February 13, 2009 - VenuWorks Sends Team to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa
For Immediate Release: February 13, 2009
Contact: Tammy Koolbeck 319-929-5755
VenuWorks, based in Ames, Iowa sent three of its directors to work with the NFL Disability Services Team contractor, Madden and Patton, at last week's Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa, FL. Tammy Koolbeck of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Tom Richter of Brookings, South Dakota and Rick Palmer of Davenport, Iowa spent almost two weeks preparing and managing a team of 90 staff members who serviced the NFL Experience, various other NFL events, and the Super Bowl.
"It was an opportunity to work one of the largest events in the United States," said Tammy Koolbeck, VenuWorks' Vice President of Venue Services. "Our team was responsible for assisting all mobility-impaired guests who attended NFL sponsored events throughout Tampa and Orlando beginning on January 24 through Super Bowl Sunday. We serviced parking lots with golf carts onto the site and then assisted with any wheelchair needs once inside the venue. Over the course of the 10 days of events, we assisted over 20,000 patrons."
VenuWorks stepped in to work with Turner Madden, a fellow IAAM (International Association of Assembly Managers) member, when his contract with the NFL expanded the Disability Services Team responsibilities to include the exterior perimeter of the Super Bowl site.
"This partnership enabled VenuWorks to give our managers the experience of working one of the most televised live events of the year," said Steven Peters, VenuWorks' President. "The knowledge they gained will be invaluable as they share what they learned with the rest of our management team and VenuWorks locations."
"It was quite an experience," said Koolbeck. "Although we didn't have an opportunity to see the game, we could hear the cheers, feel the excitement of the crowd and know that we had provided a valuable service to the thousands of mobility-impaired guests who attended."
VenuWorks manages the following venues in Iowa - U.S. Cellular Center, Paramount Theatre and Cedar Rapids Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids; Adler Theatre and RiverCenter in Davenport; Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines; Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer and Central Iowa Expo in Boone.
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BACKGROUND
VenuWorks is well known for its success in providing full management services for arenas, theaters, and convention centers, which are primarily under the governance of municipalities, counties, colleges, and universities. VenuWorks, headquartered in Ames, Iowa, serves 27 facilities in 16 communities throughout the US. It also manages food and beverage operations and provides event booking and promotion services. VenuWorks also performs feasibility studies and consulting work for clients with existing and prospective public assembly facilities.
