Concession industry leader Gold Medal Products Co. announced the hiring of Joe Macaluso as vice president of sales for the U.S. & Canada.

In this role, Macaluso will be responsible for new business development, key relationship management, and sales leadership. He comes to Gold Medal with more than 30 years of professional sales experience. The majority of his tenure was spent with Weaver Popcorn Company, most recently as senior vice president of sales – concession division (U.S. and Canada). Macaluso has a solid history of consistently increasing revenue and strengthening strategic partnerships. His proven skills and accomplishments clearly demonstrate the value he brings to Gold Medal.

“We feel privileged to have Joe Macaluso join the Gold Medal team. With sales knowledge that’s second-to-none and a well-respected reputation in the industry, he has all the characteristics necessary to drive success,” said Gold Medal President Adam Browning.

Macaluso enters the role with innovation on his mind. “I chose Gold Medal because of their investment into physical and human resources and their unquestionable commitment to growth. As a company, they reach for higher expectations. I plan to work diligently to find ways to grow existing customer business and develop new opportunities that expand the size and scope of Gold Medal’s business.”

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Justin Aquino, an accomplished county fair and corporate event professional, has been named operations manager of the San Mateo County Fair.

“We are pleased to welcome Justin to our leadership team,” said Dana Stoehr, chief executive officer for the San Mateo County Event Center and Fair. “Justin has an impressive background in the diverse aspects of a county fair, from concessions to exhibits to execution of large-scale events. We are delighted to welcome him back to California where his county fair roots were established.”

As the fair operations manager, Aquino is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating the activities of the San Mateo County Fair. The fair is an annual Bay Area event that attracts more than 120,000 guests each year. “The county fair has a special camaraderie and family atmosphere,” Aquino said. “Memories are formed into traditions that create joyful reunions for employees, vendors, and guests. There is no better opportunity to celebrate the successes and talents from those living in our county than at the annual fair.”

Aquino comes to San Mateo from the Utah Valley Convention Center, where he spent the last three years as event manager with Spectra Venue Management. He also served as the center’s exhibitor services manager, show manager and catering and sales manager. Previously, Aquino worked for the Orange County Fair and Event Center as year-round event coordinator. The Southern California fair is a month-long event that attracts more than one million fair guests each year. His duties included commercial and concessions coordination.

“The fair industry is where my career began,” Aquino said. “Even in a management development program with my former employer I shared that I saw my future as a fair manager. The fair business is in my heart and soul; it is where I have the most passion.”

Aquino holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the IAVM’s Mentoring Committee. Aquino is a former board member of the Equestrian Center in Utah.

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Richard Andersen, CVE, is one of those individuals blessed to have worked in most sectors that the public assembly venue world offers. With a background immersed in arenas, stadiums, ballparks, fairgrounds, and more, it is safe to say that Andersen can separate what is unique between venue types and what elements cross over from one sector to the next.

When he serves as the keynote speaker for the Amphitheaters & Fairgrounds sector on Tuesday, July 24, from 9:15-10:15 am (ET) at VenueConnect in Toronto, he sees this presentation as one that can rally attendees from across the sector spectrum.

“Definitely,” said Andersen, a past IAVM chairman and current president and CEO of Seattle-based Seafair. “I come from that background (most recently with Alberta-based Northlands) and was fortunate to run a large fairgrounds in Canada. I certainly understand the trials and tribulations of running an amphitheater and running a fairground. Having said that, this session will be valuable for leaders from all types of venues.”

Andersen’s “When Team Does Have An I” will have a situational leadership focus, he said. Andersen said that this interactive session will explore how leaders can be adaptive to the current work climate we live in.

“There are typically a couple of trains of thought,” Andersen said. “One is that this is the way I am as a leader, so therefore all the people that like my style will be just fine. That works a little bit in some areas but typically employees are afraid to be vulnerable to really tell you the truth, especially when they have to adapt to a specific style that they may not be comfortable with. The situational leader is one that learns to look at any given situation and diagnose what the issue is.”

When Andersen speaks of diagnosing, he explains it by saying it is important to know what NEEDS to happen in order for a job project to have a successful outcome with a particular person doing a particular job. In his experience serving on the faculty of the Venue Management School at Oglebay and at the VMA School in Australia, Andersen said that a common refrain deals with leadership styles and the various aspects of it that leaders struggle with or in some cases have success with.

“Generally, it is around things that aren’t working for them as well as they want,” Andersen said. “The question became, is there a preferred style of leadership? I was asked to look at that. We will talk about four distinct styles of leadership that any leader can fit into. We will walk through each of those styles and show how easy they are for anyone, even someone inexperienced, to adapt these highly successful ways in their workplace to create an enhanced culture and better outcomes, reduce stress, and increase the joy meter. It is a simple applicable system that is tried-and-true. It is tested and has worked famously for all sorts of great leaders.”

As for successful outcomes on the job, Andersen cited an example whereby a leader might ask an employee talented at writing press releases to write one, but on a subject matter totally foreign to the writer.

