VenuesNow Conference Kicks Off in Phoenix

VNC KICKS OFF: Chris Granger delivers opening remarks at VNC 2024. (VenuesNow)

PHOENIX — VenuesNow Conference got under way at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday morning with palpable excitement among attendees and speakers.

In opening remarks, Chris Granger, president of OVG360, said the excitement seen at VenuesNow Conference mirrors that of the overall venue and events industry, where tech, sustainability and inclusion are pushing the business forward.

“This is a very complicated time for operators,” Granger said from the stage at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday morning. The event was preceded by a Monday morning Golf Outing at the Biltmore Golf Club.

Granger said opportunities are commensurate with the challenges of developing and maintaining live events facilities.

Among the opportunities are women’s sports writ large, and Granger’s remarks were followed by a panel on women’s sports that included true trailblazers.

“This is not a moment, this is a movement,” said University of Tennessee Athletic Director Joan Cronan.

Another morning panel covered trends at convention centers, followed by a keynote Q&A with Gardner and Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark.

“We want to have the first Big 12 music festival,” Yormark said as he discussed the changing landscape in college athletics.

The morning sessions concluded with a panel on sustainability, led by Kristen Fulmer, who heads up OVG’s sustainability program. Oak View Group produces VenuesNow Conference and is parent company to VenuesNow and Pollstar.

**THE FUTURE IS NOW**: Speakers included University of Tennessee athletic director emeritus Joan Cronan, Amy Scheer, SVP of business operations for the Professional Women’s Hockey League Business Operations and Courtney Carter, chief revenue officer at the Seattle Sounders FC & Seattle Reign FC.

“Revenue generation and sustainability are not mutually exclusive,” Fulmer said during the panel.

Sara Tomkins of the new Co-op Live arena in in Manchester, UK, said the venue has a walking route that has proved to be popular.

Breanna Treat of Climate Pledge Arena said understanding data such as how people are arriving is key.

“You can’t manage what you don’t track,” she said.

Today’s conference program will be followed by an opening night reception at Footprint Center, home of the NBA Phoenix Suns, where VenuesNow Conference will also recognize the 2024 VenuesNow All-Stars.