Antony Bonavita, Becky Colwell & Gary Guidry Among Speakers Added To VenuesNow Conference

Black Promoters Collective’s Gary Guidry and Beth Pepper, as well as Oak View Group’s Dr. Debonair Oates-Primus, are among the latest speakers confirmed for 2025’s edition of VenuesNow Conference.

Additional speakers that have recently been confirmed include Becky Colwell, General Manager Kia Forum & VP, Live Events at Intuit Dome, Halo Sports & Entertainment; Antony Bonavita, EVP, Chief Venues & Development Officer at Rock Entertainment Group and Cleveland Cavaliers; and Dan Griffis, President, Global Partnerships, Oak View Group.

The eighth annual VenuesNow Conference will take place Sept. 9-11 at Resorts World Las Vegas. Presented by Lockton and Oracle, the event marks the debut in the entertainment capital of the world and the first time VNC has expanded to three days. Past events have been hosted in Austin, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Phoenix, New York and Seattl

New this year will be a day of programming dedicated to sustainability. While environmental stewardship has consistently been a vital discussion point at past VenuesNow Conferences, this year’s focus highlights why sustainable strategies are more essential than ever for long-term success in the live industry. The sustainability content was carefully curated in partnership with GOAL (Green Operations & Advanced Leadership), which is a sustainability network for live event venues, founded in 2021 in partnership between Oak View Group (Pollstar‘s parent company), Fenway Sports Group, the Atlanta Hawks, and Jason F. McLennan.

The sustainability programming will include a panel titled “Built to Last: The Sustainable Convention Center of the Future.” As sustainability moves from buzzword to business imperative, convention centers are rethinking every square foot, from solar roofs and sustainable sourcing to HVAC systems and human-centered design. This panel dives into how leading convention centers are transforming their operations to meet carbon reduction goals, win environmentally conscious events, and serve as role models for their communities. Explore how major venues are implementing LEED certification, zero-waste events, water reuse systems, local-first food strategies, and innovative partnerships with cities and universities. Real-world success stories from Portland to Vegas to Europe will illustrate how sustainability isn’t just a green choice…it’s a competitive edge.

This week’s confirmed panels also include “Event Operations: Executing the Perfect Changeover.” Basketball to hockey. Dirt to EDM. UFC to Country. Family show to WWE. Today’s arena operations staff face the trickiest changeovers in the history of our business, tasked with shifting seamlessly between vastly different events, often under severe time constraints. A team of operations professionals will break down actual strategies implemented during challenging changeovers, covering logistics, staffing, production tips, vendor integration, crowd management, costs and tricks of the trade from people who bring the magic night after night.

Earlier in the month, Sandra Douglass Morgan, president of Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium, was announced as a keynote speaker. Other speakers include Graham Rossini, Athletic Director, Sun Devil Athletics; Michael Drake, Chief Executive Officer, Clemson Ventures; and Noël Largess Mirhadi, Senior Director, Theater Alliance at Oak View Group.

Registration for VenuesNow Conference is open now at venuesnowconference.com. Use the discount code POLLSTAR for 10% off your registration (valid through July 31).

Stay tuned for more speakers and panel announcements.

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