Who

OUR DELEGATES

Our attendee profile incudes:

• Owners, Operators and Investors in stadiums, arenas and major sports facilities;
• Project Teams from major sports events and host nations (such as UEFA Euros, FIFA ™ World Cup and Olympic Games)
• City Councils/Municipalities/Regional Agencies (Mayors, Economic Development, Sports/Recreation/Leisure Departments);
• Sports Federations, Sports Clubs (professional and amateur), Governing Bodies, Sports Event Bid Committees, Sports Tourism Officials etc;
• Real Estate Owners/Developers;
• Cost Management Consultants;
• Client Reps, Project Managers and Delivery Experts;
• Architects and Designers;
• Engineering and Construction Firms;
• Consultants/Specifiers;
• Product & Service suppliers to the sports venue sector.

Who Attends?

OUR PROJECTS

Every year, TheStadiumBusiness team hosts a carefully-selected group of project delegations from the next wave of stadium, arena and entertainment venue projects.

View the Projects

OUR SPEAKERS

A stellar cast of design pioneers and industry leaders explores the future direction of venue design, development and delivery. Learn more about our speakers and topics in the programme.

Download Programme

Our Speakers Include

• 

  Jan Ammundsen

  Senior Partner, Head of Design, 3XN

  Jan Ammundsen is Partner and Head of 3XN’s Competition Department. He graduated from Aarhus School of Architecture in 2000 and has worked in 3XN since 2005 becoming a partner of the company already in 2007. As Head of the Competition Department, Jan is responsible for developing the design concept and strategy for each competition project, ensuring the ideas come out in the final result. Jan Ammundsen is known as an outstanding architectural designer, whos involvement guarantes high quality and perfection. He has been the driving force behind many of the studio’s award-winning designs including Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, the Royal Arena, IOC Headquarters, Middelfart Savings Bank, the aquarium The Blue Planet, Frederiksberg Courthouse, the cultural centre Plassen in Molde, Norway, the Bella Sky Hotel in Copenhagen, Rengasse housing in Vienna, and Uppsala University. Jan Ammundsen has been awarded the prestigious ”Europe 40 under 40” Award – a recognition given to extraordinary young talents within design and architecture.

• 

  Andrew Billingham

  Managing Director, YTL Arena - Bristol

  Andrew has 30 years’ experience in sports & entertainment industry and senior global events executive. Appointed Managing Director of YTL Arena Bristol (planned 17,000-capacity arena) in October 2018, Andrew Billingham has spent 14 years as a senior executive for major sports & entertainment venues and 16 years in sports sponsorship and global events. Andrew has served over 10 million customers across major stadiums: Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol (27,000-capacity); Bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent (30,000-capacity); St. Andrew’s Stadium, Birmingham (28,000-capacity). Senior global events executive for adidas (FIFA World Cup; Olympic Games; UEFA European Championships). Andrew was the group CEO of Bristol Sport where he led the team that completed the £50m rebuild of Ashton Gate stadium (27,000 capacity) and facilitated the creation of a new commercial operating business bringing together Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Bears Rugby under one umbrella. From Premier League football to world renowned brands such as adidas, Andrew’s career has been built through hard work, determination, and a real passion for entertainment. Andrew has volunteered for the Prince’s Trust for five years and in 2019 was appointed as chair of the South West Development Committee.

• 

  Dan Brown

  Head of Operations, Lancs Cricket/Emirates Old Trafford

  I have been working for Lancashire Cricket for the last 6 years during a period of significant redevelopment and growth. My current role as Head of Operations has led to me working alongside our projects team, taking responsibility as the client through construction and exposed me to the growth in our business as a result of each individual development. Working within stadium operations, I have seen an increase in the volume, scale and quality of events that we now host at the venue and we are now looking to the final stages of our stadium redevelopment plans.

