Fan-focused. Sustainable. Experiences!

Robert Fitzpatrick was appointed Chief Executive of the Odyssey Trust Company Ltd (OTC) in 2007. Robert’s early experience in property and development business has given him the insight to grow, manage and develop the Odyssey site in Belfast. It is now not only an entertainment venue but also a learning environment which contributes to the advancement of scientific education for the young people of our society and in particular those from underprivileged areas.

Robert has built up a close relationship with colleagues in Boston and has delivered the Friendship Four Tournament working closely with the University of Ulster. This is all about bringing different cultures together through sport and education with the aim of giving our young people the chance to gain essential work experience

As Head of Technology for the Inter Miami Futbol Club, Howard has been instrumental with the
technology strategic planning for the construction of DRV PNK stadium, a 34 acre centralized facility,
with 19,100 seating capacity, 50,000 square foot training center and seven fields. Additionally, Howard
is the founder of Peer Vision Consulting, whose focus is in assisting clubs and venues with strategic
planning and resource structuring, delivering transformative and sustainable technology that is
competitive and operationally effective. Tery has also worked with several venues and clubs, most
notably focusing on the stadium engineering and project management at Climate Pledge Arena, UBS
Arena, Moody Arena, NASCAR, Oklahoma Thunder, Tampa Bay Lighting.

Prior to Peer Vision, Tery spent 19 years as the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President
at the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, responsible for the innovation and strategy with a
primary focus in club and venue technology, converging broadcast media, infrastructure,
telecommunications, analytics, and business systems, positioning the organization at the forefront of the
industry. Prior to the Dolphins, Tery started her career at Carnival Cruise Lines, pioneering the
technology to automate Carnival’s fleet, over a period of 15 years.

In June, 2018 Tery was awarded the Executive of the Year award at the Stadium Business Summit,
a global gathering of stadium industry leaders and renowned executives. Tery was recognized for her
achievements as a sports venue leader, pioneering the vision in digital transformation and fan experience.
Tery has also been recognized by SportsBusiness Journal as a Game Changer in Sports for her innovation
and impact to the industry. Tery was a finalist for the Technology Leader of the Year Award at the
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Under her leadership, the Dolphins were recognized by
InfoWorld as one of the “Top 100” companies that have made the best use of technology to enhance their
business, and also recognized by PC Magazine as one of the “Top 10” companies using technology in
intelligent ways to improve their business. Finally, with Tery at the helm, her team was recognized by
ComputerWorld as leaders in “Best Practices in Mobile & Wireless.”

Respected throughout the industry, Tery has published articles and is frequently called upon to
contribute to IT presentations, panel discussions and workshops, locally and globally. Tery is actively
involved in various community initiatives and advisory boards, providing guidance and a leadership role
in the community and beyond. Tery was recognized by the FBI Cyber Division for her vision and support
of the FBI-SOS (Safe Online Surfing) Internet Challenge and was tapped as the recipient of the “Glass
Ceiling Award” from Florida Diversity Council. She now serves as an advisor to the Florida CIO
Executive Council and Sports and Entertainment Alliance and Technology. Additionally, she serves on
the St. Thomas University’s Dean’s Advisory Council, as well as engaging in speaking and panel member
invitations throughout the U.S. and abroad on a variety of technology topics.

Steve Sayer is Vice President and General Manager of The O2, the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue. As VP & GM, Steve heads up the Senior Leadership team at The O2, and is fully accountable for all aspects of venue management across the busy campus, including overseeing venue strategy, improving the experience for The O2’s customers, infrastructure and development projects in the arena, facilities management and driving continued commercial growth. Since 2020 Steve has taken on the additional responsibility of leading The O2’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and works closely with AEG Europe on energy and sustainability projects.

Steve joined The O2 in 2014 as Commercial Director, overseeing ticketing operations, merchandising, food and beverage and corporate sales, along with securing exhibition content and managing Up at The O2, the roof walk attraction over the venue. In this role he worked closely with the AEG Europe leadership team to manage several capital improvement projects to identify and activate new revenue streams and enhance the fan experience. Prior to this, Steve was Operations Director for Manchester City Football Club and was responsible for match day and major event operations.

Rob Paddon, joined Ascot Racecourse as Head of Sales in early 2022 and brings more than 13 years of experience driving revenue, profitability and performance in the sports industry. Rob will lead on growing sales across the organisation for raceday sponsorship and all key events to include Royal Ascot, 26 annual race days, and all non-race day events that welcome corporate and consumer guests throughout the year. He is also charged with developing the administration and events teams alongside helping set the company’s business strategy moving forward. Royal Ascot 22 is set to be the largest Royal Ascot in history.

