Delivering NextGen Spaces for Sports & Entertainment

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 has led the media and communications team for the Bristol Sport Group since she joined in 2014.

A unique multi-sport model based at Ashton Gate Stadium, the group includes Bristol City men and women, Bristol Bears men and women, Bristol Flyers Basketball team and the associated community foundations. Lisa is also a board director of Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol Flyers, Bristol Bears Women, Bristol City Women and the Robins Community Foundation.

In June, Ashton Gate Stadium submitted planning for the next phase of its redevelopment – a £130m Sporting Quarter and new home for the Bristol Flyers.

Prior to joining the group, Lisa worked for Sky News as a presenter with more than 15 years in broadcast television (Sky, BBC and ITV), covering many major live international news events.

A keen sportswoman and passionate advocate of women in sport, she represented GB in water polo for more than a decade.

Myriam Calaber, VITEC’s Sales Director for Europe & Africa, has over 30 years’ experience in international sales and business development, with the last 20 in the ProAV sector. Since joining VITEC (previously Exterity) in 2011, Myriam has been passionate about providing stadiums and venues across her region with the very best integrated IP video and digital signage solutions and was personally responsible for installations at many stadiums and sporting venues, including ParisLongchamp, Decathlon Arena, Matmut Gerland and Matmut Atlantique stadiums, and other major venues across Europe including Eintracht Frankfurt or Philips Stadium, the home of PSV Eindhoven.

Adam celebrated his 10th anniversary at Nowy Styl company this year. During this period, he developed the Forum by Nowy Styl brand on the Polish market by implementing many projects such as the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, the Widzew Łódź Stadium, the Arena Zabrze Stadium and many others. Forum by Nowy Styl provides seats and telescopic grandstands for stadiums and sports halls, concert halls, cinemas, theatres and auditoriums. Experience and knowledge are key factors in this business, Adam has both plus worth adding he is excellent in building relations. He really understands sport business area and needs of clients what makes him really good manager. In private he’s a huge fan of speedway and football, so stadiums are places where you can meet him

John-Paul has worked for the Football Foundation for the last fifteen years, the UK’s largest sports charity, which is funded by The FA, Premier League, and the UK Government.  John Paul now leads specifically on the delivery of the Premier League Stadium Fund which is wholly funded by the Premier League. The Premier League Stadium Fund is the largest provider of capital grants to non-league and women’s stadiums in England which has distributed over £164m to the game since it was formed. The investments it makes are not only designed to help clubs to become more financially sustainable, but also to create better matchday experiences for players, officials, and supporters.

Earlier this year the fund launched the Stadium Accreditation Programme. Joining forces with The FA, the Premier League Stadium Fund will be assuming responsibility for the collection of all ground grading data for over 1,000 stadiums that are used in both the National League System and Women’s Football Pyramid.  To modernise and digitise the process for the first time since the ground grading process was introduced in 2006 a new digital tool, StadiumPower will be used by the programme to assess the quantity and quality of facilities at these stadiums and will use the insight collected to help inform its future strategy and investment decisions.

Hannah has worked in the Football Industry for over 20 years working for County Football Associations, The Football Association and Charity sector. I have delivered capital football projects large and small in a professional and grassroots sports setting across the country . For the last 5 years I have headed up facilities in the Barclays Women’s Super League and championship, the most followed women’s league in the world.  I am continuously seeking to innovate and drive-up standards and facilities across the game both on and off the field as the women’s game thrives. I currently lead a stadium think tank designing the stadium of tomorrow for the women’s game.

In my career to date, I have secured and delivered over £150 million investment in a range of Football Facilities across the country.  I volunteer as an independent director and trustee of the Cymru Football Foundation.

Tony joined the Signature Systems team in 2010. With a strong focus on Worldwide Stadium Sales, Tony has successfully delivered composite matting and ground protection solutions for more than 15 world games, including the 2012 London Olympics, where he was responsible for the largest trackway contract in Olympic history. He and his team have also negotiated and delivered ground protection systems for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the 2015 European Games in Azerbaijan, the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Mark brings nearly 30 years of operational and financial experience as a COO and CFO in leading media, entertainment and leisure businesses.

