Podcasts about nrg park

It's Episode 100 and we're running it all the way back to Episode 1 by having back on our first return guest – Nina Jackson, Director of Marketing & Public Relations at NRG Park, an ASM Global managed property in Houston, TX. Nina oversees marketing and PR at NRG Park, a 300 acre sports and entertainment complex that hosts over 500 events and over 5.5 million people a year – which includes NRG Stadium (home to Houston Texans and Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo), NRG Center (1.4 million square foot exhibition center), NRG Arena, and 26K onsite parking spaces which are also used for events. After catching up with Nina about the last four years since we had her on as a guest, we talk about team building, hiring tips, and how to create a great culture in the workplace. We learn about how NRG Park venues support and provide for the community outside of hosting events and chat through current challenges facing live event marketers. To know Nina is to love her and she's truly one of our all time favorite people and guests. You're sure to love this episode brimming with fun stories, a discussion about hosting the Beyoncé Bowl, and lots of laughs.Nina Jackson: LinkedIn | EmailNRG Park: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Ryan Walsh, CEO & Executive Director, Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation & NRG Park joins KRLD's David Johnson on this episode of CEO Spotlight.

In today's episode of Building Texas Business, join us for a fascinating discussion with our guest David Fletcher, General Manager of Lone Star Sports and Entertainment. David gives us exclusive insights into the sports business industry, highlighting the economic impact of major sporting events on Houston. We learn about LSSE's role in the city's sports landscape and the excitement for the upcoming Tax Act Texas Bowl. David also enlightens us on why Houston is a major sports hub, touching on upcoming events like the college football championship and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Tune in for a thrilling exploration of the fast-paced world of sports business. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Chris talks with David Fletcher, the General Manager of Longstar Sports and Entertainment, about the intricacies and realities of the sports business world. David describes the significant economic impact of major sporting events on the business community, highlighting their ability to draw in substantial revenue and tourism. We discuss the role of LSSE in the Houston sports scene and its involvement in exciting upcoming events like the Tax Act Texas Bowl. David addresses some common misconceptions about the sports industry, revealing the hard work, long hours, and sacrifices behind the scenes. We delve into what it means to be a good teammate in the sports industry, focusing on traits such as being coachable, ready, and positive. David shares insights on why Houston has become a hotspot for sports business, citing its prime location, diverse population, and robust infrastructure. We discuss the upcoming national college football playoff championship and the anticipation it's generating in Houston. David gives a preview of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing his enthusiasm for the global event to be hosted in Houston. I explore personal topics with David, such as his first job experience, his preference for Tex-Mex over barbecue, and his dream 30-day sabbatical destination. David shares his passion for skiing in Park City, Utah, expressing gratitude for the support and involvement of the Houston community in their work. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller GUESTS David Fletcher About David TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode you will meet David Fletcher, general manager of Longstar Sports and Entertainment. David shares his insights into the business of sports, as well as the economic impact major sporting events can have on the business community. David, I wanna welcome you to Building Texas Business. Thanks for coming today. David: It's great to be here, Chris. Appreciate the opportunity. Chris: So let everybody know, you're the general manager of what's called Longstar Sports and Entertainment here at Houston. Tell the audience a little bit about what that company is and kind of how it fits into the sports landscape here in Houston. David: Yeah, longstar Sports and Entertainment, or LSSE, as we try to call it with such a long name, is really the events production and management company at Houston, texans. So we are a primary outlet for event production, promotion and really a focus to our efforts to date around filling event dates at NRG Stadium. Most of what we do, chris, is in the sports space, although we have certainly done fair share of shows in the entertainment side, but college football, international soccer, rugby are all really big parts of what we do and inside of that we can do anything and everything that we need to do to make an event successful. We've promoted and negotiated and done our own events. We work with partners like ESPN or the Major League Soccer to host events at our building for them. We work with global brands like Manchester United, real Madrid or even Taylor Swift to bring events to our place in a variety of different ways. So really our focus is on bringing people together in Houston and we've done some other things over the years some investments and some events outside of NRG Stadium. But at our core we are a major part of making NRG Stadium one of the world class destinations for events and we're very proud of what we've been able to do over the last 21 years. Chris: That's what I love about kind of the focus at LSSC and the Texans for that matter is really a focus on doing things for the benefit and betterment of Houstonians. It seems to be kind of maybe a core focus. David: No question. I mean, look, at the end of the day, our organization is only focus on three things it's creating experiences, it's delivering incredible vowed partners and it's about doing great things for Houston. So, in that core capacity, major events, whether it be bringing Leon O Messi to play at NRG Stadium in an event like Copa America a few years ago I mentioned Taylor Swift we had a chance to host her in 2018, or Keddie Chesney or George Straits or Tim McGraw done shows with all of them over the years to the big time college football, like the Tax Act Texas Bowl that we host each and every year. Our focus is on really those three initiatives and I think they play into exactly what you said, which our organization has been all about, and the family the McNair family has been all about since day one. Chris: So, speaking of the Tax Act Texas Bowl, where we've got a match up right around the corner with Oklahoma State and Texas A&M excited about that and I would think that there is some excitement from those fan bases about being here at Houston. David: No question, our 18th year of hosting that college football postseason spectacular that happens each and every year at NRG Stadium. Last 10 years we've had the Big 12 in SEC and you mentioned it Texas A&M, who's obviously one of, if not, the biggest collegiate brand in this part of the world, going and taking on Oklahoma State, an old rival there from the Big 12 days and 20th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, I might add, who made it all the way to the Big 12 championship game this year and have the nation's best running back in Oli Gordon. A lot of things to be excited about on both fan bases. Texas A&M obviously a great brand, but had their struggles on the field relative to their expectations this year. A lot of transition, including bringing in a really exciting new coach and Mike Elko, and this is an opportunity for both of these teams, but particularly Texas A&M, to start their 2024 March to the championship this December 27th. Chris: Very good. So let's talk a little bit just about you and kind of how you got into the sports industry and you've been general manager now at LSE like 10 years. That's crazy because I can remember when you first took over the role. So 10 years goes by fast. David: It goes by real fast, chris. Look, for me sports has been an incredible part of my life, like many, since my early days of youth, I know as a kid. For me there wasn't a day that didn't go by literally a day that I didn't have to go to some practice or didn't get to go to some practice of some kind, played a lot of sports really important to my family growing up and ultimately developed a very strong passion for sport itself. As I got a little older I was in school at the University of Texas I realized that you could make a business out of it. You could create a life around the, not just playing on the field, and for me my playing days they definitely ended in high school, which is okay. I still get to this day, get to go out there and try and hack it with the best of them every once in a while, but I do it vicariously most of the time in working with my kids and coaching them and watching them grow. So for me, like I said, I knew sport was a big part of what I had a passion for when I graduated from UT. I had an opportunity to be to work for an NFL team in my hometown right here in Houston Texas. They didn't even have a name until a few weeks into my job, but that was the Houston Texans, and so coming out of UT and having the opportunity to be a part of building a professional team no less an NFL team from the ground up was something that I thought was really cool and I thought would be something that would help fuel that passion further, and it has. There's no question, of course, as a graduate coming out of college, many of us, myself included had bills to pay, and working as an intern at any sports team is not a great way to pay off those bills very quickly. But you know, I knew I had. I knew I had a goal in mind. I knew that I could make a business out of this if I really focused on making the most of the opportunities I had about keeping a positive attitude and really just taking every opportunity I could to grow, and I did that. I worked at the Texans during that first season, had an opportunity after that to get into a sales side where I did start making money working in media sales after leaving the team, spent a few years doing that for the University of Texas Athletics and then with the Houston Rockets, but I had a chance to return back to the team in 2010 and have been with the Texans in some way or shape or form ever since and that's been a lot of fun to really get to be in my hometown to work for the NFL team ups and downs included along the way, right, as we've had some great years and some not so great years. But going back to what I talked about earlier about being able to make an impact, particularly in my hometown, it's been an amazing opportunity for me and I still wake up every day and I know this is gonna sound really silly and I've grown a lot in my career, but we office at NRG Stadium and there are a lot of days where I walk in I'll hear the voice guy, david Brady, in my head going welcome to NRG Stadium. Chris: And it's just for me as I walk in the office. David: You know, it's a subtle reminder in my head that you know what. This is something pretty cool and this is something really special and been fortunate enough to be a part of a lot of things that have helped grow this community as a sports destination and then hopefully a lot more going forward. Chris: That's great. I mean it's a very unique position, unique opportunity. It relates to working for an NFL franchise. Right, there's only 32 franchises that you can work for, so let's talk again. So you work your way up and then you get this opportunity to move into leadership and I like to talk to guests, entrepreneurs, about leadership. So let's talk about that with you, kind of give us a little idea of your journey. Who were some of your mentors that you kind of molded your leadership style after? David: Well, I think mentors are so important, chris. They're so important to provide you you know reality, to provide you guidance, to provide you you know somebody who can ultimately be a resource, good and bad, in any situation. You know, for me it started with a good friend of ours and I still think about him all the time as Jamie Roots, you know, arguably one of the best in the business, president of the Texans for 20 plus years and spent spent really so much time, energy and effort in creating and ultimately growing the Texans brand, and so getting a chance to watch him and be a part of his team for almost a decade myself was something that you know, I've taken so much from. You know, the things that we focused on were about relationships, and that's really where it starts in any of these businesses is, you know, whether you're working with clients, teammates or employees and just trying to find ways to connect. You've got to be able to connect at all levels and build relationships with people, no matter what role they're playing in your business. So it's starting with relationships first. You know, I think, looking at how Lone Star has been approached I talked to Jamie about this a lot over the years Texans, so important and ingrained in the business of, or the fabric of, the Houston community. But what Lone Star has really helped do is expand the reach beyond just football and reach into what is already arguably the most diverse community in the country and bring them in to a place that they could celebrate, that the passions they have can create memories that last a lifetime and ultimately, yes, do business. You know, and so you know, lone Star helps us reach in. We've done, you know, 21 Mexican national team soccer events at our stadium. We've hosted Beyonce. We've had, you know, lsu take on Wisconsin or, you know, coming up, the national championship game for college football. Yes, there's some core elements that are consistent across every sport, every entertainment property, every football event that I just mentioned, but each of those tie people back to our business, they tie people into, or they bring people into, our community and they ultimately, you know, give us an opportunity to create even more momentum for the team and for Houston going forward. So, when I look at how we've approached that from a leadership perspective, you know it's really been thinking about how our business, my business, can impact people outside of what we do in the Texans. And with that, you know, like I said from the beginning, it starts with relationships. Chris: Hey, you hit the nail on the head because I think that's true. No matter what business you're in, if you're a one man shop or you're growing it to be bigger, it's all about relationships, like you said, with your external partners but more importantly with your internal teammates. So, talking on that subject a little bit, let's talk a little bit. I know you know you've built a team around you at LSSC to help put on and promote these events. What are some of the things you look for when you're going through that process? One maybe identify whether it's through the recruiting process or onboarding or, as they're there, in kind of the training to make sure you're making the best decision you can in building that team. And then maybe we'll talk about the other side is when you know maybe this wasn't the right fit, the harder decisions to make. David: Well, I think it starts. You know I mentioned it earlier, but to me there's really three core elements of being a good teammate, and I think these matter whether you're the intern or you're the leader of the organization. One be coachable right. Nobody that I have ever met, even the best in the business, know everything right, so be able to take advice, take criticism, learn from your mistakes, and that's something I think's really important. Two be ready, right. Be when opportunities exist, don't be afraid to raise your hand, don't be afraid to speak up, don't be afraid to go all in. You never know when an opportunity could be the best opportunity for you if you don't ask. So be coachable, be ready and then, from my perspective, just be positive, right. The attitude is the only thing that any of us can control, and my experience and my life has taught me that if you focus on the good, you have a lot better chance of getting there than if you focus on the bad. And that speaks to communication internally. That speaks to the way you approach how you position your business. It speaks to how you approach your competition right. Ultimately, at the end of the day, if you focus on the good, there's a better chance you're gonna get good. Chris: Like I couldn't agree more on that positive mindset, kind of staying positive, focus on the positive, learn from the bad and the negative maybe, but your primary focus has got to be on improvement in a positive way. Yeah, again, there's books written about it all over, but mindset makes a big difference. David: No question, no question. Ultimately, if you're a teammate for us and you've got those qualities, we feel like that's a great start to