Rob has previously held senior level positions at Fulham Football Club, Rugby Football Union and Arsenal Football Club. In his most recent role as Venue Sales Director at Fulham FC, Rob was responsible for all commercial budget lines to include hospitality, ticketing, memberships, stadium and corporate events alongside managing teams of up to 200 people.

Katja has been working in the Sport & Entertainment Industry for almost a decade. Growing up in Germany, she actively participated in and followed various sports, in particular Bundesliga Football. She carried her passion for sport through to her career. With a Masters degree in Business Management, she is now the Global Sport & Entertainment Business Development Manager at Buro Happold.

Raj Saha is an experienced Sports and Entertainment venue and major events executive with over 25 years of operational experience. A former executive of Madison Square Garden, AEG and the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA), Raj has been involved in venue (arena, stadium and theatre) development and operations across 3 continents and has lent his expertise to open venues in USA, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, the UK, Turkey and Germany. He is Founder and President of Saha Venue and Event Services, an independent consultancy based in Los Angeles, California.

City of Tygerberg
 As part of his role as Manager Sports and Recreation for the City of Tygerberg, he was responsible for managing all their facilities which included 4 International level facilities;
 Of the above, he was closely involved in the development and design of the Bellville Velodrome and Athletics Track which hosted numerous National and International Cycling, Athletics events and concerts;
 He was fully responsible for the management and maintenance of 62 sport and recreation complexes and facilities;
 During this period, he also managed all the City’s amenities which included 48 halls and 14 swimming pools;

City of Cape Town
 He was requested in 2007 to become part of the team that organised the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup in Cape Town
 In this regard, he was appointed as the Director Operations and Coordination and was directly responsible for the planning, coordinating and integrating all the City Services to deliver a seamless event
 This included the hosting of several Fan Parks throughout the City as well as the highly successful Fan Walk that guided spectators from the City Centre to the Stadium

Cape Town Stadium
 Post the World Cup, he was requested to take over the management of the Cape Town Stadium (at this stage a City of Cape Town Department)
 Where he was responsible for strategy and business model development, the hosting of events, the maintenance of the asset, etc.
 This resulted in the eventual establishment of a Municipal Entity which is now managing the DHL Stadium with an independent Board of Directors
 This has been a highly successful endeavour and the DHL Stadium now boasts a Naming Rights sponsor, a fully-fledged commercial overlay, a bumper events calendar which hosts on an annual basis 15 Rugby events, 15 Professional Soccer League events, International Concerts, and numerous film shoots and conferences.

As Chief Technology Officer at Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and Banc of California Stadium, Christian has shaped the organization’s overarching technical vision and strategy.  His primary area of focus is the use of technology to enhance the guest experience, eliminate friction and provide additive experiences for customers. Through his work as a thought leader and innovator in the space, Lau has successfully positioned the Club as one of the most innovative, tech-forward sports organizations and venues in the U.S.

Lau’s strategic approach has attracted tech partnerships that have allowed the stadium to test and host first-of-its-kind technologies including biometrics for age verification, NFC ticketing and autonomous retail technology, that have helped bring conceptual ideas to market, and have proven to deliver a next-generation guest experience a that will soon be seen in arenas, stadiums and large venues worldwide.

Alison Lu is a Senior Director in the 49ers Business Strategy & Analytics department and is in her sixth season with the team. In her current role, Lu leads food & beverage strategy and operations, implements stadium technology and innovation, enhances ticketing/sales analytics, and manages 49ers-affiliated businesses such as 49ers FIT, the Horizon Su

Alison Lu is a Senior Director in the 49ers Business Strategy & Analytics department and is in her sixth season with the team. In her current role, Lu leads food & beverage strategy and operations, implements stadium technology and innovation, enhances ticketing/sales analytics, and manages 49ers-affiliated businesses such as 49ers FIT, the Horizon Summit, and Cal Hi Sports.

Recently of note, she has contributed to launching the Member Inclusive Menu (MIM), a gameday concessions menu of fan favorites like hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and more, that 49ers season ticket holders can order from at no additional cost. After just one year of operation, MIM has already received serious recognition by being shortlisted by prestigious award programs such as the Sports Tech Awards and TheStadiumBusiness Awards.

She also works for the Insights team at Elevate Sports Ventures, a leading sports consultancy, helping to launch, drive, and share best practices in sales and business strategy for clients across various global sports and leagues.

Prior to the 49ers, Lu spent three years at PA Consulting with a focus on energy and utilities clients, and a year at Tsinghua University researching energy efficiency under the Fulbright Scholarship.