“The point is there’s different strokes for different folks on different things,” Andersen said. “You are not just delegating everything because somebody is a good guy. You might say, I appreciate you have confidence in me but you are asking me to do something and I don’t know how to do it. I want to be good at it. If you don’t employ the right leadership style or technique to the given situation, it can create a lot of fear and consternation and then frustration for the employee. It requires a good analysis, good diagnosis of what the situation is and you being able to flexibly adapt the various leadership styles that might fit.”

Andersen said that he will address the four situational leadership styles of Directive, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating. “There is a clear and simple system for taking any given situation and applying it to the person and situation,” he said.

“We will have a fun and engaging time that is hands-on to get people involved,” Andersen said. “That is the way I like to facilitate. I will share some stories and some insights but this will be a highly engaging and fun, interactive session. When it is said and done, people should have a couple of tools they can put in their toolkit and take home and immediately find ways to enhance the outcomes they are trying to achieve from work.”

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Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (“HML”) took pride in the successful conclusion of Art Basel in Hong Kong, which was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (“HKCEC”) from March 27-31. The HML team welcomed 80,000 private collectors, representatives, curators, and trustees from more than 100 leading international museums and institutions, as well as art lovers from around the world.

Together with an additional 600 temporary supporting staff every day, the HML team of 950 professionals strived for enhancing the overall experience of Art Basel’s exhibitors and visitors. The fair’s success

Art Basel in Hong Kong 2018 closed with strong sales recorded across all levels of the market and was attended by 80,000 visitors.

The HML’s F&B team worked closely with the organiser to provide tailor-made menus and services for the attendees of the fair, offering a range of Asian and Western cuisines across 11 restaurants and eateries, five VIP lounges with extensive menus, and 31 private events and functions by individual exhibitors and the organiser.

Impressive figures illustrate the meticulous preparation. Over the five show days, the HML team served 11,684 glasses of wine, 11,557 cups of coffee among all kinds of beverages, and 63,190 food items including 11,200 charcuterie platters.

At the same time, a total of 20,025 items were handled by the HML team and helpers at coat check.

Closed on March 31 with strong sales recorded across all levels of the market, Art Basel’s sixth edition in Hong Kong featured 248 premier galleries from 32 countries and regions. It is now one of the leading art fairs worldwide. With numerous gallery openings and an expanded program of well-attended parallel events taking place throughout the city, the Art Basel week once again attracted international spotlight onto the HKCEC and Hong Kong’s vibrant art scene.

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The board of directors of San Diego Theatres, Inc (SDT) appointed Carol Wallace as Interim CEO of the organization which manages and operates San Diego Civic and Balboa Theatres.

“We are extremely excited to have Carol step in and serve to ensure that the San Diego Theatres continues to be successfully managed,” said San Diego Theatres Board Chair Jim Waring. “Her prior experience with our operation gives her an essential perspective that will allow her to hit the ground running as together we implement a strategic planning review of the organization that is focused on its mission of providing top tier leading performing arts for the region of San Diego and beyond.” The board anticipates beginning the search for a new CEO following the completion of the strategic planning process.

Wallace is the former president and CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation (Corporation) which oversaw the operations of San Diego Theatres, Inc. until 2014 when it became an independent 501 (C)(3) non-profit. Wallace retired from the Corporation in 2016. She is a past IAVM president (chair) and also served as the Association’s interim CEO prior to the hiring of Brad Mayne, CVE.

“I am thrilled to support and advance the important work of San Diego Theatres and help the board as they begin their strategic planning process,” Wallace said. “San Diego Theatres is a critical part of our rich arts community and I am pleased to provide my services during this time of transition.”

San Diego Theatres (SDT) is a 501© (3) non-profit arts organization that successfully operates the Civic and Balboa Theatres in downtown San Diego. With an annual budget of approximately $8.1M, it serves more than 415,000 patrons annually through arts and entertainment presentations. SDT‘s revenues come primarily from ticket sales, rental fees, ticketing, professional services fees, and donations.

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By Jennifer Norris

Hosting a Chapter Meeting is like throwing a party for your venue colleagues. It is fun and gratifying. It is a way to work quickly and effectively with a local team of venue management volunteers. Chapter meetings provide opportunities to develop your leadership and public speaking skills. You have a lot of sovereignty to make the meeting what you want and develop educational content that suits you.

Our recent Northern California meeting started with lunch and ended with Happy Hour and included venue tours. We also did a short business meeting. With three full educational sessions, we were already content rich, so we chose not to do a full town hall, but anything is possible. Some chapters meet 10 am – 3 pm, while others like ours meet noon – 6pm to allow people drive time.

IAVM HQ will support you along the way with information and resources. In working together to create the meeting, you will make a bunch of new venue management friends. You will be helping to expand and diversify the leadership of IAVM.

