When you think about starting something, you are excited by the opportunity. I think there is something in our brains in those initial idea moments that will not allow us to consider anything but the possibilities of success. This is what went on in my mind when I began considering creating a dedicated educational conference focused solely on public assembly facility operations and engineering professionals.
After the initial enthusiasm and excitement is over, the real work begins. No one person can think of all the things that need to be considered, let alone executed in order to have a successful conference. Fortunately for me, several people like Linda Deckard, Samantha Le, Rob Ocampo, Rich DiGiacomo and the team at Venues Today, along with my business partners Tom Williams and Mike Wooley (who are always wondering what I am going to come up with next), shared my vision, dug in and are responsible for the success the Venue Operations Summit has enjoyed thus far.
This year’s summit, the third annual, will once again be focused on delivering quality information that public assembly facility operations and engineering professionals need to know. My goal for this conference is to deliver quality information in a manner in which the attendees can use this information as soon as they return to their facilities.
The intangible part of the conference is the opportunity to spend quality time with some fantastic leaders from all facility types. When you are in a room or having a conversation at breakfast or lunch with people like Charlie Leone, Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.; Jim Spencer, American Airlines Arena, Miami; Jim Greer, Tennessee Performing Arts Center Nashville, Tenn.; Derek Hillestad, University of Minnesota, Minn.; Joey Dennis, Infinite Energy Center, Duluth, Ga.; Molly Fortune, Newberry (S.C.) Opera House; Greg Poole, Smart Financial Center, Sugar Land, Texas; Josh Robinson, former director of engineering, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, and many more. You cannot help but create the connections that lead to solutions both now and in the future.
When you get the opportunity to hear from true industry professionals like Dave Loverock at Jet Ice, who I believe knows more about ice than practically anyone, Mike Rogers from SSR, who has likely lost track of the number of facilities that he and his firm have designed MEP for, and Ken Burgess from Hussey Seating, who will get to the gritty reality on how to maintain telescopic platforms, the results can make a real difference in how you do your job.
In our first two conferences, I made a conscious choice to stay away from security. I felt there were already several security related opportunities from organizations like the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAVM), the National Center for Sport Spectator Safety & Security (NCS4) and the Stadium Managers Association (SMA). I had a conversation with several operations managers during last year’s summit, and they reminded me that there are a large number of industry facilities where security falls under the director of operations and personnel in those departments do not necessarily get to attend the other security conferences. With that in mind, we have included two security related sessions that will help to address the needs that many facilities’ operators are facing today. The first is a presentation on security screening led by Mark Kranske, SVP of operations for Landmark Event Services, and Joe Vazquez, national security sales manager at Garrett Metal Detectors. The second is a presentation by Doug DeLancey from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for bombing prevention. Doug will discuss DHS’s efforts to develop the second capability guideline for public assembly venues and the activities necessary to identify, prevent and respond to bomb threats and related incidents.
We have two spectacular keynotes presented by people who have had real success in our industry. The first is Alex Diaz. Alex’s career goes from crowd manager to the GM of Madison Square Garden, with stops at the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets. I am genuinely excited to hear what Alex has to say. The other keynote is by longtime industry leader and now educator, Sporty Jeralds, from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Sporty is, in my opinion, someone that reflects all that we aspire to be, working his way through the industry to become the GM of the Charlotte (N.C.) Coliseum.
I encourage you to join us. We will all be better for it.
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.