• 

  Mike Bohndiek Bohndiek

  Managing Director, PTI Consulting

  Mike formed PTI Consulting with the aim of enabling clubs and venues to access industry specific technology leaders. In the current climate PTI address the considerable digital transformation and strategic technology needs in the sports and entertainment industry. Having worked across 23 venues in football, rugby, cricket, golf and venues in general over his 14-year career in the sector to date, Mike brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the ticketing, data and insight space from a provider and customer perspective having built, deployed and operated the platforms behind several club operations and procured industry recognised systems.

• 

  Bernd Eckenroth

  International Business Development, Nowofol

  At Nowofol, one of the leading ETFE manufacturers in our branch, Bernd is in charge of the international business development. He started in the membrane structure industry almost two decades ago. Before joining Nowofol in 2017 he was in charge of various sport venue projects for the coating industry. Project like the London Olympics, Russian World Championships and many more. His ambition is always dedicated to the highest performance, but as well to all environmental aspects of this venues and their surroundings.

• 

  Melvin Hopps

  Estimating Director, Portview Fit-Out

  Melvin is the Estimating Director and part owner of Portview Fit-Out, with over 15 years of experience in the fit-out sector. As a member of the Chartered Institute of Builders, Melvin successfully manages a busy estimating department which estimates circa £200 million per annum. As the first point of contact for clients and suppliers, Melvin is a critical voice in all major pre-construction decisions to ensure the best interests of the overall project are achieved. Melvin’s key attributes are his ability to lead and motivate his team coupled with a strategic business ability as a board member. His in-depth knowledge and experience of all things fit-out from first principles of estimating through to contracts management on site is invaluable to Portview. As a key player in Portview’s success as one of the leading fit out companies in the UK & Ireland, Melvin’s ability to secure multiple project wins year on year has led to an expanding portfolio of valued, repeat clients in the stadia sector, including Wimbledon, Wembley, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

• 

  Mark Kelly

  Managing Director, Ashton Gate Stadium

  Mark joined Ashton Gate in 2015 after more than a decade working in the hotel and hospitality industry in senior management roles. He was involved in the £45m rebuild to transform Ashton Gate into a multi-sport venue and the largest conference and events space in the South West. In the last year he has seen hospitality revenue grow from £250k to over £3m following the two-year renovation project. During the last two years, Mark has evolved the matchday experience for both Bristol City and Bristol Rugby fans significantly driving matchday revenues and delivering more than £100k back to the fanbase through loyalty discounts.

• 

  Richard Kenyon

  Director of Marketing and Communications, Everton FC

  Richard was appointed Director of Marketing and Communications in January 2014 following an interim consultancy role with the Club which included working with fans to redesign the Club’s current crest. He arrived at Everton from Kenyon Fraser which – initially as Managing Director and then as Chief Executive – he built into one of the leading marketing and communications agencies in the North and one of the fastest-growing in the UK. A lifelong Evertonian, his role is to oversee and drive Marketing, Insight, Corporate Communications, PR and Media functions, Fan Services and the Club’s Fan Centre. Richard previously worked for the PFA and MLS and acted as Interim Head of Marketing and Communications for The Jockey Club in the North West and the Grand National. He has also worked closely with the R&A on golf’s oldest major, the Open Championship. In June 2018, Richard took on an expanded role to become Director of Marketing, Communications & Community, also taking on the position of Chief Executive of Everton in the Community.

• 

  Tyler Kicera

  Senior Director & Head of Kinetix, TAIT

  Tyler is a trained architect with extensive knowledge of automation technology in the live event industry. His years working at TAIT has provided an immense amount of experience in mechanical design, project management, bespoke electromechanical systems, fluid power machines, pneumatics, LED integration, standard rigging practices, complicated structures and basic engineering calculations. Tyler has handled projects within concert touring, permanent installations and kinetic architecture markets. Given his experience working in these markets, Tyler is extremely comfortable working on mission critical projects that require quality craftsmanship and longevity. Additionally, Tyler is well versed in TAIT’s proprietary automation software, TAIT Navigator.

