Event Venues

Pete Kirby’s collection can come in chrome, silver, acrylic, gold, titanium and celluloid. It features an entire century of work and warrants labels like Art Nouveau.

The McKinney resident doesn’t collect cars or paintings. He collects pens.

“My grandmother gave me a Parker ’51 fountain pen when I graduated high school,” he said, “and I’ve held onto it ever since.”

Kirby, a 10-year member of the Dallas Pen Club, is one of three men charged with organizing the 18th Annual Dallas Pen Show, Sept. 23-24 at the Doubletree Hotel (near the Galleria) off Valley View Lane. More than 60 vendors from all over North America, Europe, Israel and the Pacific Rim will show off their collections at the largest pen show in the southwest.

The Dallas Pen Club, which meets bi-monthly at the Holiday Inn in Richardson, will again host the two-day pen extravaganza. Kirby said exhibitors will sprawl their pens out across more than 100 tables, where the dealing, trading and storytelling will commence.

“You always recognize faces of people you sold to or bought pens from last year,” said Mike Walker, president of the Dallas Pen Club. “There are stories about what someone’s found, pens people haven’t seen in 40 years. It’s a wide-eyed discovery for a lot of people.”

At least 1,000 guests, pen collectors or not, meander around the tables at every show, browsing pens from vintage eras such as the 1920s or 1930s. Some collect for color, others for the way they write, the time period they were made or their rarity.

Kirby didn’t start collecting pens until 20 years after his grandmother’s graduation gift. He moved to McKinney eight years ago, already a member of the Dallas Pen Club. His frequent pen show appearances and extensive collection of Conklin pens, vintage from the early 1900s, caught the attention of fellow club members.

“People knew he was very active, and he’s a well-known collector,” Walker said. “It was natural to let him help organize the show.”

Walker also collects Conklin pens — just the Nozac models from the 1930s — along with Wahl-Eversharp fountain pens and modern Italian pens. He’s been collecting fountain pens for 25 years, and says the “addiction” is about more than just the collection’s size or value.

“There’s a lot of fun in finding what’s lost, something that’s been in a drawer for 20 years that you think is worth nothing,” Walker said. “It’s like taking an old house, restoring it and living in it like it’s brand new. There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”

Pen shows like the Dallas one later this month provide a hunting ground for collectors and a place of discovery for people curious to know just how much their great grandfather’s Mount Blanc is worth. Some pens, such as those designed and manufactured by David Oscarson, come in 14-karat gold and sterling silver and can be worth as much as $20,000.

Some gather at the shows to repair or restore pens they’ve collected or recently obtained. Surprisingly, even high-value pens aren’t always just for looks.

“Most pen collectors do use their pens,” Kirby said. “I go through different ones. If I find one I like, I’ll use it for several months.”

Kirby said two of the biggest brand names in pen collectors’ circles are Parker and Waterman, two manufacturers that used to be in the U.S. but are now operated in France. Retro 51 Pen Company in Richardson is one of only two pen manufacturers left in America and, thus, is another attraction to the area for collectors.

On-site repairs, free giveaways and fellowship will highlight this month’s show. The Dallas Pen Club is sponsoring a “Pens for Kids” seminar that teaches younger guests the history and nuances of pens.

A silent auction will allow participants to gain pens and pen items for half their normal selling price, Kirby said. But the most enticing attraction for some is discovering just how profitable collecting pens can be.

“People come in off the street and want their pens appraised,” Kirby said. “Some are worth thousands, and they had no idea.”

This event news story was originally published at http://www.scntx.com/articles/2011/09/09/news_update/9645.txt. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

2012 will be a break out year for cashless music festivals, thanks to the success of contactless wristbands at the 2011 Isle of Wight Festival in June, reports NFC World.

Intelligent Venue Solutions (IVS) partnered with MasterCard to provide Isle of Wight attendees with PayPass-enabled wristbands pre-loaded with £30. Fans participating in the pilot could quickly and conveniently purchase food and drinks by simply tapping the wristbands against a reader.

According to IVS, the wristbands were overwhelmingly popular with concertgoers, who said they would “definitely use it again” at future events. Lucky for them, they’ll be available again next year at the Isle of Wight Festival, says IVS’s Paul Pike.

