Adventures In Venueland

Ahoy Venuelanders! 🛳⚓️ Join us for a revelry at sea as we set sail with Jeff Cuellar, CEO of Sixthman, a promoter focused on “tearing down walls” by creating community-inspired festival experiences that use cruise ships as their venue. Celebrating their 25th anniversary as a company, Jeff gives us an overview of Sixthman, their approach to their experiences, and the history of the company. Learn how they bring to life the magic of passionate communities through performances, food and lodging, international destinations, and entertainment while providing a safe space for fans to be together and bond over shared passions. While music is their core business and what started it all, they have expanded to comedy, podcasting, as well as other passionate groups that led to the creation of events such as Chefs Making Waves and The Broadway Cruise. Additionally, Sixthman has had the pleasure of working with other brands that have extremely tight communities like the Savannah Bananas and Hallmark, providing an opportunity for a more intimate and curated experience for their fans. We also chat nuts and bolts with Jeff about setting up, loading in, and challenges producing a festival at sea – including things like working with naval engineers, accounting for motion and weather, and coordinating production operations. So, grab a Mai Tai and dive into this fascinating episode that gives you an inside look into a wonderfully unique side of live events on the open seas. Jeff Cuellar: LinkedIn Sixthman: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Welcome to Messina Touring Week on Adventures In Venueland! 🎉 As we celebrate 2️⃣5️⃣ years of Messina Touring, we’ve got a couple special episodes dropping this week to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what makes them one of the top concert promoters today. — To kick things off, we’re chatting with Kate Des Enfants McMahon, Executive Vice President at Messina Touring Group, who has been with the company since the beginning. One of the most influential forces in live music touring, Kate has helped shape the modern touring business across companies like Pace Concerts, SFX Touring, and Clear Channel Touring before starting Messina Touring with Louis Messina and Rome McMahon 25 years ago. We chat about the history of the company, her current role, and how their “concierge promoter” all-in services have earned them such a great reputation. We learn about her career in the industry, what she thinks makes a good venue, advice she has for women entering the industry, and some landmark moments of her career – such as being involved in one of the first country music stadium shows. Enjoy listening to this five-time Billboard Woman in Music recipient and Pollstar Impact 50 recipient as we talk shop, share stories, and discuss amazing career advice. Kate Des Enfants McMahon: LinkedIn Messina Touring: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We’ve had a good run at Adventures In Venueland but we’ve decided to shift focus and give the live event industry what they really want (and need) – a good night’s rest. Introducing… Snoozing In Venueland… or Adventures In Slumberland… honestly we’re too tired to decide. Having a hard time settling in for some sleep after a crazy run of show days? Enjoy 8 hours of the familiar, comforting white noise of semi trucks humming paired with the occasional background noise of backstage banter. 🚚 Take a load off, get some good rest and relaxation on us, then meet us for a walk and chalk at the venue first thing in the morning. Happy April Fools Day! ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We’re headed back to Tinseltown to chat with Vanessa Mancao, Tour Marketing Manager in Los Angeles for Red Light Management – the largest independent artist management company in the world. Vanessa works closely with artists like Jon Pardi, The Fray, Trombone Shorty, Maoli and Slightly Stoopid, helping behind the scenes of major tours, collaborating closely with promoters and venues to turn strategy into sold out shows. We talk about how she helps prepare for tour announcements, reviews assets, works with tour managers and agencies, and helps facilitate ideas for ticket promotions. She tells us about her career history from growing up in Wichita and attending University of Missouri for Broadcast Journalism to being a television producer on Good Morning Oklahoma and her first industry job at BOK Center and ASM Global as Special Events & Festivals Coordinator, ultimately moving to a booking role on the convention center side before relocating to LA and her current role. Enjoy this really interesting and fun episode which provides great insight into the management side along with some fun stories. Vanessa Mancao: Instagram | LinkedIn Red Light Management: Instagram ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Join us where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain as we journey to Oklahoma and chat with Lucy Albers, Director of Marketing & PR for Paycom Center, home to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With plans in motion, we dive into talking about the new arena coming to OKC in 2028, its unique design, and what to expect from the exciting addition – which is slated to open the same year the city hosts two Olympic events. We talk about the success of the Thunder and how the venue not only hosts the NBA team but also their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. Lucy breaks down her team, which oversees marketing and PR for all non-Thunder events. We talk about how Lucy began her career in Sioux Falls, South Dakota wanting to be a music writer and help people discover bands and how that evolved into writing gigs with magazines and bands and her first experience at a venue, where she cut her teeth. We learn about her