Secrets to Success
• Use the IAVM How to Host a Meeting as a resource
• Use IAVM HQ as a resource for:
o IAVM website to post meeting registration link, agenda, directions, etc.
o list of current members and non-members in your area
o registration services
o IAVM collateral to have at your meeting
• Create a committee of willing volunteers, and make it diverse in terms of sectors, gender, and make room for everyone who is able. Don’t go only to the tried and true volunteers or your friends, but widen the net and be inclusive. I found my volunteers by sending an email inquiry to the IAVM members in my area (got email addresses from HQ). At least eight people is optimal.
• Get buy-in, from potential attendees, numerous times in the process:
o Poll the members for volunteers
o Send a poll to members to select the best date (list dates the venue is available)
o Send a save the date as soon as date and location is selected
• Plan on 2.5 to 3 months from first phone meeting to event date. Meet by phone with your committee once every two weeks. Use this time to choose topics and set agenda. Review sponsor giving levels. Discuss panelists. Divvy up the work.
• Divide and conquer! Decide on responsibility for tasks, encourage committee members to use their colleagues to complete tasks so that we are mentoring volunteerism and reducing our own work loads. Make sure everyone has a task.
o Session Champions (1 or 2 people working on each session)
o Meal Team – gets quotes from caterers, choose menus, negotiates in-kind donations, handles linens, etc.
o Graphics Guru – creates visuals such as save the date, creates basic support slides and compiles PPT or Prezy presentations from presenters
o Sponsorship Team – (1 or 2 people) Creates the giving levels, send solicitations, tracks solicitation promises and fulfillment, communicates with region treasurer about invoicing sponsors and making sure payments are received and acknowledged
o Logistics – lay-outs agenda, room set-ups, run of show and event timelines

For a complete Chapter Meetings overview and how to get one started in your area, click here.

Jennifer Norris is assistant managing director of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center.

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When Dr. Richard Peddie, best-selling author and the first president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment in 1998, stands before the audience at VenueConnect in Toronto on Wednesday, July 25, to present his Executive Track keynote on “Creating a Winning Culture,” there will no doubt be those who do NOT attend because they believe their workplace already has such a sterling culture and environment in place. Perhaps, but that is exactly why such individuals should plan to be in the session from 10:45 – 11:30 am.

“Standing still is not an option,” said Dr. Peddie, whose plaudits also include building Air Canada Centre, BMO Field, Maple Leaf Square and bringing Major League Soccer to Canada with the launch of Toronto FC. “”The world is moving constantly. What wins stadium of the year or arena of the year one year within a couple of years could be way behind. It takes an attitude that you are always looking to improve.”

Dr. Peddie provided an example with the local MLS team. “We always challenged our F&B with the other teams where I was involved, but when we got a soccer franchise I challenged them to come up with a menu that is very international to reflect the fact that football — soccer — is the No. 1 sport in the world. They responded and came up with some pretty crazy ideas.”

The very nature of sports teams dictates that at the end of the year there will be one crowned champion and a number of “runner-ups” who fell short of the ultimate goal. Dr. Peddie noted that obviously every team wants to be a winner, and while it is not possible all the time on the pitch, field, or court, that does not mean that the other aspects or arenas of the venue should fall short of meeting customer expectations.

“Everything is pretty much a meritocracy, and no more so than in sports,” he said. “In most major sports you have 29 losers and one winner. There can be more winners on the business side, the arena side, the venue side. A winning organization wants to be a wining organization and one that attracts and retains people. If you have a good culture that pushes winning with values, you’re going to have more success. When we talk about the whole culture of winning, I am not talking about winning at all costs. There are too many examples of individuals who have done that in sports, but their values were horrible and eventually they are caught. I believe that having a value space in an organization creates a great culture and a great winning organization.”

Dr. Peddie said that much of his session will focus on vision and values, which he calls “the cornerstone of all my leadership pitches.”

“You have to have those in place,” he said. “They have to be the lens you evaluate everything through. For instance, one of our values at Maple Leaf Sports was to excite every fan. In our vision and values statements were 18 words, a far cry from most places that have about 200 words. I always told our full-time and part-time people to excite every fan. You did that through great food and beverage, great service, and really solid on-court or on-ice entertainment. Of course, you ideally did it with the team’s too, but our people were empowered to excite every fan. If that meant that if someone drops a hot dog and you see that happen, you replace the hot dog. It’s giving great service, making sure the place is clean and fresh.”

Dr. Peddie said that he is also a strong advocate of best practices. “Other people call it legitimate plagiarism,” he said with a laugh. “One of the benefits of going to a conference like this is if someone is really smart and has their antenna up, they are not talking a lot but asking a lot of questions.”

Using another example, Dr. Peddie said that when he was chosen to bring a basketball team to Toronto in 1993, he went and toured 20 of the 28 NBA arenas and took notes.

