Delivering NextGen Spaces for Sports & Entertainment

Roy Westwood founded Forward Associates in 2015 following a 20-year career working for some of the hospitality industry’s biggest players. Bringing this wealth of experience to bear, Forward Associates is responsible for the Strategic, commercial and creative direction of many of the world’s most prestigious venues and events, including The O2, The Wimbledon Championships the new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the new Everton Stadium

“Setting up on my own was a direct response to the fast-moving nature of the industry. Forward Associates, with its handpicked team of industry experts, allows us to act much quicker on market intelligence and ultimately makes us much more effective at achieving our end goal of improving guest experiences.”

Now with over 20 associates and offices in Helsinki and Chicago, forward associates continue to play a key role in the developments of next generation venues and fan experience.

Forward Associates continues to work on several high-profile retail destinations.

Ben Veenbrink, founder and managing director of The Stadium Consultancy, is a recognised international stadium expert with nearly 25 years of experience in the venue industry. Building on his experience as a member of the management team of the Amsterdam Arena (nowadays Johan Cruyff Arena), Europe’s first multifunctional stadium (52,000 capacity), he started The Stadium Consultancy in 2006.

The Stadium Consultancy is a boutique consultancy and project management company for the sports & entertainment venue industry. During the last 16 years The Stadium Consultancy successfully realised more than 100 projects and assignments under his leadership, including several venues for major tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA EURO tournament.

Ben has been appointed a member of UEFA’s Expert Panel on Stadium Construction & Management since 2006 and he is a consultant to FIFA’s Forward Program since 2015. He has been involved in the development of various stadium standards, guidelines, and good practices, most notably the UEFA / CAFE “Access for All, Good Practice Guide” for inclusive design and the new FIFA Stadium Guidelines, 2022. He has been a regular speaker on international stadium conferences.

Uma Srivastava was born and raised in Meridian, MS and calls Nashville, TN home; she attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Uma started volunteering for KultureCity in 2015 and now operates as the Executive Director. Aside from KultureCity, Uma is a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville.  During her time in Birmingham, she was recognized in 2018 as a Trailblazer for her commitment to Birmingham. Uma was also honored as a Servant Leader honored by the Vulcan Foundation. Uma has spoken about the importance of acceptance and inclusion at several conferences such as Collision, GuestX, ALSD, & others.

Rita is a highly experienced sports and leisure architect, with a distinguished track record in delivering large-scale, multipurpose venues, stadiums and arenas, both in the UK and internationally.

Rita has worked on some of Sport’s most prestigeous projects, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™’s 80,000 capacity Lusail Stadium, and the award-winning 45,000 capacity Ashgabat Olympic Stadium – Rita also recently designed and led the delivery of the award-winning Brentford Community Stadium in London.

Rita is a regular guest lecturer in Architecture at Salford University, and was shortlisted for Building Design’s inaugural Female Architectural Leader of the Year Award in 2019

Andy joined Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in 2012. Taking on full P&L responsibility to successfully deliver the commercial strategy required for the wider Stadium Campus – Venue Hire, Memberships (Premium & Public), Catering, Conference & Events and Visitor Attractions. Delivering the design, development and implementation of the stadium interiors and the operational event day delivery.

Responsible for re-writing a best-in-class fan experience, as well as overseeing the business transition from White Hart Lane stadium sales and operations to Tottenham’s new home as the overall event lead on delivery and commercialisation of the new stadium as the Venue Sales Director.

With a career in the stadium industry spanning 18 years, Andy was previously Vice President for IMG’s European Stadium Business. Securing, selling, managing, and delivering commercial properties for a host of world class venues, events, and rights holders. As part of this team, Andy was responsible for delivering the commercial strategies for several IMG events and new stadiums, including Wembley National Stadium, delivering $1 Billion in Premium Sales income through Club Wembley, a global first.

Henk Markerink (1955) has been CEO of the Amsterdam ArenA (now Johan Cruijff ArenA) the Netherlands, from 1995 till 2022. Before Markerink was the projectmanager for the design and construction of the ArenA from 1991 till 1995. Besides he has been actively involved in the development of the ArenA Boulevard Area into a new destination for Sports, Leisure and Entertainment. Markerink graduated from the Eindhoven Technical University and earned a Masters degree in Architecture and Structural Engineering. After his graduation he worked for Arcadis Building Consultancy and Twijnstra Gudde Management Consultants.

In 2000 Markerink founded Amsterdam ArenA Advisory. With this company he worked on various stadium projects around the world, like the Allianz Arena in Munchen, the Berlin Olympic Stadium and the Beijing Olympic Stadium. Later on he was involved in the design and management of the Brasil stadiums of Gremio in Porto Alegre and the World Cup 2014 stadiums of Natal and Salvador de Bahia. From 2012 till 2016 Markerink has been involved in the planning of the World Cup stadiums for Qatar 2022.