background on the ticketing side which eventually moved to marketing and led to her current role in OKC. Lucy talks about her decision to become a Solo Mother by Choice and how she balances work and home life while also offering support for others considering the same choice. Enjoy this fun episode packed with lots of interesting experiences and great career tips.Lucy Albers: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedInPaycom Center: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter | LinkedIn ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We 🫶 New York and are heading back to the City That Never Sleeps for this episode with Missy Zedeck, Marketing Director for AEG Global Touring Division. We hear from Missy about how a typical day or week might look – reviewing marketing budgets, national campaigns, overseeing marketing plans for the tours, and making any adjustments based on needs and sales which vary by tour. She tells us about how she checks in with venues and tours to provide support and will often catch tours they are working on when they come through NYC. We talk about some of the most personally rewarding tours and events she has worked on, advice she would give venues, and trends Missy is seeing for front and back of house activations and gifting. From early jobs to her experience out of college with CAA and Live Nation before landing at AEG, Missy offers great tips and advice for people wanting to pursue a career in live events and what can set them up for success. Enjoy this interesting and fun look inside the promoter side of the industry!Missy Zedeck: Instagram | LinkedInAEG: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Escape with us to the eucalyptus and redwood grove of Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove in San Francisco — home of the iconic Stern Grove Festival — as we sit down with the festival’s Marketing Director, Molly Fremgen. We learn about the magic behind this beloved concert series, now entering its 89th season in 2026, and the legacy of Stern Grove Festival as the nation’s longest-running nonprofit music festival — bringing free live music to the Bay Area since 1938. We dive into the nuts and bolts of producing a large-scale nonprofit concert series, from the challenges of live events to the creative solutions that keep the festival thriving. Molly talks about the pride the team takes in stewarding Stern Grove’s legacy, and how the organization uses its platform to support the broader live music and local business community in San Francisco. Molly also traces her path into live events — from producing a music festival while studying at the University of Illinois, to roles at MTV, AEG, Goldenvoice, and on the PR team at Coachella. We learn about Molly’s 500 mile hike of the infamous Camino de Santiago in Spain which happened at a crossroads in her career and helped guide her to her current dream role, and how her goalkeeping and manifesting has steered her to achieve career and personal goals. This episode is full of fascinating info, great career advice, and lots of laughs.Molly Fremgen: LinkedIn | EmailStern Grove Festival: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We’re headed north of the border to Hamilton, Ontario to chat with Nick DeLuco, Senior Vice President & General Manager of TD Coliseum. This is opening week for the venue, which will open after an extensive $300 million renovation by Oak View Group this Friday, November 21, with a kick off concert with Paul McCartney. We chat with Nick about the arena’s place in the Golden Horseshoe market, Oak View Group’s investment in the cutting-edge venue, and their music-first approach to the design and strategies. We talk about the balance of paying homage to the 40 year history while also blazing a new path with innovations – including unique floor level suites built into the lower bowl. As they approach their opening, we hear about how the team worked together on the project and their focus on being present during the busy opening week. Nick also walks us through his venueland history, from taking Sports Management in school and wanting to be a sports agent to an internship at his hometown venue in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to his first job post graduation in ticketing in Mississauga. We talk about his path to opening new buildings in Kingston and New Brunswick as well as his time spent in Edmonton overseeing live events. Enjoy this fun look behind the curtain as they prepare to open this venue while also enjoying great career advice, fun stories, and recommendations for your next visit to Hamilton.Nick DeLuco: LinkedInTD Coliseum: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Take a trip to the Queen City as we talk to Tim Murray, Athletic Trainer for the Cincinnati Cyclones, the ECHL pro hockey team that plays at Heritage Bank Center. Tim tells us about the Cyclones, a ECHL minor league hockey team affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) and Toronto Marlies (AHL), gives us an overview of the roles of an athletic trainer, and what a typical day is for him for home and away games. Learn what makes a good venue from his side of the industry, the differences of being an athletic trainer with different sports, and what he loves about hockey. Tim tells us what inspired him to pursue this career, and walks us through time in school at EKU (where he became friends with Paul) and Murray State, and his path that led him to his current role. We discuss competitive drive and how he has competed in different events and currently competes in CrossFit. Tim tells us about his work in spreading awareness for Dwarfism and #DwarfismAwarenessMonth (October) – using his platform to educate people and advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves. Enjoy this fascinating look into the athletic