The live event production conference, XLIVE 2016, will be kicking off at the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas from December 5-7, 2016. Previously known as IMFCON and IFFS, the newly minted XLIVE is three days of conferences, workshops, and keynotes. As veterans, we know you can’t hit every event, but here are a few that that MFW staff would like to attend.
Sunday Night Party At Hakkasan
December 4, 2016 10:00pm
It’s a conference attended by music festivals organizers, so you can bet there’s going to be plenty of parties. Start your Vegas trip off right with this opening night shindig where your badge gets you VIP entry.
Exhibit Hall Opens
December 5, 2016 12:00pm
In between panels, the exhibit hall is the place to be for networking. There’s over 100 companies here showing off the latest in the live event industry. Make sure to explore the Startup Showcase and catch a demo from these innovative companies.
Press Pass – The Impact of Media Relationships On Festivals and Live Events
December 5, 2016 3:30pm-4:10 pm
For you live event folks that are wondering how to give us media people all the warm fuzzies, this panel is a must. Russel Ward, owner and founder of the excellent Confluence, will be heading up a panel of experts to discuss developing relationships with the press.
We Built This City On Rock & Roll – Using Festivals as a Catalyst For Inspiring and Revitalizing Communities
December 5, 2016 3:30 pm-4:10 pm
Festivals can not only bring money back to a city, they can bring hope and pride. This panel will check out strategies for using festivals as a catalyst for inspiring community growth and development.
How Far We’ve Come – From Holograms to Wristbands, What’s Next in Live Event Tech?
December 6, 2016 12:20pm-1:10pm
We’re tech geeks here at Music Festival Wizard – I even spoke about festival technology last year at this conference. There’s always something shinier on the horizon and this panel will illuminate the latest tech coming to a festival near you.
The New Reality – How AR/VR Are Defining The Next Generation of Festivals
December 6, 2016 5:00pm-5:50pm
Like I just said, we’re tech geeks, and virtual reality is on its way to becoming the next festival frontier. This panel will explore the potential cost and experience barriers on bringing this tech to the live experience.
Game On – How The Downtown Grand Became The Hub For The Las Vegas eSports Scene
December 6, 2016 11:25am-12:10 pm
Long mocked as fringe events for gaming nerds, eSports has gone mainstream around the world. Along with that newfound popularity, comes opportunity. In “Game On”, two Las Vegas vets will tell the story how the Downtown Grand became the first casino to open an on-site eSports lounge while also applying to become the first casino in America to offer betting on a live eSports tournament.
Beer Necessities – How Beer Festivals Have Emerged As A Global Phenomenon
December 6, 2016 5:00pm-5:50pm
Seeing as 65% of the MFW owners are amateur beer brewers and 100% of our staff loves beer festivals, we’re not surprised to see the craft beer industry exploding. There’s absolutely no confirmation of this, but we’ll just assume there will be a kegger at this panel.
Baller Status – How VIP Experiences Are Influencing The Festival Landscape
December 7, 2016 2:00pm-2:50pm
Back in they day, VIP meant skipping to the front of the line and a maybe a dedicated space. Oh, how the times have changed, and VIP perks have evolved into their own art form. This panel takes on the evolution of festival pricing and dips into strategies on how to offer VIP packages without alienating your general admission crowd.
