Adventures In Venueland

Grab your favorite sunglasses and meet us stage left as we chat with Angela Lanza, self-proclaimed theater kid and Director of Event Marketing at Vinik Sports Group in Tampa, Florida. Angela tells us all about the venues VSG oversees – Amalie Arena (pronounced like family) and Yuengling Center – and how they have navigated two years filled with extreme success and unexpected residencies. Hear all about how this Philly girl fell in love with Tampa, and how a passion for theater led to an internship that set her career course in the live events industry. Angela talks about things she has learned throughout her career, from working retail to being a PA for The Daily Show to working at venues. Enjoy this fun-filled episode all about following your passions.

Angela Lanza: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Amalie Arena: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Yuengling Center: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

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Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

From west Philadelphia, born and raised, working with venues is how she spends most of her days. Join us for a discussion with Dr. Debonair Oates-Primus, VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Oak View Group. Hear about the work Dr. Deb is doing with OVG – working with venues to track diversity within their organization and with the businesses they work with, and then identifying opportunities for growth and equitable change. She tells us about the “ah ha” and “ouch” moments companies experience, how change comes from admitting there is room for growth, and how admitting privilege and understanding unconscious bias are important steps to make your business more inclusive. Hear about her personal experience in this role and through her career, and what tips she has for venues and people in industry looking to make changes. Enjoy this refreshing, honest, conversation about how to change the culture of the industry, and businesses in general, and make them more equitable and inclusive in the future.

Dr. Debonair Oates-Primus: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email
Oak View Group: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

BONUS EPISODE – Having a ruff day? Furr-get your worries and head backstage for this paw-sitive, off-the-leash, episode with Live Nation Pawduction Manager, Backstage Bowie. 🐶 We chat with all around awesome person and Bowie’s owner, Lindsay Gjerde, who’s a regional Production Manager for Live Nation. Lindsey tells us about when she first started taking Bowie around with her on show days, how it developed into her own Instagram account, and the amazing experiences and affects she has had on touring talent. From wags with Post Malone to song dedications by the band Garbage, Bowie has left a lasting impression on each tour she visits. Could this be the first ever podcast with a dog guest? It’s paw-sible! Howl will we ever top this ulti-mutt bonus? 🦮 Enjoy this light-hearted, dogcast episode in honor of National Dog Month!

Backstage Bowie: Instagram
Lindsay Gjerde: Instagram | LinkedIn

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Go for a cruise around Charm City, as we chat with Baltimore-based live events PR legend, Edie Brown. Edie takes us through her career from her beginnings in PR at the Baltimore Convention Complex in 1979 to when she decided to start her own PR firm in 2020. Hear stories about family friend Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters fame, decorating back of house for a Pavarotti show, meeting previous presidents, and so much more. EAMC Gigi Award-winner, three-time winner of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, Downtown Partnership Award-winner, and Maryland Tourism Award-winner - Edie is a legend not only in Baltimore and the state of Maryland, but across the live events industry. She has been instrumental in the development of the EAMC Conference, having attended the first one in 1980. Enjoy this episode full of fun stories, great career advice, and interesting career adventures.

Edie Brown: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Head with us to the sunny state of Arizona, where we catch up with Kelly Lovell-Taylor, Marketing & PR Officer at Tempe Center for the Arts. Kelly, who recently won the Impact Award at the 2022 EAMC Conference, talks about her involvement in the creation of the Tempe Black Employee Alliance, the first black employee group established in any government organization in Arizona. She walks us through the process of its creation, and what it has meant to city employees. She takes us through challenges of the last couple of years, working through unique quirks of the venue, and unique ways Tempe Center for the Arts adapted in 2020. Buckle up as we explore Kelly’s career adventure - from Canadian venue roots to the promoter side with Harlem Globetrotters and Cirque du Soleil - learn how different sides of the industry compliment each other. This episode is great for someone digging for career advice or looking to find ways to bring their authentic self into the workplace.

