We’re dancing our way to the Live Music Capital of the World – Austin, Texas to chat with Chelsea Masler, Marketing Director at Messina Touring. Whether she’s working on campaigns for major stadium tours like Ed Sheeran or strategically rolling out a legendary underplay tour for Phoebe Bridgers, Chelsea works with the Messina Touring team to act as an extension of management for their artist roster. We talk about some of her tasks from arranging radio campaigns, strategizing marketing content, working closely with venues, and how they dive into fan communities to understand what resonates to ensure tours remain authentic to fans. Learn what it’s like launching a tour from her perspective and how they use data to identify trends while also understanding special fan connections that the data can’t capture. Chelsea tells us about her industry path from writing for a music blog and joining the event board in college, starting at Oracle Arena as an intern and working her way up, time she spent at Goldenvoice and Facebook, all the way up to her current role. You’re bound to love this fun episode that’s packed full of interesting stories, perspective, and laughs.Chelsea Masler: Instagram | LinkedInMessina 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’re off to “The Land” to chat with Carrie Samek, Vice President of Event & Media Marketing at Rocket Arena and Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Ohio. After learning about the arena and Carrie’s role with the venue and team, we chat through what it was like curating an exhibit around the 10 year anniversary of the Cav’s iconic 2016 NBA Championship, and the challenges of joys that came along with it. Carrie tells us about how they planned the arena’s 30th anniversary two years ago, which included a performance by Diplo and a drone show. We talk about her fun career path, from cold emailing the creator of Warped Tour to working phones at ClearChannel to touring with The Black Eyed Peas to her time with Belkin Productions and Live Nation and ultimately her current role. Whether you know her as Carrie, Wizzysis, Queen of Drones, or museum curator – to know Carrie is to love her and we know you’ll love this episode all about someone who has helped shape some of Northeast Ohio’s biggest moments. 🤘 Cleveland Rocks! Carrie Samek: Instagram | LinkedIn Rocket Arena: Instagram | Facebook | 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.
Join us on the left side of the “Michigan mitten” as we head to Grand Rapids to chat with Hannah Flynn, Communications Manager with Legends Global, which manages Van Andel Arena, DeVos Performance Hall, DeVos Place, newly opened Acrisure Amphitheater, and Amway Stadium (opening Spring 2027). As a passionate social media and pop culture guru, we dive into the details of Hannah’s role, the structure of their department, and learn a bit about each of the venues. We talk with her about collaborating with local businesses and hear tips about pitching ideas and some examples of fun promotions. Known for dressing up as artists coming to their venues for TikTok videos, Hannah talks about their approach to following social trends and how to discover new ideas. We talk about how she got into live events as well as the creation of her concert social account (@hangoestoaconcert), which has evolved from providing tips for going to concerts to advice on joining the industry. This is a fun episode that’s sure to spark some ideas, give you some accounts to follow, and (for those of you not already in the industry) may just inspire you to dive in. Hannah Flynn: Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn Van Andel Arena: Instagram | Facebook | 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.
Journey with us to the Aloha State as we visit Hawaii and talk with Barb Saito, President of Aloha Group International Inc., who is based in the capital city of Honolulu on the island of O’ahu. Barb, who has 45 years of experience in the industry, supports concert promoters by consulting and assisting with financial and logistical challenges that come with promoting shows in Hawaii. She also works a lot with Asian artists who often do fan club flyaway events in the area. We chat through the many benefits of routing shows to Hawaii and learn about how they navigate challenges in keeping costs low and making adjustments to tours, using local vendors and shipping gear to make the finances work. Barb tells us about her start in live events, stage managing for plays in high school and ultimately getting a job as a book keeper with legendary concert promoter and DJ, Tom Moffatt. She shares memories from early shows and talks about what it was like breaking barriers as a woman handling settlements and production in the 80s and 90s. We also talk about her volunteer work with Hawaii Events Coalition, a group which formed during the pandemic to support overall live event business in the state. Enjoy this fun, fascinating episode filled with aloha, a love of live events, and amazing stories. Barb Saito: LinkedIn | Email Aloha Group International: 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 off to the Midwest as we visit the city of Omaha, Nebraska and chat with Adam Straight, President & CEO of Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA). Adam tells us all about MECA, which is a venue management company which manages city-owned properties including CHI Health Center Omaha (which includes an arena and convention center), Charles Schwab Field Omaha (which hosts the College World Series), and The RiverFront (72-acre urban green space along the Missouri River). We hear what makes each venue special and how their combined strength makes the city competitive when attracting events. Adam tells us about what makes Omaha special, trends he is seeing in the convention side of the industry, and we discuss the importance of sustainability with venues. We learn about Adam’s history in the industry, which he started unconventionally as an electrician working sporting events at University of Maryland, eventually leading him to working at two of the top five convention centers in the country. Enjoy this episode which provides an interesting perspective of managing a diverse group of venues and is sure to add Omaha to your visit list. Adam Straight: LinkedIn MECA: Facebook | LinkedIn | 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.