XLIVE 2016 Featured Speaker Lineup
Billboard and Hollywood Reporter President John Amato
Eventbrite Co-Founder & CEO Julia Hartz
Red Frog Events Co-CEO Ryan Kunkel
Founders Entertainment Co-Founder & Partner Jordan Wolowitz
Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival Managing Director John Trumble
AEG/Goldenvoice VP of Global Partnerships Caroline Frye Burruss
Soundslinger/Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival Founder/Chief Creative Officer Paul Peck
Charleston Wine + Food Executive Director Gillian Zettler
Creative Artists Agency Head – CAA Culinary Andrew Chason
AEG Senior Vice President Global Partnerships Mark Faber
Newport Folk & Newport Jazz Festivals Executive Producer Jay Sweet
Live Nation VP Strategic Initiatives Tobias Ekman
C3 Presents President of Shaky Festivals Tim Sweetwood
AC Entertainment & Forecastle Founder & Captain JK McKnight
ESL/Turtle Entertainment America CEO Craig Levine
Twitch VP & eSports Evangelist Andy Swanson
Airbnb Head of Global Hospitality & Strategy Chip Conley
AC Entertainment Vice President Strategic Partnerships Jeff Cuellar
WME/IMG Global Head of eSports Tobias Sherman
Noise Pop Industries Founder Kevin Arnold
Delaware North Chief Marketing Officer Todd Merry
City Winery CEO Michael Dorf
SFX Entertainment Managing Director – North America Jacob Smid
Anheuser Busch Global Director – Innovation Tina Wung
Chipotle Manager – National Events Scott Robinson
Osheaga Music & Arts Festival Director of Marketing & PR Sandra Rinaldi
Delaware North CMO Todd Merry
NCompass International Co-Founder & CEO/President Donna Graves
Robot Picnic President Philip Blain
SnowGlobe Music Festival Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Lesan
Prime Social Group Managing Director Adam Lynn
The RKET Group President Ryan Kruger
Zeitgeist Artist Management Owner Jordan Kurland
Eventbrite Business Strategy & Solutions Manager Biasha Mitchell
Country Music Association Director – Digital Strategy Meryl Johnson
542 Entertainment President Billie Jo Aasen
City Parks Foundation General Manager – Central Park Summerstage Bruce Wheeler
Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino Las Vegas Chairman Seth Schorr
Ticketfly Head of Festivals Jeff Kreinik
Northside Media Group Founder Scott Stedman North Coast Music Festival Partner Max Wagner
Brewgaloo/Greater Raleigh Merchants Association Executive Director Jennifer Martin
DoStuff Media CEO Scott Owens
Toronto International Film Festival Branded Content Lead Evan Dell’Aquila
Treefort Music Fest Founder & Producer Lori Shandro Outen
Republic Live Sponsorship & Strategic Partnerships Adam Grosze
Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival/One Reel Executive Director Chris Weber
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority VP Global Business Sales Chris Meyer
Global Citizen Festival Event Director David Beame
CID Entertainment CEO Dan Berkowitz
VR Playhouse CEO Christina Heller
Eventbrite Head of Music Marketing Shana Fong
Gilroy Garlic Festival Executive Director Brian Bowe
MusicfestNW Presents Project Pabst Operations Director Matt Manza
The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas Executive Director Peggy Hanley
Kaboo Del Mar Festival SVP Marketing Brian Wingerd
Middle Waves Music Festival Co-Chair Alison Gerardot
Insomniac Events Director of Business Development Joe Silberzweig
Main Events International President Stephen Millard
Halifax Pop Explosion Festival Executive Director James Boyle
Fest300 Creative Director Eamon Armstrong
SFX Entertainment & Electric Zoo Director Adam Richman
TuneIn Sr. Director Artist Partnerships & Branded Content Charles Raggio
542 Entertainment COO Cory Popiuk
Barcelona Enterprises CEO Alan Semsar
Ticket Galaxy Head of Music Partnerships Aatish Patel
MCP Presents Festival Operations Director Val Harris
Winter Craft Beer Festival Co-Founder Ross Bowdey
Bacon & Beer Classic/Cannonball Productions CEO Kate Levenstien
Middle Waves Music Festival Co-Chair Matt Kelley
POP Montreal Director of Brand Partnerships Olivia Diamond
Left Hand Brewing Company Community & Events Manager Josh Goldberg
The Why Co. Founder Jacob Matthews
IWSC Group CEO Allen Gibbons
Narus Advisors LLC Partner Chris Grove
Kona Brewers Festival Executive Director Kate Jacobson
Vindiego Wine & Food Festival Executive Producer David Fraschetti
Motley Brews Senior Event Manager Lee Flint
Mohegan Sun Public Events Manager Krista May
CLEVR CEO Japheth Dillman
Vinofest DC Founder Justin Harrison
Big Texas Beer Fest Co-Founder Chad Montgomery
Fuse Social Media Manager Frankie Greek
Fountain Square Music Festival Executive Director Adam Pedersen
Feathr Co-Founder & President Aidan Augustin
Tiqiq CEO Jesse Lawrence
Diageo Global Senior Brand Manager – Smirnoff Justin Medcraft
Blur Parties/Toast Nebraska Vice President Stacy Leners
Treefort Music Fest Co-Founder & Associate Producer Drew Lorona
Dancefestopia Music Festival/Borda Productions Co-founder & Festival Organizer Doug Bordegon
Urban Seed VP Of Culinary Partnerships Jolene Mannina
VFD Marketing Managing Partner Elie Deshe
Northern Nights Music Festival Co-Founder Andrew Borgelt
Taste Of Pennsylvania/CrocodileDog Marketing Owner Matthew Davis
Gaming Research Partners Managing Director Alex Igelman
The Confluence Founder Russell Ward