Kelly Lovell-Taylor: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
Tempe Center for the Arts: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Plunge into the Land of 1,000 Lakes with our very first LIVE episode of Adventures In Venueland, recorded in front of a live audience in the Twin Cities at the Event & Arena Marketing Conference. We chat with Kosha Irby, Chief Marketing Officer at Professional Bull Riding, and 2022 EAMC Hall of Fame Inductee. Kosha tells us all about his career journey from Conference USA to WWE to PBR, how he fell in love with live events, and various other career detours along the way. Learn how PBR constantly adapted over the last two years, from doing televised events without any fans, to innovating with pod model seating, to the return to live crowds. We talk about the importance and role live events serve in people’s lives and communities. Uniquely for this episode, at the end we open it up to audience questions. Enjoy this fun, informative episode that covers career challenges and successes, and the importance of bringing your authentic self to your job.

Kosha Irby: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Professional Bull Riding: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Lalaland returns as we collect another guest from the City Of Angels with Samantha Marker, Social Media Manager at SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater, and Hollywood Park. This episode rounds out our Adventures In Venueland team, as Samantha tells us about her involvement with the podcast as well as the Event & Arena Marketing Conference. She walks us through her career so far, from red carpet hopping as a kid to working at the Greek Theatre and Staples Center, to where she is now. We talk about what makes a good social platform and when is a good time to invest in one as part of your marketing mix. Samantha talks about how to cover major events such as awards shows and great ways to build your venue’s brand and personality. This episode is a wonderful mix of social media tips, fun conversation, and great perspective of growing in the industry while early in your career.

Samantha Marker: Instagram | LinkedIn
SoFi Stadium: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
YouTube Theater: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We hike down to the Grand Canyon State and catch up with Kate Girotti, Regional VP of Marketing for ASM Global and Assistant GM of Gila River Arena in Glendale, for this Venueland adventure. Kate tells us about her roles in ASM, which takes her around to venues all over the country and beyond to assist with marketing strategies, building openings, and optimization. She talks about leveraging the experience and uniqueness of each venue to help raise the tide to improve all buildings while continuing to innovate in each market. We discuss what makes a “great venue marketer” and how fit within the market and company is sometimes just as important as anything else. When Kate is not city hopping, she’s often enjoying vacations and spending time on her farm, and feels it’s important to disconnect and balance the hustle and bustle of live events with the relaxation of nature. This episode is great if you’re getting started in the industry and looking for tips on when to take risks, benefits from trying new industries, and the importance of networking while developing your career.

Kate Girotti: LinkedIn | Email | Farm Instagram
ASM Global: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Gila River Arena: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

BONUS EPISODE – What's that around the corner? Is it an in-person EAMC conference for the first time in three years? We're only four weeks out from the return of the Event & Arena Marketing Conference, which brings together the brightest minds across live events and venues to discuss marketing, publicity, group sales, and more. For those unaware, Adventures In Venueland was created through relationships built at EAMC. Listen to Dave and Paul break down what to expect at the conference, the latest updates as planning progresses, their favorite things they enjoy about the event, good tips for first-time attendees, and a special live AIV episode recording that's part of the agenda! Planning to attend this year? Be sure to come find members of our AIV team and say hello!

Event & Arena Marketing Conference: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Start your engines, grab your skateboard, and get ready as we drop into an action sports filled interview with Jessi Armstrong, Director of Marketing & Fan Experience for Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, the company that produces properties such as Nitro Circus, Street League Skateboarding, Nitro Rallycross, and Ridiculousness' Thrill One Media. Jessi talks about what it’s like to work for such a high-energy company and walks us through the details of each of their sports. We talk about her career path, from having a passion for the live event industry, to interning at EAMC, to working for a global action sports brand. She tells us about some of the creative concepts they launched during 2020, including a touring ramp setup that played in Walmart parking lots. Enjoy this fun, lighthearted episode that’s sure to rev your engine and ignite an interest in the thrill of working with extreme sports.

Jessi Armstrong: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
Thrill One Sports & Entertainment: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

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ADVENTURES IN VENUELAND

Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter
Learn more about Event & Venue Marketing Conference

Meet our team:

Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & Marketing
Dave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest Research
Megan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital Advertising
Samantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & Publicity
Camille Faulkner | Audio Editing & Mixing

Have a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.