VenuesNow 2025 All-Star Honoree: Otto Benedict

OTTO BENEDICT
SVP, Facility & Campus Operations
SoFi Stadium & Hollywood Park

GRASSROOTS:
First job – Field maintenance at a local baseball field. “The rest is history.”

The sheer volume of events at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, is exhausting just to recite, let alone run.

“We have experienced several impactful successes over the past year at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park,” says Otto Benedict, who joined SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park ahead of its opening in 2019. “From our grand opening of the Shops at Hollywood Park, the retail district part of our 300-acre campus, to welcoming our 10 millionth guest at SoFi Stadium, to constructing a groundbreaking FIFA test pitch. All of these accomplishments coincided with a robust calendar of events including a record-breaking 25 concerts, five international soccer matches, two music festivals and much more.”

Of course, that calendar also includes home games for both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers of the NFL and there’s no slowing down as the stadium will host games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“In preparation for FIFA World Cup 26, my team installed a hybrid natural grass pitch ahead of five international soccer matches at SoFi Stadium,” Benedict says. “The hybrid field requires a crew of 30 to install and maintain it, about double the staff needed to care for SoFi’s Matrix Turf surface for NFL games. Our grounds crew continuously maintained the pitch with grow lights, mowing, watering, and maintenance to provide a pristine playing field, which received rave reviews.” 

After that, attention will turn to the next global event, as SoFi Stadium will become the largest swimming venue in history when the Olympics return to Southern California in 2028.

“Recently, we hosted a staggering number of events across the 300-acre development, including the two-day HARD Summer Music Festival in the parking lots surrounding SoFi Stadium, two sold-out Shakira shows inside SoFi Stadium, two concerts at YouTube Theater, plus preparing the stadium for its first NFL preseason game.  We meticulously planned and executed these events, and I’m incredibly proud of my team. They worked tirelessly to ensure everything ran smoothly, allowing us to successfully host nearly 280,000 fans.”