Adventures In Venueland

Lalaland returns as we collect another guest from the City Of Angels with Samantha Marker, Social Media Manager at SoFi Stadium , YouTube Theater , and Hollywood Park . This episode rounds out our Adventures In Venueland team, as Samantha tells us about her involvement with the podcast as well as the Event & Arena Marketing Conference. She walks us through her career so far, from red carpet hoppin...

We hike down to the Grand Canyon State and catch up with Kate Girotti, Regional VP of Marketing for ASM Global and Assistant GM of Gila River Arena in Glendale, for this Venueland adventure. Kate tells us about her roles in ASM, which takes her around to venues all over the country and beyond to assist with marketing strategies, building openings, and optimization. She talks about leveraging the e...

BONUS EPISODE – What's that around the corner? Is it an in-person EAMC conference for the first time in three years? We're only four weeks out from the return of the Event & Arena Marketing Conference, which brings together the brightest minds across live events and venues to discuss marketing, publicity, group sales, and more. For those unaware, Adventures In Venueland was created through relatio...

Start your engines, grab your skateboard, and get ready as we drop into an action sports filled interview with Jessi Armstrong, Director of Marketing & Fan Experience for Thrill One Sports & Entertainment , the company that produces properties such as Nitro Circus , Street League Skateboarding , Nitro Rallycross , and Ridiculousness' Thrill One Media . Jessi talks about what it’s like to work for...

The stars at night are big and bright 👏👏👏 as we head deep into the heart of Austin, Texas to catch up with Jeff Nickler, SVP for Oak View Group , and project lead for the brand new Moody Center which opens with its first public event tonight ! Hear how the country roads of West Virginia led Jeff’s career to the hotel industry in Miami, a cutting edge arena in Tulsa, running Arena Alliance in an...

This is no desert mirage, we’re chatting with Gina Rotolo, VP of Marketing & Communications for Coachella Valley Firebirds , a freshly-hatched AHL team who will be nesting at Acrisure Arena , the brand new Oak View Group arena coming to Coachella Valley, California. Gina, who is currently in Texas but will soon relocate, tells us all about the new team and arena, which has a diverse senior leaders...

Oaktown what’s good? For this episode we head to the Bay Area to talk with Lionel Bea, Director of Operations & Co-founder of Bay Area Productions , an urban event production company based in Oakland, with a focus on hip hop, R&B, gospel, blues and comedy acts. Lionel also serves as SVP of Black Promoters Collective , a coalition of six of the nation’s top independent concert promotion and event p...

Kick on the lasers and wait for the bass to drop as we catch up with Jace Cohen, Co-founder of Versa . Jace’s company specializes in talent buying and festival experiences, and he shares how they have adapted and innovated over the last two years. Hear about how they launched the first major festival in Wuhan, China in 2018, bringing huge electronic acts overseas for the massive event. Jace walks...

BONUS EPISODE – Ready… set… race with us to the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as Joe Furin, General Manager, takes us behind-the-scenes of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. What’s it like to take a legendary venue that’s 100 years old and retrofit it to host the season kickoff for NASCAR? It’s just about as wild as it sounds. Joe talks us through the ideation, construction, and executi...

Head with us to the City of Festivals, Milwaukee, as we catch up with Paul Bee, the Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service for the Milwaukee Bucks . Paul, who also serves as the VP of DEI for the Event & Arena Marketing Conference , takes us through many of the social justice initiatives the Bucks organization are doing as well as his personal focuses as he works to impact his company and the...

Put on your shades and cruise with us to sunny Anaheim as we chat with Megan Ebeck, Marketing Manager at Honda Center . Megan walks us through her career, including time at multiple venues, handling social for an Olympian, and interning with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. She takes us through the last two years which included a furlough, layoff, new job, resignation and all the highs and lows...

BONUS EPISODE – Lace those skates and hit the ice with us as we talk with Michael Terry, Director, Communications and Media Strategy for U.S. Figure Skating as they head to Beijing to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games . Michael gives us an inside look into what it's like being involved in the big event, how things have changed due to the pandemic, what led him into working for the national...