being a positive contributor to our group. Chris: Well, no just from being around the organization as much as I have. Y'all are known the Texans and LSSE. You're known within the sports industry of training people to be great and I guess that's a blessing and a curse. You get really good people but then people come and take them. David: Well, I've always had the mentality, chris. I know it's one that may fly in the face of common thought, but look, if anybody's being approached or anybody's being seen as having an opportunity coming from where we have brought them to, then we've done our jobs the other day and so we wanna keep as many of those on our team as we can, no question, but many times, for a variety of reasons, you have to accept that maybe reality, and so do the best of what you've got, be ready for the next opportunity, keep moving forward. Chris: So, working in the world of sports, what's one of the things you think is maybe the biggest misperception that most have about what you do? Cause it sounds pretty glamorous. David: Well, that's probably the biggest misperception. I think that, and that I have access to every ticket for every event all the time. My wife still sometimes even has that misperception, but I love her for it. No, look, I think the reality is that. I think that people do think that. Well, let me back up. I think there can be a perception that it is all glamorous all the time. Right, there's a lot of very visible and very talented people that are in the media all the time, that are compensated well, that are creating brands of their own. There certainly is an element to that, but I think that more often than not, it's a job that, if you don't have a passion for what you're doing, what you're doing, it's gonna be hard, because the hours are long, holidays are not really holidays. The players have negotiated a very significant salary, and that's not always the case for everybody else. And on the business side, and there are so many facets of what working in sports can be, and I think that's also, at the same time, an opportunity A lot of people look at. Well, you work for a team so that you're working in sports. Working in sports can be working for an agency that's working with a brand that is creating a partnership with a team. It could be working on the media side, bringing the events to life through social, digital and television content. It could be being a lawyer that negotiates contracts. It could be taking tickets and welcoming people to NRG Stadium, and so there's just so many different ways. There are over 7,000 people that work on a major event day at NRG Stadium. Just on the day, just on the day itself, right Between part-time staff, texans, employees, police fire, you name it. That's crazy. So it's such a big it becomes its own little city. So ultimately, there's a lot of different ways that sports can touch somebody. Most often, people just think of the players and what happens on the field. Chris: Well, it's nothing. You said when you started that, and I think it's true and it transcends all industries Passion To be really good at what you do, you have to have a passion for it, because it's long hours and putting in real hard time to learn and advance and grow your expertise at whatever it is, and so it has to start and stop a passion. David: No question, and if I look towards my life personally, it's been the fuel that's put me on the path to the successes that I've had. I mentioned it from the beginning. I mean, I started out as an intern with the Texans. I'm very proud of the fact that I'm the only intern or the only member of the executive team at Texans that actually started out as an intern with the team itself and that wasn't by accident. I mean, certainly there's a lot of good fortune along the way and I was able to produce results when needed. But I look at that as a testament to. Without the passion that I had, I wouldn't have been able to go through the 120 hour weeks as an intern, making minimum wage, I might add. You know working on, you know lifting heavy equipment or organizing, you know volunteer groups or you know putting together hours of copy that may not even be used, right. I mean, it's just those things that are just little steps along the way that, personally, I had to do, but I think they apply to anybody who has felt success in their business is that it starts with that passion. Chris: Yeah. So let's turn the conversation a little bit and talk about something that I don't think gets talked about enough, certainly at least here in Houston. We, when you step back and look at it, we, being Houston, which means you and others have done an amazing job of making Houston a true, like sports event destination. So we can talk about that a little bit, but what I want to do is connect that to how that the impact that has on the business community in Houston, because it's significant. David: It's massive, you know. So I'll start with a couple of things. One, you know, I think Houston's success as a destination for sport really points to. You can point to a lot of things that have been contributing factors, and they all have been geography center of the country, center of the continent, certainly a very, a very easy to get to market with all the infrastructure here from the great airports, obviously our traffic and our freeways. But the port you know, the infrastructure itself is fantastic, have served us well over the last 20 plus years with this latest renaissance, and we'll going forward. You've got a Some may need some tweaking, right? Chris: No question about it. David: I mean NRG is certainly, you know, a fantastic, world-class facility throughout its history. But that definition certainly has changed over the years and there's opportunities to continue to be the biggest and the best that we're working towards getting in the future. But the market seven plus million people in the DMA it's the most diverse market in the United States. All of that creates a lot of reasons why Houston has been a major destination. But I think the most important element is the leadership and the people and when I say people I mean the people at all levels that help contribute to the experience that's created when major events. Stakeholders are looking for a place to go and they come into Houston and they get to see it. We've got a number of groups that have worked together very successfully over the years the Texans and Lone Star, nrg Park, houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, all the major professional teams, harris County, houston Sports Authority, houston First Mayor's Office, city and Fire, the Texas Medical Center. All of those groups and many others have created a winning formula with how we approach the event experience, whether it's a festival, a conference or the Super Bowl. You throw in the hospitality community, which Houston First is certainly a driver of, but the thousands of unbelievable hotels, restaurants and entertainment options that are here in this community and how they collaborate and work together around these major events. And you see, no other market in the country can offer what we have as a collective package, and that's why you've seen Houston be awarded more major sporting events than any other market in the country over the last 15 years. That's impressive. Chris: I mean, people don't know that. They don't, it doesn't get talked about. David: They don't, they don't. There's certainly a lot of energy around. You get the first one right and then it just kind of dominos and we've been very aggressive as a community in pursuing those options. We've been very successful and when we get those options here to put our best foot forward, there are great resources at state level that certainly help with that and a spirit of collaboration with the governor's office to try and generate as many major events in the state of Texas as possible. So those are all winning points in the formula for success. But it really starts with the people and as we look at the future of the sporting event business, the major event business in Houston, there's a reason why we keep going after this and a big part of it is what you talked about the economic impact. Pick any number of these. These events Final four, college football, playoff, national championship game, fifa World Cup, super Bowl, taksac, texas Bowl, copa America I'm missing thousands of events that happen and are the Major League Baseball All-Star game, nba All-Star game, mls Cup. All these events that you see have really generated billions of dollars collectively for our community and economic impact. That's people coming to Houston and staying in our hotels. They're going and having a great time down in Galveston. They are eating at some of the world's best restaurants and that fuels our economy. We don't have the typical transient business that a vacation destination like a Miami or New Orleans may have, where entertainment in the community can spark a lot of travel. We are very much focused on conference events and entertainment opportunities and we do it better than just about anybody else out there. Chris: So let's kind of try to, you know, put some context around that. You mentioned, and obviously I'm well aware of the Texas Bowl, Taksac, Texas Bowl economic impact of that event to the greater Houston area. David: Annual basis over the last 10 years has been over $30 million on average. Every single year, we'll have anywhere between 25 and 30,000 people traveling in, staying in our hotels, restaurants, for three or four days ahead of the event. You've got people they're even driving in, too right, people that are coming in from the outer areas getting to celebrate that event. So that's meaningful, especially when that event specifically happens every year. It's right, it's a re-accuracy. End of the year, end of the year, when a lot of people are traveling for the holidays or maybe not doing as much, we've got an event that brings people into our community. That brings people here that may not be from a drivable distance. They may be coming from, you know, south Carolina, or Louisiana, or Florida, or Colorado Now that the Big 12 has expanded or Arizona, so you know, it really is something that fuels those businesses and gives our community as a whole an opportunity to celebrate around a major event, and we're proud of what that particular event has done, as well as, obviously, many others. Chris: Then we've got a couple of big events on the horizon. I want to talk about some of that. So let's talk about the first one, and that's the national title football college football playoff championship on January 8. It's a huge deal. It's the last one, I guess, of the 14 format, but you know what can we look forward to as Houstonians, with that game right around the corner? David: Well, it's a true celebration of college football, a week-long celebration. So you know, from a community perspective, you know the impact has already started. The Houston Love Teachers campaign that the Harris County, houston Sports Authority and the College Football Playoff local organizing committee has put together is has already generated millions of dollars in support for and recognition of teachers in our community, excuse me and that's an impact that will obviously pay dividends well beyond the game itself on January 8. When you look to event week itself, got four teams and four big brands that are hoping to descend upon Houston right after the New Year's. Chris: Yeah, yeah, so we've got what I mean. I think, any way you slice it, there's four or two teams that show up here are going to have big followings. David: Well, they are, and so you know what that means. It's not just about the 70,000 people that will fill up NRG Stadium. You know, again, the week long of activities, with free concerts every night during the weekend leading up fan fest down at Georgia Brown, which will have all kinds of interactive opportunities for fans to celebrate and enjoy the game of college football. You've got a number of initiatives around the industry itself that you know just further fuel Houston as a destination for business around the sport conferences and events and media opportunities, literally billions, if not trillions, of impressions showcasing our city. Chris: So you're gonna have the eyes of the world really on Houston for that kind of that weekend leading up and, I think, encourage the Houstonians right to get out and enjoy it yeah, no question, I mean it is. David: Houston is one of the best college football markets in the country the, the tax act, texas Bowl and many other events that we hosted. Our place and throughout the city. You've age rice, you know hcu tsu, prairie view. There's so much around college football that really Houston should be part of this destination, going forward on a consistent basis, and I think we'll show that as we bring everybody together here next month very good, yeah, david. Chris: So I think there's a lot to be excited about having the national title game be in our backyard, and I hope Houstonians will show up and take advantage of all the the events that are being planned yeah, it's gonna be an incredible week. David: We've earned the opportunity and I know, just like we did with Super Bowl a few years ago, with Final Four earlier this year, sonians love their sport. They will be out and enjoying another great celebration, and that's something that we should be excited about, and it's not the only one. You look down the road. We've got the world's biggest event coming just two years from now. Chris: As well, and that's the World Cup that's right. David: Yeah, fifa World Cup returns to Houston in 2020, or returns to Houston, comes to Houston in 2026. Houston, one of the venues in North America that was selected and you know just when you think about the opportunity to host five, six, seven, eight events in NRG Stadium with an average audience of a billion people and names like Messi and Neymar and Mbappe, who probably mean a lot to many people in this community but are treated as icons around the globe, and for Houston to have its name among the great markets of the world, at a truly global market which we know from a business perspective and from a from a population perspective. It is but to have that that verification on that type of stage is something that you know. As a community we also be very proud of and Chris Canetti in the World Cup office and Janice Burke and everybody over at NRG Park that ourselves included that helped to be part of making that a reality. We know we got a lot of work ahead to live up those expectations that's great. Chris: Well, david, I appreciate you, you know coming on and sharing some of these specifics. I want to ask you just a few more questions about you personally. What was your first job before days? You know the years before you were the intern of Houston Texas so I my first job I'm gonna go with. David: I've got a 1, 1a, all right. So my first job really was I worked at a Kroger in Kingwood as a checker or, sorry, as a bagger. But my my first quote real job I didn't have that one very long was I. I ended up being a server at Kingwood Country Club and the reason I say that was my first real job is that I worked in the service industry throughout my career. I mean, I still do today, obviously, but I worked in the service industry for 10 years, all the way through my time in Austin, going to school at UT, and I will tell you that nothing will teach you more about the world good and bad, than working in the service industry and I am so appreciative of the opportunities that I got to again. Start with something simple as that. But as a funny story, chris, I will say my crowning achievement as a server is I did serve as Don Johnson, the actor, don Johnson's waiter for the 10 cup rap party, because Tim Cup was hosting. That's right and so I do have that up by resume. Chris: So there you go see one of the benefits of living in Kingwood that's right. Yeah, one of the many I'll add okay, so since you work so much in, I guess, service hospitality, this will be easy for you. All right, you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Tex-mex all day long all right, and this one's gonna be hard for you to answer okay maybe not. If you could do a 30-day sabbatical, where would you go? What? David: would you do? That is a great question. I don't think it's very. I don't think it's very hard for me at all. I am an avid skier and my family and I have been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in Park City, utah, and I try and get the 30 days even now it's not possible to do in our work, but I love Park City probably more than any place else in this planet, and so I'd love to be able to go up my family for three days and just ski our behinds off got you. Chris: Well, that's great. That's a good one. David, thanks again for taking the time. Congratulations to you and the rest of the team back at Energy Park, the Texans LSSE, for all you do for Houston well. David: Thank you, chris, and we appreciate your support and involvement as well. Special Guest: David Fletcher.

