THE IN CROWD
Here’s the secret about VenuesNow All-Stars: It would make a great invite list.
But only if you’re sending out invitations for a gathering where the most important thing isn’t what people are wearing, or what’s filling their glasses, or even the occasion.
If you’re looking for interesting people from different backgrounds and an assortment of industry sectors, sharing deep discussions, enlightening stories and even some laughs — well, then, start picking a date on the calendar. This is your crowd.
Once again, our editorial team has identified, researched and debated people and venues from across the industry and heard the opinions of those who work in it. We evaluated individuals for factors that included documented excellence, innovation, financial success, commitment to diversity, and leadership in their field. Many were worthy, but we narrowed it down to 40 whom we present here.
And that party? We actually got to throw it the first year we gave out the honors, 2019, and it was a blast. No such luck for the following two lists (thanks, COVID), but we hope the day is coming when the invitations will go out and the get-together that everyone in the industry would like to attend will get together once again.
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Dorothy Abrams
Vice President of Global Product Marketing
Ticketmaster
Todd Barnes
Senior Event Architect and Senior Principal
Populous
Gary Bettman
Commissioner
National Hockey League
Starr Butler-Jemison
Vice President, Bookings and Events
Fiserv Forum and Milwaukee Bucks
Anil Chitkara
Co-Founder
Evolv Technology
Richard Claffey
Executive Vice President, Venue Management
MSG Entertainment
Laura Connelly
General Manager, Hollywood Bowl, and Vice President, Production
Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
Adina Erwin
General Manager, Barclays Center
ASM Global
Don Garber
Commissioner
Major League Soccer
Teresa Guy
Director of Booking and Partnerships
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Jordan Harding
General Manager, City National Grove of Anaheim
Nederlander Concerts
Eric Hart
President and CEO
Tampa Sports Authority
Dee Haslam
CEO
Haslam Sports Group
Sean Henry
President and CEO
Nashville Predators
Phil Hutcheon
Founder / CEO
Dice
Kosha Irby
Chief Marketing Officer
Professional Bull Riders
Ralph Marchetta
General Manager
Footprint Center, Phoenix
Steve Mattson
GM, Climate Pledge Arena; Executive Vice President, Oak View Group
Oak View Group
Molly Mazzolini
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Brand Integration
Infinite Scale
Erik Moses
President
Nashville Superspeedway
Sina Nader
COO
FTX.US
Dave Niedbalski
Founder/CEO
Lovely Day
Jay Parker
Vice President of Live Events and Spectaculars
Daktronics
Casey Rapp
GM, Globe Life Field
Delaware North Sportservice
Michael Rubin
CEO
Fanatics
Peter Shapiro
Founder
Dayglo Ventures
Sherri Sosa
President and CEO
Venue Nation/Live Nation
Scott Stienecker
Regional Vice President
AEG Presents
CEO
PromoWest Productions
Doug Thornton
Executive Vice President
ASM Global
Chris Wright
General Manager
Allegiant Stadium
VENUES AND MORE
Autonomous Checkout
All-Stars: Innovation
VENUES AND MORE
Q2 Stadium
All-Stars: Stadium
Austin, TX
VENUES AND MORE
Climate Pledge Arena
All-Stars: Arena
Seattle, WA
VENUES AND MORE
Ruth Eckerd Hall
All-Stars: Theater/ Performing Arts Center
Clearwater, FL
VENUES AND MORE
Exit/In
All-Stars: Club
Nashville, TN
VENUES AND MORE
Orange County Convention Center
All-Stars: Convention Center
Orlando, FL
VENUES AND MORE
Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
All-Stars: New Building
San Diego, CA
VENUES AND MORE
Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
All-Stars: Renovation
Bridgeport, CT
VENUES AND MORE
Lollapalooza
All-Stars: Festival
Chicago, IL
VENUES AND MORE
Deer District
All-Stars: Mixed-Use
Milwaukee, WI