OVG’s Arena Alliance Awards & GOAL Medal Winners Announced at VNC 2025

Bridgestone Arena’s David Kells and Prudential Center’s Tyler Bates were among the executives honored on Tuesday evening during an event celebrating Oak View Group’s Arena Alliance Awards, as well as GOAL medal winners. 

The ceremony took place Sept. 9 at Jalisco Underground at Resorts World in Las Vegas following the Opening Reception for the 2025 VenuesNow Conference. 

Kells, who serves as Chief Venues Officer for Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators was named the Venue Operator of the Year. Bates, who is the Vice President of Booking at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, is the Venue Booker of the Year. The other OVG Arena Alliance Awards winners include Robby Yam, Sr. Event Manager of Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, as the Event Manager of the Year and Carrie Samek, Vice President of Events and Media Marketing of Rocket Arena in Cleveland, as the Marketing Professional of the Year. The Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, was awarded Best Venue Hospitality.  

See below for the full list of venues and organizations that received GOAL medals.

GOAL (Green Operations & Advanced Leadership), 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.

This year, VenuesNow Conference expanded to three days with a new half-day of programming focused on sustainability that was curated in partnership with GOAL. VNC continues through Thursday.

Climate Pledge Arena 
Moody Center 
Co-op Live        
UBS Arena         
Anfield
Target Field       
State Farm Arena           
Subaru Park     
Kaseya Center
Fenway Park    
Spectrum Center           
Grand Casino Arena     
Acrisure Arena
Rocket Arena   
Wrigley Field    
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Chip Ganassi Racing   
Yas Marina Circuit         
PHX Arena         
Benchmark International Arena
Foley Ent – Lee’s Family Forum
Canada Life Place         
BOK Center      
PPG Paints Arena          
Mullett Arena   
Arvest Convention Center         
Enterprise Center          
CFG Bank Arena             
Beaver Stadium