MAYNE MAN: Brad Mayne took the helm at the International Association of Venue Managers in 2016. (Courtesy IAVM)

Search to Begin for New IAVM President, CEO

Brad Mayne has announced his retirement as president and CEO of the International Association of Venue Managers, the trade organization he has been a part of for more than 30 years.

RIGHT MAN, RIGHT TIME: Kerry Painter and Brad Mayne shown at VenueConnect in 2022. (VenuesNow staff)

Mayne, whose retirement is effective July 31, 2024, has been in the position since 2016. He is credited with ushering IAVM and its venue and allied members through the COVID crisis, spearheading the establishment of resource groups and webinars as the pandemic unfolded and working to secure government funding for facilities.

“Brad was absolutely the right person at the right time, leading the charge of the association and industry,” said Kerry Painter, chair of the IAVM board of directors and director/general manager of the Raleigh (North Carolina) Convention and Performing Arts Complex, in an IAVM blog post that praised Mayne for “not only advancing the membership of IAVM, but also in revitalizing the events we offer and the success of our foundation.”

Prior to the pandemic, IAVM had about 7,100 members. Now, the number is well over 7,200, the largest number of members in the group’s its roughly 100 years.

“I was a member of IAVM for 32 years before I became CEO of the association and I thought I knew what IAVM did until l I became the CEO and found out pretty quickly that there’s a whole lot of moving parts within the association,” Mayne said prior to VenueConnect 2023 in Pittsburgh. “The good news is we’ve been successful over the last seven years with the exception of the pandemic time frame.”

Over his storied career, Mayne has run multiple buildings, including Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California, now Honda Center; American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas; MetLife Stadium at the New Jersey Meadowlands; and the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, now Alliant Energy Powerhouse.

Mayne received IAVM’s Charles A. McElravy Award in 2009, considered one of the organization’s highest honors, and was a Foundation Legacy Award winner in 2011.

“My mission has always been to enhance venue professional careers by generating hope through proper resources,” Mayne stated in the blog post. “I look forward to continuing working with IAVM leadership and our numerous volunteers during the next 11 months.”

An IAVM board CEO Selection Committee will be established in the coming months as the search for Mayne’s replacement begins.

Mayne will officially step down at the conclusion of IAVM’s VenueConnect Conference and Trade Show July 28-31, 2024 in Portland, Oregon.