Juggling family commitments, personal goals and care and working jobs is a ton to maintain. Ashley, Chris Sizemore and Tiffany Harris discuss the joys and challenges of being workin' moms. It's certainly not an easy balance, but the women discuss how they make it work for them and their families! We also briefly discuss mental health when it comes to managing a solid work/life balance. While we need to make sure we are in tune with our own mental health and being supported, it's also vital that our children are getting the support they need. Check out Chris' post about normalizing mental health care for children. “Cream & Sugar” Recommendations: Got dino enthusiast kids? Ashley is pumped to take her kids to Jurassic Quest this weekend at NRG Park! Grab tickets now… time is running out for this fun experience!  Houston Moms “House Blend” Posts: The Ultimate Guide to the Holidays in Houston is a must- have for the holiday season! This all-in-one guide includes places to find Santa for the perfect photo-ops, check out beautiful Christmas lights or events that will fill your calendar (AND SO MUCH MORE)! Bookmark worthy, for sure! 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticOn November 5, 2021, a fatal crowd crush occurred during the first night of the 2021 Astroworld Festival, a music event founded by American rapper Travis Scott that was held at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. The festival had already been dealing with crowd control issues on the day prior to Scott's concert, but the fatal crush occurred on the day of — and during — Scott's concert itself. Eight people died the night of, and two more died in the hospital over the following days.The crowd crush was caused by a surge of people towards the front of the stage, which caused people to be crushed against each other and unable to breathe. Many people were also trampled. The crush began around 9:30 p.m., and the show continued for another 40 minutes.Ten people died in the crush, including nine concertgoers and one security guard. They ranged in age from 9 to 27. Hundreds of others were injured, some of them seriously.Travis Scott has been criticized for his role in the tragedy. Some people have accused him of inciting the crowd to surge forward, while others have said that he should have stopped the show when he saw people in distress. Scott has denied any wrongdoing, and he has said that he was unaware of the severity of the situation until after the show.A number of lawsuits have been filed against Scott, Live Nation, and other entities involved in the festival. The lawsuits allege that the organizers of the festival failed to provide adequate security and crowd control measures.The investigation into the Astroworld tragedy is ongoing. It is unclear what charges, if any, will be filed against Scott or other individuals involved in the festival.In the wake of the tragedy, Scott has pledged to make changes to his live shows. He has also said that he will be donating $5 million to help the victims and their families.The Astroworld tragedy is a reminder of the dangers of crowd crushes. It is important for event organizers to take steps to prevent these tragedies from happening.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On Thursday's show: It's down to a best-of-three in the World Series after Astros pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter in a Game 4 victory against the Phillies.  Also, Mayor Sylvester Turner delivers his state of the city address. And we learn why residents who live near chemical plants are often blocked from challenging those plants' permits by the very agency that's supposed to investigate environmental concerns. Also this hour: UT Southwestern's Brain Institute recently launched a study to advance understanding of how participating in college sports and resulting concussions can affect brain wellness later in life. Then, we reflect on 20 years of events at NRG Park with Ryan Walsh, CEO and executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation.  And we learn why Houston is one of the best places in the country to learn to be an entrepreneur.

