A Celebration of Excellence: Award Winners Panel
sponsored by Cast & Crew Live Entertainment
Panelists:
Brittany Cooke, Houston Rodeo
Fair/Expo of the Year 2023
Jen Hass, 9:30 Club
Club of the Year 2023
Michelle Landry, The Bowery Presents
Club Buyer of the Year 2023
Sarah Romero, G7 Marketing
Special Event/Corporate Buyer of the Year 2023
Kristen Sten, The Greek Theatre
Amphitheater of the Year 2023
Moderated by:
Laurie Jacoby, Barclays Center
Venue Executive of the Year 2023
Success Stories, Trends & Surprises
Moderator Laurie Jacoby invited her panelists to share 2024 success stories, trends and surprises. It has been a fantastic year for 9:30 Club and Lincoln Theatre, with 200 shows YTD at the 9:30 and 75 at Lincoln, racking up 150 sell outs so far. Jen Hass has another 135 shows are on the books for the fall. She discussed the successful revival of the HFStival, a legendary 90s era DC-area event that came back in 2024 to attract 25,000 people to Nats Park. She noted, “Live music is alive and well.”
Brittany Cooke talked about the unique challenge of programming entertainment at a 20-day rodeo, ensuring a diverse lineup that stays true to the event's roots while appealing to a broad audience. “We are in a very diverse city,” she said. “But we’ll always book at least 60% country because that’s our base. We are unique in that we are a 501(c)(3) charity. Our budget, ticket prices, and dates are set long before I start booking. In an industry that is growing, my challenge is to figure out to how get the best A-list artists across genres and fit into the touring puzzle. In 2024, we begin conversations about 2025.” Foo Fighters top the list of artists she’d love to have but haven’t played Houston Rodeo yet.
The volume of shows in 2024 tops the list of challenges for Michelle Landry. “It’s great to have this much going on,” she shared. “But even in a market like New York, it’s not sustainable. Everyone is touring on top of each other and people only have so much income, attention and time. Coming out of Covid, people wanted to go to everything and that’s certainly not the case anymore.” She noted the impressive growth of artists like Chappel Roan, whose skyrocketing popularity requires nimbleness and adaptability from promoters and venue operators. “On the other hand, you might book something that’s hot on TikTok, then wait too long to put it on sale, and it doesn’t perform like you thought it would. It’s a balance – talk to the right people, trust your gut, and book the right things at the right time. That’s the hardest part of the job right now.”
Jacoby agreed, “People’s tastes change and so much marketing is digital and on socials. Something shiny & new can make people forget about the show you put on sale two weeks ago.” Landry added that capturing attention at the on-sale is key. “The maintenance period feels very different than it did even a couple of years ago,” she said.
G7 Entertainment Marketing works primarily with corporate clients on what talent is best suited for their events. In the past year, their success includes over 50 clients, nearly 70 speakers and nearly 80 live performance acts in four countries. Sarah Romero explained how the G7 team’s internal wealth of knowledge helped them successfully book a diverse range of events. “We have decades & decades of experience working with talent and with agents. We like to level set with the client and ask ‘What are you really trying to achieve? Who is your audience demo? What’s your why?’ Once we get to the why, we can backfill that. We’re not telling clients what we think would work best. We want to understand the need and guide clients to their own conclusions.”
For Hass, price resistance was one of the year’s top challenges and her team is taking a close look at pricing. She noted, “We were doing crazy business. Then the next year was even crazier. At a certain point, fans run out of money to buy tickets and there’s so much out there. Tickets are more expensive and it’s more expensive for touring parties. So, I think we’re trying to figure out what works in this new reality.” Ticketing regulation on the secondary ticketing markets is something they are trying to solve as well.
Handling the Unexpected
Jacoby asked her panelists to share philosophies on handling the unexpected and said, “There are so many things beyond our control. But it all seems to come back to the person who booked the show. I always say ‘It’s my fault, no matter what.’ Like we’ll get feedback from fans who didn’t like the song list. I can’t help that, but it comes back to me.”
“Everyone is this room knows that feeling,” Hass concurred. “In my opinion, it’s always important to just take ownership, take responsibility. Someone could be unhappy for a myriad of reasons completely out of my control, but the reality is they are not happy. If they come to me and I get defensive, I’m not helping the situation. I come with respect. I want them to feel heard. People will shut down if you’re not listening to them. Then we can find a way to fix this problem. It seems so simple, really. Drop counts are out of my control. But 400 people in the room for a sold-out show can make a tour manager and an artist upset and angry. It’s that communication Sarah was talking about. Have respect. Stay calm. Think on your feet. We all do this every day. And it just comes down to communication.”
Cooke agreed and added, “I don’t care how the problem happened, I take ownership and try to fix it.” Jacoby agreed that this mindset is part of each panelist’s success.
