Cleveland Cavaliers reveal renderings for new training facility
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Clinic and Bedrock have unveiled a collection of new interior renderings of the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center, offering an in-depth preview of the team’s next-generation training facility.
Located in downtown Cleveland along the Cuyahoga River, the 210,000-square-foot facility – designed by architectural firm Populous and interior design studio Pophouse – will be one of the world’s most advanced sports performance centres and the largest indoor practice facility for a professional sports team in the United States. The Cavaliers will move into their new home in February 2027.
In addition to state-of-the-art basketball courts and training spaces, the facility will feature holistic performance and experience amenities designed to support player wellness, connection and daily readiness. Select amenities highlighted in the newly released renderings include community dining and dedicated nutrition spaces, an integrated recovery corridor connecting hydro pools with a recovery suite and an on-site barbershop.
“We believe Cleveland is one of the premier destinations for professional basketball in the country and this facility elevates that distinction even further,” said Koby Altman, Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations. “Every detail of the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center was purposefully designed to fuel excellence—equipping our players with resources, innovation, and competitive edge required to pursue championships and help define the future of the game.”
Since breaking ground in October 2024 and topping off in July 2025, construction has advanced rapidly, with nearly 520 tradespeople, contributing over 200,000 hours of labor. The project is also exceeding economic and community benchmarks by engaging minority, female, local and low-income contractors in line with the community benefits agreement.
The Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center will also serve as a community asset for athletes of all sports and levels. The center will offer comprehensive care to the public and leverage medical innovation to deliver holistic care, injury prevention, nutrition and recovery and performance analysis for athletes. Public access to the Cleveland Clinic’s designated performance and treatment spaces is anticipated in August 2027.
The Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center is the first vertical development as part of Bedrock’s The Riverfront. A transformational mixed-use development reimagining underutilised land along the Cuyahoga River and the historic Tower City Center, The Riverfront will create new public parks, a Riverwalk and year-round waterfront experiences.
Asian Cup 2027: Venues for Saudi Arabia edition confirmed
Venu announce strategic partnership with Dimensional Innovations
Venu Holding Corporation ("VENU" or the "Company"), owner, operator, and developer of premium entertainment and hospitality destinations, today announced a strategic partnership with Dimensional Innovations (DI), an experience design, technology, and fabrication firm known for delivering next-level immersive environments for leading brands and institutions worldwide. The firm’s portfolio includes work at Intuit Dome, Gillette Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, LEGOLAND Resorts, and the United States Air Force Academy.
Under the partnership, DI will consult across VENU’s premium portfolio, supporting signage, brand activations, and integrated experiential design elements that elevate the guest journey and enhance sponsor visibility. The collaboration reflects VENU’s continued focus on integrating advanced technology, premium ambiance, an omni-content programming model, and elevated hospitality as core drivers of its mission and long-term growth.
“Technology and premium design are not surface level enhancements. They directly influence the fan journey, how brands activate, and how our venues perform over time,” said JW Roth, Founder, Chairman and CEO of VENU. “Dimensional Innovations has delivered some of the most intuitive and engaging technology driven environments of this generation. Their ability to integrate digital displays, immersive activations, and scalable infrastructure allows us to create venues that deepen fan connection, expand sponsor opportunities, and improve operating efficiency. That expertise helps position our portfolio for the next era of live entertainment, and we are excited to push the boundaries of what is possible.”
“Great venues don’t just look premium; they deliver a premium experience for guests, operators and sponsors,” said Spencer Farley, Practice Director of Entertainment and Hospitality at Dimensional Innovations. “Our first focus is on a seamless guest journey from arrival to finale across VENU’s properties. We’ll help shape the moments fans remember most, from social-ready content activations to interactive sponsorship environments that pull fans in and deliver more value for partners at every venue.”
Dimensional Innovations has delivered high-profile projects across sports, entertainment, corporate, and cultural sectors for more than 30 years. Through this partnership, VENU continues to invest in next-generation venue infrastructure designed to support immersive environments, premium brand integration, and scalable portfolio growth.