Lu graduated from Yale University with a BS in Environmental Engineering and Harvard Business School. She currently resides in the Bay Area.

mmit, and Cal Hi Sports.

Recently of note, she has contributed to launching the Member Inclusive Menu (MIM), a gameday concessions menu of fan favorites like hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and more, that 49ers season ticket holders can order from at no additional cost. After just one year of operation, MIM has already received serious recognition by being shortlisted by prestigious award programs such as the Sports Tech Awards and TheStadiumBusiness Awards.

She also works for the Insights team at Elevate Sports Ventures, a leading sports consultancy, helping to launch, drive, and share best practices in sales and business strategy for clients across various global sports and leagues.

Prior to the 49ers, Lu spent three years at PA Consulting with a focus on energy and utilities clients, and a year at Tsinghua University researching energy efficiency under the Fulbright Scholarship.

Lu graduated from Yale University with a BS in Environmental Engineering and Harvard Business School. She currently resides in the Bay Area.

Peter McKenna was appointed as the Stadium Director of Croke Park Stadium in 2001. With a capacity of 82,300, Croke Park is Europe’s fourth largest stadium

Prior to joining Croke Park, Peter held the position of Chief Executive of Smurfit Publications, Smurfit Publishing and Design and iVenus.com.

Peter was appointed to his current position of Stadium & Commercial Director for the GAA in 2011. He is responsible for the operation and management of Croke Park Stadium and is tasked with steering the GAA’s sponsorship, media rights, licensing and general games promotion.  In 2013, Peter won the Marketer of the Year Award and is the Stadium Business 2016 recipient of the outstanding industry contribution award.

In addition to his work with the GAA, Peter is a Director of Fire Station Artists Studio, and on the advisory board of the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre.

Peter is a Chemical Engineering graduate from University College Dublin and  a Fellow of the Marketing Institute.

Rob is a senior leader with 20 years of experience in the sports marketing industry working with rights holders, brands, host venues, governing bodies and agencies. He has a proven track record of implementing transformational change, developing successful commercial and communication strategies, results-based innovation, and thriving strategic alliances. He has delivered projects and events in 25 countries and has lived in Johannesburg, Rome, London and most recently Aberdeen.

Current Role: Board and Commercial Director – Aberdeen Football Club
Responsible for all football club revenue streams, including partnerships and sponsorships, ticketing, retail, membership income, marketing, communications and new stadium development. Rob is on the Board Trustee – Aberdeen FC Community Trust

Peter Wearne has been the General Manager – Facilities with the Melbourne Cricket Club since 2006, and as such is responsible for one of the world’s largest sporting stadiums, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)Peter is responsible for the strategic and operational performance of the built assets at the MCG. He is also responsible for the MCC’s environmental sustainability initiatives which have led to the MCG’s becoming one of the world’s most sustainable stadiums.

Peter’s expertise in stadium operations has been called upon by the West Australian government to provide operational advice during the design process for the New Perth Stadium (now Optus Stadium) and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China for the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.

Peter is a founding member of the Sports Environment Alliance and it’s immediate past Chairperson and a past member of Deakin University Sports Management Industry Advisory Board.

Eike Humpert (31) is working in club football for eleven consecutive years. After finishing his degree in Sports Business Management in Lincoln, UK, he started his professional career in Marketing and Sales for the East Berlin Football Club 1. FC Union Berlin. After occupying positions in Marketing, CRM and Merchandising/E-Commerce he was responsible for the business development department with emphasis on IT, Multimedia, CRM/ERP, E-Commerce, BI and Organisational Development. Joining VfL Wolfsburg in April 2019 as Head of Digitalisation his department is responsible for the digital and innovation strategy of the G

Max Gill leads Business Development in EMEA for Just Walk Out at Amazon, which enables retailers to reinvent customer experiences by delivering checkout-free stores

Max has over 20 years’ experience leading and scaling early-stage businesses. He has expertise in bringing disruptive and innovative technologies to market, including 5 years at Amazon Web Services (AWS) transforming the digital strategies for several major UK retailers.

Sean Jarvis initially joined Huddersfield Town in August 2006 before joining the Board of Directors in June 2009. Sean moved from Oldham Athletic to become Director of Business Development of both Huddersfield Town and the Huddersfield Giants in August 2006 before becoming focused on the Football Club on a full-time basis in July 2008, shortly after former Chairman Dean Hoyle invested in the Club. He has been a driving force as the Club’s Commercial Director in developing new income and sponsorship activities. Jarvis’ focus has not only been on commercial aspects, he has also been instrumental in improving relations between the Club and their fans as the driving force behind the formation of one single supporters’ group – now known as the Huddersfield Town Supporters Association. In June 2020, Sean was appointed CEO of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

After a career in the world of global insurance, David commenced his journey into AV visualisation almost 25 years ago.

