oct-2017

26 27 T he StadiumManagers Association (SMA) is a networking organization dedicated exclusively to stadium opera- tions. Its members include administrators and operations personnel fromprofessional sports teams,stadiummanagers and other authorities fromprivate and public sports facilities,colleges and universities,and suppliers to the industry.It is a member driven associationwhere stadiummanag- ers and vendors collaborate on issues and solutions that enhance the safety,profitability,and service of their facilities.“It’s the group youwant to be a part of,” says Tony Pereira, President of the SMA and Vice President, StadiumOperations at University THE STADIUMMANAGERS ASSOCIATION THE STADIUMMANAGERS ASSOCIATION THE LEADING GROUP of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardi- nals and the annual Fiesta Bowl.“This is where the people come together to do the best job that they can for their companies and their buildings.” The first informal gathering of what was to be- come the StadiumManagersAssociationwas held in amotel conference room inMemphis,Tennessee in January1974.“It started off as ameeting of a group of stadiummanagers who didn’t have a place to meet,or a group tomeet with,”Pereira recounts.“So, a fewof themgot together to talkabout common issues and practices.It didn’t formallybecome an association until 1991.” The first Stadium Seminars were organized in the early 1980s, by Colonel Robert Sigholtz, for- merly with RFK Stadium.The meetings were