Here’s a quick and easy way to get happier—change your walking style.

Researchers at Queen’s University in Canada recently discovered that making people walk in a happy or sad way affects their moods.

“It is not surprising that our mood, the way we feel, affects how we walk, but we want to see whether the way we move also affects how we feel,” said Nikolaus Troje, a senior fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advance Research and co-author of the study.

Troje and his co-researchers showed study participants a list of positive and negative words and then asked them to walk on a treadmill as they measured their gait and posture. A screen showed the participants a gauge that moved left or right depending on if their walking styles were more depressed or happier. They weren’t told what it was measuring, and the researchers would coach them into moving the gauge left or right.

The participants afterwards wrote down as many words as they could remember from the earlier list, and those that walked in a depressed manner remembered more negative words than positive ones. The researchers suggest that the style of walking created the mood.

So, the next time you’re feeling a little down, just change your walk to something a little happier. Perhaps with more arm movements, your head held high, and a pep in your step. Maybe some like this.

(photo credit: moriza via photopin cc)

Yesterday, I was given an inside look at AT&T Stadium’s event operations during the Monday night football game. Paul Turner, CFE, CSSP, director of event operations and security, invited IAVM staff and guests to the stadium for a “secret shop” activity in which we were given access to various levels of the stadium for observation and evaluation. Not only was this my first time attending a game at AT&T Stadium, but it was my first NFL game experience.

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This free webinar for venue professionals and companies will include lessons learned from Dallas/Ft. Worth venues, recent updates from front-line agencies, and best practices regarding current regulations and codes for handling bloodborne pathogens in a venue. Learn from the collaborative efforts of IAVM’s Ebola Task Force, formed to assist in providing relevant resources and updates regarding the current pandemic. Additional resources and information are available at iavm.org/avss/ebola.

The webinar will be moderated by Russ Simons, chief listening officer and managing partner at Venue Solutions Group, and a member of the IAVM Ebola Task Force. It will take place Friday, Oct. 31, from noon-1 p.m. (EDT). Registration spots are limited. Please sign up now to ensure participation.

(photo credit: NIAID via photopin cc)

There was a lot of news this past week. Here are some stories that caught our eyes.

Music City Center to Add iBeacon Technology
—The Tennessean
“In a 1.2 million-square-foot building, directions appearing on a phone screen could be a welcome addition for visitors, as well as help the new facility distinguish itself with the cutting-edge technology.”

New Outdoor Concert Venue Debuts in Downtown Dallas Friday
—The Dallas Morning News
“On Friday, First Presbyterian Church of Dallas kicks off its Encore Park dedication weekend by opening 508 Amphitheater, a 300-capacity outdoor music theater next to 508 Park Ave., the building where, in 1937, blues legend Robert Johnson recorded almost half of the 29 songs that make up his entire discography.”

Battersea Arts Centre to Undergo Final Phase of Redevelopment
—The Stage
“Work on the south London venue began in 2006, and is being undertaken in collaboration with architects Haworth Tompkins, who last week were awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize for their work on Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre.”

Stop People from Wasting Your Time
—Harvard Business Review
“People who waste our time have become the scourge of modern business life, hampering our productivity and annoying us in the process.”

How Convention Centers are Becoming More Flexible
—BizBash
“Venue operators are looking for input from meeting planners when designing spaces, and a recurring theme is the importance of flexible space.”

(Image: Music City Center)

MGM Resorts is committed to sustainability, and its new 6.4 megawatt photovoltaic array covers approximately 20 acres on top of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. That makes it the world’s largest rooftop solar array on a convention center. But the company isn’t stopping there. It plans to install an additional two megawatt photovoltaic array on top of a future expansion of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

“Today [October 23] marks a major milestone for MGM Resorts, NRG, and the entire Las Vegas community,” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. “The completion of this solar array demonstrates our steadfast commitment to the principles of environmental responsibility, and the announcement of the second array reinforces that we’re always looking to do more.”

NRG Energy installed the array, and once the whole project is completed, it is estimated that it will displace approximately 6,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

“The rooftop solar installation at Mandalay Bay significantly advances our resort’s commitment to being a leading sustainable destination for conferences and conventions,” said Chuck Bowling, president and COO of Mandalay Bay. “Partnering with a progressive company like NRG to achieve this milestone reinforces our commitment to promoting renewable energy and protecting the planet’s limited resources as supported by our Green Advantage sustainability initiative that has already decreased our energy load by over 14 percent since 2007.”

Mandalay Bay isn’t the only venue to install solar arrays. Last month, the Anaheim Convention Center completed a 2.4-megawatt install solar panel system, covering 300,000 square feet on its rooftop, “making it the largest city-owned, convention center, roof-mounted system in North America.” Also, Amsterdam ArenA is installing 4,200 solar panels on its rooftop, and a soccer field’s lights in Brazil are powered by players’ footsteps.

Additionally, the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Florida, installed solar panels in 2009, which help offset 10 percent of its electric bill. The center was awarded a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Gold (EBOM) certification from The Green Building Certification Institute, an arm of the U.S. Green Building Council, last year.

“We take the approach that sustainability is more than energy efficiency; it’s actually a cultural shift toward environmental responsibility and leadership.” said Jan Addison, CFE, OCCC deputy general manager, in a press release.

(Image: NRG Energy)