Valencia set to present plans for hospitality at Nou Mestalla
Valencia CF continues to make progress on the construction of the Nou Mestalla, a strategic project for the future of the Club and the city, scheduled to open in the 2027/28 season. A state-of-the-art stadium conceived not only as a playing field, but as a multifunctional, innovative space open 365 days a year.
Hospitality del Nou Mestalla — the premium experience offering of Valencia CF's future stadium — will participate in FORINVEST 2026, the leading business, innovation and networking forum, which will allow it to connect with the Valencian business community around the opportunities offered by Nou Mestalla in the field of sports hospitality.
On March 11 and 12, the Club will be holding a full program of experiential activities for attendees. Among these, a highlight will be a roundtable discussion, made possible by the space provided by the Sports Cluster, which will analyze key aspects such as business development and value creation in large sports organizations.
Our Director of Hospitality at Nou Mestalla (Valencia CF), Alberto Zambrana, will participate in this meeting.
In addition, visitors can enjoy a 360° immersive experience, allowing them to virtually tour the main Hospitality areas of the new stadium; participate in exclusive prize draws; and sample a culinary selection inspired by the catering service that will be offered to future Hospitality clients at the Nou Mestalla. This initiative is being developed in collaboration with Aramark, a strategic partner in the project.
Furthermore, through its own stand, the Club will bring the Nou Mestalla experience to the fairgrounds for two days, allowing interested parties to tangibly explore the spaces, finishes, and visibility of the various Hospitality products. This concept has been a reality since last December through the Valencia CF Experience Center, located at Avinguda de Suècia, 17, opposite the current Mestalla stadium.
Participation in FORINVEST 2026 reinforces Valencia CF's commitment to innovation, excellence in user experience and the positioning of Nou Mestalla as a European benchmark in sports hospitality, consolidating it as a strategic asset for the Club and for the Valencian business ecosystem.
Levy acquires sports marketing agency The iLUKA Collective
In a move that signals a bold new era for the experience economy, Levy, the visionary venue partner and market leading sports and entertainment provider, today announces the acquisition of international sports marketing agency, The iLUKA Collective. This strategic partnership creates a powerful combination of strategy, design, and live event execution at a time when global demand for immersive brand experiences is accelerating.
By integrating iLUKA’s specialised expertise, Levy strengthens its position as an international leader, capable of delivering end-to-end solutions that bridge the gap between world-class events & venues, and the brands that inhabit them. At the heart of iLUKA is a commitment to creating people-first environments that foster lasting connections through unmatched creative ambition and operational precision. By delivering strategic architectures, from brand experience and hospitality to bespoke digital platforms, iLUKA simplifies the complex environments of major global events. Their dedicated teams act as a natural extension of a client’s organisation, ensuring guests can focus entirely on being there, together.
This move allows Levy to extend its premium service offering further, beyond venue and event, marketing, sales, sports travel & operations, and into the world of brand partners and sponsors. By providing these enhanced services to its extensive network of partners around the world, Levy is evolving the way people connect at live events.
"This acquisition is a vital addition to Levy’s growing portfolio. We now offer a comprehensive wraparound proposition, with iLUKA broadening our expertise into the world of brand activation and major international events. The iLUKA Collective joins our portfolio of businesses dedicated to delivering world-class premium experiences to an international market, ensuring we remain the partner of choice for the world’s best sporting events and venues," said Charlie Buck, Chief Commercial Officer, Levy.
“For decades, Jon Hilman and I have been at the forefront of crafting unique and unforgettable experiences for guests which drive business results for our clients, all whilst navigating the eternally complex operating environment of global events. We are tremendously excited to join Levy, giving our global event clients access to unparalleled resources to meet the demands of the scale and scope of the upcoming global event calendar, whilst also deploying our specialist teams into new sporting arenas as part of the Levy Sport and Entertainment offering,” added Felicity Shankar, CEO of The iLUKA Collective.