“There are things at Air Canada Centre that I picked up from other buildings,” he said. “I was recently at the new NBA arena in Detroit (Little Caesars Arena) and that place … I mean, if I was building an arena today I told Tom Wilson (president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment) that I would steal so many of your ideas! I had a 41-year career but not sure how many good ideas I had. I was smart enough to see other people’s good ideas and modify them a bit for my marketplace. I told him that they were Air Canada Centre on steroids!”

But even a sparkling new venue must guard against complacency to maintain a winning culture.

“There is always a chance that you get stagnant,” Dr. Peddie said, “and you start resting on your laurels. The world moves too quickly that you will be passed by. Once you lose that momentum there is something called the Sigmoid Curve. It is used in business and shows a curve that goes up and goes to the top. Once there, are you going to go over the top of the hill and start sliding down or are you going to use the top of that hill to spin off into another direction? That’s a challenge.

“We did a strategic plan with our own business and knew we could not stand still. Our owners wanted to see increases in enterprise value and we wanted to be an exception place to work and attract the best people. That’s what best practices can do for you.”

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This has to fall in the category of “They don’t make ’em like they used to.”

Phil Coyne, 99-years-young and an usher for Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games since 1936, decided it was time to hang up the ushering cleats, citing a recent fall and some balance issues. As if Mr. Coyne needed to cite a reason after his decades of longevity.

Coyne’s 82-year run as an usher for the Bucs began in 1936 at the old Forbes Field and continued through the team’s move to Three Rivers Stadium and finally PNC Park. Coyne was honored with a ceremony before a game against St. Louis on April 27 and has already indicated that he plans to be among friends and family at a game next year to celebrate his 100th birthday.

The team released a statement attributed to team president Frank Coonelly that read: “Legends never really retire. Having worked his first Pirates game at the age of 18 in 1936, Phil remains number one on our organizational seniority list and will always have a place on our team. If Phil has indeed worked his last Pirates game, he has served our fans with incredible grace and distinction and he certainly has earned the right to watch Pirates games with his feet up from the comfort of his easy chair. We very much look forward to April 27, when Phil and nearly 200 of his family and friends will be our guests as we celebrate Phil’s 100th birthday during a special pre-game ceremony.”

Well done, Mr. Coyne. Well done.

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Dasha Kelly gets the performing arts world. She totally understands what it takes for those venues to become “satellites for transformation” to become fresh, energetic, and, perhaps most important, relevant.

“For the past 20 years, I have existed in the performing arts world as an artist, producer, venue owner, convener, advocate, facilitator, and community liaison,” said Kelly, founder of her own non-profit that creates training experience for young teaching artists. “In all of these roles, I found the richest experiences at the intersections of intention and exploration. As an independent performer and founder of an arts non-profit, I understand the distances an organization can travel between mission and impact. As a creative change agent, l leverage the creative process to broker conversations, refresh perspective, and celebrate triumphs along the way.

Expect to be a part of those triumphs at Kelly presents at the Performing Arts track at VenueConnect in Toronto on July 24 from 9:15 – 10:15 am Eastern time.

Kelly is known for using her words and arts as tools for building inspiration and community. Her work has taken her throughout the United States, Canada, Botswana, Beirut, and Mauritius, a diverse mixture of peoples and culture if there ever was one. Words are her strength, as evidences by twice being named a finalist as Poet Laureate for the state of Wisconsin. That said, Kelly knows that words can only go so far and that action at some point is required. Just what action and takeaways does she have in mind for those attending her session?

“My goal will be to widen organizational and individual approaches to ‘possible,'” she said. “Specifically, I will offer core concepts for reframing scopes of influence to build partnerships, programs, and public impact.”

As Kelly prepares for VenueConnect, she has enjoyed some deeper learning experiences about the public assembly venue industry that will come in handy in Toronto.

“I’m reminded of the countless ‘unseen universes’ that pulse all around us,” Kelly said. “I was struck most by certifications for venue management and executives. It’s impressive to see executive leadership leading with accountability to continued education. I also find myself curious about how the various venue types may find ways to network and share knowledge.”

Kelly also understands the empowerment of women throughout all scopes of life and has been honored as such in being selected with Michelle Obama, Justice Sonia Sotomayer, Kathleen Turner, Chief Theresa Kachandamoto, and 15 other women from around the world to have award-winning composers create each of the women a song with lyrics from their of our life. The music debuted at the Washington Gallery of Art and San Jose Hammer Theater.

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To get your customers to show up at your arena and open their wallets, there is first the little matter of getting them to invest with their time. It’s a jungle out there, and one that marketing, branding, and creativity expert Ron Tite knows too well.

Tite, found and CEO of Church & State, a content marketing agency based in Toronto, will speak on the topic of “How to Thrive in the Expression Economy” during the Arena Track at VenueConnect on Tuesday, July 24, from 10:45-11:30 am.

Tite’s work includes an impressive list of clients including Air France, Evian, Hershey, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Intel, Microsoft, and Volvo. Addressing a variety of topics surrounding branding, corporate strategy, creativity, content, and social media, Tite’s presentations are not only information-packed, they’re also infused with his unique humour–guaranteed to have you laughing while you learn. It is that expertise that should connect Tite quite well to his VenueConnect audience.

