I attended the UAO event in which they brought in 3 comedians and had one student perform. I really enjoyed the middle two comedians but the opening act and main act weren’t all that funny in my personal opinion. The main act was Ross Matthews who is on Chelsea Lately and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He is very funny on TV however in person not so much. He was extremely nice and friendly to the crowd and went above and beyond all expectations to make the audience feel like they were apart of the show. The show overall was a success I feel. UAO should definitely keep this going every year. A band in the fall and comedy show in the spring would be great for them. I attended this show with my roommate who also happens to be in this class. She enjoyed it also. I wish they would have done this sooner rather than wait until my senior year.

I feel that Atlanta benefited by hosting the Olympics in 1996. The Atlanta Braves were able to get a new baseball stadium from this where as before there was talk about moving to the suburbs with a new stadium. Also new parks and areas were developed as a result of bringing in the Olympics. The infrastructure was strengthened as a result of this. Also the area was now even more so an international city. Atlanta has become the capital of the South. This is something that was furthered by the economic development after the Olympics. The 80s was a big time for the area and the Olympics in 96 solidified Atlanta’s place among the elite cities of the world. Rio de Janeiro should benefit the way Atlanta did as well. The city is already growing with opportunity but with the games it should be a nice jewel in the crown.

Attached is a link to the locker room that can be found at Paul Brown Stadium. This is the Cincinnati Bengals locker room. As you can see they have very large and nice lockers. The carpeting appears to be individual squares that can easily be replaced if need be. The openness of the locker room allows for the coach to talk to his team in a large area so that they are all comfortable and in sight. It also appears to be well lit and cleaned. Proper maintenance and upkeep of a locker room is essential. There isn’t much worse than being in a rundown locker room that smells bad before you prepare for a big game. As a designer or manager of the facility you want to make sure that the users are comfortable and safe. For this particular facility you want to make sure the area is secure and that no personal items are tampered with as the lockers are wide open. The showers and of restroom items must also be maintained and cleaned. The facility also needs to be properly equipped. Trash cans must be placed around the area. In this particular facility it would be beneficial to have TVs and stereo equipment. Also storage for food and beverage. These athletes spend a lot of time in the locker room before and after games. The materials are higher end for a locker room as the team is a professional team. They make a lot of money and obviously will want the best of everything in the locker room itself.

Discuss at least two benefits and drawbacks of technology in the field of tourism, leisure, and event planning. Peruse the web for a software package/product designed to aid a professional in this field and list 5 or more strengths or weaknesses of the application. This assignment requires only one link (to the software company web site).

Technology in the event planning field is essential to keeping organized now it seems. Whether it be email and sorting it out or keeping your calendar and agenda constantly updated and with you where ever you might be. Blackberry phones among other devices have been known for the secure email system and now have a new device to compete with other tablet computers. The Playbook is the newest device from Blackberry. The drawbacks to technology is the constant dependence on them as well as the fact that one is not able to use these devices all the time due to lack of internet connection and power. The new Blackberry Playbook is a great tool for this industry. The ability to sync up your smartphone and use Microsoft Office on this will be a great help. Also one will be able to browse the internet and video conference. This is a very versatile tool and can be used in a variety of different ways.
http://us.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet/

1. Do you feel an entity or individual demonstrated negligence in the facts presented in either the Popke or Steinbach article? Justify your answer by using the definition and the requirements of negligence as presented in class.

I feel that there was negligence on both parts pertaining to the track events of the Steinbach article. Is it just me or were these incidents for the most part all very similar? Person is down range retrieving or measuring and another person is throwing a heavy or sharp object. Seems to be a lapse of judgment on all accounts. I personally go shooting quite often and have never seen an accident as a result of a lapse in judgement at the range. It is well known that it is dangerous. The only time you go down range is when you know that those around you are aware. You make sure that you are able to go down range safely and everyone puts down their firearms. Common sense isn’t so common anymore. Why did the officials allow others to continue and throw? Why did the individuals head out into the zone in which they were an open target without confirming that the coast was all clear? Negligence is as simple as not acting in a manner that a normal person would.

2. What role do you think the facility itself plays in this case and how can risk management and the prevention of negligence be included in the facility or area desgin process? Include at least two examples from the text to support your answers. (Chapters 2 or 7). These examples are the references for this assignment. Additional outside references are not required but are welcome.

