Kelly Shea
Senior Booking Director
Edina,MN
Summary
Passionate, dedicated and respected executive in the live entertainment and sports industry with over 20 years of experience
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Senior Director of Booking
Cirque Du Soleil
Minneapolis, MN
04.2021 - Current
- Oversee the Booking and Ticketing Departments for the Affiliate Shows/Services Division of Cirque du Soleil for all touring properties including VStar Entertainment (Paw Patrol Live, Nick Jr. Live, etc.), Cirque Dreams Holidaze, The Illusionists, etc.
- Manage the routing and contracting of multiple tours comprised of over 150 engagements per year throughout the US and Canada including the Cirque du Soleil annual holiday tours of 'Twas.
- Liaise directly with our licensing partners at Paramount/Nickelodeon and NBC Universal at the senior leadership level.
- Act as the primary point of contact with Ticketmaster and manage the relationship from a negotiation and partnership perspective.
Executive Director of Business Development
Premier Sport Psychology
Edina, MN
10.2020 - 04.2021
- Directed and lead all business development efforts and managed all facets of marketing and sales strategy, planning and implementation including digital, communications, public relations and budgeting.
- Created and executed all short and long range strategic planning in partnership with the Executive Management Team.
- Collaborated closely with the internal team of Sport Psychologists and Mental Performance Coaches to develop new content and establish GTM strategies for all products and services within the company portfolio.
- Acted as the primary point of contact for all clients (NFL, NBA, NHL and NCAA teams) from a business development and strategic partnership perspective.
Senior Manager, Client Development, NBA & NHL
Ticketmaster
Minneapolis, MN
05.2018 - 10.2020
- Directed and collaborated on the development of account management blueprint, ensuring maximization of revenue and renewal within our client base of NBA and NHL venues.
- Developed and implemented strategies to upsell existing clients on products, programs and services that drove ticket sales for Sports Segment clients.
- Responsible for retention of all clients within my portfolio including, but not limited to, Minnesota Wild, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Kraken.
- Forecasted client ticket revenue contribution to our segment's annual business plan by developing client level business plans including account strategy, profitability analysis, and program projections.
- Maintained Salesforce with accurate and current contact and activity details.
- Worked closely with the Senior Leadership Team on a regular basis to ensure clients received effective and consistent communication of our existing and future capabilities, services and relevant offerings.
- Collaborated directly with local and national Live Nation booking, marketing and ticketing teams with regard to concert and family show content to ensure we maximized revenue and maintained open lines of communication with venue clients.
Senior Director of Booking
Feld Entertainment
Palmetto, FL
05.2004 - 10.2017
- Negotiated and executed over 100 engagement contracts annually for Monster Jam, Supercross, Marvel Universe Live, Disney On Ice, Diseny Live and Sesame Street Live.
- Oversaw the forecasting and budgeting process from point of contract initiation to day of show settlement for my accounts which included ten of the "Top 20" markets for the company in terms of overall gross ticket sales revenue and attendance in North America.
- Acted as the primary booking liaison between Feld and 70+ venues including NFL & MLB stadiums, NBA & NHL arenas, convention centers and theaters in North America.
- Personally managed and mentored a team of four Contract Administrators and one Contract Director.
- Member of a two person team that developed the concept for a two year stage show Fair and Festival tour which delivered an additional $2M to the company's bottom line.
- Negotiated all tour food and merchandise with hospitality companies such as Centerplate, Levy, Aramark and Ovations for my respective venue clients.
- Liaised directly with senior leadership at Ticketmaster, ASM, OVG and VenuWorks.
Booking Manager
VEE Corporation
Minneapolis, MN
05.2003 - 05.2003
- Created and managed tour itineraries for Sesame Street Live, Dragon Tales Live, and Bear in the Big Blue House Live.
- Negotiated engagement contracts for over 75 engagements annually for all touring properties.
- Met weekly with the company CEO and Founder to review event pro-forma and future contracts.
- Supervised a Contract Manager and Administrative Assistant.
- Worked closely with the SVP of Booking to expand the company's international business presence in Mexico, Russia, Chile and Peru.
Sales and Marketing Manager
VEE Corporation
Minneapolis, MN
03.2001 - 05.2003
- Devised overall sales and marketing campaigns for over 30 engagements annually for Sesame Street Live, Dragon Tales Live and Bear in the Big Blue House Live.
- Conducted on-site meetings with key venue and media personnel in the local markets to create marketing campaigns tailored to existing marketing characteristics; including demographics, market history, buying trends, logistics and sponsorship.
- Coordinated engagement activities with road tour staff, including but not limited to, publicity appearances, promotional events, final advertising settlements, group events and any venue requirements in conjunction with these activities.
- Broke ticket sales and event attendance records in five "Top 20" markets in a two year time span.
Marketing Coordinator
Octagon
Sarasota, FL
11.1999 - 08.2000
- Reported to the Executive Director of two Senior PGA Tournaments (ACE Group Classic and LiquidGolf.com Invitational)
- Managed the volunteer database and acted as the primary contact between tournament staff and over 400 volunteers
- Assisted the VP of Sales and Marketing with execution of promotions and sponsorship fulfillment
- Provided assistance to the VP of Operations with logistical tasks relating to transportation of professional golfers and their families, hospitality suite set-up and tear-down and the awards presentations at each tournament.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Business
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN 09.1995 - 06.1999
Accomplishments
- IAVM (International Association of Venue Management), Allied Member (2003-Current)
- IAVM Foundation, Board of Trustees Member (September, 2015-May, 2018)
- IAVM Arena Sector Committee Member (July, 2015-July, 2016)
- IAVM Allied Committee Member (July, 2014-July, 2016)
- IAVM, Mentor for "Mentor Connect" Program (January, 2014-January, 2016)
- FVMA (Florida Venue Managers Association), Member (2008-2017)
- FVMA, Chair of Membership Committee (June, 2015-June, 2017)
- WISE Member, 2014-Current
- University of Minnesota Women's Soccer Team, 1995-1999 (Three year starter, two time Big Ten Conference Champion and three time NCAA tournament appearances)
- NSCAA Academic All-American, 1999
Timeline
Senior Director of Booking
Cirque Du Soleil
04.2021 - Current
Executive Director of Business Development
Premier Sport Psychology
10.2020 - 04.2021
Senior Manager, Client Development, NBA & NHL
Ticketmaster
05.2018 - 10.2020
Senior Director of Booking
Feld Entertainment
05.2004 - 10.2017
Booking Manager
VEE Corporation
05.2003 - 05.2003
Sales and Marketing Manager
VEE Corporation
03.2001 - 05.2003
Marketing Coordinator
Octagon
11.1999 - 08.2000
Bachelor of Arts - Business
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
09.1995 - 06.1999