“I spent 15 years as a touring comedian and producer,” Tite said. “Now I do 70 speeches a year all over the world so I’ve seen more venues in more towns than even I would care to admit. You know those horrible green rooms we’ve all heard about? Yup. I’ve been in all of them. I know what performers want and need for a successful show. More importantly, I’ve helped global brands create a face to face experience that creates a show worth seeing. At the end of the day, we all want (and need) to be heard. Just because we say it, doesn’t mean they’ll hear it. I’ve helped the world’s most respected brands and people win the battle for time.”

Tite went on to identify some concrete challenges that exist.

“Low production costs, easy distribution, and suddenly, everyone’s a creator,” he said. “Consumers can now fill their day with content dedicated to their hobbies, passions, and the things that interest them most. For business, that’s a problem. Consumers used to vote with their wallets. Now, they vote with their time. And you know who’s winning the battle for time? Other consumers. Right now, your customers are more creative than you are. They’re more innovative than you are. They’re more authentic than you are. Often, they’re even more helpful than you are.

“In the battle for time, your competition isn’t the category leader–it’s the consumers. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling a product, pitching a new idea, or trying to get a raise, your biggest challenge is getting a customer to willingly give you the time to do it.”

Before an edge of despair sets in, Tite said that attendees at his session will instead return home more energized and action-ready than before.

“You’ll be inspired. You’ll be informed. You’ll be entertained,” he said. “More than that, though, you’ll understand why things have changed, not just that they have. I think that’s important. There are too many thought leaders screaming, ‘You have to be more creative! You have to be more innovative,’ without providing a perspective on why.”

Tite does his own personal education survey about the public assembly venue industry and sees where he can make a difference with his personal toolbox of skills.

“Usually, I want to know what industry morale is like,” he said. “I think that’s a pretty good indicator of how business is. I like to immerse myself – but as an outsider. The strength of bringing someone from outside the industry is that you get a completely fresh perspective. So it’s doing enough research to be informed but not enough that you lose the outsider’s view.”

Expect to also have some belly laughs at the session and enjoy the elixir that comes from Tite’s comedy background.

“I was trained at Toronto’s legendary Second City,” he said about his career, which also includes producing and hosting a show called “Monkey Toast” for five years. “After performing a one-man play, I was caught in a hotel fire and had to be pulled from a 5th floor window. The next day, the headline in the paper read, “Fire no laughing matter for comedian.”

brooke porter

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Yesterday was a difficult and sad day at IAVM with word received of the passing of two of the greatest men to serve in the history of the public assembly venue industry and within the Association in Ray Ward, CVE, and William “Bill” Cunningham, CVE.

Ray Ward passed away on May 2 while Bill Cunningham passed on May 8. Ward served as an assistant to Cunningham and eventually followed Cunningham in guiding the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Cunningham served as president of IAAM (as both were known at the time) in 1973-74 while Ward held the reins in 1988-89. They were both in their positions in Oakland at the time they served as the top volunteer leaders in the Association.

Both share a massive list of accomplishments within the industry. For brevity at this time, Ward’s legacy will carry on after the establishment of the Ray Ward Award bestowed annually at his beloved Venue Management School at Oglebay Park. The award recognizes an individual associated with VMS whose dedicated service and extraordinary contributions over a period of at least six years have resulted in significant and long lasting improvements to the overall success and quality of the school. The award was created and initially presented to Ward in August 1996. Those who have earned the award over the years cite Ward in their remarks for his contributions to the school and the industry.

Cunningham began his industry career in 1957 as an assistant director at the Philadelphia Trade & Convention Center before moving to Oakland in 1964 to help open the Coliseum. He was among the first 27 recipients to receive the newly created Certified Facilities Executive (now Certified Venue Executive) designation in 1976. In an article that appeared in Facility Manager magazine, Cunningham cited as his most tangible accomplishment during his term as president the publication of the Industry Profile Survey, a compilation of the most comprehensive statistical analysis ever published in the public assembly field.

Those who knew the icons best expressed their sadness upon hearing the news.

“Bill was simply a mentor beyond mentors while Ray was another dear, dear friend,” said Cliff Wallace, CVE, who served as Association president in 1984-85. “Goodness, a tough day.”

Mike Kobluk, Association president in 1990-91, said upon receiving the news about Cunningham that, “Bill was a fine gentleman, an ultimate professional with a wonderful sense of humor. In many ways I considered him to be a major part of the backbone of our industry, one who was always willing to share his thoughts, ideas, and procedures, and was always there when you needed answers or just a smile and a word of encouragement. Though I haven’t been in contact with Bill since my retirement from the industry some years ago, I will always have fond memories of my times with Bill.”

While I did not personally know Cunningham, I certainly knew of him from what his friends shared throughout the years about a man almost bigger than life. In this profession, it is safe to say that he was larger than life.

