Beth Knox Named VenuesNow 2026 All-Star Honoree

Beth Knox President & Chief Executive Officer Seattle Sports Commission

A REAL FAN “When Hilary Knight (then of PWHL’s Seattle Torrent) scored that incredible between-the-legs goal (at the Olympics), I went nuts.”

It’s a great time to be working in sports in the Emerald City. Just ask Beth Knox, President & CEO of the Seattle Sports Commission, a nonprofit that promotes, bids on and hosts major sports competitions and attracts them to Seattle, the tech hub and economic powerhouse of the state of Washington.

“Seattle kicked off 2026 with a Seahawks Super Bowl victory and I had the honor of helping to produce the Championship Parade with our streets filled with over 600,000 joyous fans,” Knox says. “A few months later, we hosted six FIFA World Cup matches.”

Knox notes that executing mega events in Seattle with a new mayoral administration was both challenging as well as an opportunity. “From my perspective, Seattle’s live entertainment market is strong, but it’s also becoming more competitive and more price sensitive. Seattle has a deep venue ecosystem, and major events are increasingly functioning as drivers of our downtown visitation and visitor economy,” Knox says.

“During the FIFA World Cup, we proved that operating in an intentionally authentic manner for Seattle was what resonated most strongly,” Knox says. “One example is we shifted from a single site fan celebration to multiple watch parties and activation venues. The result was overwhelmingly strong attendance at each location and increased positive impact at surrounding local businesses.”

The Seattle Sports Commission and its Foundation prioritizes youth sports and women’s sports, with Knox explaining that the organization works with its professional women’s teams (WNBA, NWSL and PWHL) as well as organizations like the King County Play Equity Coalition and Rise Above (Indigenous Youth). The Seattle Sports Commission is bidding to host the Esports Championship, Olympics Torch Relay and Cauldron Lighting, NFL FLAG Championship, NFL Draft, NCAA Men & Women’s Basketball, NCAA Volleyball, the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and numerous other events. Knox adds, “The SSC Foundation has launched a new initiative called Girls Lead with the goal to graduate Washington state’s healthiest generation of girls by 2033 and grow the number of women coaches and officials by 50% by 2033.”

VenuesNow 2026 All-Star Hub

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/21/venuesnow-2026-all-star-honoree-beth-knox/)._