• 

  Ian Laurence

  Associate Director, F3

  Ian led the design and delivery of the premium interiors and elite sports facilities at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This has been alongside other projects for the football club, including Myddelton Lodge, a player recovery and training facility, and the heritage regeneration of the Northern Terrace. Ian joined F3 in 2010 following three and a half years with Sheppard Robson, where he worked on the award-winning Sidney Stringer Academy and London Business School redevelopment. Ian is a graduate of The Bartlett School of Architecture having achieved first-class honours at degree and diploma respectively, alongside the RIBA President’s Silver medal nomination.

• 

  Tarquin McDonald

  CEO, Bath Rugby Club

  Tarquin spent seven years at KPMG in finance and corporate finance roles, working on a wide range of projects. He subsequently spent five years in a Private Equity backed business before joining Bath Rugby in 2012, initially as Finance and Strategy Director, then as Managing Director from 2014, before taking on the Chief Executive role in 2016. Tarquin provides a strategic mind-set and believes passionately in the power of sport to inspire and change lives.

• 

  Jason Melby

  International Marketing, Daktronics

  Jason leads international marketing efforts for Daktronics. Jason has held several sales and marketing roles within Daktronics starting in 2006, focusing on business development for the commercial market. He represented Daktronics by serving on multiple International Sign Association committees, advocating for LED technology.

• 

  Jonathan Parker

  Director of Sales, Danley

  Jonathan “JP” Parker currently runs International Sales and Marketing worldwide for Danley Sound Labs from the USA. JP brings over 30 years of International Experience in similar roles with Martin Audio-UK, Harman Group-USA, Bose-USA, and TOA Electronics-Japan. He also earned a Master’s Degree in International Business Development from The American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). “I am excited to be part of this Stadium conference as it gives me a chance to share experiences with my colleagues from around the world”!

• 

  Andy Pottinger

  Venue Design Director, BuroHappold

  Andy is one of BuroHappold’s leading engineers, with an extensive portfolio of projects such as Etihad Stadium Expansion, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Dubai Arena and Louvre, Abu Dhabi. He is now the Sport & Entertainment sector’s Venue Design Director, combining his deep sector knowledge with scientific analysis and technology. Challenging the norm of venue design with the aim to improve the performance of venues in terms of revenue, reputation and results, Andy is leading BuroHappold’s thought leadership on how to make the (construction) world a better place.

• 

  Rob Rijsenbrij

  COO, XLNT Operations

  Rob has worked in the International Sports Marketing industry for many years. He has been involved in many modern sports such as freestyle skiing, snowboarding and beach volleyball. Rob now uses technology as a tool for enhancing sports and marketing techniques, with the ticketing and payment for events being his speciality. When PSD2 (Payment Services Directive) was introduced in 2012, Rob focused primarily on this area of business and XLNT was born.

• 

  Pam Taggart

  Senior Director of Strategic Relationships, AVIXA

  Pamela Taggart, CTS is Senior Director of Strategic Relationships for AVIXA. As such, she seeks out unique intersections between AVIXA and other associations, organizations, or vertical market partners, creating relationships that enhance both parties and grow the AV industry.  Pam was previously Director of Business Development in Europe for AVIXA, and has been working in the AV industry since 2008.  Pam currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and three children.

• 

  Natasha Thiebaut

  Director, Hospitality & Customer Experience, BlueRock Sports & Entertainment

  Natasha has spent over 20 years improving the event day experience for fans and corporate guests at many world class venues and events. After 18 years running IMG’s Stadium Division, Natasha co-founded Bluerock. Bluerock’s team of specialists work with venues to increase revenues and improve commercial and operational efficiency. Natasha played a key role in the setup, sales and management the Club Wembley programme. Since then she has created hospitality programmes for numerous clubs and stadia including, Besiktas FC and Galatasaray FC in Turkey, The Maracanã in Brazil and Spartak Moscow in Russia. She has recently worked on the design and operation strategy for several FIFA World Cup stadia in Qatar. Current clients include the Super Bock Arena in Portugal, Jakarta International Stadium, Leinster Rugby and FC Porto. Natasha’s work for venues around the world give her an unrivalled knowledge and understanding of best and next practice in hospitality strategy.

• 

  Roy Westwood

  Founder, Forward Associates

  Roy Westwood founded Forward Associates in 2015, following more than two decades working for some of the hospitality industry’s biggest players.