In the first 15 years, David created digitalisation networks for rail networks, designed visual enhancement delivery in both primary and secondary care, and built a network of technology solutions in retail & shopping malls.

Over the recent decade, David and his business partner Ben, have invested in Bendac, the UK’s leading LED technology group, working in multiple sectors from sports, marine, retail, corporate, leisure, education and hospitality, delivering solutions to a global customer base, covering 20 countries.

T8 Partnerships was set up by Ian Tussie in December 2020 and works with rights owners and brands on partnership and sponsorship strategy and delivery. Ian has over 10 years of experience in partnership strategy, development and delivery across multiple sectors including indoor arenas and exhibition centres, transport operators, visitor attractions, health & fitness and sporting organisations and has been responsible for delivering significant long-term partnership revenues for the likes of ASM Global, ACC Liverpool, TfL, TfGM, Eden Project, Chester Zoo and David Lloyd Leisure and worked with brands such as MasterCard, EDF Energy, Asda, Jaguar, Reebok, Ricoh, Zoggs, AO, Utilita, Kellogg’s, Deezer and JD Sports.

During his career Ian has secured 6 long-term venue naming rights deals: AO Arena Manchester, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Phones 4U Arena Manchester, Bonus Arena Hull, P&J Live Aberdeen and Baker Hughes Exhibition and Conference Hub Aberdeen. To date T8 Partnerships has worked with a number of sports and entertainment clients including YTL Arena Bristol, Brentford Football Club, The LMA, Lancashire Cricket, Human Race and Manchester Central.

George Vaughan is Head of Technology at Ascot Racecourse. Over the last 4 years he has orchestrated a technology overhaul of the venue, including a new audio upgrade with Bose, a 4K TV upgrade with Samsung, a new POS with Kappture and Worldpay, as well as NFC ticketing, which included the innovative Golden Ticket program in partnership with ProntoCX.

Most recently, he launched a global first initiative for racing with voice activated hospitality through Amazon and Audico and has just overseen the installation of the largest portrait screen ever installed in a European venue by Samsung for this year’s Royal Ascot.

Prior to Ascot, George was at Twickenham Stadium, where his worked helped the venue win 7 industry awards between 2015 and 2018.

Peter Watts is the founder of Rockvolt, an operations, sustainability, and facilities consultancy based in the UK and focused on the sport and event sector. He has three decades of experience and has worked at some of the world’s largest, most prestigious and exciting venues and events, including four Olympic Games.

Previously part of Compass Group, Peter oversaw their support service delivery to sport stadiums.

Currently much of Rockvolt’s focus is on working with venues and their journey to operating more sustainably. This includes developing strategy, setting targets, measuring emissions, and progressing the culture to embrace good sustainable practices.  We facilitate positive operational change.

For more than 25 years Bart has been active in the development of branded centers, museums and theme parks at board level around the world. During these years he has been involved with projects as Heineken Experience, London Eye, Disney Paris and many others. Bart has worked on several sports related experiences.
Based on these years of expertise, he started his own consulting firm TDAC, which advises developers and investors to achieve their business goals when developing or operating their leisure business. Bart strongly believes that the best shareholder value is achieved by putting the guest experience first.

For more than 14 years at the Stade de France, I have demonstrated that we can create durable value in stadiums by diversifying the sporting programme with big cultural and popular shows. By proposing spectacular staging, developing bold artistic concepts and unprecedented marketing campaigns, we have gathered more than 1.5 million spectators for great operas such as Carmen, Aïda, Nabucco, Turandot, Verdi’s Requiem or for original creations such as the Celtic nights, Urban Peace, Unighted, Ben Hur and Excalibur. Sharing this experience with stadium operators, proposing great cultural shows, accessible to all while entertaining, this is the goal of live Stadium.

Alan Rownan is Head of Sports and Entertainment at Euromonitor International. Alan leads on editorial strategy, tackling topics ranging from the evolving sports sponsorship landscape to fan engagement trends across the worlds’ largest leagues and events. Alan also advises clients across the commercial spectrum of sports – providing insights to teams and leagues on emerging partnership opportunities and to brands and companies eager to maximise sports partnerships within local and global marketing strategies.