Tragedy struck Travis Scott's sold out Astroworld festival at NRG Park on Friday, November 5th 2021 in Texas leaving 10 dead and hundreds injured. Alright I'm about to throw some numbers at you. Among the victims was a 14, 16, two 21, two 23, one 27, a 9 year old unidentified. Out of the hundreds that were injured, 25 were transported to the hospital, 13 remain hospitalized...5 of that 13 are under the age of 18. Somewhere in the range of 50,000 people attended the event. So potentially, alot of witnesses.

Three Wilson County 4-H teams competed at the Houston Livestock Show Ag Robotics contest on March 16, at NRG Park in Houston. During the contest, teams built and programmed their robots to complete tasks associated with agriculture themes. Teams had three minutes to complete up to six tasks successfully. This year's theme was “bee pollination,” which had teams plant flower seeds, gather pollen, move honey from one location to another, place “bees” with their proper pollinating plants, and build a hive. For every task completed, points are awarded, with the team with the most cumulative points at the end of...Article Link

On Monday's show: A local expert weighs in on President Biden's nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court to fill the seat left when Judge Stephen Breyer retires this summer. And we learn why some Memorial Hermann patients with Blue Cross, Blue Shield insurance could soon lose access to their doctors. Also this hour: The truth is out there – and by "there" we mean Houston, as Rice University hosts an international conference on the paranormal. It's called Opening the Archives of the Impossible and takes place March 3-6.  Then, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo returns in full force starting today at NRG Park and continuing through March 20. We talk with President & CEO Dr. Chris Boleman about the event and navigating the last two years of the pandemic. And Jeff Balke updates us on Houston sports.

On November 5, 2021, a fatal crowd crush occurred during Astroworld Festival, a music event founded by rapper Travis Scott that was held at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. Eight people died on the night of the concert, and two more died in the hospital over the following days. The cause of death for all ten was ruled to be accidental compressive asphyxiation. Twenty-five people were hospitalized, and more than 300 people were treated for injuries. Listen as we break down the events that occurred throughout the day into the night of the festival, we discuss the aftermath of what took place during the crowd and find out our thoughts on how the event was handled and how the aftereffects continue to be handled.

