2023 Women Of Live: Melissa Ormond

Chief Operating Officer, Festivals | AEG Presents
Chief Operating Officer | Goldenvoice

Melissa Ormond added to her already voluminous resume and list of accomplishments in 2022. Along with the role of chief operating officer of festivals at AEG Presents, she is now COO of Goldenvoice, an AEG Presents company.

In her combined roles, Ormond works with the festival teams that produce 30 festivals worldwide including Coachella, Stagecoach, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, British Summer Time/Hyde Park and Electric Forest. Her areas of oversight include financial planning; marketing and branding; ticketing; sponsorships; health, safety and security; and festival operations.

“I’ve worked with the festival teams at AEG Presents for five-plus years and love it,” Ormond says. “I started working with the Goldenvoice concerts team last year and am excited to continue working closely with them!”

Of playing a role in getting AEG Presents up and running again after COVID shutdowns, Ormond says the experience was “truly rewarding and hopefully, never to be repeated!”

But she’s looking forward, not back. Of 2023, she says, “It is starting off to be another very strong year. We’ll keep an eye on the economy and consumer sentiment while continuing to offer many of the most exciting and differentiated live events out there.”

While she cites AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano as her most important mentor, Ormond also looks forward to seeing more women in top positions in the live industry.

“It’s exciting to see more women in the industry, generally, and more women ascending to more senior roles,” she says. “Our industry will continue to benefit tremendously from more women in executive positions. I do think we need to work more diligently to source and support women and men from communities that are under-represented in the concert promotion business.”

From Marciano, Ormond says she learned the importance of surrounding oneself with the best possible team for the greatest success, and to “propose a solution, rather than simply communicating a problem. Mistakes are inevitable; learning from them is critical.”