Overview and Purpose

The Venue Excellence Award recognizes five IAVM venues of any type within the membership which demonstrate excellence in the management and operation of public assembly venues. This includes but is not limited to amphitheaters, arenas, auditoriums, casinos, complexes, convention centers, exhibit halls, fair/festival grounds, performing arts centers, race tracks, stadiums & university venues. IAVM takes pride in its members and member venues that excel in providing their communities with a safe and enjoyable space for all types of events and educational opportunities.

Application Requirements

Word Document:

Successful applications will succinctly illustrate specific examples of ways in which the venue excels in the criteria outlined below. Note that the quality of the application, including writing style, clarity of narrative and use of relevant statistics, will be taken into consideration by jurors when scoring:

• Operational Excellence (1200 words max)
• Team-building/Professional Development (600 words max)
• Safety & Security (600 words max)
• Service to the Community (600 words max)

The four criteria are a framework to help demonstrate the ways in which the venue has demonstrated excellence in venue management and operations. The venue must satisfy each of the four criteria to be considered for nomination. See detailed descriptions below.

Applicants must also provide a 300 word concluding summary as to why their venue should be awarded the Venue Excellence Award. Since applications will only be scored on the above four criteria, please do not base your summary on any information outside of what you already provided.

Three Accomplishments or Best Practices

Using one sentence each, summarize your top three accomplishments or best practices. These sentences should not be in the submitted Word document, but entered in the spaces provided below.

Photographs

Applications may include up to ten photographs. One photo must be an exterior photo of the venue, and the other nine are left up to the applicant’s discretion (e.g. a photo can highlight a new program or renovation). Photos need to be at least 300 dpi (print resolution), jpg format and should have an accompanying photo release form.

All materials must be received, via this online form, no later than Monday, April 24, 2017.

Finalists may be asked to submit additional documentation, examples or images.

Scoring

Criteria and scoring of the IAVM Venue Excellence Awards is a reflection of IAVM’s six Value Statements: integrity, service, safety, education, advocacy and people first. Scoring of the Venue Excellence Award applications is performed by a review committee of peers, with final approval by the IAVM Board of Directors. The review committee is responsible for selecting the awarded venues using the following weighted criteria:

40% Operational Excellence which includes the following sub-categories: Customer Satisfaction, Sales and Marketing, Sustainability and Financial Integrity (1200 words max, each subcategory does not have be a specific length, just as long as they add up to 1200 words)

20% Team-building/Professional Development (600 words max)

20% Safety & Security (600 words max)

20% Service to the Community (600 words max)

Eligibility

Any venue, publicly or privately owned and operated, that has demonstrated excellence within the last calendar year and has at least one current employee who is an IAVM member in good standing may apply. Venues are eligible to win multiple VEA's; however, previous winners are eligible to apply in the third year following their most recent award. As an example, a venue that wins in 2017 may apply for the 2020 award.

Timeline

Monday, April 24, 2017 - application submission Deadline

Wednesday, August 09, 2017 - award winners are announced at the Venue Industry Awards Luncheon during VenueConnect

EXAMPLES OF THE FOUR CRITERIA

Operational Excellence

(40% total score and 1200 words max, each subcategory does not have be a specific length, just as long as they add up to 1200 words)

Statement: In order to operate public assembly venues effectively and enhance the overall quality of life of citizens of their communities, venues should value operational excellence in its many attributes.

Goals: In order to establish and maintain reliable operations and good standing within their communities, public assembly venues should be both visionary and strategic in the following areas:

Metrics/Examples: How does your venue meet the following operational attributes?

A. Customer Satisfaction, in order to shape the organization’s reputation.

a. Sales and marketing, in order to attract patrons and clients to attend and host events.

b. Sustainability, to become increasingly environmentally responsible.

c. Financial integrity, to demonstrate commitment to ethical standards and honesty in working with the varied customers your venue serves.

d. How does your venue engage customer base in order to service their needs and build relationships?

e. What is your organization’s process for obtaining customer feedback?

f. How has your organization initiated innovative concepts based upon feedback received?

g. How does your venue tie customer service to the performance management system?