Ray Ward will always be memorable to me for not just occasionally calling to the office to tell me that I was doing a good job with the magazine, but for his presence at VenueConnect in the later years of his life when he used a cane to walk around. While many utilize the benefit of networking at the annual conference, Ward would do that, but he was also always a constant presence on the front row of education sessions, a man who by example proved you are never to old to want to learn.

With the news of the passing of Ray Ward and Bill Cunningham fresh, we will update with information about services, memorials, and donations as they become available in the next few days, along with additional comments from industry colleagues and friends.

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The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by AEG Facilities, announced the appointment of Nancy Walker as the new vice president of sales and marketing.

Nancy joins the LACC with more than 20 years experience in the events and trade show industry, most recently as the director of sales, North America at Reed Travel Exhibitions. Prior to her work as director of sales, Walker was the vice president and associate publisher at Tradeshow Week Magazine.

“Nancy will be a great addition to the outstanding LACC sales and marketing team,” said Ellen Schwartz, assistant general manager at the LACC. “Her expertise and fresh perspective will strengthen our Sales and Marketing Department and the facility as a whole.”

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William Arthur “Bud” Cunningham, of Manteca, California, born on June 29, 1928 in Newark, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at age 89 on May 8, 2018.

William is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Theresa Cunningham. Mary and Bud moved to Manteca in 2001 – after 37 years in San Leandro. Their life together was filled with adventure, excitement, love, and laughter.

He is also survived by his five children: son, Bill Cunningham (Joanne); daughters, Mary Anderson (Dennis), Kathy Pietrunti (John), Nancy Calderon (Phillip), and Theresa Stevens (James); seven grandchildren: Colleen Anderson Guidi (Scott), Michael Anderson, Stephen Pietrunti (Maria), Megan Pietrunti, Lindsey Calderon, Nicole Stevens, and Andrew Stevens; and two great-grandchildren: Ryan Guidi and Mia Guidi.

William is a graduate of Panzer College, East Orange, N.J., and completed graduate business studies at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

He was in the Facility Management industry for most of his career. He served at the Philadelphia Trade and Convention Center as an Assistant Director from 1957-1964; at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex as General Manager until 1980; and Coliseum Consultants as the President until retiring in 1995. He was elected President of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) from 1973-1974, then received the Charles A. McElravy award in 1978, the industry’s highest honor, for his contributions to the organization and profession. His career coincided with multiple championships for his beloved Oakland Athletics, Oakland Raiders, and the Golden State Warriors.

“Bill Cunningham will always be remembered for his passion for the profession of public assembly venue management, his consistent willingness to mentor anyone new to the field who expressed an interest, and of course, his terrific sense of humor,” said Bob Mayer, CVE, a long-time friend and also a fellow past IAVM president. “He helped and mentored me in many ways during my years on the Board with some special guidance, direction, and advice. His love of the Association was sincere and a part of his fabric. He will be missed.”

Friends and family can pay their respects at the memorial service on Friday, May 18 from 11:00 to 12:00 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 6404 Washington Street, Yountville, California, 94599. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to charity in his memory.

For an article that speaks greatly to his work in the public assembly venue profession, click here.

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February 7, 2019 would have marked the 60th wedding anniversary of Ray and Rose Mary Ward. The milestone was not lost on Rose Mary, who had many memories to share during a phone interview about her beloved husband, Ray, who passed away on May 2. It is too easy to toss around words like legend, icon, and giant, but Ray Ward was truly all of those and so much more to an industry he loved and to hundreds of people he groomed and mentored to likewise excel in the profession of public assembly venue management. In her own words, Rose Mary reveals so much about her husband in his prime as well as some poignant reflections as he was moved to a memory care facility in June 2017 to gallantly fight Alzheimer’s and congestive heart failure.

On Ray’s impact on people:

He didn’t talk much about mentoring. He would tell me about these special people and their qualities and how he admired them, but he didn’t talk about how he helped anybody. I knew he did, though, because I would run into people at a conference or something and there would always be a group of people in a room that came up to him and I just sat back and kind of watched. He loved the IAVM. He truly, truly loved it. He loved seeing it grow from when he went in and how much it had changed. It was amazing.

Everyone gravitated toward Ray. Even our sons’ friends would call him in the middle of the night, not their own father. Jonathan is our oldest, and then Stephen is the middle, and Daniel is the youngest. They all relied on their dad.

On Ray as a lifelong learner:

He was always reading and always learning. He remembered everything. He was always educating himself. There is always something you can learn. One of his sayings was that when your mouth is moving, you’re not learning anything. That was aimed at me!

On the passing of Ray’s close friend Bill Cunningham, who deceased on May 8 and was responsible for hiring Ward at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum:

Bill was the one that hired Ray when the Coliseum was just a hole in the ground. Those two were very close and had the same values with family so important. Bill had done a number of things so that Ray could coach the boys’ teams and stuff where he would come home to coach the team and then go back to work the Coliseum at night. He passed away just a week after Ray. Both of them always talked about the Coliseum and the different people in there.