Does some symbolism hidden in images & events around the world have ancient occult ties? On November 5, 2021, 10 people lost their lives during the first night of the 2021 Astroworld Festival, a music event founded by American rapper Travis Scott, held at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. Travis Scott's concert was rife with imagery of portals, mountains of fire, a rising Phoenix, along with other symbols and verbiage of crossing over--leading many to speculate the events of that day were more than coincidence. Amy from EyesOnTheRight makes her Blurry Creatures debut to discuss the events of that day, and how occult symbolism and hidden meanings are hiding in plain sight. blurrycreaturespodcast@gmail.com blurrycreatures.com Socials instagram.com/blurrycreatures facebook.com/blurrycreatures twitter.com/blurrycreatures Music Kyle Monroe: tinytaperoom.com Aaron Green: https://www.instagram.com/aaronkgreen/ Outro Song: TimeCop1983: timecop1983.com

Okay send $1 to $lovesharnae on cashapp and say “MICHAEL RAPINO, NRG PARK, JAQUEES WEBSTER” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cqcsos/message

Operation Crimson MistDuring the late afternoon of 6 April 1994, a hail of cannon shells tore through the fuselage of a commercial airliner flying overhead central Rwanda. Several seconds later the blazing plane exploded on impact with the ground, killing President Habyarimana of Rwanda, President Ntaryamira of Burundi, and most of their senior government officials. In that fatal millisecond of time, the entire political command structure of central Africa was decapitated, leaving the way open for “Operation Crimson Mist”, the most obscene terminal mind control experiment ever mounted by the United States of America against a sovereign nation. On November 5, 2021, a crowd crush occurred during the first night of the Astroworld Festival, a music event founded by American rapper Travis Scott. The event was held at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. Ten people died: eight on the night of the concert, and two more in hospital over the following days. The causes of death are under investigation. Twenty-five people were hospitalized, and more than 300 people were treated for injuries at the festival's field hospital.5G CONNECTION TO AI AND TRANSHUMANISMDean Henderson, MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, provides a dire warning and says that 5G is DARPA's end game for humanity. Henderson adds that “Some say that Chemtrails is the means by which they are loading our bodies up with aluminum, since this is the best conductor for plugging us into the 5G “smart grid”. Trans-genderism is an Agenda 21 stepping stone Trojan Horse gateway to trans-humanism, which involves the integration of 5G into our very being.thefacthunter.com

Family of 9-year-old Astroworld victim rejects Travis Scott's offer to pay for funeralTravis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community. Toward that end, Travis would like to pay for the funeral expenses for Mr. Blount's son,” Petrocelli added.The lawyer also insisted that acceptance of Scott's offer would “have no effect” on the lawsuit filed by Ezra's father, Treston, against his client and other parties in connection with the death.The family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest victim of the Astroworld Festival stampede, has reportedly turned down Travis Scott's offer to pay for the boy's funeral.“Your client's offer is declined,” the family's lawyer Bob Hilliard wrote the rapper's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, in a letter obtained by Rolling Stone.“I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy,” he added.Petrocelli made the offer on behalf of his client in a letter to Hilliard and his co-counsel last week.“Travis is devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Astroworld Festival and grieves for the families whose loved ones died or were injured,” he wrote Wednesday, a day after the boy was laid to rest, the news outlet reported.In his response, Hilliard reportedly wrote: “There may be, and I hope there is, redemption and growth for him on the other side of what this painful process will be — and perhaps one day, once time allows some healing for the victims and acceptance of responsibility by Mr. Scott and others, Treston and Mr. Scott might meet, as there is also healing in that.”He added: “To lose a child in the manner Treston lost Ezra compounds the pain. As a parent, Treston cannot help but agonize over the terrible idea that Ezra's last minutes were filled with terror, suffering, suffocation and worst of all surrounded by strangers, his dad unconscious underneath the uncontrolled crowd.”Travis Scott's offer to cover the funeral expenses for 9-year-old Ezra Blount was rebuffed by the boy's family.Family HandoutA memorial for the victims of Astroworld Festival is set up outside NRG Park in Houston, Texas, on November 24, 2021.Jennifer Lake/Sipa USAHilliard told Rolling Stone on Monday that he and co-counsel Ben Crump also rejected a suggested meeting between Scott and the boy's family.Rapper Travis Scott faces several lawsuits from the families of the victims.Instagram“We were pretty firm. With all due respect, no. This isn't a photo-op story here. This is a ‘who's responsible and why' type of investigation. And he's on the shortlist,” he told the outlet about the performer.Petrocelli, who famously represented Fred Goldman at the wrongful death trial that found O.J. Simpson liable in the deaths of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone.Ezra had been sitting on his dad's shoulders when Scott opened his set at NRG Park in Houston on Nov. 5. Both were caught up in the chaos that unfolded when fans rushed the stage.The boy's death raised the tragic concert's death toll to 10. On the night of the show, eight victims were pronounced dead. The ninth victim was a 22-year-old college student Bharti Shahani.Crump has filed a lawsuit for the Blount family and nearly 100 other families in civil suits against various persons and entities connected to the tragic concert. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.linktr.ee/JacksonLibon ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #tiktok #foryoupage #fyp #foryou #viral #love #funny #memes #followme #cute #snapchatfilter #snapchats #snapchatfun #inclusion #diversity #n #disability #croquemonsieur #food #foodporn #croquemadame #faitmaison #sandwich #yummy #brunch #homemade #instafood #cheese #cuisine #fromage #frenchfood #breakfast #foodstagram #foodie #foodphotography #foodblogger #miam #cooking #burger #bonappetit #delicious #instagood #pizza #snack #paris #foodlover #bhfyp #inclusionmatters #love #a #pride #disabled #disabilityrights #cerebralpalsy #diversitymatters #blacklivesmatter #mentalhealth #lgbtq #morealikethandifferent #leadership #nonprofit #motivation #inspiration #wheelchairlife #asd #ni #representationmatters #specialeducation #inclusionrevolution #autismacceptance #culture #art #acceptance #abilitynotdisability #lgbt #amor #differentnotless #adhd #loveislove #disabilityawareness #autism #downsyndrome #specialneeds #inclusi #equality #t #community #autismawareness #discapacidad #diversityandinclusion #accessibility #wheelchair #education #equity #covid #disabilities #awareness #autismo #disabilityadvocate #sindromededown #repost #diversidad #x #snapchatmguys #snapchatster #snapchatmegirl #instasnapchat #drill #rap #trap #music #hiphop #ukdrill #drillmusic

INTERNETS! On this episode of The Premium Pete Show, Pete sits down with long time friend and founder of Sneaker Summit: Bryan “Kadoma” Angelle!   Sneaker Summit is the father of modern day sneaker conventions. They revolutionized the industry with professional venues, featured special guests, and exclusive collaborations.  Kadoma breaks down the origins of Sneaker Summit 18 years ago at a Internet Cafe with a couple of people to filling up sports stadiums around the world! Why he continually is working 3 jobs in addition to Sneaker Summit, the importance of enjoying what you do, the process of helping  bring sneaker culture to Houston, the difference between curating an experience vs. just having an event + so much more....  Kick back and press PLAY! Note: Sneaker Summit will be celebrating 18 years of events, Sunday December 19th at NRG Park

Join us on today's episode where we break down the Astroworld Festival crowd crush On November 5, 2021, a crowd crush occurred during the first night of the Astroworld Festival, a music event founded by American rapper Travis Scott. The event was held at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. Ten people died; eight on the night of the concert, and two more in hospital over the following days. Follow us on Spotify and apple podcasts. Instagram @SlidersPod, @Whoistaf, @Tobi_adeola, @Tom_aking http://myurls.co/sliderspodcast

Ten people died and hundreds of others were injured at Travis Scott's #Astroworld music festival in #Houston Texas, at NRG Park, Friday, November 5, after concertgoers surged toward the stage around 9:30 p.m. during Scott's headlining set. The dead ranged in age from 14 to 27 years old. 25 additional people were hospitalized. Todd, Jetai and Shamus discuss the emerging conspiracies, from #satanicrituals to #humansacrafice to #travisscott just being a horrible human being who issued a weak apology from a #daveandbusters

On Tuesday's Houston Matters: Harris County Commissioners held two votes on Monday we think you'd be interested in. One was unanimous, calling for an independent review of planning for outdoor concerts at NRG Park in the wake of the deadly crowd surge at Travis Scott's Astroworld festival concert ten days ago. The other vote was simply to confirm this month's local election results — it was not unanimous. News 88.7's politics and government reporter Andrew Schneider joins us with more. Also this hour: City Council Member Letitia Plummer answers questions about issues affecting the city. Then, there are charities and research organizations and support groups and specialists for all kinds of diseases. The more common they are, generally, the more attention they receive. And that's understandable. But what about those rare cases where patients grow increasingly sicker and no one has any idea why? That's where the Undiagnosed Diseases Network comes in. We learn more. And we learn about a photography exhibit called Celebrate Buffalo Bayou: River of Life, which includes some rare images of life along the bayou from around the turn of the last century.

