Ticket industry heavyweights to speak at Ticket Summit NYC

In less than a week, more than 500 ticket industry executives will descend on New York City for Ticket Summit NYC, January 6-8, and the keynote discussion panel is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the event.

"Who’s On First? The New Paradigm in the Ticket Marketplace," which is scheduled for 1pm Wednesday, January 7, will look at the current state of the ever evolving ticket industry with perspectives from some of the leading executives in the field.

Mark Wienkes, financial analyst from Goldman Sachs, will moderate the discussion, and he will be joined by Greg Bettinelli, Executive Vice President, business development and strategy at Live Nation; Derek Palmer, Chief Commercial Officer of Tickets.com; Chuck La Vallee, head of music business development for StubHub; and Don Vaccaro, CEO and founder of TicketNetwork, which created and hosts Ticket Summit NYC.

Among the topics the speakers will discuss will be the continuing overlap between the primary and secondary ticket markets and how changes in these two markets are affecting large and small ticket brokers and exchanges in the sectors. From the panel description, "Primary, Secondary and Future markets have fueled a New Paradigm of continuous change in the industry. Leaders in the industry will discuss these changes and the continual evolution of the market. Get the scoop on how to stay ahead during these shifting times."

In a recent statement, Vaccaro, whose company also owns TicketNews, said the panel discussion will help educate brokers on the new shifts in the industry, especially as it relates to the latest advancements in the secondary market.

"The evolving nature of the secondary ticket business and the high demand for a forum addressing current industry issues compelled us to launch a New York conference targeting theater, sports and entertainment professionals based on the east coast and Europe," Vaccaro said. "We are pleased to host an elite gathering of key ticket industry decision makers at Ticket Summit 2009."

Ticket Summit NYC is the ticket industry's leading conference and trade show, and it will be held next week at the Waldorf=Astoria. It is one of two conferences/trade shows TicketNetwork has planned for 2009; the second one, Ticket Summit Las Vegas, is entering its fourth year and will be held July 15-17 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.