On the disease that took over her husband:

Ray had Alzheimer’s and congestive heart failure. With Ray it was like with my mother. You lose a little by little. The man that died was not Ray. It was, but it wasn’t. He would hate what had haopened to him. It was like a relief. He wasn’t suffering any more. I have that I can look at and smile and say, you’re happy now. You’re not suffering. I do have the boys, my three boys, and they’re just wonderful.

It’s like a part of you. Every day you seem them going a little bit more. The disease took over his brain. You know, though, he remembered so many things about the Coliseum. How many years ago was that? He could remember all that. I was sharing with Brad (Mayne, IAVM president and CEO) how in the home Ray wasn’t about to do any of their little arts and crafts or little exercise groups.

I got him a big tablet and pen and pencil. He would watch and make lots of notes. He got so he wrote so little and tiny that you could barely read it. He would say, I’m telling you people you’re very inefficient at what you do. He was making all kinds of notes of how this place could be a real money make. Then the other thing he would do … they would call me in the middle of the night and I told them to quit doing that, but they would call me. He knew how to set off all their alarms. He would watch them setting things and stuff and then he would hide in a little alcove and watch them run down and turn them off and after walking back they’d see him and they’re laughing.

I said, I’m sorry. I started laughing, but you have to see the humor in this. I told them he is absolutely bored. You have to find jobs. He likes solving problems and he he likes working. He doesn’t know recreation and how to deal with that. He was the only one they called Mr. Ward or sir. Everybody else was by their first name. They knew he was not used to taking orders. He was used to giving orders. They would always ask him what do you think we should do today, or how should we handle this? They might make a suggestion and he might follow their suggestion. They did not tell him what to do.

I said, this is the real Ray Ward. At the end hospice came down. The nurse from the memory care had called them. He would go on plateaus but all of a sudden he just took a nosedive. I talked to the hospice doctor and he said that 99% of the time I can’t say absolutely for sure, but when it happens this quickly then it is that they usually have had a stroke. In a matter of about three weeks he went from me going in and I would get one of their soft ballsand would throw it to him. My son was there one time and he said, boy, he remembers exactly how to catch that ball and how you bat it back. He did not miss. He went from being like that to I would take a spoonful of something and put it in his mouth and asked if he could eat it. He would just keep his mouth open. He just stared and couldn’t even eat.

I got a phone call at 6 in the morning. They said they found him and he had died. I said I would be there as soon as I can. I took care of a few things and made a couple of phone calls. I went down there and went straight to him. I didn’t see anybody else. I looked at him and he was so peaceful looking. His face was always kind of scrunched up and he had a lot of pain from the heart disease. There was like a little smile. His mouth was open but it sort of turned up. I went down to the nurse and she said his hands were crossed across his chest. He looked to her like he was smiling. They closed his mouth and said his whole face was so relaxed and so peaceful. She said he just went in his sleep like that. That’s how I want to go.

On plans to honor her husband:

When my younger sister passed away, we had at my niece’s a little family get-together, memorial. That was about four years ago. On the way home, Ray said, That’s what I want. I don’t want any big-to-do thing. I just want the family or those real close. Just do it at the home. I am going to respect his wishes and that’s what I’m doing. It’s going to be in June. Just kind of a family thing. We are going to do an Irish wake and tell stories about dad, and uncle Ray. He was very important in the family, like the Godfather. It will be a happy time.
We were 20 years in Granite Bay, just outside of Sacramento. I just moved further up the mountain here. I checked with the boys and two of them said he told him the same thing. It was his wish.

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During my years as education director at IAAM, I worked continuously with Ray on many projects. We warmed up to one another, he in a mentor role to me. Am I the only person Ray mentored? I worked briefly with Bill Cunningham in the mid-90s when IAAM was collecting its history for its 75th anniversary. At lunch in Austin, Texas after visiting the IAAM archives at the University of Texas, Bill told the story of his decision to hire Ray at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as his assistant. I believe Ray had recently finished a master’s degree at the University of California-Santa Barbara and included in his job application a reference from some sports-related agency he had interned with. Bill called the reference and received a glowing recommendation except that Ray sometimes seemed to be too much of a perfectionist. With that warning, Bill said he knew Ray was the right man and hired him. So these two perfectionistic, Type A personalities, by all accounts were masterful as facility managers and as longtime leaders of IAVM.

Editor’s Note: Don Hancock will share more about these industry legends in the July/August issue of Facility Manager magazine. We invite anyone who has a memory of Ray Ward and/or Bill Cunningham to please email your brief comments to R.V. Baugus at rv.baugus@iavm.org to be part of the tribute package that we will be paying to honor these men.

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The July/August VenueConnect issue of Facility Manager magazine will include a special section to honor the memories of several industry members who have passed away in recent months, including Ray Ward and Bill Cunningham, two former IAVM presidents who had a huge impact on so many in the profession.

