Stadium Experience Expands Leadership Team to Support Continued Growth
Stadium Experience has significantly expanded its voluntary Leadership Team, welcoming four new members to help shape the future direction of the not-for-profit association.
The Leadership Team brings together experienced professionals from across the UK stadium industry, providing strategic guidance, fresh ideas and valuable insight to support the continued growth and success of the organisation.
Established in 2002 by just five football clubs with a shared ambition to collaborate, exchange ideas and raise industry standards, Stadium Experience has grown into a thriving network representing more than 70 leading football, rugby, cricket and athletics venues across the UK.
The expansion of the Leadership Team reflects the association’s continued growth and its commitment to ensuring the membership is represented by a broad mix of expertise, experience and perspectives. The team includes representatives from multiple sports, both in-house venue teams and catering partners, as well as members from across the UK, bringing together a diverse range of commercial, hospitality and operational knowledge.
About Stadium Experience
Stadium Experience supports teams working across non-matchday events, matchday hospitality, public catering and retail operations within UK stadium venues.
The association exists to promote the versatility of stadium venues while encouraging collaboration, the sharing of best practice and the continual raising of industry standards. Members benefit from regular industry updates, networking events, educational meetings, online marketing, introductions to trusted suppliers, hosted buyer and agent visits, and joint exhibition opportunities.
The organisation also hosts the prestigious Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards, now entering their 20th year, celebrating excellence and recognising the outstanding people and venues across the UK stadium industry.
Meeting regularly throughout the year, the Leadership Team helps shape the strategic direction of the association, identifies new opportunities for member venues, supports the ongoing development of the awards programme and selects future host venues for the annual Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards.
The new Leadership Team members are:
Rebecca Pickard – Director of Conferences & Events at Manchester City FC
Rebecca is an experienced commercial leader with more than 22 years in hospitality, events, and venue sales. Beginning her career with Hilton Hotels, where she spent a decade progressing into leadership roles, she built a strong foundation in customer experience, commercial strategy, and team development before moving into the sports and cultural venue sector. Today, as Director of Conferences & Events at Manchester City Football Club, Rebecca leads the commercial strategy for non-matchday events, driving revenue growth and helping position the Etihad Campus as a year-round destination. Throughout her career, she has successfully launched new departments, led organisational change, built high-performing sales teams, and delivered sustained commercial growth across a diverse portfolio of venues, including Manchester City Football Club, Watford Football Club, Manchester Art Gallery, and Hilton Hotels. Known for her collaborative leadership style and strategic commercial approach, Rebecca is passionate about creating exceptional customer experiences, developing long-term partnerships, and unlocking new opportunities for business growth.
Jess Luther – Head of Premium Sales & Account Management at Newcastle United FC
Jessica Luther is responsible for leading premium sales, account management, client retention and revenue growth across Newcastle United FC’s hospitality and premium experience portfolio. With over 13 years’ experience in sports hospitality and venue sales, Jessica has worked across commercial, sales and operational functions, helping to develop high-performing teams, enhance customer experiences and deliver sustainable revenue growth. Her expertise spans hospitality sales strategy, CRM optimisation, dynamic pricing, business club development, client retention and operational excellence. Jessica is passionate about innovation within the venue sector, particularly the role of technology and AI in improving sales performance, customer engagement and commercial decision-making.
John Rennie – National Business Development Manager, Sodexo Live!
John is responsible for driving commercial growth, developing agency partnerships, and identifying new business opportunities across the UK’s leading sports, leisure, and live entertainment venues. In his role, John works closely with venue partners and event organisers to deliver innovative hospitality, enhance guest experiences and generate long-term commercial value. Prior to his current position, John held the role of Regional Business Development Manager for Sodexo Live! leading venues sales at Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, and The Brick Community Stadium in Wigan.
Before joining Sodexo Live!, John spent over six years with The Jockey Club and Chester Race Company, where he led hospitality sales, partnership growth, and corporate client engagement. Earlier in his career, John held commercial roles with Manchester City Football Club and Manchester United, building a strong foundation in premium sports hospitality, business development, and customer experience.
Jordan Howlett – C&E Business Development Executive at Southampton FC
Jordan is a Business Development professional with over seven years of experience across sales, hospitality and events. Having worked at Southampton Football Club for over two years, he is responsible for driving commercial growth across the club’s Conferences & Events offering, building strong relationships with local and regional businesses, event agents and industry partners to create new opportunities and deliver memorable experiences. Jordan has gained extensive experience across the wider stadium events industry, having worked across matchday hospitality, conferences, exhibitions, concerts and special events.
The Leadership Team
With the latest new additions, the full Stadium Experience Leadership Team now includes:
Collette Salmon – Sales Manager at Liverpool FC (Chair)
David Timms – Founder & CEO at 14 Ocean (Vice Chair)
Henry Crane – Public Catering Manager for MKM Stadium, Hull (Public Catering Chair)
Kelly Englefield – Group C&E Sales at Levy
Marc Lee – Director of Premium at Everton FC
Angela Sanders – Head of Sales & Revenue Conference, Events & Hotel at Edgbaston Stadium
Rebecca Pickard – Director of Conferences & Events at Manchester City FC
Jessica Luther – Head of Premium Sales & Account Management at Newcastle United FC
John Rennie – National Business Development Manager, Sodexo Live!
Jordan Howlett – C&E Business Development Executive at Southampton FC
Debbie Rigney is also part of the team in her role as Company Director. Debbie is responsible for the day-to day operation of Stadium Experience and delivering initiatives with support from the Leadership Team.
Collette Salmon, Chair of Stadium Experience, said: “We’ve come a long way since Stadium Experience was set up by just five clubs back in 2002, and it’s fantastic to see the organisation continuing to grow. Bringing Rebecca, Jessica, John and Jordan onto the Leadership Team gives us even more experience and different perspectives from across the industry.
“What’s always made Stadium Experience special is the willingness of our members to share ideas, learn from each other and work together, and that’s something we want to keep building on. The industry is changing all the time, so having a strong and diverse Leadership Team is really important to make sure we continue to listen to our members and focus on what matters to them.
“Next year is a particularly exciting one for us as we celebrate our 25th anniversary, so it feels like the perfect time to strengthen the Leadership Team and look ahead to the next chapter for Stadium Experience. I’m really pleased to welcome the four new members and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”
View more details on joining Stadium Experience.