowl. via photopin (license)]

The first annual North American Meetings Industry Day (NAMID) will take place Thursday, April 16, 2015. This North America-wide day of advocacy will spotlight the substantial value derived from business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows, and exhibitions.

U.S.-based events will be led by the Meetings Mean Business (MMB) coalition. The Canada and Mexico chapters of Meeting Professionals International, in addition to other industry partners, will be driving events throughout Canada and Mexico.

“We are excited to be involved in such a meaningful day that unites our industry not only across the United States, but also across Canada and Mexico, communicating the critical role in connecting people and driving positive business results through face-to-face interaction,” said Michael Dominguez, MMB’s co-chair and senior vice president of corporate sales at MGM Resorts International. “Across the continent, we will demonstrate how meetings build personal relationships, drive positive outcomes, and support strong communities.”

Registration for events is now open, and an informational toolkit can be found on the NAMID page. It offers talking points, ways to celebrate the day, and FAQs.