According to Pike, contactless systems provide an advantage over closed loop systems like vouchers and tokens in that the currency doesn’t become useless outside of the venue. Also, the need to exchange cash for vouchers and tokens creates yet another queue that fans have to deal with.

Pike added that by 2013, greater use of NFC payments on the mobile phone will make the cashless systems even more accessable.

“NFC payments are the ultimate goal for cashless festivals,” said Pike. “A mobile wallet on the phone will solve a lot of problems. Everyone walks around festivals with their phones, whereas many are more reluctant to walk around with their cash cards. NFC-enabled mobiles can be combined with somet.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.contactlessnews.com/2011/09/08/cashless-payements-to-take-off-at-2012-festivals. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

The ANC will announce a new venue for the disciplinary hearing against Julius Malema and four other youth league leaders later on Friday, spokesman Keith Khoza said.

“We are just meeting now to finalise the decision,” he said.

Khoza said the party had dropped plans to keep the location for the four-day hearing secret, because there was a risk supporters would then still protest outside Luthuli House in downtown Johannesburg.

“If we kept it secret they were still going to come here. It is going to be outside the CBD,” he told Sapa.

The party would choose a venue outside the city’s central business district to prevent a repeat of the violence that disrupted business activity when Malema first appeared before the panel last Tuesday.

“It is not that we are allowing protest, but we cannot wish it away either.”

Protesters rampaged outside Luthuli House in support of Malema last week, pelting police and journalists with half-bricks and setting fire to t-shirts emblazoned with the face of President Jacob Zuma.

Downtown law firm BDK Attorneys said its clients were too scared to come into the area, and threatened legal action if the ANC failed to move the hearing from the party’s headquarters.

Khoza said Malema would appear before the national disciplinary panel on Sunday and would probably be present on the remaining three days of the hearing as well.

He will answer four charges, including bringing the ANC into disrepute and dividing the party, and risks expulsion from its ranks.

Deputy president Ronald Lamola, secretary general Sindiso Magaqa, his deputy Kenetswe Mosenogi, and treasurer general Pule Mabe also face charges of compromising the party’s reputation and of disrupting an ANC meeting.

Khoza said it was hard to speculate how long the six-member disciplinary panel, headed by Derek Hanekom, would need to deliberate.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.citizen.co.za/citizen/content/en/citizen/local-news?oid=224048&sn=Detail&pid=146826&Malema-hearing-venue-to-be-announced. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

G Live, Guildford’s brand new entertainment venue was visited today by the Mayor of Guildford Cllr Terence Patrick.

Local business leaders, senior representatives of Guildford’s arts and cultural organisations and Council personnel gathered as the venue opened its doors to the public for the first time as part of the Heritage Open Days Scheme which will run until 11 September.

This £25m investment by Guildford Borough Council includes a 1,000 seat or 1,700 standing capacity auditorium, flexible 100 seat studio space, seminar rooms and a café bar. The venue will be operated on behalf of the Council by HQ Theatres, which already provides quality entertainment, dining, conferencing and banqueting opportunities at eight venues in the south of England. HQ Theatres is part of the Qdos Entertainment Group.

The first public performances include comedian Stephen Merchant on 22 September who is so popular that tickets quickly sold out and the venue has already added a second date; and a very special evening of Tchaikovsky from the world-famous London Symphony Orchestra on 24 September which is also expected to be a sell-out, as the last few seats are snapped up!

Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Terence Patrick commented: “G Live will provide high quality entertainment and fantastic facilities for residents, businesses and visitors. The state-of- the-art venue realises our vision for a vibrant, dynamic space for the community. It will give a boost to the local economy and is part of our strong commitment to the arts and leisure.”

HQ Theatres Chairman, Nick Thomas commented: “We are thrilled and honoured to be asked to manage this splendid venue in the heart of Guildford. Its impressive programme and excellent conferencing and hospitality facilities will ensure that it will quickly become a local landmark.”

Stars and major performers from all branches of theatre, music and entertainment will be appearing, ensuring that the opening season for this fine new venue for Guildford will be memorable and very popular.

Top-line comedians appearing in the first season include Dave Gorman, Jimmy Carr, Milton Jones, Ed Byrne, Al Murray and the incomparable Stephen Merchant.