ASTROWORLD TRAGEDY & JAY Z CLEARED IN $67 MILLION LAWSUIT | Divij's Den | Ep 29 Houston police chief debunks rumor about Astroworld security guard, who says he was not drugged but was hit on the head The investigation into the deadly tragedy at the Astroworld music festival could "take weeks, possibly months," Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Wednesday. Calling for public officials to refrain from speculation, Finner said investigators were focused on "timelines," noting that festival organizers were informed that police were conducting CPR on victims while the show was still going. In a subsequent statement to the press, Finner said he meant to add that "it was at that time our HPD personnel told personnel in charge of the event to shut down the performance." Speaking Monday, Finner also debunked an early, viral rumor that — one he himself had amplified: that a security guard had been "pricked" with an unknown substance prior to the "mass casualty event."We did locate that security guard," Finner said. "His story is not consistent with that. He said he was struck in his head and went unconscious." "He said no one injected drugs in him, so we want to clear that part up," he added. Finner had earlier in the week asserted that medical staff had detected "a prick" in a guard's neck similar to one that "you would get if somebody was trying to inject."Finner said investigators had concluded there were "two mosh pits" near the stage. A security planning document from festival organizer Scoremore indicates that employees were instructed to prepare for a number of emergency scenarios — but not the possibility of a stampede. The Houston police and fire departments were both involved in the security planning for the festival, the Associated Press reported, with Chief Finner revealing this week that he had met with Scott himself before the fatal episode to discuss safety concerns. In a testy exchange with reporters on Wednesday, Finner said that to him did not constitute a "special relationship" with the star. HOUSTON — Panic and then desperation spread through the crowd of 50,000 mostly young people just as the popular hometown rapper they had come to see, Travis Scott, took the stage Friday night. It came like a wave, an unstoppable movement of bodies that could not be held back. Some collapsed. Others fought for air. Concertgoers lifted up the unconscious bodies of friends and strangers and surfed them over the top of the crowd, hoping to send them to safety. Others shouted out for help with CPR and pleaded for the concert to stop. It kept going. In the end, eight people died, ranging in age from 14 to 27, according to city officials. Hundreds more were treated for injuries at a field hospital at the concert venue, the NRG Park in Houston, or at local hospitals. Among those treated at a hospital was a 10-year-old child. The event appeared to be one of the deadliest crowd-control disasters at a concert in the United States in many years. Similar episodes have occurred at venues around the world, during performances of all genres of music, including an electronic dance music festival Germany in 2010 at which 18 people were trapped and crushed, and a 1979 Who concert in Cincinnati where 11 people died as concertgoers rushed the entrance. But the deaths in Houston had a particularly devastating impact at a time when the rapture of live events was being felt following months of pandemic restrictions. “Young people with bright futures — those were the people who were at the event,” said Lina Hidalgo, the top executive for Harris County, which includes Houston. She and other officials at an afternoon news conference struggled to explain what had taken place the night before. “Perhaps the plans were inadequate, perhaps the plans were good but they weren't followed, perhaps it was something else entirely,” she said, calling for an independent investigation.

Derricke Dennis, ABC News Correspondent joins the Chip Franklin show to talk about deadly stage surge during Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, which left at least eight concertgoers dead and many more injured.  Live Nation Entertainment and ScoreMore Holdings, two concert production and entertainment companies that organized and produced the event, are being sued, as well as performers Scott and Drake. They will discuss where the legal proceedings may go. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rappers Travis Scott and Drake have been sued for having incited mayhem after eight people were killed and dozens injured in a crash during a Texas concert. Texas firm Thomas J. Henry Law tweeted a story published by the Daily Mail on the suit, confirming it had filed one of the first lawsuits in Travis Scott Astroworld Festival tragedy. Around 50,000 people were in the audience at Houston's NRG Park when the crowd started pushing toward the stage as Scott was performing, triggering chaotic scenes. The suit, filed in Houston's Harris County court, claims Scott had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events and that defendants knew or should have known of Scott's prior conduct.

Rappers Travis Scott and Drake have been sued for having incited mayhem after eight people were killed and dozens injured in a crash during a Texas concert. Texas firm Thomas J. Henry Law tweeted a story published by the Daily Mail on the suit, confirming it had filed one of the first lawsuits in Travis Scott Astroworld Festival tragedy. Around 50,000 people were in the audience at Houston's NRG Park when the crowd started pushing toward the stage as Scott was performing, triggering chaotic scenes. The suit, filed in Houston's Harris County court, claims Scott had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events and that defendants knew or should have known of Scott's prior conduct.

Rappers Travis Scott and Drake have been sued for having incited mayhem after eight people were killed and dozens injured in a crash during a Texas concert. Texas firm Thomas J. Henry Law tweeted a story published by the Daily Mail on the suit, confirming it had filed one of the first lawsuits in Travis Scott Astroworld Festival tragedy. Around 50,000 people were in the audience at Houston's NRG Park when the crowd started pushing toward the stage as Scott was performing, triggering chaotic scenes. The suit, filed in Houston's Harris County court, claims Scott had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events and that defendants knew or should have known of Scott's prior conduct.

On Tuesday's Houston Matters: Lawsuits have already been filed after Friday's deadly incident at the Travis Scott concert at NRG Park. More could be on the way. From a legal standpoiint, who could be liable -- and for what? Also this hour: City Council Member Edward Pollard answers your questions. And the gap between Black and white home ownership is wider today than it was 50 years ago. Why?

On Monday's Houston Matters: The investigation continues into Friday night's deadly incident at Travis Scott's sold-out Astroworld Festival concert at NRG Park, where a crowd among some 50,000 surged toward the stage during the rapper's set. In the ensuing crush, at least eight people died and another two dozen were hospitalized. The dead range in age from 14 to 27 years old. We hear some accounts of what happened from people who attended the concert. We talk with Abbie Kamin, the chair of the Houston City Council's public safety committee. And we welcome your thoughts and feelings about what happened. MORE: Visit a centralized hub for relief efforts and fundraisers for victims.

Ce matin, les États-Unis rouvrent leurs frontières aux touristes étrangers, la COP26 entame sa deuxième semaine à Glasgow, tandis que l'Australie promet… de continuer à se faire de l'argent avec du charbon et que l'extraction de l'or pollue toujours autant (sans parler des mauvaises conditions de travail dans les mines), raison pour laquelle le WWF réclame une réglementation plus stricte du commerce de l'or en Suisse. Sinon, on reparle du Covid et de ses conséquences sur le tourisme (pas la clientèle mais les travailleurs) et du festival Astroworld de Travis Scott qui a viré au drame ce week-end au NRG Park de Houston. Et puis c'est aussi le début de la Semaine de la vaccination en Suisse, avec des actions dans tout le pays, notamment une tombola à Genève en échange d'une piquouze, avec à la clef une visite guidée du bunker historique du gouvernement avec Mauro Poggia ou encore conduire un véhicule blindé sur le tarmac de l'aéroport... Heureusement, pour te redonner le sourire, Marina Rollman vient te passer le bonjour, ce matin… ainsi qu'un souffleur à feuilles (mais électrique cette fois-ci).