Mark has been involved in the delivery of major iconic projects including The O2, St Georges Park and Wembley Stadium.  Mark was part of the AEG team that built The O2 in successfully opened in 2007 before becoming MD of the venue.  After The O2 Mark spent the next 10 years working in sport at The FA, the LTA and Queens Park Rangers Football Club.  At Queens Park Rangers Mark led all development projects including a 600 apartment residential scheme in West London and a new training ground. Mark leads OVG’s international projects including the £365m Co-Op Live, a new arena in Cardiff and arena projects throughout Europe.

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 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.

Alex is the Chief Commercial Officer at Premiership club, Bath Rugby with responsibility for most of the revenue generating aspects of the business. A former senior police officer with Avon and Somerset, he has come up through the operational side of the club, firstly as Head of Ops, Ops Director and then Chief Operating Officer before making switch into a purely commercial role. With a long-standing legal complication over the opportunity to develop Bath Rugby’s stadium at The Recreation Ground recently resolved, Alex sits on the Stadium Development Board and will have a key influence over the design aspect of the project, aiming to build something which is at the forefront of digital technology and provides an exceptional experience for players and fans. 

Kirsty is an Architectural Project Manager within HOK’s Sports and Entertainment sector in London. She has worked on various International projects throughout her career, all with a variety of scales, budgets, complexity, contracts and cultures, including, The Silverstone Grand Prix track Wing, Dubai World Expo Masterplan, Gateshead Quays Arena and Convention Centre,  Avicii Arena Modernisation and Birmingham Commonwealth Games Bid.

Kirsty appreciates the importance of excellent communication and organisation on a project of any scale, and values the people that inform and innovate throughout the design and delivery process.  She believes projects success is a directive of Design Teams working collaboratively towards common goals and aspirations and a passion to deliver beyond expectations.

Pete Joined Bristol City in 2009 having previously delivered B2B events across Europe.
2012 saw the formation of the Bristol Sport Group, bringing together Bristol City, Bristol Bears and Bristol Flyers and set in motion a decade of change at Ashton Gate Stadium.

Pete successfully project managed the £50m stadium redevelopment as it transformed into the region’s largest conference, entertainment and events venue. Now, Pete is project managing the £130m development of Ashton Gate’s Sporting Quarter. It includes a new arena for the Flyers Basketball team, hotel and retail space, due for completion in 2025.

Rodrigo has been leading everything related to the infrastructure of Club Atlético River Plate since 2017, in addition to having a fundamental role in coordinating events related to the stadium in question. On the other hand, he is in charge of the River Camp training center, a top-level venue in terms of professional football competition.

Javier is a Technical Architect (BSc Architecture) and Project Management Professional (PMP)®. He has over 27 years’ experience on construction projects, and he is highly specialised on singular projects construction management. Javier is the Sports Architecture Business Development Manager at IDOM, with responsibility for the strategic development of future sport projects for IDOM worldwide, which has given him an important sports specialization from participating in the development of several sports architecture projects and engaging with Clients and Professionals all over the world.

Mark Langhammer is Vice-Chair of Crusaders FC in Belfast, has been a Board Director since 2009 and a supporter since 1967. At Crusaders, Mark is responsible for the club’s overall strategy and club promotion and plays a strong role in club’s business development and facility development.
Crusaders FC is a small, fan-run club in a strongly working class and disadvantaged part of the city. In the past 10 years, though, Crusaders have won 3 Irish League championships, 3 Irish Cups, qualified for European football in 8 out of 10 seasons and won the All-Island Setanta Cup (one of only two clubs in Northern Ireland to have done so).

The club have a strong education and community programme, a large girls and boys academy and are widening business streams from match-day focus to a every-day café/sports bar, a growing event-management business, an outdoor event catering wing and aiming to provide rental business space through future stadia development. The location of a major campus of Ulster University within a mile of the stadium has also provided an impetus to connect with the University strategically, and with its student body.

Mark’s 2017 book “We’re Red, we’re Black” tells the Crusaders FC ten-year journey from near liquidation to rude and vital health.
Mark is also a Trustee of Monkstown Amateur Boxing Club and, in professional life, leads the National Education Union in Northern Ireland

Jim is a Director in our UK Sustainability and Physics team, based in the Manchester office.

