2026 Impact 50 Honoree: Melissa Ormond

MELISSA ORMOND
COO, Goldenvoice
COO Festivals, AEG Presents

WORDS OF WISDOM: “One of my favorite pieces of shared wisdom: ‘You can have it all, just not at the same time.’ Life is a balance.” 
BY THE NUMBER: 50% and 55%. Amount of all Goldenvoice and AEG Presents employees who are women, respectively.

Pollstar Women of Live Hall of Famer Ormond began her impressive career at the fabled 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., where she rose to GM, then took on leadership roles under industry veteran Jay Marciano at Madison Square Garden Entertainment and House of Blues Entertainment (later Universal and then MCA Concerts) in Los Angeles before joining him at AEG Presents and Goldenvoice, which is behind this year’s sold-out Coachella and Stagecoach festivals. Goldenvoice’s 2026 calendar also includes the May debut of Zipangu, which was devoted to Japanese music and culture, and the new EDM festival Head Trip in October, as well as the poolside music series Splash House, the alternative Just Like Heaven, and Head in the Clouds, which celebrates Asian talent and culture. 

A multiple winner of the Pollstar Award for Talent Buyer of the Year, as well as the recipient of its Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year prize, Ormond has also served on the board of directors for the T.J. Martell Foundation and Homeboy Industries.

Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett called her “a brilliant executive and one of the most dedicated, clear-eyed, hardworking people I’ve met.”

Said Ormond on adding the COO title at Goldenvoice to her responsibilities as COO Festivals for AEG Presents in 2022: “Goldenvoice has an extraordinary history … the name itself has become synonymous with a curation of live experiences that’s unmatched. I am thrilled to be working directly with the company across the entire business and helping the team guide its exciting future. I know the different roles, so it made sense for me to grow into this one.”

The Topeka, Kansas, native previously offered this advice to women who want to break into the business of promotion and touring: “Learn as much as you can about every aspect of our business – don’t let yourself get siloed into a singular function.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. Women bring different qualities and capabilities to the workplace than men and need to feel confident in their unique contributions.”