VenuesNow 2025 All-Star Honoree: James J. Claffey, Jr.

JAMES J. CLAFFEY, JR.
Executive Vice President | Venue Management
Madison Square Garden Entertainment

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. retains one of the most prominent portfolios in all the industry, helming venues including Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Chicago Theatre and Beacon Theatre. As Executive Vice President of Venue Management, James J. Claffey, Jr. has a hand overseeing it all.

He first joined MSG Entertainment back in 2022, coming from having spent 20 years as President of Local One, where he worked with various venues including Broadway theaters, opera houses and more. Claffey has been involved with the Local One jurisdiction since 1982, where his relationship with Madison Square Garden began, and was named an officer in 1996.

His career has been dedicated to serving venues in the New York City area, and in 2017 he was named I.A.T.S.E. International Vice President. His father was also a member of Local One, and his five brothers are all members of the IATSE, according to IMDB.

Under his tenure, Madison Square Garden has remained one of the top arenas worldwide, landing at No. 2 on Pollstar’s 2024 Top 200 Arenas Worldwide chart (second only behind Sphere).

This year, Madison Square Garden retains as full a calendar as ever. Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem Ball Tour” landed in the arena for six nights, stretching from Aug. 22 to Sept. 2. Tate McRae, Benson Boone, Haim, Kali Uchis, Adam Sandler, Dua Lipa and Reneé Rapp are just a few of the artists slated to headline the arena ahead of the New York Knicks’ return for the season on Oct. 13.

“The sheer volume and diversity of events across our venues this past year challenges our team,” Claffey says. “Some weeks, the team was turning Madison Square Garden over from hockey to a concert to basketball in less than 24 hours and executing transitions between Knicks and Rangers gams in less than three hours. We have an amazing team on the ground at The Garden, especially general manager Bobby Castronovo who handles the day-to-day operations and ensures the quality of the guest experience is world-class.”

So far this year, the venue’s been host to 50 shows, selling 686,010 tickets, grossing $74.4 million, according to reports submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice. The venue averages 18,541 tickets per boxoffice report, with an average gross of $2 million.

Meanwhile, Radio City Music Hall once again dominated for the quarter, with 353,272 tickets, grossing $44.2 million.