An advocate of performance-based design, he is passionate about helping clients understand what performance means to them, setting measurable goals that can be achieved in the design, construction and operation of buildings.
Jim is a multidisciplinary and collaborative leader, delivering projects with ambitions sustainability goals. He focuses on the production of high-quality internal environments that operate with optimal energy efficiency.
Jim’s project expertise lie in the Sports and Entertainment and Cultural sectors, where he has worked on multiple iconic stadia and venues worldwide, in the UK, Europe and Middle East. He has also spent a significant portion of his engineering career in the USA and holds dual nationality.

Jonathan Hamp is the founder, and owner of Thermapply Ltd, and an expert in the field of pre-formed thermoplastics having worked in the industry for over 20 years. Jonathan’s company initially specialised in the manufacture and installation of anti-slip playground markings and surface signage for schools, becoming a UK leader with installation in over 3,000 schools throughout the UK and Europe.The company has continued to develop its thermoplastic materials, expanding these for in the industrial, public and leisure sectors, working with national and internal leading brands throughout the UK, Europe, and USA.

In 2013 Jonathan developed an anti-slip, DDA, thermoplastic solution for use initially on stadium steps and aligned with the Green Guide’ recommendations. The product was further developed for public and leisure usage, British and Europe patented Thermagrip enables the inclusion of safety and community messaging, numbers, branding, advertising, and sponsorship directly into the anti-slip surface. SATRA tested to a minimum of 1 million footfalls. Jonathan and his company are true pioneers in the creation, development, and use of anti-slip surfaces to create safer work and public environments.

Rodrigo is the Architect and Project Manager of Club Atlético River Plate, one of the most important football clubs in South America. Since 2016, he has been in charge of designing and directing the construction works of the institution that not only include the stadium, but also cover a series of non-sports aspects, such as education, social activity and hospitality.

Andy Simons jointly founded the multi award-winning AJ100 architecture and design practice KSS over thirty years ago. Andy provides strategic design direction on our major projects ensuring the clients’ needs are met and guides the management of the consultant team. With his main focus on stadia and training centre projects both in the UK and abroad he brings analytical depth and experience to every project he is involved in, believing in the power of sport as a force for good.

Alex is passionate about beer, and has worked in the beer industry for over 20 years, focusing on Innovation, customer experience and brewery fresh beer. He joined the founder of Tankbeer at inception stage almost 10 years ago, and they now proudly serve beer at its best through tanks across the world, with offices in England , Scotland , Spain and Germany.

“Michael has been in the Audio Visual for approaching 20 years and in that time has served clients from all levels of the supply chain from Manufacturing, distribution and integrator. Michael now works exclusively with enterprise global clients on large one-off capital projects or multi-region standards-based deployments.

Taking the mantle as the overall owner of the client relationship, Michael also has the responsibility for project delivery and success within his organisation. Michael brokers new relationships between clients and technology vendors to make sure that his clients achieve or exceed their expected outcomes.”

I have enjoyed over 18 years with Hoare Lea having gained design experience across multiple sectors, both in the UK and internationally, and have a passion to deliver sustainable and energy-efficient designs grounded in sound engineering principles.  As Director managing our Plymouth office I oversee and lead our MEP and Specialist teams, delivering technically-challenging projects. My Sports portfolio includes a variety of interesting projects, including refurbishments and new build projects – the most prestigious being the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium in Qatar, a unique open oculus stadium fully-cooled to maintain required match-play conditions for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.  

Based Oxford; Allan is a chartered Supply Chain Manager with a BA in Management and a MSc in Façade Engineering. For the past 22 years he has managed the supply and specification of specialist materials used in the construction industry in the UK and Middle East.

Now responsible for the specification and supply of the Kuraray Trosifol PVB and SentryGlas interlayer business in the North of Europe for use in laminated architectural glass with a strong focus on new technologies and innovations underlining the Kuraray commitment towards serving the ever changing demands of the global glass industry through innovation and leadership.

Ben Da Costa is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Bendac Group, the UK’s leading provider of full turnkey LED display solutions. Whilst overseeing the organisations key projects, Ben has been critical in the digital transformation at Stamford Bridge during the past 24 months which has seen a considerable boost to the fan experience through the innovative use and integration of industry leading LED display technology. Outside of this, Ben has been developing Bendac’s key design concepts for LED display integration, which are already becoming increasingly popular amongst the design community.

