Business View Magazine l November 2022

147 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 But IAVM is much more than an association, it is a family of public assembly venue professionals who collaborate and educate for a stronger, safer, and more resilient venue management industry. Brett Mitchell is Chair of the Convention Center for the Committee International Association of Venue Managers, as well as being General Manager of Overland Park Convention Center in Kansas. He offered Business View Magazine the following wonderful insights into the resilience of the hospitality industry, particularly as it applies to event venues and the IAVM membership. Mitchell shares: Experience during the pandemic The hospitality industry was just decimated by the pandemic. Obviously not a great time to be in the business of hosting large events. From a human perspective, a select few venues had large enough financial reserves to retain staff and focus on much needed capital improvements. The vast majority of us, however, were forced to lay off or furlough the majority of our work force which was heartbreaking. We’re in the service business and, sadly, great people lost their jobs due to no fault of their