Kaishin Lin
Event Manager | Capital One Arena, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Kaishin Lin has a special lens with which she views the venues industry.
“Working at an arena in Washington, D.C. gives me a unique perspective on how our industry is often impacted by politics,” said Lin, event manager at Capital One Arena, the Monumental Sports & Entertainment home of its NBA Washington Wizards and NHL Washington Capitals. “I think this election year will provide folks with unique opportunities to think outside the box on how to market their shows to fans.”
In the last year, Lin has worked over 60 events — including 27 concerts, all Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball home games and select Washington Wizards/Capitals home games. “It was certainly a busy year, and I am grateful to have had an impact on people’s entertainment memories.”
As for memories, she made some of her own on Nov. 30, 2023, when she was event manager for a Dave Chappelle show that broke the record for highest attended comedy show in venue history with a sellout crowd of 19,754.
Lin sees the good times continuing to roll for an industry that was roiled by shutdowns just a few years ago.
“It’s exciting to see how the scale of live events continues to grow and how venues around the industry adapt and expand to fit these growing productions in their buildings,” she said. “I think the future will be just as bright as it is now. As long as artists are willing to continue to tour, there’s a lot of opportunity for fans to continue attending live events to gain a sense of community and build memories.”
Lin says she’s learned the business from past managers who “taught me everything I needed to know about live events while supporting me through all my highs and lows.”
“Special shout out to Abbie Hollon, Tim Filipovich, Meagan Swick, Chris Rogers and John Winkert,” Lin said. “I would not be able to do what I do without their knowledge and support.”
Lin’s advice for younger team members is to latch onto something they love doing.
“When they love what they do as much as I do, everything else comes easy,” she says.
“I‘m also excited for the future of our company, Monumental Sports, including the announced plans of expansion in building a world-class entertainment district in Alexandria, Virginia at Potomac Yard, and all of the live events to come with that exciting new venture.”
On women’s status in the live business, Lin says she’s been fortunate to be surrounded by a number of women in the industry and is looking forward to seeing what the next generation does as they rise through their venues’ ranks.
“As chair of the Asian American Pacific Islander Network Employee Resource Group at Monumental, I plan on continuing to use the ERG to support the AAPI community in the area,” she said.