In 2010 Markerink started the ArenA Energy Program that made the ArenA self-supporting in energy supply in 2015 with the installation of 7000m2 of solar panals on the roof, a windmill connection and a 3.5 MW battery.
In 2015 he settled the ArenA Innovation Center to focus, together with various partners on the development of digital applications for stadium operations.At the moment Markerink is Chairman of VNO-NCW (the employers association) in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, Chairman of the supervisory board of Sport Stad Heerenveen, member of the supervisory board of Zadelhoff Property in Amsterdam, and member of the board of the Amsterdam Museum.

Markerink has a passion for sports, traveling and reading. He still plays tennis and has been playing in the national Volleybal Team in 1979-1980.

Mannarelli just finished a year-long tour in NEOM, Saudi Arabia serving as an Executive Director – THE LINE Proponent or “client representative” managing the delivery of THE LINE, a 170-kilometer-long cognitive and sustainable city at the heart of NEOM that will redefine conventional urbanism to address global challenges.

A licensed German architect, Mannarelli has worked on some of the largest urban planning projects as well as sports and live entertainment venues around the world. Prior to joining NEOM, he served as the Director of Real Estate at FC Barcelona for seven years, where, as part of the Construction and Facility Management Department, he was responsible for the Espai Barça, a EUR 1 billion project to transform FC Barcelona facilities.

Before his time at FC Barcelona, Mannarelli spent almost 10 years with ICON Venue Group, an industry-leading owner’s representative and strategic management consulting firm for public and private sports and entertainment, first as a Project Manager and then as Vice President overseeing ICON’s European operations. During this time, he was responsible for ICON’s engagements in Hamburg, Bern, Helsinki, Yekaterinburg, Geneva, Lausanne, Seoul, Barcelona, Fribourg and Dubai. Regionally, Mannarelli worked on the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre Project Development Plan.

Mannarelli began his career in the sport and entertainment business as a Design Manager with Anschutz Entertainment Group, a world leading owner and operator of entertainment venues. While at AEG, he oversaw the development of O2 World in Berlin.

Considered an expert in his field, Mannarelli often speaks at industry events around the world, offering key insights into the urban planning, architecture and construction markets. He has lectured at Georgetown University in Washington, University of Nebraska in Lincoln and Johan Cryuff Institute in Barcelona.
Mannarelli holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in architecture from Princeton University, both in the United States.

Suzanne is an Associate Director at Keppie. She has 15+ years experience in large-scale architectural, Masterplanning and urban design projects.

A personal area of expertise is in commercial architecture with a focus on leisure, entertainment and sports. Suzanne is passionate about live entertainment and designing inspirational places that draw people together.

Most notably, Suzanne played a pivotal role in the delivery of the Event Complex Aberdeen, including the 15,000 capacity P&J Live arena. Other recent roles include the Hampden Vision project, the Scottish Event Campus expansion plan, Aberdeen Beachfront Masterplan, and various initiatives for improvements to Ibrox Stadium for Rangers Football Club.

Kirsten Lees is Managing Partner of Grimshaw’s 300-strong London studio. She has over 25 years’ experience in architecture, strategic planning and urban design. Notable projects include the Wimbledon Master Plan, No1 court redevelopment, Curragh Racecourse Grandstand, a new stadium for Bath Rugby, SUEZ Energy-from-Waste Facility in Suffolk and Koç Contemporary Art Museum in Istanbul. She is also a passionate advocate for gender equality in architecture.

Jamie Pearson, Architect, Grimshaw
Jamie Pearson is an architect at Grimshaw. He has significant experience across many sectors, specialising in cultural and sports projects, including the Wimbledon Master Plan, the redevelopment of Leinster Rugby Angelsea Stand and the new stadium for Bath Rubyy. Jamie has worked on projects at all stages from large-scale urban developments in London to sensitive work in Conservation Areas. He is particularly interested in digital tools that can contribute to the design, prototyping and construction process.

David Keirle founded KSS thirty years ago with the commission to transform Stamford Bridge and its surrounding masterplan for Chelsea FC. Today the multi award-winning AJ100 architecture and design practice still counts the Premier League club as a longstanding client alongside Liverpool FC, Brighton & Hove Albion and three national sports venues Twickenham, Wimbledon and Wembley. As Chairman, David is the driving force behind the practice, building its international reputation in the design of arenas, stadia and training centres. He has an instinct for understanding clients’ needs, and as an avid sports fan enjoys the challenge of creating memorable venues for spectators and sports stars alike.