  A former restaurateur, Roy has analysed and repaired failing sites for high street brands, and worked with a number of celebrity chefs.

  His ability to see things strategically saw him move into concept development and caught the eye of Levy Restaurants UK, where he sat on the board for five years in his role of Director of Strategy & Innovation.

  Over the years, Roy has shaped the guest experience at some of Europe’s most prominent events and venues, including the new home for Tottenham Hotspur, The O2 and The Wimbledon Championships.

• 

  Rob Wicks

  Commercial Director, Aberdeen FC

  Born in South Africa, Rob studied Economics and Journalism at Rhodes University before joining one of the country’s leading media organisations. During his six year stint at Times Media, Rob lead to launch a new daily sports newspaper, the first of its kind on the continent. He moved to Italy in 2000 to take on an exciting role as Head of Marketing and Sponsorship with the Superbike World Championship, a role that would enable him to travel the world, learn new languages and establish his credentials in the sporting sector. He then joined motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki to run their commercial programme in MotoGP, the pinnacle of two-wheel racing. His success in two wheels saw him head-hunted to run a global powerboat racing series. He joined Powerboat P1 in 2007 as Commercial Director to work as part of a new management team tasked with transforming a hobbyist pursuit into a global sporting property. After securing new host venues in France, Spain, Sweden and Turkey and generating significant new revenues, he was appointed chief operating officer with responsibility for operational performance.  In 2017, he became managing director, responsible for overall business performance during a significant period of organisational, operational and technological change which included the delivery of a number of award-winning events. Rob has worked with rights holders, brands, host venues, broadcasters, governing bodies and agencies and has particularly enjoyed working with international cities to develop and execute long-term sport and major event strategies.

• 

  Steve Wilbrenninck

  Construction Manager, Futur Camp Nou

   

   

• 

  Sam Wright

  Director, WilkinsonEyre

  Sam Wright is a Director at WilkinsonEyre and currently leads the Sports and Leisure Team. Since 2001, Sam has delivered award-winning projects such as the Liverpool Arena; the London 2012 Olympic Basketball Arena and more recently, the redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich stands at Lord’s Cricket Ground. His work has been instrumental in expanding WilkinsonEyre’s work in the sporting sector both in size and concept. He is currently the only British architect to have lead and delivered major venues for the last two Olympic Games.

• 

  Robert Ebdon

  Head of Estates, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Lords

  Educated at Hurstpierpoint College, Robert studied Construction Management at South Bank University graduating with first class honours. Following a successful career working on several major projects, he worked with industry leaders such as James Longley & Company, WS Atkins and Synergy Construction Consultants.

  Having project managed the refurbishment and extension of the Pavilion at The Oval in the early 1990’s, Robert was invited by Maurice de Rohan to join the Estates committee at MCC in 2004. Elected a Member of the MCC in 1994, Robert was later appointed Assistant Secretary (Estates) in April 2014 leading million pound ground development projects.

• 

  Kirsten Lees

  Managing Partner, Grimshaw

  Kirsten brings insight and experience in the development of high-profile sports venues and masterplans. Her work at Wimbledon includes the development of the long-term strategic framework and the redesign of No. 1 Court. Other projects include the new grandstand and masterplan for The Curragh Racecourse and Stadium for Bath with Bath Rugby Club.

  Shortlisted for AJ Woman Architect of the Year 2014, Kirsten’s work is acknowledged for its subtle response to place and unique expressive and material qualities. She has skills in physical planning and urban regeneration with strong focus on the role of the public realm in shaping solutions.

