SPEAKING

“We don’t sell tickets, we make memories”
Inside Tom’s teams there is a simple rule: “We don’t sell tickets. We make memories.” He will demonstrate how venues, casinos, and arts centers can turn their calendars into must-see events.
The Relationship Business: Artists, Agents, and BFLs
Why long-term trust is the real leverage in live entertainment and how considering close industry partners as “BFLs” (best friends for life) can help make deals happen.
Modern Deal Making in a Hard Market
Making smart bets when artist fees are up and attention is stretched thin. Tom often frames these decisions with another one of his rules: “There is always a way.” The work is to find the structure that works for both the venue and the artist.
Leading High-Volume, High-Expectation Team
Create debuts, residencies, festivals, and benefit events that generate outsized buzz, loyalty, and revenue relative to venue size.

The Relationship & BFL Playbook
Teams map their most important artists, agents, managers, sponsors and internal partners, then design practical moves to deepen the relationships that move the needle.
Calendar to Demand Engine Lab
Using your actual calendar, Tom helps your team sort which nights truly “make memories” and which are just filling space, then builds a sharper event mix and a short list of moments worth building into tentpoles.
Deal Lab: Guarantees, Risk, and Margin
A working session built around real or anonymized deals. Tom walks leaders through offers, walk-away lines and structures that protect long-term relationships and the P&L at the same time.
Defining Your Venue Story: From “We Book Shows” to “We Are the Show”
A hands-on workshop that moves teams from “we book shows” to “we are the show,” aligning programming, guest experience and marketing behind a story the industry and your guests can instantly understand..
Turnarounds and Launches: “There’s Always a Way” Strategy Session
For new or struggling rooms. The group works through what to stop, what to double down on and what to try next, then leaves with a clear six to twelve month plan instead of another vague mandate to “do better.”

SPEAKING FORMATS