Adventures In Venueland

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...

This adventure introduces us to Jamie Vosmeier, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. Learn more about the theater side of the business and how Jamie’s venue often plays a duel role, operating as a performing arts venue and functioning like a small arena at times. In this episode, you’ll get to hear some of the history about Fox theatres around the country, what i...

Today’s adventure introduces us to Ereka Brim, Senior Manager of Marketing, Advertising, Promotions and Public Relations for Spectrum Center ’s concerts and special events based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. One thing her and her team are known for are setting the standard for artist welcomes and experiences and in this episode, you’ll get a chance to hear about some of her favorite concepts t...

Heading to State College, Pennsylvania, today’s episode introduces Kate Bean, Bryce Jordan Center ’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations. Kate comes from a somewhat unique perspective, working at a venue that resides on a college campus, and debunks many of the stereotypes that come with that. She also describes the experience of having to pivot a monumental 25th anniversary in the middle o...

Today’s adventure takes us out to sunny Sacramento, California to meet with Kim Allen, Director of Arena Marketing for Golden 1 Center . In addition to her role at the venue, she also serves on the Board Of Directors for the Event & Arena Marketing Conference (EAMC) as the current Treasurer. In this episode, Kim walks guests through her journey, starting off with internships at her university and...

Meet two-time WWE Champion, NXT Champion, Intercontinental Champion and two-time RAW Tag Team Champion, Drew McIntyre . He’s the first British World Champion in WWE history and the 31st Triple Crown Champion in professional wrestling. In this first of its kind live recorded episode, Dave and Paul had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the Scottish Warrior during the Event & Arena Marketing...

This episode’s guest that Dave and Paul chat with is Julian “Zeus” McClurkin, who many may know through his time with the Harlem Globetrotters as a player and advance ambassador. Julian has been with the team for 11 years, turning his passion of “smiling and dunking” into his career. Hear from him on how he got to this point, growing up playing basketball with his brother, to playing Division I in...

This adventure takes us to Corpus Christi, Texas where Dave and Paul talk with Samuel Guerrero, Digital Marketing Manager for Concrete Street Amphitheater . Coming to you with a bit of a different perspective compared to previous guests on the podcast, Samuel’s adventure is early in his career, as he is a young up-and-comer who got his start interning at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, as well...

Today’s episode takes us to Music City where Dave & Paul chat with Claire Francis, the Sr. Marketing Director for Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators . Claire talks about the journey of increasing capacity within the building, the protocols in place, and what went into creating their Smashville SAFE plan. Having a strong relationship with their local government, health department, and th...