Samantha Holloway, Seattle Kraken Owner And Managing Partner Of One Roof Sports & Entertainment, To Open VenuesNow Conference

Samantha Holloway, owner of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and managing partner of One Roof Sports and Entertainment, will kick off VenuesNow Conference next month by taking part in an opening fireside chat. One Roof Sports and Entertainment is the umbrella brand for the Seattle Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena, and One Roof Foundation. 

VNC 2026 takes place Sept. 29-30 at the Sheraton Grand Seattle, marking VNC’s return to the Emerald City for the first time since 2021. Produced by Oak View Group Media & Conferences (OVG is the parent company of Pollstar) and presented by Marsh and Oracle, VNC brings together live entertainment, sports, and venue executives to address the industry’s most critical operational, financial, and strategic dynamics. 

During the opening fireside chat, Holloway will share her perspective as a technology entrepreneur, investor, and operator, and will discuss how she brings her founder’s mindset to sports and live entertainment, combining operational rigor and data-driven decision-making with a strong focus on the fan experience. 

Today’s announcement adds that “The core VNC agenda explores revenue generation, facility dynamics, and evolving fan expectations. Seattle is in the middle of a sports and entertainment boom, and few people sit closer to the center of it than Holloway, who is helping build one of the most talked-about organizations in sports. As part of the opening conversation, ‘A New Era for Professional Sports and Entertainment in Seattle,’ Holloway will share her perspective on Seattle’s evolving sports and entertainment landscape.” 

Additional confirmed speakers taking part in VNC panels, keynotes and town halls include Chris Granger and Emily Lindahl (Oak View Group), Sean Saadeh (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment), Kosha Irby (All Elite Wrestling), Mike Hayes (UTA), Craig Newman and Bruce Solar (Paladin Artists), Paz Aparicio (Movistar Arena Madrid), Denis Sullivan (Feld Entertainment), Gary Hutchinson (Oak View Group), Laura Chiplin (Tottenham Hotspur), David Powell (Ethara), John Page (Acrisure Arena), Thayer Lavielle and Sara Dean (The.Team), Bryan Bedford (Cisco), Kevin Devore and Ryan Zoukis (ME Engineers), Greg Farley (MD Energy Advisors), Dani Stern (Honeywell), Adam Stover (Populous), Luke Tingle (Daktronics), Katy Dychala (PWHL), Mike Sciortino (UBS Arena), Declan Weir (Stantec), David Reed (ModeScore & ActiveScore), Aaron Thomas (Columbus Arena Sports & Entertainment), Wesley Cullen, Gina Rotolo, Ashlee Stokely, and Guy Dunstan.

VNC follows the inaugural Secure Venues Summit on Sept. 28 at the Sheraton Grand Seattle, which is being launched by OVG & Prevent Advisors. The event is programmed specifically for safety, risk management, and venue operations leaders, and will feature a Keynote address on the “State of Security in America: Trends, Evolution, and Adversaries in Preparation for the 2028 Olympics in LA” by Voviette D. Morgan (SVP, Safety & Security, LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games) and Mike Downing (CSO/President, OVG/Prevent Advisors).

Also taking place Sept. 28 is the pre-conference VNC Golf Classic, a separately ticketed event providing executive networking on the course prior to the afternoon SVS breakout sessions and opening reception.

To register for the VenuesNow Conference 2026 or the Secure Venues Summit, or for schedule updates and venue information, visit venuesnowconference.com and securevenuessummit.com.