VNC 2025 Panel Preview: Global Stadium Update

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.

VNC is the preeminent forum for live events, sports, and cultural venue owners and partners to explore industry dynamics, share best practices, and discuss future trends. This year, the three-day conference will feature sessions on bookings, hospitality, premium experiences, technology, and a new half-day of curated programming focused on sustainability across all venue types, touching on energy, water, and waste management, along with strategies to strengthen financial performance, corporate partnerships, and guest experience.

Registration for VenuesNow Conference is open now at venuesnowconference.com. Use the discount code VNCVEGAS at checkout to save 10% on your registration (valid through Aug. 31).

Here’s a look at the VNC 2025 panel “Global Stadium Update.”

Global Stadium Update
A deep dive into the international outlook for stadium bookings and development across the UK, Europe and Middle East, with an eye towards future development and prospects throughout Asia.

MODERATOR:
Gary Hutchinson EVP, Global Touring & Content, Oak View Group International

SPEAKERS:
Patrik Meyer, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Park Stadium Frankfurt
Iain Campbell President, Oak View Group, Middle East, Africa, Asia
Laura Chiplin Director of Stadium Events & Attractions, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

The live music experience is constantly evolving. It’s fair to say that in terms of scale and ambition of the live show, the past couple of years have been unprecedented. Stadiums have taken center stage in this development, offering the perfect backdrop for a level of production, set design, and storytelling that has set the bar for what’s possible on the grandest stage.

But it’s not just scale that explains the appeal of the stadium show for both artists and fans.

“A stadium show represents the ultimate scale of connection for an artist and fan,” explains Gary Hutchinson, vice president of booking and commercial partnerships, OVG International; and managing director, Chrysalis Leisure Management. He adds, “Thousands of fans coming together, singing back words that defined their friendships, and potentially the backdrop for significant moments in their lives. For artists, it is the pinnacle of their craft; for fans, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (in some cases).”

Hutchinson will moderate the Global Stadium Update at this year’s VenuesNow Conference in Las Vegas, where some of this industry’s most experience stadium operators are going to take a deep dive into the international outlook for stadium bookings and development across the UK, Europe and Middle East, with an eye towards future development and prospects throughout Asia.

Two points that may well be raised on the panel are (1) is the pipeline for new stadium acts creating them as fast as we’re putting them on stage, and (2) is the market, and the fans wallet, able to sustain the amount of shows we’ve been seeing.

“For point two,” says Hutchinson, the answer, so far, seems to be yes. We’ve seen continued sustained demand for stadium tours with some fans coming to multiple nights or attending multiple different tours over the course of the summer. For point one, that ultimately is a question for the entire industry. We’ve seen a raft of new headliners make the jump from arena to stadium/festival headlining over the last four years across a breadth of genres from pop to rock and metal. Obviously, there is a question on whether this is enough to fill the gaps that are going to be left by the heritage acts who are still doing enormous business and making up significant portion of stadia shows.”