Involved in the LED industry since 1997, Tom brings a wealth of practical and technical expertise to digiLED. Working for LED screen pioneers Invision, Phillips and Lighthouse, on a practical level has played key roles on many high profile events including the 2000 Sydney Olympics and as Head of Video for Robbie Williams.
Now found regularly working on new patents, Tom’s outstanding engineering skills drive product and industry innovation for the digiLED range of screens and accessories.

Adam is a Director at Ramboll specialising in building performance and carbon efficient solutions across the sports, leisure and entertainment sector. He is passionate that if designed and engineered with care and attention to detail, buildings can positively affect the community and society they are meant to serve. Key projects that Adam is currently involved with include Selhurst Park Stadium, The Racecourse Ground Stadium, The Avicii Arena in Stockholm and Valencia Basketball Arena. Adam pushes the Ramboll ‘Sustainable Venues’ campaign with a focus on opening venues up to the local community and delivering low carbon solutions.

Oliver has a master in electronics, focusing on acoustics and communication technology he spent more than 25 years in the professional audio industry. He worked several years as system design support engineer for a global system integrator and later as sales director and regional tech support manager for fixed installed sound systems. Working for Bosch Communications Systems since 2006 he leads now a global team of 30 engineers for system design, application support and technical training of sound system solutions using products of the brands Bosch, Dynacord and Electro-Voice in the segments ProSound, Public Address Voice Alarm and Conference Systems.

Andy Rigler, Project development lead in EMEA, has more than 30 years’ experience within pro audio via a varied career which has spanned live performance, music composition, sound recording, pro audio system sales and integration. Following a career change decision in the late 1990s, Andy worked within the financial sector for 7 years, mainly working with corporate clients and retains Chartered Institute of Bankers qualifications.
After returning to pro AV, via a spell at Stage Electrics, Andy joined the Bose Corporation in 2006, to launch the then new L1 Personalised Amplification and Loudspeaker System onto the UK/IRL MI and Pro markets. This business grew significantly and, in 2014, Andy transitioned to become the country manager for Bose Professional in the UK and Ireland. Since then, the Bose team has been involved in many large major projects, such as audio for stadia and arenas, alongside steady business within the retail, corporate and hospitality sectors. Like Eddie, Andy is a member of the industry recognised ISCVE.

Jakub Rachfalik – Forum by Nowy Styl Managing Director, a brand that produces seats designed for stadiums, concert and lecture halls, cinemas and theatres, and telescopic grandstands. Managing large-scale projects, including providing 95.000 seats for two stadiums in France or over 60.000 seats and rails to Puskas Arena in Hungary.

Head of global brand development. Works closely with Nowy Styl’s European branches and manages several dozen employees. Responsible for the partnership and its development with Coastal Qatar. As a result, Forum seats filled six stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

John has over 18 years’ experience and has first class planning and coordination skills.
John has led several Stadia projects for Portview, including the first ever stadia fit-out of WM Club at the Emirates Stadium. Over the past few years, the relationship has grown from strength to strength which has paved the way for several additional projects within the stadia sector including Wembley, Queen Elizabeth stadium, Twickenham, and Ascot to name a few. Additionally, John advises the company on its commercial strategy as a member of the Board of Directors.

Steve is a highly motivated and committed engineer with over 33 years’ experience in the design and realisation of award-winning sports and entertainment facilities. Steve is a Director and sports sector specialist who leads integrated design approaches on complex projects.

Steve’s experience in other sectors include cultural, healthcare, education and residential; many as part of mixed used redevelopments that are well suited to complex schemes. He uses his knowledge to great effect when considering the merits of community energy strategies as part of a site wide sustainable approach.
Steve’s project portfolio includes significant involvement in the design of major sports and entertainment venues including: Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in London; Turin’s Palasport Lingotto and Beijing’s Olympic Speed Skating Ovals; Sochi’s Central Stadium for Winter Olympics 2014; Everton Football Club in Liverpool; Bristol Arena and Roundhouse Theatre; Lord’s Cricket Ground Redevelopment and Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire.