Only you know how either of these industry giants moved along your career or just said something that has remained with you to this day. We would love to capture those thoughts or any brief stories you have to share about Ray, Bill, or both.

Please submit by email those tribute memories to Facility Manager Senior Editor R.V. Baugus by June 8 at rv.baugus@iavm.org. If you have a photo you would like to include with your comments, we welcome and encourage those as well.

Help us honor and remember these true industry legends and the role they played in shaping the Association and the profession.

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Shellie Van Druten has joined IAVM as Customer Solutions Manager, where her primary focus will be on tradeshow, sponsorship, hosted buyer fulfillment, and renewals. She brings more than 15 years of experience and expertise from the trade show and association industry.

“Shellie’s extensive knowledge of delivering ROI and enhancing customer experiences will be a true asset to our entire team and membership,” said Christy Jacobs, MBA, Director of Sales.

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Venue Management Association (Asia and Pacific) Limited, held its Asia – Pacific Venue Industry Congress from May 20-23, in Auckland, New Zealand, where the association dispensed a number of awards and recognition to industry professionals.

In addition to the awards, the VMA recognized 13 individuals who attained their Accredited Venue Manager (AVM) designation, a mark that recognizes venue industry practitioners with extensive industry experience skills and qualifications.

Also, IAVM’s Certified Venue Executive (CVE) designation was bestowed upon 21 individuals who now hold the internationally prestigious rank.

Other awards:

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sally Arch, General Manager
Adelaide Entertainment Centre & Coopers Stadium at Adelaide Venue Management Corporation

2018 Venue Professional of the Year
Darren Burden, Chief Executive
Vbase

2018 Allied Professional of the Year
Jim Fidler, Director
Secure Events and Assets

2018 Young Achiever of the Year
Nicola Drummy, Event Project Manager
Melbourne & Olympic Parks

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The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) announced the hiring of Joyce Leveston as general manager. She will begin on July 16.

In her new role, Leveston will be responsible for overseeing the MCCA’s overall business operations teams and contract partners with a major focus on leadership, management and direction to further enhance the customer’s experience at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Hynes Convention Center, and Lawn On D.

She currently serves as director of convention services at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. where she leads a team of 14 and manages all aspects of convention services, event and facility operations, and coordination between the facility and its contract partners. Leveston has managed many signature events such as the Presidential Inaugural Balls, the Nuclear Security Summit for President Barack Obama, the Republican National Convention, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference, and the AIPAC Policy Conference.

“It is a privilege and an honor to be welcomed into the MCCA family. I look forward to supporting the vision and growth of such well respected professionals in the industry,” Leveston said. “It is my intention to build on Boston’s outstanding industry reputation for customer service excellence as we welcome and host visitors from around the world to the MCCA’s award winning venues.”

Leveston brings a wealth of industry knowledge to her new role. She has prior experience in key leadership roles in several Tier 1 convention markets including the San Diego Convention Center, the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX, and the Miami Beach Convention Center. At each stop she took on additional responsibilities and earned the confidence of her peers within the organization while raising her professional profile through membership in multiple professional organizations. Leveston is a regular participant in industry task forces and has been a presenter at events both domestic and international.

“Boston is a premier global destination for meetings, conventions and events, and we are excited to welcome Joyce to our already strong leadership team,” said David Gibbons, executive director of the MCCA. “Joyce has the talent, knowledge, expertise, and experience to lead the team, take on new responsibilities, and create an environment that delivers service excellence to every customer.”

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VenuesNow revealed the names of their 2018 Women of Influence honorees, and it is noteworthy for among many reasons including the fact that four of the recipients are distinguished IAVM members.

In a voting from peers, the five join 42 previous winners who have had a positive impact on the public assembly venue industry. The awards will be made official at a reception at VenueConnect on July 24.

Jeanie Buss, one of the most powerful women in professional sports who serves as owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and counts on her resume managing The Forum in Inglewood, the previous home of the Lakers, was on a Women in Leadership panel last year in Nashville and this year is among the honorees.

Lynda Reinhart has long been associated with the University of Florida and is one of the most noteworthy names in university management as she leads the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at the Gainesville university.

Ingram serves as vice president of sales for EventBooking and counts a number of associations and corporations among her clients. It is that range and scope of work that has helped shape Ingram’s successful career.

Lischick is a well-known industry veteran and serves as general manager of the Broadmoor World Arena and Pike Peak Performing Arts Center in Colorado springs. She has been involved with the facility since its design inception and a familiar face in the local community.

DiBenedetto works as director of touring for AEG Presents in New York and is known for being very instrumental in the touring success of some of the most well-known musical artists including the likes of Carrie Underwood and Justin Bieber.

IAVM extends a hearty congratulations to all of the deserving and distinguished honorees and looks forward to helping share in the celebration of their accomplishments at VenueConnect in Toronto.

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