On this Saturday episode of THE POLITICRAT daily podcast: Omar Moore on Houston's deadly problem at Astroworld as eight people were trampled and crushed to death during a stampede at a Travis Scott concert at NRG Park in Houston on Friday night. November 6, 2021. Please get involved! Call President Biden on the WH comments line: 202-456-1111 and call U.S. senators at 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121. Tell the Senate to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act and the For The People Act. FREE: SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE BRAND NEW POLITICRAT DAILY PODCAST NEWSLETTER!! Extra content, audio, analysis, exclusive essays for subscribers only, plus special offers and discounts on merchandise at The Politicrat Daily Podcast online store. Something new and informative EVERY DAY!! Subscribe FREE at https://politicrat.substack.com Buy podcast merchandise (all designed by Omar Moore) and lots more at The Politicrat Daily Podcast Store: https://the/politicrat.myshopify.com The Politicrat YouTube page: bit.ly/3bfWk6V The Politicrat Facebook page: bit.ly/3bU1O7c The Politicrat blog: https://politicrat.politics.blog PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to this to this podcast! Follow/tweet Omar at: https://twitter.com/thepopcornreel

After eight people were killed at a Travis Scott concert in Houston late Friday, many of us were left wondering: How did this happen? An expert on crowds explains how too many people packed closely together can become deadly.Read more:An estimated 50,000 people attended the sold-out 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park to see Travis Scott, whose concerts have a reputation for being raucous.The Washington Post reviewed dozens of videos from the night to understand how the concert became a mass casualty event, synchronizing video from the audience with a live stream of Scott's performance published by Apple Music. The videos show a chaotic scene, with concertgoers crying out for help as the show continued, the loud music drowning them out.The crowd surge victims include a 14-year-old who loved baseball, two friends celebrating a 21st birthday and a 27-year-old attending the concert with his fiancee. Here's what we know about the victims.We reached out to Keith Still, a professor of crowd science at the University of Suffolk in Britain, to talk about how these tragedies happen and how they could be prevented.If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners: one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.

At least eight people died and more than 300 were injured during a mass stampede at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival on Friday (Nov. 5) night in Houston at NRG Park. Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña confirmed the casualties during a late press conference, calling it “a tragic night” for the city. He estimated the attendance at 50,000 and said trouble started brewing shortly after 9 p.m. “The crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused some panic and started causing some injuries. People began to fall out and become unconscious and that created additional panic,” said Peña, flanked by local officials from the police and fire departments. He said a “mass casualty” incident was triggered at 9:38 p.m., shortly after which his team transported 17 patients to the hospital, 11 of which were in cardiac arrest at the time. Astroworld organizers had a medical tent on-site but Peña said festival staff “were quickly overwhelmed” by the situation, leading his team to step in and dispatch as many as 50 units. Videos shared on social media show a chaotic scene. Early in the evening, in a separate incident, hundreds of concert-goers toppled steel barricades and stormed through security to access the concert. Later, as the tragedy was already underway, medical personnel can be seen carrying young people out on stretchers and attempting CPR on others. One clip showed Scott still on stage performing as several concertgoers attempted to inform security guards of the emergency. Reps for Astroworld confirmed the Saturday (Nov. 6) segment of the festival was canceled in a statement: "Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight – especially those we lost and their loved ones. We are focused on supporting local officials however we can. With that in mind the festival will no longer be held on Saturday. As authorities mentioned in their press conference earlier, they are looking into the series of cardiac arrests that took place. If you have any relevant information on this, please reach out to @HoustonPolice.Thank you to our partners at the Houston Police Department, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their response and support." Peña said the investigation will continue as they attempt to identify patients and casualties. A reunification center has been opened at the Wyndham Houston Hotel for family members who may not have heard from their relatives that attended the show. “We are coordinating with organizers and that will continue to move forward as the hours go by,” he added. He was joined at the press conference by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who called it “an extremely tragic night.” “Our hearts are broken. People go to these events looking for a good time, a chance to unwind, to make memories. It's not the kind of event you go to to find out about fatalities.” --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/masseffect/support

This week on Building Value we have Emmy Award winner, Olympic gold medalist, and Director of engineering and maintenance for NRG Park, Al Whaley. He tells us about his journey as an Olympian and how he translated his experience into building operations.

Please welcome to the stage, Security Coordinator at the House of Blues Houston and Private Security to your favorite artist, John Lowd. Starting as event staff at NRG Park, John took his talents to the House of Blues Houston front lines. After countless shows at HOB, John earned the opportunity to travel the world with Grammy-nominated artist Logic as his private security guard. It was not only John's hard work and charisma that caught Logic's attention. It was John's vast knowledge and love for anime and comic books that sealed the deal. John also hosts his own podcast called the Barricade Boyz Podcast streaming on SoundCloud. Don't judge a movie by its trailer. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/queituppodcast/support

Everything is bigger in Texas! Join Dave & Paul as they talk to Nina Jackson, the Regional Director of Marketing and Public Relations for NRG Park in Houston Texas for ASM Global. NRG Park is comprised of NRG Stadium, Home of the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, NRG Center, NRG Arena, and NRG Astrodome. Listen along as Nina gives insight into how they’ve adjusted during COVID-19 and what they're doing to engage with the local community, such as hosting blood drives and serving as a voting center. She talks about being a woman of color, her family, and her favorite things about living in the Lone Star State.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM or listen online. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, questions@townsquaretalk.org or @townsquaretalk. Music artists Bun B and Kam Franklin discuss their first live performance in months at a drive-in concert at NRG Park for Move Texas. Attendees must show proof of voting to attend the show as a way to encourage turn out for those who still have not gone to the... Read More

In the latest installment of Locked On Texans, Coty M. Davis and John Hickman discuss the Houston Texans' special team unit. The guys also Tim Kelly on Deshaun Watson's playstyle. And later, they share their thoughts NRG Park becoming a voting center in October and November.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest installment of Locked On Texans, Coty M. Davis and John Hickman discuss the Houston Texans' special team unit. The guys also Tim Kelly on Deshaun Watson's playstyle. And later, they share their thoughts NRG Park becoming a voting center in October and November.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Chicago native, Justin Turner got his start in fine dining serving for years as a private chef to NBA star Shane Battier. When Shane was traded to the Rockets, Justin followed to Houston, but when the baller moved on again, the chef stayed, converting a yellow school bus into one of Houston’s first food trucks and naming it after his grandfather: Bernie’s Burger Bus. His gourmet burgers and fries were wildly popular and led to a fleet of buses, a spot at NRG Park and now 4 brick-and-mortar restaurants. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favorite success quote or mantra: "If you feed the masses you will eat with the classes, but if you feed the classes you will eat with the masses." In today's episode with Justin Turner we will discuss: Fine dining vs. casual The importance of organization in the kitchen Listening to mentors who believe in you Don't ask for money; learn the trade and the money will come Kitchen efficiency Working as a personal chef The insanity of truly driven people Operating a food truck (or bus in this case) Transition from bus to brick and mortar How to take on partners Branding and marketing Importance of testing the market with farmers markets/Pop-ups How to scale Hiring passion over skill Selling product in stores Today's sponsor: BentoBox empowers restaurants to own their presence, profits and relationships. The hospitality platform disrupts third-party services that come between the restaurant and the guest. BentoBox puts the restaurant first and offers tools that drive high-margin revenue directly through the restaurant’s website. BentoBox is trusted and loved by over 5,000 restaurants worldwide including Union Square Hospitality Group, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Lilia and more. Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you’ll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/unstoppable.  MarginEdge is the only restaurant management system to combine automatic invoice processing with POS and accounting integrations, improving financial performance, visibility, and efficiency. It all starts with snapping a photo of invoices with your smartphone. We take it from there – every line item and every handwritten note is captured. We then integrate with your POS, so each day you know everything you bought and everything you sold. We create a rolling P&L with drill-down capability and it flows effortlessly to your Accounting System of choice. For 50% off your first year. Go to me.marginedge.com/unstoppable Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you’ll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/unstoppable.  Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Passion What is your biggest weakness? My heart What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? What do you love? What makes you excited to wake up everyday? Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Teach them about our MVP What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Make people feel special What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection by Michael Ruhlman GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough? Take the time to get to know your staff Name one service you've hired Robert and Jeremy Levine Lawyers Jeff Garcia - Food CPA What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations? Chowly - Streamline and integrate third-party delivery orders into your POS If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be? Hire slow and fire fast If you can't change people, change people Bone it like you own it, drive it like you stole it Contact info: Website: www.berniesburgerbus.com Instagram: @berniesburgerbus Twitter: @BerniesBurgers Facebook: @berniesburgerbus Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post. Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Huge thanks to Justin Turner for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!   Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!