G Live’s finely-tuned acoustics will showcase brilliantly the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and a wonderful ‘Last Night of the Proms Guildford Gala’ starring international soprano Lesley Garrett which also features Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra and other local performers. Long lacking a major concert venue, Guildford will find G Live’s inaugural classical music season finally fills that gap.

From the West End stage there are Willy Russell’s musical Blood Brothers, and the “ultimate Rock ’n’ Roll party” Dreamboats and Petticoats. From Moscow comes Swan Lake performed by the Russian State Ballet, and between Christmas and New Year the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber classic musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, starring Craig Chalmers from the hit TV series Any Dream Will Do.

For rock and popular music fans, ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, John Mayall of Bluesbreakers fame, The Drifters, Adam Ant, The Searchers, and The Stylistics are scheduled for G Live. In January the awesome Kaiser Chiefs will make their first ever Guildford appearance.

With such a spectacular opening season G Live is setting its benchmark this autumn as a brand-new regional powerhouse of top entertainment.

G Live Director Alvin Hargreaves sums it up:

“Everyone involved with G Live since its inception is justifiably proud and excited about this wonderful new venue. We’re delighted by the range and magnitude of the stars and the productions we’ve attracted to perform here and we very much look forward to welcoming visitors from Guildford and further afield to join us for a show, a meal, a business meeting or simply a great cup of tea! A warm greeting and a great night out await you at G Live.”

As should be expected from a brand-new high-tech venue, G Live has embraced new technology and is now online 24/7 for ticket sales, and for Facebook and Twitter interaction. Free email subscription services also keep customers informed about the latest new shows.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.eventindustrynews.co.uk/2011/09/mayor-unveils-new-25-million-event-venue.html. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

The seventh and eighth rounds of the 2011 Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship (AORC), originally scheduled to be held at Mt Seaview NSW, will now be held at the Hastings Valley Motorcycle Raceway near Port Macquarie this Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September due to last minute venue specification issues.

Both rounds, to be held in conjunction with the New South Wales Senior and Junior State Enduro Championships, will now be Sprint Format rounds and entries will remain unchanged.

In light of the location change, it is recommended that riders may wish to reassess their booked accommodation and seek accommodation closer to the venue in Port Macquarie or Wauchope. Some camping will be available at the venue, and booking details will be released with the Final Instructions later this week.

2011 AORC Series Co-ordinator Denise Hore said that while it is disappointing to have to switch from the original venue, Event Promoter Mick Prott from Off Road Promotions has worked tirelessly to ensure the rounds can still go ahead.

“I appreciate the serious amount of time, effort and money that Mick has invested preparing the original venue for rounds seven and eight,” Ms Hore said.

“While it is obviously disappointing to have to change venues at this late stage, I greatly appreciate Mick’s efforts in securing and setting up an alternate venue at the midnight hour.”

Mr Prott said that while he is disappointed to have to move the event, he is confident that racing will return to Mt Seaview for many years to come and is seeking advice to ensure this happens.

“I would like to thank Hastings Valley Motorcycle Club and Motorcycle NSW for their support of the event,” Mr Prott said.

Despite the venue change, it is all systems go for a spectacular weekend of Off Road racing.

Local Port Macquarie rider Chris Hollis will enter the event on a Championship leading 122 points after putting in another solid performance during rounds five and six earlier last month. Hollis will be hotly tailed by Stefan Merriman on 108 points and Jarrod Bewley on 106 points.

Young Tasmanian gun Matt Phillips enters the weekend in fourth, and will be looking to consolidate his line-honour round five and six performances and haul his way up the ladder ahead of the penultimate rounds in October. Reigning Champ Toby Price is in doubt for the weekend after picking up an injury during the sixth round.

Hollis, who is in stellar form after bringing home silver at the Australian Four Day Enduro earlier this year, was happy with his performance in the previous rounds and is looking forward to racing at home.

“Rounds five and six last month were very eventful,” Hollis said.

“Phillips carried on his form from the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) in Finland earlier this year. Price was really fast but had one of those weekends he would rather forget.

“For me, I wanted to get through the weekend with no mistakes. Sand is one of my weak spots, so I was happy with my performance.

“The next round at the Hastings Valley Motorcycle Club will be a great race – plus I can sleep in my own bed, which is a bonus!” Hollis added.

“There is still a long way to go in the series and anything can happen. There are three guys that are riding really well, so anyone could win the next few rounds.”

