VNC 2025 Panel Preview: The Shifting Economics Of University Sports & Entertainment

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.

Here’s a look at the VNC 2025 panel “The Shifting Economics of University Sports & Entertainment.”

MODERATOR
Dan Griffis
President
Global Partnerships, Oak View Group

SPEAKERS
Marcus Bowman
Deputy AD, Business Development & Revenue Generation
University of Oklahoma

Byron Chambers
Senior Principal, Design Director
Populous

Michael Drake
CEO
Clemson Athletic Ventures

Joe Parker
Deputy AD for Strategic Initiatives & COO
University of Iowa

Graham Rossini
Athletics Director
Arizona State University / Sun Devil Athletics

College athletics is venturing into uncharted territory with athletes now being compensated, forever changing how business is conducted at universities. There’s a sense of uncertainty about how it will all play out, but it’s also an exciting time as administrators and sports executives find new revenue streams.

Count Dan Griffis, president of Global Partnerships at Oak View Group, as one of those curious and excited. He will be moderating a panel at the VenuesNow Conference in Las Vegas and diving deep into the economic revolution in collegiate sports, discussing corporate sponsorships, branding, NIL policies and how it affects university facilities (like stadiums) going forward.

“There’s been more change in the last two years in college sports than there has been in the previous 100,” Griffis tells Pollstar. “And my guess is that in the next three years, there will be more than in the previous two.”

Other speakers scheduled to join Griffis on stage are Michael Drake, CEO of Clemson Athletic Ventures; Joe Parker, deputy A.D. for strategic initiatives and COO of the University of Iowa; Graham Rossini, Arizona State’s A.D.; Byron Chambers, senior principal and design director at Populous; and Marcus Bowman, University of Oklahoma’s deputy A.D. of business development and revenue generation.

They will all talk about the state of the college sports business and where it is headed, from universities retrofitting their football stadiums to accommodate live music events to how it affects athletic programs that don’t generate revenue (which is most of them).

“Personally, I want to ask these guys, ‘Do you see a model in the future [where] the only reason Olympic sports exist is because of endowments?’” Griffis says. “Is it going to get to a model where it’s the Dan Griffis swim program at Stanford presented by the Griffis Family? And the only way they can survive is if some family is going to write a check of $5 million a year to endow the tennis program or the fencing program or something like that because these universities are going to make some tough choices.”

It’s a lot of ground to cover, but the loaded topic is one worth exploring.