trainer side of the live events industry in this fun, educational episode.Tim Murray: Instagram | LinkedInCincinnati Cyclones: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We’re headed to Rock Town for this episode as we chat with Cai Lane, Marketing Specialist for Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau. LRCVB, which is a destination marketing organization, also manages venues in the Central Arkansas Region, including Robinson Center, Statehouse Convention Center, First Security Amphitheater, and River Market Pavilions. Cai tells us about the city and about each of the venues their CVB manages. We learn about the culture and scene of Little Rock, which Travel + Leisure declared the most underrated city in the south. We dive into a day in the life with him, learning about his role with the venues, digging into buyer personas, and how he works with promoters to set realistic and stretch goals before making a comprehensive plan. From making Little Rock shine and promoting venues to his side businesses in real estate and recording music – you're bound to enjoy this episode, which is filled with infectious joy, fascinating information, and great BBQ recommendations.Cai Lane: Instagram | LinkedInLittle Rock Convention & Visitor's Bureau: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

Rocket off 🚀 to Space City with us as we chat with Alyssa Patani, Arena Marketing Manager at Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets. Lyssa gives us the lay of the land – Toyota Center’s place in the market, what her role is at the venue, and what makes Houston such a special place. We chat with her about social strategies, their approach and her recommendations on graphics, and how she balances the demand for graphics with managing time by using templates. Learn what other venues she follows and how important it is to create a social aesthetic and visuals unique to your venue. Lyssa tells us about how she developed a love of design through early days of MySpace which led her into teaching herself Photoshop which has come in handy when working with tour admats. She tells us about her history in the industry and how she has been challenged over the years, and through that, has gained new perspective and been able to network with peers from other venues. You’ll love this episode, which is packed with fun stories, candid vulnerability, and great conversations with plenty of laughs.Alyssa Patani: Instagram | TikTok | LinkedInToyota Center: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We’re headed to the Northwest, on the shore of Lake Washington, to chat with Alexa Coyle, Marketing Manager for Seattle Seahawks, Lumen Field, and WAMU Theater + Co-founder of The Female Edge. Alexa oversees event marketing for Lumen Field (concerts, dirt events, WAMU Theater, and conventions), branding and marketing for food and beverage, Seahawks retail marketing, and more. She tells us about many of the unique things about their stadium, which includes the most just-walk-out concession stands of any venue in the world. We talk about innovation within more seasoned venues, elevating premium spaces, and how they are inspired and driven by the technology-forward market of Seattle. As a former professional soccer player, we talk about what it means to her to work at one of the host venues for the 2026 World Cup, as well as early preparations and planning currently underway as they look ahead to next summer. Alexa tells us about her career, from an interest in analytics and creative, and finishing her MBA and co-founding The Female Edge (which provides recruiting support and mentoring to female athletes) while playing professional soccer at Hibernian WFC in Edinburgh, Scotland. You’ll love this fun, interesting episode, which is full of interesting strategy and great discussion.Alexa Coyle: Instagram | LinkedInLumen Field: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter/X ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.

We’re headed to “The District” for this episode to talk with Chanelle Grimm, Marketing Director for Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Capital One Arena, Eagle Bank Arena, and District E) in Washington D.C. We begin by talking about this year’s EVMC and some of the takeaways from sessions at the conference in Atlanta before diving into an overview of Capital One Arena and Eagle Bank Arena. We talk about the venue’s place in the market and the makeup of their marketing team. Chanelle tells us about their strategy around developing a voice for each venue, and fun unique concepts for approaching audio content for posts without risking copyright challenges. We talk about some of their artist gifts they have done as well as their series of fan activation photo booths where they recreate artist album covers or tour art. Learn how they justify budgets for activations and gifting by leveraging social to show digital ROI and proving earned media value off their investments. This episode is full of interesting discussions on managing small teams, pursuing exciting new jobs, maintaining excitement around the industry and so much more. Listen now and enjoy this look inside these venues located in our nation’s capital.Chanelle Grimm: LinkedIn | EmailMonumental Sports & Entertainment: Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter ––––––ADVENTURES IN VENUELANDFollow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/TwitterLearn more about Event & Venue Marketing ConferenceMeet our team:Paul Hooper | Co-host, Booking, Branding & MarketingDave Redelberger | Co-host & Guest ResearchMegan Ebeck | Marketing, Design & Digital AdvertisingSamantha Marker | Marketing, Copywriting & PublicityCamille Faulkner | Audio Editing & MixingHave a suggestion for a guest or bonus episode? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email.