It is the time of year to look at what public assembly facility operations and engineering experts can expect in 2017.
As in the past, I have reached out to industry professionals to make sure I am getting an accurate read on what is happening in our business.
KEVIN KAHN, VP/CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER, BALLPARK OPERATIONS
“One of the biggest issues for at least baseball facilities is that the “newer” ballparks aren’t so new anymore. Ballparks like ours built in the 90’s are needing major capital replacements as well as updating (i.e., club levels, suites, concession stands),” Kahn said.
“I’ve seen teams in conflict with their Stadium Authorities/Districts (Baltimore, Arizona, Pittsburgh) as to who should pay and issues with funding sources. Teams are looking to develop areas in the ballpark neighborhoods to help drive revenue to cover these costs as well as general operating costs.”
Amy Smith, Director of Production and Adina Alford Erwin, Vice President & COO, The “Fabulous” Fox Theater, Atlanta.
Amy indicated that Broadway shows have made some changes in increasing safety regulations for touring productions, requiring their touring crew to have hard hats and harnesses on at all times.
Another trend that is continuing at the Fox is one where many entertainers are now requesting that a building to be green with recycling and a commitment to sustainability. This has grown from a rare occurrence to a more regular part of the conversation.
Adina mentioned that more and more performing arts venues are implementing enhanced security screening for all events.
“We purchased magnetometers and began using them for every event last summer,” Alford said.
“I think this trend is born out of the aftermath of the Bataclan Theater Massacre and the changing nature of attacks and targets. Theaters like ours now know that this is not just an issue for arenas and stadiums. All public assembly facilities are potentially vulnerable, particularly with the uptick in lone wolf attacks which, as we have seen, can happen anywhere at any time. PACs are realizing that we must enhance our security measures to ensure the safety of our guests, the event production and staff.”
DEREK HILLESTAD, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, TCF BANK STADIUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Derek suggests that how we weave the Millennials into our workforce is a hot topic for 2017 and beyond. Their motivations are dramatically different from previous generations, and we need to be prepared to meet our responsibilities to create a culture of inclusion across all spectrums for both staff and guests.
FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT
Kevin’s comments led me to think about the role that a Facility Condition Assessment plays in this process. For that, I went to VSG’s Mike Wooley, who leads this effort for the company.
A public assembly facility is usually among the largest investment that a community makes.
A facility condition assessment benchmarks the current condition of a facility and its major systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structure, roofs, food service, operating- and event-based technology, and architectural condition. This process examines the original design criteria, the background of investments in preventive maintenance, repair and replacement and calculates the remaining usable life of the system. This process also looks at energy usage and controls to determine the return on investment for any recommended improvement.
This information, presented in the form of a capital expense matrix, will then set the expectation for the capital dollars necessary to keep the facility and equipment operating as well as predict when major repair and replacement will be necessary, Wooley noted.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The type and nature of the challenges that operations and engineering professionals face in many areas during 2017 will change and perhaps change rapidly. However, there are just as many areas that will still require stable operating policies and procedures in order to keep public assembly facilities humming.