“Sometimes, we’re just trying to upset people as little as possible,” Landry shared. “Like when cancelling a show. With every challenge, we’re collaborating with our partners. For example, we’ll reach out to our ticketing partners at AXS and say ‘What would you advise?’ We’re leaning on our partners and looking for best practices. We’re never playing the blame game.”
“It’s those tough situations that really show what you’re made of and how good a partner you are,” Romero added. “We like to say ‘Look for those moments where you can be extra sticky with your partners.’ This applies on the corporate client side and the artist side. We’re being a tried-and-true partner. We want to show that they are not in this alone. We’re in this together.”
Respect & Authenticity. Confidence & Adaptation
“We’re all driven by passion,” said Jacoby. “This industry is not for the faint of heart. It’s a lot of responsibility. If you don’t have the passion, it’s just not the right fit for you. I’m curious to hear what makes you the leader you are.” Each panelist shared the attributes they credit to their success. Jen Hass was studying aerospace engineering before pivoting to a career in entertainment after an internship at ACL Live. She shared, “I’ll say it again – treat everyone with respect. When I started in this industry, there was more yelling and screaming because people thought that’s how they would get their way. I know people still do that and, if it works for you, that’s fine. But I have not found success with that approach. I have success when I’m levelheaded, when I treat people with respect, and when I’m looking for solutions. And I care about everybody on my team. I’m checking in with them, making sure they feel creative and empowered. This is a relationship business, and I really value the relationships I have. I never take that for granted.”
Brittany Cooke transitioned from event management at NRG Park to her current role at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. She said, “At the risk of sounding cliché, I try to be kind and be a good person. That doesn’t make you soft, even in this tough industry. There are a lot of highs and lows, and I try to stay even keeled. And I don’t think you can stop learning. I hate to hear ‘This is how we’ve always done it.’ Yeah, it worked but that doesn’t mean we can’t do something else. Everything grows. We have to evolve.”
Michelle Landry attended IEBA’s conference during her college years and worked her way up through various roles at Live Nation. With Randy Henner’s mentorship and guidance, she found her way into her role as a talent buyer and said, “In tandem with treating people with respect, I try to be authentic. That’s how you connect and form relationships with people who trust you and return that respect. It happens over time. At first, as a young woman in the music industry, I felt like I had to put on a façade to kinda blend into how things were, how they had been. Over time, I realized that’s not benefitting anyone. So, I started to be more authentic. And I act with integrity – that goes a long way too.”
Romero added, “I agree with everything everyone’s said. And that segues perfectly into what I’d like to add – confidence. You’re in your position for a reason. You were hired for a reason. Yes, you’re growing and learning. But having that confidence allows you to raise your hand with an idea or a solution. Confidence is not being an egomaniac. It’s not about my way or the highway. But I really believe that quiet confidence builds trust.” She reflected on the collaborative environment at G7, where diverse perspectives and experiences are leveraged for innovative solutions. “Sometimes I sit and listen to the wisdom of team members who’ve done this for decades and the enthusiasm of those who are just starting, and I think ‘What an amazing place to be.’ I’m absorbing all of these different perspectives. What an amazing place to learn as a professional in an interesting niche in the industry.”
Goals & Crystal Ball Predictions
For Cooke, a professional, five-year goal is a stage between the stadium stage and all the other stages at the Rodeo. She’s most excited about the future country music, with more cross-genre collaborations enhancing its appeal.
Romero shared, “From a corporate event perspective, attendees really want that customized experience, that special experience they can’t get anywhere else. If they’re spending time and money to be in a space for a few days, they want to feel heard & seen and walk away feeling wowed. The great news is that entertainment is the solve to all of that – a favorite artist performing an intimate set, a speaker that really resonates, or comedy because everyone loves to laugh. Those are the trends we’re seeing in the corporate event space.”
Landry is interested in the rise of artists who create deep connections with their fans, build community, and curate an experience for the ticket buyer. “Like a Renee Rapp, Muna and Chappell Roan. People will continue to spend money on that. Spending money on four small club shows a month for bands you maybe know one song from a Spotify playlist is an outdated paradigm.” Landry has a couple of 2025 shows at Radio City Music Hall with artists she started with in the 650-cap Music Hall Williamsburg. She said, “That feels like the most satisfying accomplishment – growing with an artist from the club level. It’s amazing.”
For Hass, innovation is a priority. “I look for new, innovative ways I can think about doing business. What’s changing? What can we grow? How can we do what we do better? I want to be creative, and I want to inspire the people I work with. I also want to piggyback on the identities that Michelle mentioned in her answers and talk about the future of festivals. I think the festivals that will continue to be successful are the ones with a very specific identity. Like All Things Go. And I’d like to close by talking about ticketing regulations again. It’s important. I hope we can move forward with a solution.”