Featured News

People on the move: SeatGeek, Spektrix and more

The NFL’s Washington Football Team has appointed Dave Baldwin (pictured left) as chief ticketing officer.

He will serve on Washington’s executive leadership team and oversee all of the team’s ticketing functions, including ticket sales, member services, group sales and ticket operations.

In this role, Baldwin will report directly to team president Jason Wright and will be responsible for growing and retaining the team’s season ticket member base, as well as attracting new sales.

He will also be responsible for the growth of the non-football events business and help inform the vision for a new venue for live entertainment.

Previously, Baldwin helped the NFL’s Miami Dolphins grow total ticket revenue by 75 per cent and finished No.1 in new season tickets five seasons in a row and new suites sold four seasons in a row. He also worked with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Wright said: “Improvements to our ticketing function are a vital part of enhancing our fan experience, and we are excited for him to work closely with our Guest Experience team to find innovative ways to surprise and delight our season ticket members in addition to helping to bring a new level of live sports and entertainment experiences to the DMV area.”

Elsewhere, SeatGeek has named former Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) president Laurel J. Richie (pictured centre) to its board of directors.

Prior to her role with the WNBA, Ritchie worked as the chief marketing officer of the Girl Scouts of America and was part of the senior leadership at marketing agency Ogilvy.

In her new role, Ritchie will be tasked with building upon SeatGeek’s brand, reaching new audiences, and helping bring live events back across the US.

SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza, said: “Laurel has already made an incredible impression on the SeatGeek team. The live event industry is rife with opportunity right now, and I can’t think of a better person to help us transition our brand to meet the needs of a larger audience.”

Meanwhile, Brooke Gallagher has been appointed as head of community and events for ticketing, marketing and fundraising technology platform Spektrix.

Gallagher has been promoted from senior account manager, a position she has held since 2018.

In her new role, she will work to support clients that implement the products and services Spektrix offers, as well as build on the firm’s events programme.

Previously, Gallagher worked at Tessitura Network, London’s Richmond Theatre and the National Theatre, as well as Ambassador Theatre Group.

Also at Spektrix, Anna Wiseman (pictured right) has been promoted to head of global ecosystem.

Wiseman has worked with the ticketing company since 2016, holding several roles during that time, most recently as the global strategic partner relations lead.

Ron Bension has been named president and chief executive of venue operator ASM Global with immediate effect.

Bension most recently worked at Live Nation as president of House of Blues Entertainment. He previously held president and chief executive roles across companies including Tickets.com, GameWorks, MCA Recreation Group and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Bension will replace Bob Newman as president and chief executive of ASM Global. It was announced in November that Newman would be transitioning into a new role as chairman of the company.

Eventgroove, an integrated platform for events and fundraisers, has named Robert B. Friend as head of growth.

In his new role, Friend will be tasked with defining, prioritising and leading the company’s growth initiatives and optimising customer acquisition revenue through the company’s integrated platform for event management, fundraising, and ecommerce.

He previously served as head of business development, strategy, and consulting for Patron Technology where he was responsible for developing and implementing market strategies to drive sales, intelligence, and revenue growth.

Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@theticketingbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.