Claudia Arcay

Senior vp of entertainment

Arcay played a key role in negotiating and carrying out some of Loud And Live’s most successful 2023 tours, including Ricardo Arjona’s “monumental” 65-date outing, which included five sold-out shows at Miami’s Kaseya Center and two sold-out Madison Square Garden dates in New York, she says. Loud And Live placed at No. 14 among promoters worldwide, reporting 769,000 tickets sold over 191 shows for a gross of $78.7 million, with tours by Alejandro Sanz, Carlos Vives and Camilo. Arcay also helped guide Loud And Live’s Latin America expansion and secured, managed and produced high-grossing arena and stadium shows with the likes of Grupo Firme, Camilo and Sin Bandera in Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Colombia.

Francesca Bodie

COO

Ann Jackson

Chief people and culture officer

Casey Sparks

VP of OVG Austin

In 2023, Oak View Group had what Bodie describes as “a pivotal year, marking milestones, innovation and groundbreaking success.” She reports that OVG “is the only company to build and open seven brand-new, state-of-the-art venues within 16 months, and we remain committed to shaping the future of live entertainment with passion, excellence and a continued spirit of innovation.”

Mari Davies

Vp of booking and talent

At Live Nation Urban, Davies played an integral role last year by bringing unique fan experiences to different festivals and events. The popular Atlanta hip-hop and R&B festival staple One Music Fest drew fans in droves with its lineup of Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson and Megan Thee Stallion. The weekend brought in 100,000 people, Davies says. Her achievements also include orchestrating an arena trek for Kirk Franklin’s Reunion Tour and producing an event at the home of Vice President Kamala Harris honoring the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Margaret Galton

Talent buyer

In 2023, C3 Presents continued its efforts to strengthen female representation across the company’s festivals. At Austin City Limits, more than 45% of the acts featured at least one woman or nonbinary musician, while country festival Two Step Inn featured 35%. “There is more work to be done, but the commitment to change is what is going to make the difference,” Galton says. “This is something I am passionate about and feel fortunate that I work with a team of people who share that drive.”

Dre Hanna

Vp of festival production

Melanie Dorf

Director of festival production

Hanna and Dorf work together on the company’s portfolio of California festivals in the Coachella Valley, Pasadena and other locations across Los Angeles. Dorf says she was most proud of her team’s work “with the successful relaunch of Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw [in Los Angeles] after taking three years off.” Hannah highlights the company’s launch of Power Trip, the heavy metal-centric music festival in Indio, Calif., saying, “It was a huge undertaking and like nothing we’ve ever attempted before. As a company, we rallied together and ultimately pulled it off.”

Darcy Rae Johnson

Vp of brand strategy and marketing for festivals

Lucy Noble

Artistic director

Johnson oversees the marketing and branding teams behind AEG Presents’ portfolio of 20 to 30 annual North American festivals, from Jazz Fest in New Orleans to the new Portola event in San Francisco. “Portola is the show that turned everyone’s head,” she says of the European electronic-style festival booked by emerging talent buyer Danny Bell. She’s also proud of Electric Forest, the Michigan property that she has developed for the last 13 years and has become one of the most popular destination events in the United States. “That community is so important,” she says. “It’s where we can really deep dive and develop strong collaboration and loyalty programs rooted in the fans.”

Geni Lincoln

President of California region

Emily Simonitsch

Senior vp of booking

Molly Warren

Vp of talent for Live Nation Northeast

Alex Maxwell

Vp of touring

Jenifer Smith

Head of urban tour marketing and strategy

As Live Nation continuously participates in the growth of the in-demand concert business (the company’s latest earnings report noted a 30% increase year over year), the promotion giant also went out of the way to give back to smaller artists that drive the industry. In September, Live Nation announced the On the Road Again program that gives all opening and headlining artists playing Live Nation-owned and -operated clubs an extra $1,500 cash gas and travel stipend per show. Also, the company will no longer charge merchandise selling fees, allowing artists to keep 100% of merch profits at those venues. “There’s so much grind people don’t see that artists put into touring, especially at the club level,” Warren says. “And I’m so proud of helping to make an impact there.”

Heather Lowery

President/CEO

Lowery’s Femme It Forward, a joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment, promoted shows for Brent Faiyaz’s F*ck the World It’s a Wasteland tour, Maeta’s When I Hear Your Name dates, Noname’s Sundial run and Ambré’s The Wild Magnolia trek. But Femme It Forward is much more than a concert promoter. In 2023, the company held its second GiveHerFlowHERS awards gala, which honored trailblazing Black women in entertainment including SZA, Brandy, Teyana Taylor, Jordyn and Jodie Woods, and its Next Gem Femme mentorship program continued providing its first scholarships through a partnership with Google Pixel. “Seeing the growth of Femme It Forward each year inspires us to go bigger and bolder,” Lowery says, “so that we can keep expanding our extraordinary impact.”

Haley McCollister

President

Sara Winter

Senior vp

Messina Touring Group is having the biggest year in its history thanks in part to the success of Taylor Swift’s The Eras tour and Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics shows. “I was lucky enough to work on both tours — and bring my [then] 1-year-old daughter with me,” says McCollister, who was appointed to lead MTG’s Nashville office (and is expecting a second child in May). McCollister says she was able to bring her daughter, Tucker, on the road thanks to her nanny and “massive amounts of support from colleagues. The amount of women who reached out to me and encouraged me was a great reminder of how supportive the concert community is of one another.”

Jen Sandstrom

Vp of programming and booking

Throughout its nearly 200 events this year with a record-breaking 2 million fans in attendance, SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater put women at the forefront, hosting events like Taylor Swift’s The Eras tour, Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour, K-pop superstars TWICE and Janelle Monáe. “We are proud of our dedicated team who rose to the occasion and met the fans’ demands, creating extraordinary experiences that cultivated our global stage,” Sandstrom says of the team’s accomplishments.

Kayla Schine

Vp of premium seating and experiences, North America

“I am so proud to be a part of ASM Global as it continues its commitment to excellence for its employees, clients and partners,” Schine says of the venue management giant. “We continue to invest in the people, buildings and communities that bring world-class events to life and provide our guests with unforgettable experiences.” In November, Onex and AEG jointly announced that Legends Hospitality was buying ASM, which manages over 350 venues worldwide, and Schine predicts the company will deliver more in 2024. “We are entering another year with a growing team and a portfolio of best-in-class venues,” she says, “which makes embracing new opportunities very exciting.”

Elena Sotomayor

Executive vp of experiential marketing and family entertainment division

After more than 20 years at CMN, where she began in branding and music sponsorships, Sotomayor is now head of experiential marketing for the family entertainment and media group overseeing strategic partnerships. In her new role as executive vp, she focuses on buying media for other producers, such as Feld Entertainment, Professional Bull Riding and Harlem Globe Trotters, to bring more Hispanic fans to their shows. “We buy media for over 300 shows per year. This year, we may surpass that amount,” Sotomayor says. “I have built a brand-new team at CMN that only focuses on that effort. [I am] very proud of this fast-growing segment of the company.”