This acquisition follows the significant appointment of Richard Thompson as Levy Chair at the end of 2025. Thompson’s leadership was established specifically to accelerate Levy’s ambitious growth plan, and the integration of the iLUKA Collective serves as a major milestone in that trajectory, reinforcing Levy's commitment to dominating the international experience economy.
SP Grid powers the next generation of sports fan engagement
As sporting experiences become increasingly geared towards audience entertainment, leagues, teams and venues are under pressure to deliver experiences that go beyond the game itself. Today’s fans expect real-time data, broadcast-quality visuals, interactive storytelling and equal experiences whether they are in-venue or at home. Across the industry, technology manufacturers are actively addressing this shift. From stadiums adopting broadcast-style production pipelines to sports courts transforming into interactive, digital canvases, fan engagement is no longer optional.
SP Grid sits at the centre of this evolution, enabling production teams to unify tracking, automation, data and media control into a single scalable platform, which helps turn arenas, stadiums and esports venues into fully connected experience engines. Unlike single-point solutions that address only graphics, tracking or automation in isolation, SP Grid acts as the connective tissue between systems. It aggregates real-time positional data, timing and control signals and distributes them across the users’ desired control workflow. SP Grid is already deployed on projects and venues involved in some of the highest levels of professional sport and entertainment.
“We have seen and are continuing to see many instances of SP Grid being used to create incredible fan experiences, especially in the world of sports,” explains Sarah Cox, CCO at Stage Precision. “These events require precision, accuracy and integration across various moving parts, such as lighting, audio, fan apps and more. With powerful timeline controls, automation features and real-time monitoring, SP Grid ensures that every aspect of the experience is perfectly timed and in sync.”
At the Honda Center, California, SP Grid was used to integrate tracking and control systems to support immersive in-arena visuals, dynamic game stats integration and tightly synchronised show moments, including a bespoke ‘Frog Dash’ game, to encourage crowd participation and bring greater sponsor visibility.
Describing the system created using Stage Precision’s platform, Eric Gazzillo, Vice President of Innovation at Quince Imaging, says, “It sits at the centre of the operation, managing data flow between the tracking system, game engine and media servers. We use active ID tags on players and SP handles the entire data communication network, from camera calibration through to real-time adjustments.”
For Red Bull’s next-generation arena at SAP Garden, Munich, SP Grid plays a critical role in coordinating complex, data-driven shows that blend sport, entertainment and brand storytelling. “No other software brings together a 3D stage tracking system with a user-friendly control interface like SP Grid,” confirms Leon Herche, Creative Producer at bright! studios, who were responsible for developing a workflow to enable tracking data to be transformed into engaging visual content for real-time gaming and audience participation. “The simplicity of the interface makes it super user-friendly. Even the arena team, without specific technical experience, can start and stop games and manage the system easily.” SP Grid’s custom UI feature enables simplified, branded controls to be presented on a tablet or touch panel, making everyday operation intuitive.
Drawing from SP Grid’s rich and versatile feature set, several more tools and capabilities are particularly impactful in live sports environments. Take real-time data aggregation, for example. SP Grid can ingest data from tracking systems such as person and object tracking, enabling instant visualisation of gameplay moments, player movement or branded fan interactions in endless creative forms, from on-screen data feeds to digital floors or in-app updates for audiences.
Precision synchronisation of 3D data enables elements such as LED, lighting, audio, graphics and even AR elements to launch simultaneously and without manual operation, critical for high-impact fan moments. For the 2024 Super Bowl, SP’s tracking solutions emerged as the linchpin of operations for an augmented reality simulcast in collaboration with Nickelodeon featuring the alternate reality of SpongeBob SquarePants.
From single-arena deployments to multi-venue leagues, SP Grid also scales effortlessly, supporting consistent fan experiences across seasons or locations. The E-Sports World Cup 2025 was a testament to this when bright! studios used SP Grid for multi-stage media control across seven venues and dozens of esports gaming titles.
Finally, by taking technical complexity and presenting data, workflows and complex device connections in a user-friendly way, SP Grid encourages creative teams to experiment with new fan engagement concepts and iterate existing set-ups over time to evolve as fan response is gauged.