B. Sales and Marketing

a. Describe the sales and marketing strategies your venue has implemented to increase attendance and the measurable results associated with them.

C. Sustainability

a. Describe a sustainable practice (standard, application of technology, process) currently in place to ensure that your venue is being environmentally responsible.

D. Financial Integrity

a. What innovative program has your venue introduced to improve your fiscal operations?

(20% total score and 600 words max)

Statement: The performance of a public assembly venue depends on the employees that work for that venue. As the IAVM Value Statements of Education and Service suggest, venue excellence is achieved by staff members who work well together, strive towards continuous education, stay current on industry trends and are able to motivate themselves and each other to work towards the greater good of their venue, community and industry.

Goals: What new, sustained or improved tools is your organization implementing to develop the careers of current employees, employee morale, buy-in and ownership of the venue and events and recruit new employees into the industry? Please include numbers and/or percentages as quantifiers when applicable.

Metrics/Examples:
A. Mentoring programs.
B. Sending employees to IAVM or other professional education programs.
C. Internal professional development and team-building programs.
D. Communication tools utilized to inspire and motivate employees.

E. Connections with schools through internship, volunteer or outreach programming.

F. New formats/approaches to event staff training.

G. New recognition or incentive programs for event staff performance.

NOTE: Given the economic state, many venues may not be actively recruiting employees, therefore career development and "how to do more with less" in order to avoid employee burn-out may be worth noting.

(20% total score and 600 words max)

Statement: As public assembly venue managers, your first and foremost responsibility is to provide a safe and secure environment for the public and employees. In order to achieve this, it is the responsibility of each venue to have an active and ongoing life safety program. By providing a safe and secure venue, you gain the public's trust and infuse your venue into the fabric of our communities.

Goals: In order to provide safe and secure venues, venues should have a life safety plan that covers a range of topics, including but not limited to:

Metrics/Examples:

A. Training for in-house staff and community partners such as the Academy for Venue Safety & Security (AVSS), Guest Experience & Crowd Management (GuestX), Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), National Incident Management System (NIMS), etc.

B.Continuity of operations plans.

C. Risk management plans.

D. Emergency plans including incident, medical and security operations.

E. Severe weather/disaster relief plans which could include risk/host sheltering, shelter in place or mega sheltering plans.

These plans must be living and breathing documents with regular and routine updates to ensure information is current and addresses new issues as they arrive. In-house training should also be conducted annually (at minimum) to keep procedures fresh.

a. An event or activity that successfully tested existing plans or led to the implementation of new plans to ensure proper execution of the event.

b. Innovative concepts in your venue's in-house training plan.

c. Innovative concepts in how your venue partners with local emergency responders.

d. How your venue has reached out in a time of need to play the role of a mega shelter.

e. How your venue’s risk management plan is implemented and grown to mitigate potential concerns.

f. Testimonials (as applicable) from local law enforcement, emergency responders, OSHA, etc.

1. Documentation, when possible, that the above stated goals have been met can be emailed to Greg Wolfe at greg.wolfe@iavm.org. This documentation does not count towards the 600 word limit.

(20% total score and 600 words max)

Statement: Public assembly venues are most effective and successful when they serve identified community needs. Venue excellence is achieved by being instrumentally involved in the local community through special programs, projects or initiatives that raise the visibility and influence of the venue in the community.

Goals: How does your venue serve the communities (international, national, regional and local)? How is your venue valued by them?

A. Support of non-profit and community service organizations. Either in the venue itself, by participation of staff individually or as a group in community projects and efforts.

B. Other community needs addressed.

Metrics/Examples:

A. Public/private partnerships for community action projects.

a. Number/type of projects.

b. Percentage of staff participation.

c. Recognition received by community.