SVB LIVE 2026 Brings the Global Sports & Live Entertainment Community Together in Liverpool

SVB LIVE 2026 brought together more than 320 sports and live entertainment professionals from across the globe for two and a half days of insight, innovation, networking and collaboration.

Hosted at Everton Football Club’s spectacular new home, Hill Dickinson Stadium, the 2026 conference and exhibition provided a unique platform for industry leaders to share ideas, challenge thinking and explore the future of the live experience.

The event kicked off with an unforgettable Opening Night Icebreaker at Liverpool FC’s iconic Anfield Stadium, giving attendees the opportunity to connect ahead of the main event before coming together at Hill Dickinson Stadium, where Aramark and Everton FC expertly hosted SVB LIVE 2026.

With a programme shaped by the SVB LIVE Advisory Board and featuring an outstanding line-up of speakers, the event explored the opportunities and challenges shaping the sports and entertainment landscape across Architecture & Design, Commercialisation, Customer Journey, Fan Experience, Hospitality, Fit-Out & Interiors, Premium Sales & Service, Sustainability and Technology.

Inspiring Voices from Across the Industry

The programme brought together an impressive mix of senior leaders and innovators from across the global sports and live entertainment landscape.

Colin Chong, Chief Real Estate & Regeneration Officer at Everton FC, Daniel Clark, Managing Director, Sports & Entertainment at Aramark UK, and Marc Lee, Director of Premium at Everton FC, offered valuable insight from the host club and its new stadium.

Check out Day 1 highlights.

The event also welcomed perspectives from across the wider venue and hospitality ecosystem, including Marie Smyth, Head of Venue Business at Croke Park; Laurence McMillon, Senior Director, Hospitality & F&B at Inter Miami; Jimmy Ord, Business Development Director at Fulham FC; Paul Reeves, CRO at Huddersfield Town; and Dennis Lacasa, Team Lead Business Relations at Feyenoord.

Check out the full SVB LIVE 2026 agenda online here to see what you missed!

From the commercial and partnership side of the industry, attendees heard from Robbie Balfour, VP, Brand & Marketing at The O2, AEG Europe, who joined John Morello, VP, Business Development, Riptide Partners to take on the vital importance of data, whilst Vicki Donlon, Head of Quality, Events & Partnerships at Diageo, Lauren Tones, UK Partnerships Director at Legends Global and Samara Mezher, VP of Strategy, Forward Associates, discussed “Meaningful over marketed: How brands can move beyond branded spaces to create real life experiences that bring value” with Utilita Arena Newcastle GM, Caroline James.

Oliver Wright, VP – Sales & Premium Hospitality at Legends Global, joined a panel discussion titled “Forward Thinking: Building the Stadium for Tomorrow, Today” alongside Neil Fox, Venue Strategy & Operations Director, Forward Associates; Claudio Bambagioni, Architect, Forward Associates; and Tom Hadfield, Architectural Illustrator, Forward Associates, led by moderator Natasha Thiebaut, CEO, Premium Thinking.

The 2026 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition – focused on elevating the live experience across the sports and entertainment ecosystem – saw 320+ industry professionals come together at Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium for 2 days of networking, learning and doing business, with an Opening Night Icebreaker having kicked things off at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium.

The programme also featured Clodagh Fleming, Business Development Manager at Horse Racing Ireland, and Dermot Rigley, Founder & CEO of Prime Arena Holdings, who provided details on their proposed arena developments; one to be an addition to Leopardstown Racecourse, while the Prime Arena development will bring the first winter sports venue to the Republic of Ireland.

Claire Crosby, Head of Operational Procurement at Everton FC, delved into the subject of “Putting the P in Procurement: Procurement & the Pieces of the Project Puzzle”. Together with Tom Roche, Director, UK & Europe, The Parker Company, the duo discussed how more complex major sports projects become, the more moving parts there are. From Michelin-star restaurants to cleaning cupboards, thousands of items have to be costed, sourced and shipped, as was the case with Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Huge thanks to all of the 50+ speakers for bringing further perspectives on the evolving challenges and opportunities facing the live experience industry. Together, they provided a fascinating range of perspectives on how venues, clubs, brands, and organisations can innovate, improve the customer journey and create increasingly memorable experiences for fans and audiences around the world.

Check out the full SVB LIVE 2026 agenda online here to see what you missed!

Thank You to Our Community

A huge thank you to every one of our 320+ attendees – representing entities including Aviva Arena Bristol, AO Arena, Ipswich Town, Juventus, first direct arena Leeds, Goodwood, National Ice Centre and Xiaomi Arena (Arena Riga) – who travelled from not only across the UK and Ireland, but from around the world to be part of SVB LIVE 2026. Your enthusiasm, knowledge, openness and willingness to share ideas are what make SVB LIVE such a special gathering for the industry.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who joined us for the Opening Night Icebreaker at Anfield, helping us get SVB LIVE 2026 off to such a memorable start, and to Aramark and Everton FC for their outstanding hospitality throughout the main event at the incredible new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Watch the Opening Night Icebreaker movie from the iconic Anfield online here.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

SVB LIVE 2026 would not have been possible without the incredible support of our sponsors and partners.

Our sincere thanks to our event partners and Platinum Plus Sponsors:

Aramark | Hill Dickinson Stadium | Everton FC

Arup | Dawnvale | Global Payments | KAPPTURE | Stadium Structures

And to our Platinum Sponsors:

AECOM | atVenu | BDP Pattern | Bundeling | Mashgin | Populous | Riptide Partners | The Parker Company

We would also like to thank our sponsors and partners:

Accredit Solutions | Forward Associates | VisioLab | 20.20 Ltd | Layrd Design | Qualflow Systems | Tixserve | Daktronics | Portview | Just Walk Out technology by Amazon | Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) | The Music Entourage (TME)

As well as exhibitors:

Bluecube Seating | Catertherm | CEIA | CleanEvent Services | Every Child Online | EBar | Ferco Seating | EHEIM | LEDTURE | STAR by Event Cup Solutions | ScanBox | Terraplas | Seat Unique | TG Baker | Well & Spire | Zip Water 

Your support, expertise and contribution helped create an exceptional experience for everyone who attended.

Looking Ahead to 2027

As we reflect on an incredible SVB LIVE 2026, the journey continues.

We’re already looking ahead to SVB LIVE 2027 and are excited to announce our 2027 series of events in the coming weeks, along with the date and venue for the inaugural SVB LIVE Awards.

Thank you once again to everyone who joined us, supported us, spoke, exhibited, sponsored, partnered with and contributed to SVB LIVE 2026.

We’ll see you in 2027!

Check out the latest sports & entertainment venue development data from across the globe in the exclusive, subscription-only, SVB Global Report here.

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