Gershenson Elevated to Vice President of Content for Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs and Oak View Group Southwest Division
Oak View Group (OVG), the global venue development, advisory, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, and Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, the newest world-class venue in Southern California’s greatest concert destination, today announced the promotion of Drew Gershenson to vice president of content, Acrisure Arena and OVG Southwest Division. Gershenson joined OVG in December 2021 and previously served as director of booking for Acrisure Arena. He will report to John Page, senior vice president of Acrisure Arena, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and OVG360 Facilities.
“We’re pleased to support Drew’s continued growth within Oak View Group,” said Page. “Since joining the team in 2021, Drew has proven himself to be a strategic team leader and we are confident he will bring the same passion and drive to his new role as we continue to expand our reach throughout the southwest.”
In his new role, Gershenson will continue to lead the day-to-day programming of the Acrisure Arena as well as support other OVG managed properties in the Southwest Region including Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA; Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona; and Tahoe Blue Arena, which is scheduled to open this summer in South Lake Tahoe.
“The southwest region represents an important area for Oak View Group. While we continue to grow our prescence in Southern California and across the southwest region, Drew will play a critical role in booking and programming to support our managed properties as OVG expands to new key markets,” said Tim Leiweke, chairman and CEO, OVG. Since opening in December, Acrisure Arena has experienced tremendous success with respect to programming, and with 13 sold out events so far, both fans and the industry have taken notice. The Palm Springs market has quickly become a must-play stop for the biggest concert tours and artists in the world and it’s only going to keep getting bigger. We’re just getting started.”
With more than fifteen years of industry experience in working with artists, agents, managers, and labels, Gershenson is responsible for overseeing strategic content programming of all concerts, family shows, and special events, as well as facilitating the AHL hockey schedules.
“I am very excited for this opportunity to advance my career and grow with OVG. Tim and Francesca lead by example and have created an environment that inspires creativity, growth and success. We have all worked hard to make Acrisure Arena a premiere destination for artists to play and fans to attend,” said Gershenson. He added, “I can’t wait to build off the momentum of our huge grand opening and continue to unlock the markets true potential. I look forward to collaborating with my incredible colleagues in the Southwest Region to strategically align content and bookings for our venues and foster new and existing relationships and opportunities for OVG.” Before joining OVG, Gershenson served as director of programming for ASM Global’s Paycom Center in Oklahoma City where he was responsible for booking content and working closely with NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Prior to that, he spent ten years at Live Nation Entertainment where he served most recently as senior tour director where he oversaw all aspects of the tour cycle including routing strategy, offer creation, contracting, on-sale, and inventory management. Gershenson holds a Bachelor of business administration, international finance and marketing from the University of Miami.