This weekend will be the second last in the ten round series, with the deciding rounds scheduled for Salisbury, NSW on 2 and 3 October.

The Championship Presentation Night will be held at the Dungog RSL on Monday 3 October after the completion of the final round. Organisers will be seeking feedback from riders and their supporters at the coming rounds to establish numbers and costs for catering.

For more information regarding the 2011 AORC visit the official Series website at: www.ma.org.au/aorc, and checkout the fan page on Facebook!

This event news story was originally published at http://www.fullnoise.com.au/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_full&news_id=11090&Ntitle=Off%20Road%3A%20Venue%20change%20for%20Rounds%207%20and%208%20of%20Yamaha%20Australian%20Off%20Road%20Championship. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

According to various media reports, the Wuhan International Expo Center is set to open its doors on Oct. 15 in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, China. The new venue will feature 190,000 square meters of indoor exhibition space. The reported size will rank the Wuhan International Expo Center third largest in China, behind the Pazhou Complex of the Chinese Export & Import Commodities Fair Ground in Guangzhou and the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). It also would make the Wuhan International Expo Center the largest in central China.

The exhibition centre will be managed by Wuhan New City International Expo Centre Management Co., Ltd. The venue’s first event, the 2011 National Auto Parts Trade Fair, will coincide with its opening date and will run Oct. 15-17. Additional agreements have reportedly been signed with seven other organisations for events during the period of 2011 to 2013.

Lee Chung, general manager of Wuhan New City International Expo Centre Management Company, was quoted in the media saying further development plans are scheduled during the next three years, with additions to include the service of two subway lines, a conference centre, two internationally-branded hotels, a theme park and residential developments.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.tsnn.com/news-blogs/october-opening-venue-wuhan. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

PLAYGROUNDS and children’s activities at gaming venues will be investigated in an attempt to stop parents playing poker machines while children are in their care.

The crackdown was a 2010 election commitment

, and pokies activists have urged the government to act immediately because of the harmful affects on children.

The 2010 Coalition Plan For Gaming states the Coalition will not allow venues to encourage parents to take children with them “to be dumped elsewhere at a venue without parental supervision while the parents gamble”.

Gaming Minister Michael O’Brien has asked the Responsible Gambling Ministerial Advisory Council to establish a working group to provide advice on the commitment.

“The Victorian Coalition Government will consider what regulatory changes are necessary and how to implement them after receiving the council’s advice,” he said.

PokieAct.org monitors gaming venues and publishes information on venue features such as playgrounds and arcade games.

PokieAct.org founder Paul Bendat said the government needed to take action.

“The Ballieu government [has] done nothing to enact this promise other than refer it to a committee weighted in favour of the pokie industry,” he said.

Mr Bendat said many venues aggressively marketed towards families and children. He said he had served the gambling minister with a notice asking the government to fulfil its legal obligations not to encourage children to gamble.

“There is no effective policy about limiting the sight and sound of pokies to children in a gaming venue,” he said.

“It is really simple – a pokies venue is not suitable for a child.”

Last financial year the two venues in Darebin where gamblers lost the most on pokies were the Cramers Hotel in Preston ($12.3 million) and Edwardes Lake Hotel in Reservoir ($10.9 million).

Both venues have playgrounds.

Darebin councillor Gaetano Greco said children should not be in gaming venues.

“It has the potential to create inter-generational issues,” Cr Greco said.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.melbournetimesweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/crackdown-on-kidfriendly-pokies-venues/2281728.aspx. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

A 1930S paddle steamer could be a cost-effective entertainment venue, a council has heard.

The outlandish proposal is being floated by a group of councillors who want Southend Council to shell out about £150,000 for the TS Queen Mary, which has been growing moss in Tilbury Docks since 2009.

They see the 250ft steel gargantuan, which has previously been used as a floating pub and restaurant, as an ideal replacement for its stalled bid to build at the pierhead.

Southend Tory councillor Trevor Byford, said the plan would bring some “showbusiness” and “razzle-dazzle” to the seafront. He said it could be moored by the pierhead.

He added: “We should be looking to make the most of the pier. I believe people would really love to see a ship like that, with so much history, when they look out to sea.

“It would make a real statement about Southend.”