Jo has over 20 years experience in the Sport and Venue sector involved in challenges ranging from new stadium builds to ticketing and digital transformation. In fact Vindico was born in a Stadium and still works from Parc y Scarlets today, along with another office Ice Area Wales. Vindico has since become a tech incubator and software development house for systems that have delivered tailored efficiency and clear visibility of data to venues such as the Principality and Sixways, as well as other sectors such as transport, education, construction and Defence.

Mike Matczak is in his third season working for the 49ers on behalf of E15 Group. In his current role as Regional Manager, Strategy and Analytics, Matczak focuses on 49ers concessions operations including strategy, project management and new technology implementation. He also supports other non-concession related initiatives related to frictionless technologies, fan experience and new revenue streams as part of the 49ers robust and award-winning business strategy and analytics department.

Recently, Matczak has supported the 49ers roll out of their Member Inclusive Menu (MIM), a gameday concessions menu of fan favorites like hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and more, that 49ers season ticket holders can order from at no additional cost. After just one year of operation, MIM has already received serious recognition by being shortlisted by prestigious award programs such as the Sports Tech Awards and TheStadiumBusiness Awards.

In addition to his work with the 49ers, Matczak supports non-NFL events and concerts at Levi’s Stadium from a strategy and operations perspective. His work for E15 also extends to other West coast sports properties such as the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz and more. He previously worked at PIMCO and BNY Mellon in account management roles.

Matczak graduated from Yale University with a BA in Political Science. Originally from New Jersey, he currently resides in Oakland, CA with his partner Cecelia.

Francis Casado is one of the founders of Mobile Media Content – 3D Digital Venue and is currently serving as Head of International Business Development. Prior to founding MMC- 3D Digital Venue, that revolutionized Interactive Digital Venue Management for Sports and Entertainment Venue Industry, Francis made his career around the beneficial application of 3D Technology and Virtual Reality for various sectors. Serial entrepeneur, with strong expertise on mobile monetization, VR, AR, Social Media and Sports Fan Engagement platforms.

Nick has twenty years’ global experience in the stadium, event and entertainment sectors working in various executive roles. The past two and a half years since being on the team Nick has led an incessant mission to ensure Eden Park holds its place on not only the New Zealand’s map but also the world stage. Nick immediately identified that Eden Park’s rich sporting history, global profile and worldwide broadcast reach would attract interest from both national and international brands. Nick has been relentless in his commitment to increasing stadium utilisation through innovation which has driven a number of new revenue streams and tourism opportunities at Eden Park which have contributed to the nation’s largest industry. Nick has been committed to enhancing his business acumen and acquiring further technical skills and knowledge throughout his career. Nick has studied in China, Germany and America and holds Bachelor degrees in Business and in the Arts, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Melbourne. Outside of work, Nick played 260 VFL matches and won seven premierships and amongst a number of individual honours, kicked 883 goals in the VFL competition and holds the competition record for leading goal kicker.

Tony Rhoades is Chairman, CEO and Founder of GroundWOW. He is a former Russell Group academic director, award winning inventor of disruptive patented technologies, and specialist in commercialising emerging technology in entrepreneurial new ventures. Tony has held numerous Executive Board & Advisory appointments, including IMechE, Centre for Professional Engineering, and MoD. He combines a deep experience of creating global manufacturing capabilities with extensive knowledge of 3D scanning, robotics and engineering

Steve McArdle joined the team at Global Payments in 2020, following a distinguished career in stadium technology and card payments within the stadia and venue sector. His role as Director of Stadia and Venues has helped shape the new sector proposition, which brings together card payments and EPOS technology, culminating in a unique and innovative solution.

With over 15 years experience within the sports venue space, Steve has personally managed over 80% of the UK’s main sports and entertainment venues. Recognising the need to use data and analytics to drive the new digital era for the clubs and venues reopening post-COVID.

Outside of work, Steve’s passion is live sports, with Football, Basketball and Horse Racing being personal favourites. Steve is based in Manchester and commutes globally.

Ian Nuttall is the owner and founder of TheStadiumBusiness Summit, presented by his Xperiology events business. His working life began in sports hospitality events management (including Formula 1, horse racing and Wimbledon) before pursuing an award-winning career in B2B magazine publishing. He has co-launched and edited numerous business titles (ranging from energy and industrial processes through to airport design and Intelligent Transportation Systems).

He has also founded many of the sports sector’s most respected publications and news sources – most recently TheStadiumBusiness News, delivering the all the latest Stadium Business news, blogs, videos, and up-to-the-minute media coverage from all the leading voices in the Stadium Business industry, all in one place. In addition to his ongoing commitments as a sports business writer and speaker, Ian provides highly-valued, specialist consultancy to the sports and entertainment venue sector.