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LAHQ’s September panel, featuring key ownership entities shaping the industry, explored the radical flexibility, data-driven design, and authentic connections defining the future of sports and entertainment districts.

In Los Angeles, the business of sports is never just about the game. It's about creating the iconic moments and destinations that define a global city. On September 11, 2025, the Los Angeles Headquarters Association (LAHQ) convened a master class on this very topic, gathering the visionary owners, operators, and designers behind the world's most famous venues.

Moderated by Erin Talkington of RCLCO, our panel, "Sports & Entertainment: The Owner's Perspective," featured an all-star lineup:

• Kevin Rieger, SVP, AEG Worldwide
• Emily Hillery, VP of Planning & Development, LA Dodgers & Sr. Project Director, Canopy Team
• Mike Drye, AIA, Partner & Director of Sports, HKS
• Marine Maroukian, Assoc. AIA, Senior Design Manager, Gensler Sports

Held at Gensler’s iconic headquarters, with DTLA as a backdrop, the discussion moved beyond blueprints to explore the core strategies—flexibility, authenticity, and technology—driving the next era of live experiences.

The Death of the Single-Purpose Venue

A unanimous theme emerged: the successful modern venue is a chameleon, designed for radical flexibility and year-round use.

“I feel the question today is less about how we attract certain audiences it's more about how do we create a variety of experiences for the different user profiles,” said Emily Hillery of the Dodgers and Canopy Team. The goal is to cater to everyone—from young professionals and families to concert-goers who may never see a game—with a diverse mix of offerings, from 20-person suites to open-access terraces.

Kevin Rieger of AEG illustrated this with the ongoing, nine-figure transformation of Crypto.com Arena. “We touched every public facing surface,” he said, emphasizing that whether a fan has “the most affordable seat or the most expensive seat,” they experience a renewed venue. The renovation structurally altered the arena to create the City View Terrace, an indoor-outdoor space that allows fans to “gravitate to areas of the arena they want to experience live.”

Mike Drye of HKS put a fine point on it: “If we are creating a 65,000-person venue, we have an opportunity to create 65,000 unique experiences.” The key to achieving this, he noted, is leveraging underutilized data streams—from mobile data to surveys—to truly understand how people want to use spaces, rather than just guessing.

From Arena to District: The LA Model

Los Angeles is unique in its concentration of world-class, privately financed venues. This intense competition, as seen with SoFi Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, and Dodger Stadium, creates a relentless drive for innovation.

The conversation has expanded beyond the stadium walls. The most successful projects now plan for the holistic "district" experience. AEG is pioneering this on a new scale in Nashville with the National Yards project, a music venue-anchored district that aims to “translate into other markets.” Similarly, RCLCO and HKS are working with the Cleveland Browns on a project encompassing both the stadium and the surrounding mixed-use district, a rare and integrated opportunity.

As Rieger noted, this competition “raises the bar.” When a fan experiences the grandeur of SoFi Stadium, they expect a comparable level of quality everywhere else. This drives a cycle of continual reinvestment that is a hallmark of the LA market.

Technology as the Silent Enhancer

In a world saturated with screens, the value of a live event is the tangible, emotional connection. The panel agreed that technology’s primary role is to serve as an invisible, seamless layer that enhances—not complicates—that connection.

“The best technology we see out there right now is the layer behind the event,” Drye affirmed. “You get to enjoy the event, and there's just this really underlying layer of technology.”

Marine Maroukian of Gensler emphasized how this tech integrates with operations, working with “food and beverage teams to make the experience better and faster... so they get their drink fast, and they go back to the concert.” The goal is to use technology to remove friction, allowing fans to stay immersed in the moment.

Designing for Longevity in an Era of Short Cycles

A key audience question addressed the shrinking lifespan of venues. Why are teams moving from 25-year-old stadiums, and how can design ensure longevity?

The answer lies in smart site selection and ongoing investment. Hillery advised thinking about "site selection from the beginning as the area with the most potential, rather than the area that is the easiest to get." Drye pointed to a critical financial shift: designing with opex in mind. By using innovative, sustainable systems that lower long-term maintenance costs, venues can afford the necessary reinvestment to stay competitive and avoid becoming obsolete.

Maroukian observed that the renovation cycle has compressed from 25 years to as little as 10, driven by intense market competition. The solution is designing not for a single use, but for endless adaptability.

The New Frontier: Training Facilities & Women’s Sports

The definition of a “sports venue” is expanding beyond the main arena. Training facilities have evolved from private back-of-house spaces into crucial competitive differentiators for attracting top free agents and, in the collegiate world, top talent under new NIL rules.

“It's competing for free agents. It's a desire for best-in-class,” said Rieger. “It's sports medicine, it's nutrition... it's really curated.”

This evolution is especially pronounced in the meteoric rise of women’s sports. Maroukian highlighted how design is thoughtfully evolving to meet the needs of female athletes, including spaces for families, nursing rooms, and dedicated media rooms for athletes to build their personal brands and engage with sponsors.

The Final Takeaway

The message from our experts was clear: the future of sports and entertainment lies in creating authentic, flexible, and district-oriented experiences that serve diverse communities 365 days a year. It’s a complex equation balancing fan emotion, technological capability, and operational excellence.

LAHQ extends its deepest gratitude to our insightful panelists, our expert moderator Erin Talkington, and our generous hosts at Gensler for providing a perfect backdrop for this conversation. This discussion is a cornerstone of our 65-year mission to attract and retain the marquee companies and teams that continue to make Los Angeles a global capital for business and innovation.

Are you interested in joining these critical conversations about the future of Los Angeles? Learn more about the benefits of LAHQ membership here.