FANDEMIC TOUR HOUSTON, 2019https://www.fandemictour.comOCTOBER 18, 19, & 20 2019NRG CENTER (MAP)1 NRG PARK, HOUSTON, TX 77054FRIDAY 3PM – 8PMSATURDAY 10AM – 7PMSUNDAY 10AM – 4PMSean AstinCooper AndrewsKevin SorboJason David FrankRay ParkCharles MartinetSebastian StanMilo VentimigliaScott PattersonJon BernthalJames PhelpsOliver PhelpsPollyanna McIntoshSean Patrick FlanneryJuliet LandauJames MarstersClare KramerEmma CaulfieldAmber BensonJames LearyChristopher SabatKenny JamesBecky LynchSeth RollinsWWE Superstar ChristianArthur SuydamMike DeCarloTom CookRodney RamosTim HarrisJohn GiangDaria AksenovaRuss AdamsBen HarveyMark KistlerSteve LeialohaMostafa MoussaJim SalicrupDavid Angelo RomanTrina RobbinsMark A NelsonBrian SalinasDirk StrangelyMegan TannerRod ThorntonRenée WitterstaetterMichael Watkins

A very educational conversation with Akeem (The Dream) of the RAW & UNCUT podcast. Follow Him!!@RawAndUncutpod on Twitter@rawanduncutpodcast on InstagramYoutube: Raw & Uncut SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Joining me is an amazing young man from the world of youtube. Tony of the Lucharcade series chats with me about Pro Wrestling, Collecting, & a bit of OCD. Super great guy, must listen. Follow Him!!@Lucharcade on Twitter@Lucharcade on InstagramYoutube: Lucharcade SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Joining me is the multi-talented Rob Rivera. We talk about the world of youtube, his life & passions, also how I saw him in an Instagram Ad. He ALSO dances in heel.....very well. Follow Him!!@OnTheCheapTip on Twitter@OnTheCheapTip on InstagramYoutube: OnTheCheapTip SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Joining me is Comedian Dave Temple. Listen we talk about & the way it is, the technology, the toxicity of social media, & some good things. #LookAtItThisWay Comedy Album: The 1st One Follow Him!!@ImDaveTemple on Twitter@imdavetemple on InstagramYoutube: ImDaveTempleWebsite: https://davetemplecomedy.wixsite.com/davetemplesite SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Joining me I one smart Motherfxxxer. Mekel Kasanova, Host of Hawaii's #1 podcast (for reals) The Kasanova Podcast. We talk about him attending college at 16, baby mama drama...kinda, & how you quit his job to be a full time content creator. Follow Him!!@MekelKasanova on Twitter@MekelKasanova on InstagramYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/MekelKasanova  SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Joining me is Nick Bartley, "manager" of Twitter's Boris & Bart of the Super Short Report. Listen to....all 4 of us talk about pro wrestling & all manner of things RANDOM Follow Him or Them!!@SuperSmartMark on Twitter  SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Join me as I speak with one of my former active duty service mates Dave plucked right from the world of twitter. Follow Him!!@leathrneck_0481 on Twitter Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/leatherneck_0481 SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Join me as i talk to one of the local homies here in H-Town. Big Dave 713. This man has one of the most amazingly interesting fitted hat collections you'll ever see on instagram.    Follow Him!!@bigdave713 on Twitter @bigdave713 on Instagram  SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Returning Professional Wrestler Kiefer Bartek talks about being on WWE tv & starting his own wrestling promotion. Join us for the rambles Follow Him!!@KieferBartekPro on Twitter @kieferbartekpro on Instagram@NewTexasPW on Twitter @newtexaspro on Instagram   SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Chatting with one of the hometown homies Heit The Great. One of the smartest dudes I know. Join us as we talk about music & the technology from our past. Follow Him!!@HeitMusic on Twitter @heitthegreat on Instagram   SEE B. Rob in Person  Fandemic Tour October 18-20 at the NRG Center 1 Nrg Park, Houston, TX 77054 J1Con November 2-3 at the Showboat Hotel 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  HTown Podfest November 16 at Bar Boheme 307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006United States CALL THE SHOW! Leave a "RANDOM' voicemail  304 TALK ROB  (304 825-5762)  30 day FREE Amazon Prime Trial http://amzn.to/2oQ8QW4 

Free food during Cow Appreciation Day today at Chick-Fil-A...The NRG Park Staff Draft is happening tomorrow...and Houston Astros Justin Verlander being named the starting pitcher for tonight's All-Star game...

Pat and Cleaver discuss on convincing with by the Texans over the Cleveland Browns. (1:30) Texans Beating Teams They Should (4:50) Deshuan Watson Being Tested (12:00) Elements of the Texans Offense (14:50) Inside Look on Deshaun Watson Changing the Offense (21:26) Offensive Line Look (24:14) D’Onta Foreman (27:20) Braxton Miller “No Flipping” (34:27) Wide Receivers (37:00) Johnathan Joseph (40:30) DJ Reader Goes to Work (44:17) Dylan Cole Factor + Injury (53:31) Statue at NRG Park? (57:55) Bring Warren Moon to the Stadium Instead (1:01:38) Duane Brown Returning? (1:11:46) Roster Shuffling (1:23:38) Cleave around the NFL

Alexis Berggren, Director of Event Services at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, and Shelley Ellis, General Manager of the Visalia Convention Center discuss the IAVM Mentor Connector program with guests, Kathryn Carlson, CVP with the American Airlines Center, McKenzie Rowley with NRG Park & Andrea Smalls with the Georgia International Convention Center.

LIVE Wednesday nights at 5 (PT) / 7 (CT)PK and DK: A real time "Hang Out" no matter where you are. On the web, in the car, and on the phone. Join us as for an unconventional look at the world and a reminder to... live a great story!Watch this episode: http://bit.ly/1ALnxdWCall us! 757-414-7535(PKDK) LIVE or leave us a voicemail 24/7!Podcast on Any Device. Anytime. Anywhere.iTunes: http://bit.ly/1kSVr1vSpreaker: http://bit.ly/V26BfnTonight-A few video reviews for ya. 1. The new FPSF 2015 festival grounds at NRG Park. 2. The Amazon Echo (new Siri like speaker we just got in)3. Olive Gardens breadstick sandwichAlso we talk about-DK being funny saying something about how she doesn't want to drink as much! LMFAOSpeaking of DK, A friend of hers told her to get drunk before her bikini wax. Is that even safe?I want to get my concealed permit. Anyone have any advice for your boy?James Harden busted with the side chick. His best excuse EVER.Video of Taylor with some stripper moves. Shia LaBeouf motivating the crap out of all of us. Your advice on- If you just started dating someone and they drank too much and got sick... would you leave them and go home?All the usual stuff and more!Follow: http://www.facebook.com/PKandDKhttp://www.twitter.com/PKandDKApps:iPhone: http://bit.ly/1pooWOPAndroid: http://bit.ly/1pjWDiAPK and DK - Live a great story (Most of the time).