The Oak View Group and Seattle Hockey Partners have named three executives to the team that will be operating the New Arena at Seattle Center, which will be the home venue for the expansion NHL team to start play in 2021. Joining the company is Eric Bresler as senior vice president of programming, Tom Conroy as vice president of operations and Rosemary Selle as vice president of marketing.
“As we continue to make momentous progress in the construction of our world-class arena for Seattle, we also are assembling the best in executive leadership to operate and run the arena day-to-day. Eric, Tom and Rosemary are all highly experienced and the best in their respective fields. I’m pleased to officially welcome them on board and have no doubt they will continue to add to the culture of excellence we strive to establish and execute.” said Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke.
Bresler will lead the programming and entertainment business development and grand opening plans for the New Arena at Seattle Center and work to assist in driving content for other operated properties including the Moody Center at the University of Texas, the New Arena at Agua Caliente in Palm Springs, California, and the New York Islanders New Arena in Belmont, New York.
Bresler previously served for three years as executive director of Chase Center, the Golden State Warriors’ venue in San Francisco. He also has experience at American Airlines Arena in Miami and Hard Rock Stadium plus the Charlotte Coliseum in North Carolina and Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
“It’s an honor to join the team at OVG at such a pivotal stage of the Seattle arena’s development and I’m excited to help launch the new arena for the city of Seattle by helping celebrate the rich music and entertainment history that is Seattle,” said Bresler.
Conroy brings 30 years of arena industry experience to OVG and has been involved in the opening of new venues in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Conroy served for 24 years at the Canadian Tire Centre for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. He also has been involved at the Mullens Center at the University of Massachusetts and Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine.
“Joining OVG and this group of professionals is an incredible experience,” said Conroy. “I am honored to be part of the team and look forward to the growth and development that lies ahead.”
Selle will serve as a senior member of the OVG marketing team, planning and implementing branding, ticket sales, media buying, partnership marketing and social and digital media strategies. She recently served as the regional director of marketing for AEG Facilities/ASM Global, and senior director of marketing at Target Center in Minneapolis. In the prior seven years, she served as the director of marketing at KeyArena at Seattle Center and built and grew the marketing communications platform for both KeyArena and McCaw Hall at Seattle Center.
“I’m ecstatic to be joining the OVG team and working on this once-in-a-lifetime arena project,” said Selle. “Having spent several years at KeyArena at Seattle Center, I know how special the Seattle market is and how special this arena will be to music and sports fans alike.”