The TS Queen Mary was built in 1933 and ferried thousands of passengers around Scotland before her retirement in 1977.

In 1981, she was refitted as a floating restaurant and taken to London, where she was later converted again to include two bars and two functions rooms.

She was towed out of London two years ago – destined for a new life in La Rochelle, France.

But the deal fell through at the last minute and the ship has been moored at Tilbury ever since.

She is on sale for offers between £150,000 and £200,000, although that figure could rise to nearer £1million once refurbishing costs are factored in.

Richard Lane, of selling agents Capital Boats, said: “She needs to be dry-docked and there are a number of elements which would need attention. That said, she has still got a lot of life left in her.”

If the council’s Tory leadership baulks at the cost, Mr Byford said he may even consider forming a private consortium to buy the ship and tow her to Southend.

The plan also received backing from Liberal Democrat councillors on Southend Council.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/9233355.Could_Tilbury_steamer_become_Southend_entertainment_venue_/. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Carlisle’s The Wall nightclub could be re-invented as a live music and entertainment venue, if the figures stack up.

The club in English Gate Plaza, Botchergate, was launched by Sam Skelton and Cristiana Costa in April in what used to the Las Vegas Strip. But the 1,400-capacity venue struggled to make money prompting them to pull out two months later.

Carlisle businessman Dan Russell, who owns the lease, is using it to stage one-off events. The last was an Ibiza foam party on August 13 and the next will be a Hallowe’en UV-paint party on October 29.

Glenn Anderson, of Outrageous in Carlisle, who is managing these events for Mr Russell, says there are long-term plans to develop The Wall for live entertainment.

He said: “Given that there are bars and pubs open until three or four in the morning now, the need for nightclubs is beginning to dwindle.

“The night-life scene is changing. There are a lot fewer people out and around to justify the bigger venues.

“What people are looking for is quality, entertainment-driven nights out. When it comes down to it, they want value for money.”

If the plans come off, The Wall could stage live bands and other entertainment. In effect, a smaller version of the Sands Centre.

Mr Anderson added: “It would require an awful lot of work including a stage and changing rooms for the artistes. All that is being evaluated and costed.”

Mr Russell first outlined plans for a live-music venue when he took over the lease of seven venues in English Gate Plaza at the end of last year. He said then that he wanted to clean up Botchergate’s booze and testosterone-fuelled image.

Meanwhile, businessman Ged Crooks expects to relaunch the cellar bar in the basement of Cassa, in Botchergate, as a separate venue appealing to an older clientele. He hopes it will open next month.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/live-music-venue-planned-for-carlisle-1.875113?referrerPath=news. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Dayton, Ohio, – WorkflowOne, a leading provider of print management, marketing and distribution services, today announced “Venue,” a software solution that allows retail chains to optimize and closely manage their point-of-purchase (POP) marketing efforts, materials and expense. Using WorkflowOne Venue, retailers can better tailor POP programs by reducing production and distribution costs, increase speed to market, customize marketing messages by location and optimize their overall POP retail effectiveness. WorkflowOne Venue is best suited for organizations that either have significant physical variety in their retail locations (different numbers of windows, registers, end caps, etc.) or those who wish to create more targeted POP materials to improve their effectiveness.  Venue manages the intricate relationships among location variables, POP items and the numbers and dimensions of the fixtures and places where POP can be placed allowing companies to produce very precise quantities, ship very accurate POP quantities to each location and allow those POP items to be highly targeted to that location’s clientele.

“Today’s retailers work hard to create an engaging environment for shoppers and one that will drive first time and repeat buyers,” said Thomas Rizzi, Chief Sales Officer at WorkflowOne. “POP materials, properly displayed and customized for a local market and timed correctly with other marketing efforts, can make a significant difference in whether on not shoppers take action.”

By combining its web-based store profile management software Venue, with a nationwide footprint of manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities and its expertise in freight and logistics, WorkflowOne can minimize problems associated with large POP-based marketing programs while providing significant cost savings. In fact, when WorkflowOne analyzed the retail distribution methods of one of the nation’s leading wireless providers, the company found a number of ways to save the company money. Today the same company saves approximately $18 million annually on retail POP distribution.

This event news story was originally published at http://whattheythink.com/news/53823-venue-optimize-point-purchase-marketing-reduce-costs/. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.