History

In 1980, ten arena marketers came together for the first official meeting of the Arena Sales and Marketing Conference to share ideas and discuss common problems within the industry. Since meeting together at the Met Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that first day over fourty years ago, the conference has grown to attract over 350 participants from across the country to network, to educate and to discuss ideas and information critical to the live entertainment industry.

The Event and Venue Marketing Conference Founders, Robbie Braesler, Geri Couch-Kroon, Rob Franklin, Steve Greenberg, Charlie Mancuso, Steve Nazro, Gigi Pilhofer, Karen Swan, Brad Walsh, and Ray Ward not only conceptualized the idea of a conference, but facilitated the support of building managers and show producers to make the conference a success.

For the next three years, the conference took place in St. Louis and then in 1985 began touring the country as different venues served as conference hosts. Unlike other professional organizations, this conference has been planned entirely by volunteers since its inception in 1980.

In 1999, the name of the conference was changed to reflect the overall scope of marketing departments, which today includes group sales, publicity, promotions, advertising and marketing professionals. The organization was also formalized into an association and became the Venue Marketing Conference, Inc.

In 2001, the organization was recognized by the IRS as a non-profit. Then in 2004, the name was changed again to reflect the nature of the live entertainment industry, thus becoming the Event and Arena Marketing Conference.

In 2023, the conference was renamed again to be more inclusive of all the event-driven organizations and has been rebranded to the Event and Venue Marketing Conference.

The vision of the conference Founders and volunteers to keep this conference independent, affordable and open to as many people as possible still holds true today.

In true live entertainment fashion and unlike any other conference of its kind, EVMC is a touring show of its own. Each year, EVMC hosts in a new city, partnering with the local major venue or entertainment scene. This keeps our attendees coming back, but also opens a new door each year to a greater number of marketers in each host city.

EVMC Host Cities

  • 1980 Minneapolis
  • 1981 Richfield, Ohio
  • 1982 St. Louis
  • 1983 St. Louis
  • 1984 St. Louis
  • 1985 Houston
  • 1986 Detroit
  • 1987 Philadelphia
  • 1988 Washington, DC
  • 1989 Destin, FL
  • 1990 Minneapolis
  • 1991 Hartford
  • 1992 Los Angeles
  • 1993 Miami
  • 1994 New Orleans
  • 1995 Orlando
  • 1996 Las Vegas
  • 1997 Phoenix
  • 1998 Nashville
  • 1999 Anaheim
  • 2000 Minneapolis
  • 2001 Boston
  • 2002 Salt Lake City
  • 2003 Memphis
  • 2004 Toronto
  • 2005 Denver
  • 2006 Miami
  • 2007 Dallas
  • 2008 Washington, DC
  • 2009 Colorado Springs
  • 2010 Chicago
  • 2011 Indianapolis
  • 2012 Vancouver, BC
  • 2013 Austin
  • 2014 New Orleans
  • 2015 Los Angeles
  • 2016 Nashville
  • 2017 Tulsa
  • 2018 Las Vegas
  • 2019 Toronto
  • 2020 EVMC @ Home
  • 2021 EVMC Virtual
  • 2022 Twin Cities
  • 2023 Seattle
  • 2024 Denver
  • 2025 Atlanta

Previous Notable Speakers

  • Jody Bennett
    Andretti Autosport
  • Ross Bernstein
    Best-Selling Author
  • James Carville
    Political Commentator
  • Debbi Fields
    Mrs. Fields Cookies
  • Patrick McClenahan
    Special Olympics World Games
  • Stephanie McMahon
    WWE
  • Allison Melangton
    Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee
  • Jim Murren
    MGM Resorts International
  • Casey Priest
    The Container Store
  • Darryl Seibel
    USOC
  • Doug Ulman
    The LIVESTRONG Foundation
  • Peter van Stolk
    Jones Soda
  • Jimmy Wayne
    Country Music Singer & Author
  • Joel Zeff
    Best-Selling Author
  • Laura Matalon
    CMO, Hamilton
  • Lonnie Mayne
    Red Shoes Living
  • Dave Grohl
    Foo Fighters
  • Jeanie Buss
    Los Angeles Lakers
  • Captain Sandy Yawn
    Below Deck Mediterranean