Faces + Places
Brian O’Neil
Henderson Engineers has promoted Brian O’Neil to venue sector sports practice director. O’Neil will help lead the Henderson business unit that specializes in arenas, stadiums, ballparks and practice facilities for professional and collegiate sports alongside Kelly Hyde and Sean Kolich. O’Neil is a 10-year architecture, engineering and construction industry veteran who joined Henderson Engineers in 2016 and most recently served as sports practice manager. He’s based out of the company’s Los Angeles office and has been involved in major projects including Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium, the Las Vegas Aces’ practice facility and team headquarters, the Los Angeles Chargers’ new practice facility and the Los Angeles Clippers’ upcoming Intuit Dome.
Jason Refermat
Addition Financial Arena at the University of Central Florida has a new director of marketing in Jason Refermat, who brings more than 20 years of facility and event marketing experience, most recently at RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida. Refermat will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day marketing and advertising initiatives at Addition Financial Arena, including media buying, public relations, promotions, social media, and grassroots efforts for both the venue and its events..
Ty Sutton
Ty Sutton has been named president and CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Artsin Fort Lauderdale, Florida, effective Feb. 12 and succeeding Kelley Shanley who is stepping down. Sutton comes from Dayton Live in Ohio, where he has served as president and CEO since 2018. In his role new role, Sutton will also oversee Broward Center’s affiliated venues including The Parker theater,the Rose the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on the campus of Nova Southeastern University, and the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center in Miami-Dade County.
Alex Bowen
ASM Global has named Alex Bowen vice president of live entertainment, where he will manage event procurement and live-entertainment bookings for ASM Global venues in New Orleans, including Caesars Superdome, Smoothie King Center, Champions Square and Shrine on Airline as well as the new Thunder Ridge Nature’s Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri. He will also oversee live-content development and booking responsibilities for venues in the Southeast U.S. region. Bowen’s experience includes concert production, artist management, marketing and talent booking. His most recent role was senior talent buyer for Live Nation, overseeing multiple markets and large-scale venues.
Kelli Donahoe
Kelli Donahoe has been appointed senior vice president and chief operation officer for the 2.1 million square foot Music City Center. She will report to president and CEO Charles Starks. Donahoe’s background includes more than 20 years of convention center sales and operations management experience with hospitality entities in Pittsburgh, Orlando, Florida, and San Jose, California. Most recently, she served as General Manager of the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio. In her new role, Donahoe will oversee day-to-day operations of the facility and also assist in the planning and implementation of all functions and resources of facility departments
