AusLeisure

Recently returned from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)'s annual VenueConnect congress, Venue Management Association (VMA) Chief Executive Steve Romer has flagged the benefits of the event and the long term relationship between the two bodies.

Held in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, VenueConnect is the largest conference for venue professionals in the world.

It rotates through North America and having been in ‘Music City, U.S.A.’, will be heading to Canada in 2018 (for the first time in 10 years).

Associated with the conference is the largest global exhibition of goods and services for the venue industry – featuring seating manufacturers, turf consultants, venue designers, security, cleaning and other exhibitors.

Explaining the links between the IAVM and VMA, Romer advised “the IAVM is the leading global association for venue managers and it has been around for a little over 90 years ... their HQ is based in Dallas, Texas, USA.

“The VMA has been around for 30 years and right from the outset when we formed our association, we modelled it on the IAVM. We’ve had a close relationship with them and signed an affiliation agreement in 2007 that still exists today.

“We have a place on the IAVM board and contribute to the strategic direction of the association.

“The VMA represents around 15% of the overall IAVM membership.

“The sort of thing that both associations do really well is that we both believe in and seek to provide professional development and the credibility of professional venue managers.

“And of course, raising the profile of our Allied members who provide goods and services to the industry.

“Feedback from our members is that they love to be able to network and to be educated and professionally recognised, so these are the areas we jointly cooperate on.”

The VMA has also modelled its annual Venue Management School (VMS) on the IAVM’s School of the same name, held each year at Oglebay in West Virginia.

Advising that the VMA is sensitive to cultural differences between the respective Schools, Romer comments “we are servicing people from the same sectors - stadiums and arenas, conference and exhibition centres, performing arts centres, race tracks and showgrounds - (and we have) a wonderful exchange program with the Venue Management School, where we send an instructor to the VMS in the USA each year, and they send an instructor to our School each November.

“VMA members automatically become IAVM members and gain access to all the benefits including voting rights, educational opportunities, professional development opportunities, venue awards and excellence programs, access to VenueNet forum and a copy of the Facility Manager magazine six times a year.

“IAVM also invest a significant amount into research in areas like the average capital investment into venues, average food and beverage per capita results, merchandise, salaries from general manager to supervisors (and the like).

“All members have access to that research and can also participate in it.”

For many years the VMA Chairman, VMA Chief Executive and VMA members have participated in presentations at VenueConnect while a small handful of VMA members have also that attended.

Explaining the value of this, Romer added “one of IAVM’s big focuses has been on investing in future leaders and young people and a few years ago they started a program called ‘30 under 30’.

“That is where they provide 30 free registrations and additional funds to contribute towards airfares to the conference for 30 people that are (aged) 30 and under.

“The program has matured over the last few years, where there are specific sessions for that group to interact with ‘venue veterans’ as they call us.

“This year there would’ve been 150 tables of 10 with one or two venue ‘veterans’ at each table and we would rotate around the room, a bit like a speed dating model.

“It was a really enjoyable experience for myself and other senior leaders. They asked all sorts of questions (such as) how did you get started in the industry?, what are you looking for in a resume when you’re interviewing people?, how do I become noticed?, what sort of things have you done in your past to be able to get to where you are now?

“We also participated in panels as well ... VMA Chair Steve Harper along with VMA member Guy Hedderwick participated in a panel entitled ‘The Sporting Scene Down Under’.

“They were able to give North American delegates an insight into how we manage arenas and stadiums and a look at one of our biggest sporting events, the Australian Open.”

Romer sees that in the last 10 years, IAVM has made a great effort to service the four sectors of the venue industry.

He adds “they used to hold four annual conferences related to those sectors, however, 12 months ago they made a strategic decision to consolidate those conferences back into one which now includes streams for those sectors as part of the daily conference program.

“As a result, attendance has gone up by 44% and they’ve had incredible delegate feedback.”

Commenting on how the VMA benefits from the affiliation with the IAVM, Romer concludes “the (geographical) scope that we’ve been assigned under the IAVM / VMA Affiliation Agreement covers the Asia Pacific.

“We have responsibility for attracting members from China through to India and everywhere in between. It’s a very wide territory.

“(As an example), IAVM Chief Executive Brad Mayne and I sat down with a group of Taiwanese members to discuss educational opportunities for the future, (as) there is huge potential for growth right across Asia.

“Our first VMS in Shanghai, China is happening this November and we have only one seat left.”

VenueConnect 2018 will be held in the Canadian city of Toronto from 21st to 23rd July. Click here for details of VenueConnect 2018 in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Main image (from left): IAVM Chief Executive Brad Mayne, VMA Chair Steve Harper, VMA member Guy Hedderwick and VMA Chief Executive Steve Romer at VenueConnect 2017 (top). Lower image shows VenueConnect highlights.

31st July 2017 - REGISTRATIONS ROLL IN FOR 2017 VENUE MANAGEMENT SCHOOL AND GRADUATE INSTITUTE

24th May 2017 - VENUES ASSESS SECURITY IN WAKE OF MANCHESTER ARENA TERRORIST ATTROCITY

23rd May 2017 - STEVE HARPER TAKES ON VMA LEADERSHIP ROLE

23rd May 2017 - VENUE INDUSTRY REACTS TO MANCHESTER ARENA TERROR ATTACK

11th April 2017 - VENUE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION LOOKS TO BIGGEST EVER CONGRESS 

9th March 2017 - UNIQUE INDUSTRY STUDY TOUR TO GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT LEADING US VENUES 

3rd September 2013 - CRAIG LOVETT’S CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS RECOGNISED WITH IAVM CHAIRMAN’S CITATION

13th June 2013 - AUSTRALASIAN VENUE MANAGERS EXCEL AT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

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