PALM DESERT, CA (September 2, 2021) – Oak View Group (OVG), the global venue development, advisory, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, today announced that Steve Fraser has been appointed president of Coachella Valley Arena and its to be named AHL expansion team. Based in Palm Desert, Fraser will report to the Coachella Valley Arena board and assume his new role effective immediately.
An experienced sports leader with more than a decade of experience in building exceptional sales and operations teams, Fraser will work alongside John Bolton, senior vice president of entertainment – facilities (OVG) & general manager, Coachella Valley Arena, and Troy Bodie, director of hockey and business operations – Palm Springs at Seattle Kraken, to build and execute a comprehensive business plan focused on maximizing revenue and value to the partners. He will oversee the day-to-day execution of season ticket campaigns, group sales, premium sales, and the development program that maximizes activation of the training center as well as other arena business ventures.
“We are very pleased to welcome Steve to OVG and the Coachella Valley Arena team,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO, Oak View Group. “During his time with the Ontario Reign, Steve was instrumental in helping grow their organization and we know he’ll bring the same drive and passion to our franchise in the desert.”
Tod Leiweke, CEO, Seattle Kraken continued, “As we aspire to build out a brilliant AHL franchise we are fortunate to have Steve’s passion and experience at the helm. The Seattle Kraken welcome Steve to the family and look forward to building something great for the Coachella Valley.”
Fraser commented, “I am ecstatic to join OVG for a once in a lifetime opportunity at such an exciting time in the company’s growth and to be a part of bringing a brand-new Arena and AHL hockey team to Coachella Valley.”
Prior to joining OVG, Fraser served as vice president, business operations for the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the NHL LA Kings, where he oversaw all departments for the team. Over five seasons the team grew their season ticket memberships and received numerous awards and accolades from the AHL. He served on a special finance committee with the AHL to bring more accurate reporting across teams, and in 2020, the Reign hosted the AHL All-Star Classic, which brought $4.1M in economic impact to Ontario, CA, and the surrounding communities. Fraser began his career in professional sports with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. Over four seasons he worked his way up to vice president with the Stingrays and gained extensive experience in the areas of sales, marketing, public relations, business development, game operations, and corporate partnerships.
A native of South Bend, Indiana, Fraser received his Bachelor of Science in tourism management from Indiana University in Bloomington. He earned his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from the Charleston School of Law in Charleston, SC, and his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in taxation from the University of Florida in Gainesville.
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About Oak View Group (OVG)
Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on being a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports and live entertainment industry and currently has eight divisions across four global offices (Los Angeles, New York, London, and Philadelphia). OVG is leading the redevelopment and operations of Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center as well as leading arena development projects for UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY; Moody Center in Austin, TX; New Arena in Coachella Valley, CA; and Co-op Live in Manchester, UK. OVG Global Partnerships, a division of OVG, is the sales and marketing arm responsible for selling across all OVG arena development projects. OVG Facilities, a division of OVG, is the facility management, booking, security, and sanitization services arm that performs services for both OVG’s arena development projects and clients on a 3rd party basis. OVG Media & Conferences, a division of OVG, publishes Pollstar and VenuesNow, in addition to hosting live entertainment-centric conferences around the world. OVG’s Arena Alliance, a division of OVG, is a collection of the top 32 venues in North America that provides a platform for booking, content, and sponsorship sales opportunities. Learn more at OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Larry Solters, Sam Threadgill, Erik Stein
Scoop Marketing for Oak View Group
(818) 761-6100
solters@solters.com, sthreadgill@solters.com, estein@solters.com