VENUES TODAY HERALDS THE PAST 15 YEARS

Venues Today now has 15 years of publishing the News Behind the Headlines “in the rearview mirror.”
We’ve documented the business side of sports and entertainment, including Hot Tickets and the Top Stops, week after week, month after month. Four venues have each reported more than
$1 billion worth of tickets sold during that time, one of which was Madison Square Garden, New York.
Darren Pfeffer, EVP, MSG Live, cited reasons like the Billy Joel residency that started in 2014 (they’ll celebrate his 50th show in 2018), Phish with 13 shows at the Garden this summer selling 190,000 tickets, major boxing events, Latin shows, comedy like Louis C.K. and, especially, “the ability to turnover seamlessly.” Being that busy requires an outstanding ops and engineering crew.
And we’ve recognized excellence in the industry, including up and coming Generation Nexters. Jon Petrunak, who was with SMG when he became a Generation Next winner and is now with Live Nation, loves helping grow the touring side of the business. And appreciates the honor of becoming a Venues Today Generation Nexter because his peers recognized his talent at a young age. “There is pride in that. To have a venue-specific publication helps us see what’s going on and recognizes people who deserve recognition,” Petrunak said.
That sums it up for Venues Today, recognizing others and building the industry. We like to be, as our new owner Oak View Group says, “a positive disruption” in a growing and vital world of venues. — Linda Deckard