Marko Hurme, CEO of The Nokia Arena, the Finland’s most popular music and sports arena. As CEO, Marko heads up the Leadership team at The Nokia Arena and is fully accountable for arena management, including overseeing venue strategy, sustainability, improving the experience for customers, development projects in the arena, facilities management and driving continued commercial growth. Arena ecosystem includes several companies, forming a complex ecosystem. The customer journey and the digitalization that support the arena operations need to be managed in full cooperation with all the involved ecosystem partners.

Jonathan graduated from Loughborough University and worked for both Coca Cola and PepsiCo in Sports Marketing roles.  He joined Puma as Head of Team-Sports before joining Wembley Stadium as Commercial & Marketing Director in 2005. At Wembley Stadium he oversaw all commercial, sponsorship, marketing and PR elements of the stadium project.  He also held the position of Director of Partnerships for The FA’s World Cup bid and has worked for both Fulham F.C and Leicester F.C. in the English Premier League as Commercial Director.

More recently he has worked for adidas as Worlds Cup Director in Russia, before joining the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) as CCO, overseeing their F1 relationship and delivery of the Bahrain Gulf Air Grand Prix and the Sakhir Sport City Project.  In 2020 he joined The Goodwood Group as Group Commercial Director overseeing all key revenues that come into the estate.

Harald Fux, born 1971, is CEO of RAUMKUNST LLC. In Vienna, Austria and specialised in sports and event architecture.

He started his career as project architect for the New Innsbruck stadium, then for Salzburg, now Red Bull Arena. He then worked on stadiums for the UEFA championship 2008 in Innsbruck, Salzburg and Klagenfurt.

In 2019, RAUMKUNST won the competition for the New LASK ARENA in Linz, which is now under construction and will be opened in February 2023.

Harald is president of the IAKS International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities Austrian Section and Member of the UIA United International Architects Sports and Leisure Group. He was lecturerer at various Universities in Vienna and Munich.

Following a successful career working on several major projects, he workedwith 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 Estates Director in April 2014 leading million pound ground development projects.

Paul Burns oversees the operations of Waterloo United and BVB International Academy Waterloo. His role consists of Club operations, policy creation and implementation, organizational and business development as well as strategic planning. Paul has been with the Club for almost 5 years and was previously with Ontario Soccer and Burlington Soccer Club. Paul has over 18 years of experience within the football industry in Ontario, Canada.

Matthew leads Buro Happold’s Global Sport and Entertainment Sector, working with a team that engineers the performance of the world’s finest venues.

His first degree was in General Engineering at Cambridge University, but also has experience of advanced engineering analytics, integrated building design, and architecture through further study at Newcastle University. Matthew became involved in longspan lightweight structural design shortly after graduation, and immediately seized the opportunity to combine his interests in architecture, engineering and advanced analytics as a holistic designer in this field.
Upon joining Buro Happold in 2006, his work shifted into the Sports Sector where he led the engineering team responsible for the design of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium. Other extraordinary projects followed, including leading our work on the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Stadium, Up @ O2, and the Emirates Air Line.
Matthew became a Partner in 2013 and was appointed Global Sports & Entertainment Sector Director in 2015. Since then Matthew has worked on the conversion of the London Olympic Stadium into a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue, the design of Tottenham Hotspur’s new football ground, and the Education City Stadium for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Matthew’s team is currently working for several sport governing bodies and leading professional clubs around the world. Using outcome-driven design to link operational, constructional and commercial opportunities, he delivers world-leading performance on and off the field of play for our clients.

Nick Anastasiou has been working in stadia and events for over 15 years, yet his experience in vending and beverage systems goes back much further. After designing and manufacturing the first automatic ice coffee machine, which was commissioned by McDonalds, Nick went on to create what is widely viewed as one of the fastest coffee machines for Café Nescafe, capable of dispensing 4 coffees in 15 seconds. All of this was achieved alongside a 36 year part time role in the Police.

Today, Nick heads up Gorilla Carts and Kiosks, which is far more than the name suggests, having become a one stop shop for Stadia development, providing a range of services from Design and Refurbishment of Buffet areas, through to Changing Room installation and the supply of innovative compostable food and drink containers.

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.