Today’s public assembly facility owners and managers need to have confidence in their operations and engineering staff that the facility is being run and maintained properly.
After the compensation and benefits line item of the annual operating budget, facility operations and engineering dominate the annual expenditures budget.
Where do these very important facility professionals get their training, where is their networking, how do they stay abreast of the changing dynamics in their industry, how do they get better?
This has been a very real question in our industry for a long time and something that has been personally frustrating for me.
Fortunately, my relationship with Linda Deckard has given me the opportunity to address some of the most basic operations and engineering issues in my monthly column. Reaction from readers has been very positive with several of the subjects that I have written about coming from reader suggestions.
That is why in this column I am pleased and proud to announce the first Venues Today/Venue Solutions Group-produced Venue Operations Summit.
Finally something truly dedicated to venue operations and engineering professionals! No Marketing, No Sales, No CRM, No Brand Activation, No Crowd Management, No Security, just real information on how Operations and Engineering makes every one of these areas work.
INAUGURAL Venue Operations Summit, Nashville, April 12-14, 2015
The Venue Operations Summit will be a no frills, hands in the meatloaf, working effort to provide actionable information to the attendees that they can use, in many cases, immediately when they return to their facilities.
This will not be golf, followed by a party or reception. We will deliver solid operations and engineering information in presentations, round tables and discussions, by us for us.
We will respect the value of these venue professionals’ time from the moment they arrive until they depart with a program designed to maximize their value in participating.
A sample of topics include:
• Planning and opening new and renovated
facilities
• OSHA/Safety
• Telescopic seating
• Access Control
• How to get along with Broadcast Partners
• How to get along with Marketing
• Managing 3rd-party services
• Negotiations for successful outcomes
• Women in Venue Operations and
Engineering
• Building Automated Systems
• Computerized Management Maintenance
Systems
• Operations and Engineering Analytics
• Capital Expense Planning
• Roofs
• Budget preparation and presentation
• How to prepare operations and
engineering professionals to be leaders
In addition to the resources of Venues Today and Venue Solutions Group, we have created a Venue Operations Summit Operations and Engineering Advisory Board made up of recognized industry leaders to ensure that our conference and program will be relevant.
Board members include: Jim Spenser, VP Operations, American Airlines Arena, Miami Heat; Brian Opacic, director of Operations, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Steelers; Derek Hillestad, director of Operations, TCF Bank Stadium, The University of Minnesota; and Joey Dennis, General Manager, Gwinnett Center, Duluth, Ga.
The Bottom line: Our commitment is to put on a Venue Operations and Engineering Summit with a program that includes actionable information, creating value for your facility practically and the participants professionally both now and in the future.
Our commitment is to respect and minimize your time away from your facility and be as efficient and cost effective as possible.
Your commitment, if you choose to attend, is to bring your very best, energy, enthusiasm and attitude. Be prepared to participate and raise the level of information sharing, networking and value for everyone attending. Registration begins in January. If you have input regarding programming or are interested in more information or in sponsoring the Venue Operations Summit, contact me at (816) 352-6494, russ.simons@venuesolutionsgroup.com or Linda Deckard at Venues Today.
Russ Simons is...
managing partner, Venue Solutions Group, and has been in this industry for more than three decades, working in arenas, stadiums, design, construction, safety and security. Send questions about any aspect of venue operation to askruss@venuestoday.com or mail questions to Venues Today, P.O. Box 2540, Huntington Beach, CA 92647.