Being that they are both accountable for their actions I’d say that the facility should be held at least 50% liable for these unfortunate events. The design of such events is often limited in space which means even great attention should be paid to monitoring for safety. Risk management plans should consider all potential problems and how to deal with them. How could they allow this to slip through the cracks? Supervision is one of the main factors in whether or not injuries happen at facilities. Lack of supervision is one of the most common allegations in lawsuits according to our textbook. Signage is also very important to facilities according to the book. Proper signage can help keep some liability off of the facility. Ultimately it is always going to fall back on what you could have or should have done and covering your bases is critical. That is why making such rules as 1 supervisor for every 6 kids can lead to problems if you don’t strictly follow that and the ratio isn’t in your favor while an injury occurs. You must act in a reasonable manner and maintain reasonable safety to all users. These legal terms are very loose and allow for wiggle room. Setting constraints on your facility can come back to haunt you if you are unable to always follow them.

People may dislike my opinion on this subject as I sound like I’m insensitive. However, I personally believe that removing eyesores from cities and trying to renovate and renew the city is a great idea. I love the feel of cities and the urban environment, but I do not like the crime and other things of that nature that are often associated with cities. Having traveled to many different places including abroad I have a different perspective than that of others who haven’t had this opportunity. I stayed a week at the Victoria Thistle hotel in London with a view down one of the streets that meets up with the front of the hotel. The area was very wealthy and had plenty of shops and restaurants associated with a higher class. If I were in charge of developing an area or the mayor/governing body of an area this is the exact crowd I’d be after.

Being that we are a free market capitalist society I feel that this only makes sense. Why wouldn’t you want to attract business from individuals who spend money? Brooklyn hasn’t had a professional sports team since the Dodgers left for Los Angeles. Truth is sadly they would not be able to afford that type of thing in today’s market without bringing in outside help. I am not saying kick everyone out and tear it all down to start over from new. Those who live there should be given the opportunity to stay in Brooklyn at an affordable rate. However, the other spots are going to be pricey due to the type of people they want to attract. This also is a great way to create jobs for those looking for lower-mid range income levels and even high levels of income. If Brooklyn truly wants to keep the neighborhood feel they will need to understand that the income levels will always vary depending on the lines of work and education. Not everyone is able to make 100k+ a year. It is just not feasible to pay a fry cook at a fast food joint that amount of money due to the lack of skills needed for that position. Sure it is important in the process but it is not the most valuable.

With the slowing down in the economy and the legal battles it has killed a lot of the momentum and added to the costs of development. This is only going to cause more problems. I was always taught don’t count your chickens until the eggs hatch and also to finish the job. Well now that most of the proposed plans aren’t going to happen even though the new arena is being built it is only time until we see if the rest of the project collapses around it and being a huge waste of time and money or if it gets built but is haphazardly thrown together. How long will it take for the Nets to move out if they can’t get a consistent fan base to support them in Brooklyn? NBA teams take a lot of money to support them. It’s tough to charge big money and draw in a crowd when the surrounding area isn’t too pleasant to the eyes. Being from Cincinnati I have seen them try to do the same thing. Newport on the Levee across the river is always crowded and a great place for nightlife. Cincinnati has a few spots but nothing compares to on the river and in between the ball parks with that whole environment and crowd. That’s why I am a big supporter of The Banks project. A private company placed a museum in prime real estate next to the river where this project is being built. No problem with that until now they want state funding to keep their museum open. You don’t build a non-profit or struggling business in prime real estate and expect to get bailed out. The city needs to make money and attract visitors away from the competing areas. It’s tough to justify keeping a place like that when others are willing to spend big money to buy and develop that land for retail and housing that will generate far more in money for the area and also tax dollars. Cities compete against each other for money, that’s just a way of life, especially in the tourism industry. And for an added kick The Banks Project is being built by a bridge slightly older than that of the Brooklyn Bridge. Maybe not as famous, but more important than most could ever imagine. Without the Roebling Suspension Bridge in Cincinnati there wouldn’t be a Brooklyn Bridge as it is seen today. It was designed by the same architect. Something most people are unaware of when they see the bridge in Brooklyn.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/03/24/2009-03-24_atlantic_yards_project_in_brooklyn_is_de.html

http://www.thebankscincy.com/