EVMC Awards Celebrate 2026 Marketing Excellence in Live Entertainment

The Event and Venue Marketing Conference (EVMC) celebrated its 11 th anniversary with the EVMC Awards, honoring marketing professionals in the live entertainment industry at Hyatt Regency Sacramento on June 11.

The sold-out awards ceremony was hosted by Ari Waller, the in-arena host for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, and featured DJ Stace Lace. The event was presented by streaming entertainment platform Atmosphere TV and highlighted excellence in marketing, publicity, social media and more.

The honor of Marketing & Publicity Campaign of the Year was given to Joe Walsh & Friends Present VetsAid held at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita. The Most Creative Artist Welcome / Fan Activation award went to Alan Jackson’s Last Call Honky Tonk at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Paycom Center’s Concert Chemistry took the Grassroots Campaign of the Year, and Target Center’s Minneapolis Goes Brat received the Social Media Campaign / Content Series of the Year.

Fiserv Forum took home another honor, claiming the Artist Gift Over $500 award for its Shinedown & Bush Players Pins. Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center won the Artist Gift Under $500 honor for its Kelsea Ballerini Fan Affirmation Tour Journal. Miami’s Kaseya Center was recognized for its “Rescue a Reef” campaign, receiving the Impact Award.

A few executives were honored for their work at venues. Kate Bean, director of marketing and public relations at Bryce Jordan Center, received the Gigi Award of Excellence; Jeff Johnson, former associate director of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, was inducted into the EVMC Hall of Fame; and Alyson Katz, senior brand manager at CFG Bank Arena, was honored with the Breakthrough Professional of the Year.

Plans for the 2027 EVMC conference are set, with the event taking place June 9-11 in Austin, Texas. Moody Center and H-E-B Center at Cedar Park will host the conference.

“We are thrilled to bring EVMC 2027 back to Austin and to welcome professionals from across the live sports and entertainment industry,” said incoming EVMC President Paul Hooper. “The Moody Center will be an exceptional host venue to showcase Austin’s vibrant culture and world-class entertainment. I also want to congratulate all of this year’s award winners, and I am incredibly proud to recognize those who continue to advance EVMC’s mission of fostering education, collaboration, and forward-thinking leadership across our industry.”

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/06/16/event-and-venue-marketing-conference-unveils-its-2026-award-winners/)._