Grab your camera and jump in the photo pit with us as we interview music photographer and tour content creator, Anna Lee. Hear all about Anna’s journey into becoming a tour photographer, and what her favorite things and biggest challenges are while on tour. She walks us through the creation of her #ALMFanCam project where she takes a disposable camera from a super fan around with her at each show,...

For this episode we head to sunny Savannah, Georgia and catch up with Monty Jones, Jr., General Manager for Enmarket Arena and Savannah Civic Center with Oak View Group . Monty tells us all about the brand new arena opening in Savannah next month, and their various initiatives, including having 75% of their event operating income go to local, minority-owned businesses. He takes us through his care...

BONUS EPISODE – Happy holidays Venuelanders! For this bonus episode, we asked people to call-in with their memorable event day stories. Enjoy a variety of anecdotes from previous guests, listeners, and maybe even a host or two. The tales range from Elton John hysterically laughing while riding around backstage to a taxidermied bear being rolled around arena offices. We hope these stories bring you...

Learn the true meaning of ‘Minnesota nice’ as we catch up with Kelly McGrath, Director of Sales, Marketing and Public Relations for Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kelly tells us about the Twin Cities, the individuality each city has, and it’s place as a mecca for live music. She talks about plans for the upcoming NHL Winter Classic, which the Minnesota Wild are hosting on January 1, an...

Podcasters meet podcaster on this episode of Adventures In Venueland as Dave and Paul talk with Dionna Widder, Chief Revenue Officer for Houston Dynamo FC , Houston Dash , and PNC Stadium , as well as host of the industry podcast Women Blazers . Hear Dionna talk about her career journey, which took her to various cities and teams, and advice she gives people starting off in sales and sports. Learn...

Lone Star State love takes us deep into the heart of Austin, Texas to talk with Steve Sternschein, CEO and co-founder of Ad. Ventures , an agency representing nearly 100 independent venues, maximizing ancillary revenue through a collective sales approach. Steve talks about what the last year has been like owning and operating numerous venues in central Texas, the formation of the National Independ...

Windy City wonder meets hoop dreams as we talk with Brooke Weisbrod, ESPN Sports Broadcaster based in Chicago. Hear about how the sports broadcasting world has changed in the last year and a half, and how Brooke has adjusted to calling games from her home remotely. We learn all about her career journey, from playing basketball to calling basketball, and what makes the best venues and arenas from h...

Rosin up your bow and join Dave and Paul as they head back to Nashville to explore the personal adventure of Camille Faulkner, touring and studio violinist, music licenser, and the audio editor and mixer for Adventures In Venueland! Camille tells us about challenges she’s faced throughout her career, the highs and lows of touring, the ins and outs of music licensing, and how she’s used preparation...

For our 25th episode we head to Kansas City, aka “Paris of the Plains,” and talk with Shani Tate Ross, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for T-Mobile Center . We dive right into some of the current challenges facing the industry with its roaring return, and discuss silver linings and pitfalls the pandemic may have brought on. Hear all about Shani’s career journey, from working in professional ba...

Join us in the Deer District as we chat with Dustin Godsey, Chief Marketing Officer for the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dustin takes us through the wild ride the Bucks had over the last year and a half, from playing in the bubble to winning an NBA championship. He shares what the journey has been like from when he first joined the team to seeing their success grow to...

BONUS EPISODE – For this bonus episode, we talk with Tim Zulawski, the Chief Revenue Officer at AMB Sports & Entertainment including Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Tim walks us through the ideation, planning and execution on the venue side of Kanye West's DONDA events and residency at their stadium. Hear how their operations team adjusted and flexed to help successfully create a unique experien...

Grab your guitar and join us in music city as we talk with Lori Shapiro, Director of Digital Marketing at Outback Presents , based in Nashville, Tennessee. Hear Lori talk about what the last year and a half has been like on the promoter side and how they adapted and prepared for the return of events. She discusses starting on the venue side, her journey from Penn State to her current role, her adv...

This episode we chat with industry legend Kim Bedier, Director of Venues & Events for the City of Tacoma, including the iconic Tacoma Dome , one of the largest wood domed structures in the world. Hear about Kim’s passions of promoting women in leadership roles, the importance of mentoring, and the value of career advancement through IAVM , the International Association of Venue Managers. From hunt...