• 

  Mohamed Zakaria Serageldin

  Board Member, Al Ahly Club - Egypt

  A qualified Civil Engineer, Mohamed Zakira works as teaching assistant in the American University in Cairo and current Board member of Al Ahly Sporting Club, Egypt. Finished his Master of Science in Construction Engineering at AUC and in parallel did his MBA in Sports Management at Real Madrid Graduate School. Awarded by Best Paper Award in “IASTEM” International Academic conference in Munich 2018 for his MSc thesis topic in generating a dynamic feasibility analysis model for calculating costs and revenues of construction of stadiums workable on 56 countries. He was nominated from Real Madrid University to represent Egypt and Africa as guest speaker in “The world football summit”, Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, 2018 and currently he is in charge of Al Ahly Sports City construction committee

• 

  Martin Willis

  Director and Global Sports Sector Lead, Ramboll UK

  Martin is a Director and the Global Sports Sector Lead at Ramboll and has an excellent track record in the sport and entertainment sector having worked on a number of national and international stadia and arena projects. Through delivering such projects, Martin understands how the requirements of different disciplines need to be integrated together driving a well-coordinated and high value solution. As a director Martin is responsible for delivering multi-disciplinary projects and leading teams. He strives to understand in detail the client and stakeholder key drivers so he can use his experience to add value to projects where it matters most.

• 

  Lisa Knights

  Chief of Media, Ashton Gate Stadium

  Lisa Knights is an experienced broadcaster and crisis communications expert with more than fifteen years working in television news and sport. As an anchor for Sky, BBC and ITN, Lisa covered many major international stories including three Olympic Games.

  In 2014 she left Sky to take up the communications director role at Bristol Sport, looking after the media for its associated clubs (including Bristol City and Bristol Rugby) and the two-year, £45m redevelopment of Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium, which was completed in 2016. Lisa has overseen the development of the stadium’s broadcast facility including its matchday content on the in-bowl big screens and bi-weekly sports programme Bristol Sport TV.

• 

  Debbie Power

  Associate Director, KSS

  Debbie joined KSS in 2006 with a background in commercial and retail interiors. She rapidly gained extensive sports and hospitality experience and now leads KSS’ creative interior design team on a number of their high profile sports venue and hospitality projects.

  She believes in the practice ethos of understanding client values as the means of generating ideas, and is a strong team player who enjoys collaboration with architectural colleagues, brand consultants, contractors and suppliers.

  Debbie’s most recent projects include the East Stand Development at Twickenham, Leicester City FC Training Centre, Liverpool FC Training Centre, One Twenty at Club Wembley and the award-winning Main Stand Development at Anfield.

  Her natural sense of style, attention to detail and ability to communicate her ideas means she is widely liked by her clients.

• 

  Matthew Birchall

  Global Sports Sector Director, BuroHappold

  Matthew is responsible for BuroHappold’s sports and entertainment business, leading project teams that work across integrated venue design, analytics, and consultancy. Since joining BuroHappold in 2006, he has led the engineering on the Olympic stadia for both London 2012 and Sochi 2014, as well as World Cup venues across the 2014, 2018 and 2022 finals. Matthew’s team is currently working for several sports governing bodies and leading professional sports clubs all over the world, using outcome-driven design to link operational, constructional and commercial opportunities to deliver world-leading performance on and off the field of play.

• 

  Ian Nuttall

  Founder and CEO, TheStadiumBusiness/Xperiology

  Ian Nuttall is the owner and founder of TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development 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 industry news, 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.

Who will be there

• Sponsors
• Partners
• Attendees

What are people saying?

Thank you for a great conference, which gave us several potential suppliers for our new stadium

Janus Khyl Director, FC Helsingor

Everyone is so generous with their insights and knowledge.

Kirsten Lees Partner, Grimshaw

You get people from all over the world; architects from Brazil or the states, owners from clubs in Europe and design experts and project teams... and it’s absolutely fantastic

Daniel Gidney Chief Executive, Lancashire County Cricket Club, UK

My colleague and I agreed it was one of the slickest, most professional events we have ever attended, well done to you and your team.

Jason Maher Director, Condy Lofthouse Architects

A fantastic couple of days. wonderfully organised. Slick and professional. A week later, people are still saying how good it was.

Patrick Donoghue Sales Director, Ferco Seating

We’d heard good things about this conference so we thought we would just give it a go... we’re very pleased we did and we're definitely going to attend the show next year

Gordon Bolton Managing Director, Bleep, UK