“As many in our industry are highlighting the importance of fan engagement, SP Grid differentiates itself by focusing not on individual surfaces or effects, but on infrastructure-level orchestration of an experience,” concludes Cox. “Sports teams or organisations can adapt their fan experiences in an agile way, integrate emerging technologies over time and, most importantly, deliver compelling experiences.”
SP Grid empowers venues and broadcasters to turn every moment into a truly engaging audience experience in an era when sporting fans demand more than just a seat and a screen.
Huddersfield Town announce Pepsi Max partnership
Huddersfield Town have announced that Pepsi MAX has become an Associate Partner of the Club for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.
The new partnership builds on the Club’s strategy to enhance fan experience across all touchpoints, including hospitality areas, kiosks and concourse facilities.
Supporters can now enjoy a premium selection of soft drinks supplied by Britvic, featuring Pepsi MAX alongside popular favourites such as Tango, 7UP and J2O.
In addition to product availability, a series of in‑stadium activations and engagement opportunities are planned across the season to bring the brand to life and further elevate the match day atmosphere.
Callum Limb, Huddersfield Town’s Partnership Manager, said: “Following the acquisition of the Accu Stadium last September, we are pleased to continue building strong relationships with brands, such as Pepsi MAX and Britvic, to help enhance the overall match day experience for our supporters.
“Pepsi MAX is well-known and hugely popular on the market, so we are delighted to have their product available for our supporters to purchase on both match days and non-match days.”
Emma King, Hospitality Director at Carlsberg Britvic, added: “This new partnership with Huddersfield Town means we’re bringing more choice and even more enjoyment to match days at Accu Stadium – thanks to a superstar line up of soft drinks featuring fans favourites such as Pepsi MAX, Tango, 7UP and J2O."
Oxford United given planning approval for new stadium
Oxford United have announced that the Club have formally signed the Section 106 Planning Agreement with Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council, which has enabled full and final planning permission for the Club’s new stadium to be issued.
This represents one of the most significant milestones to date in Oxford United’s plans to build a 16,000-capacity stadium, which include a 180-bedroom hotel, restaurant, conference centre, health & wellbeing space, gym and community plaza.
Signing the Section 106 follows extensive and detailed engagement between the Club and local authorities to ensure the stadium and surrounding development deliver long‑term social, economic and environmental benefits for people across Oxfordshire. The agreement will see over £5 million invested into infrastructure and local projects, alongside other commitments made as part of a separate Community Collaboration Agreement.
With formal planning approval received, the Club can now progress with the next phase of the project, which includes the discharge of pre-commencement conditions and enabling works ahead of construction.
Oxford United Chairman, Grant Ferguson, said: “Signing the Section 106 Agreement and receiving formal planning approval brings us one step closer to delivering a new home for our Club. It also underlines the commitment of our owners to make a significant investment into the UK and Oxfordshire.
“The new stadium is designed not only as a home for men’s and women’s football, but as a major community and business hub that supports local and regional economic growth, sustainability objectives and long‑term wellbeing across the county.
“I’d like to thank Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council, our project team and the many community groups, supporters and stakeholders who have contributed constructively throughout this process.
“While important steps remain, this milestone gives us the platform to move forward with confidence as we focus on the next stages of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
Oxford United remain committed to maintaining strong dialogue with residents, businesses, supporters and local groups as the project progresses. The Club will provide further updates in due course.
TWG launches RightsHelper to analyse ticketng data
TWG Global (“TWG”), a diversified holding company led by Mark Walter and Thomas Tull, has announced the launch of RightsHelper, a ticketing analytics and operations platform designed to address growing vendor fragmentation and revenue inefficiencies for teams, leagues, and commercial rights holders across the global sports and live entertainment ecosystem.
“The sports and entertainment industry is operating in a far more complex and demanding environment than it was even five years ago,” said Stan Kasten, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Dynamic pricing pressure, shifting fan behavior, and rising operating costs require a more disciplined and data-driven operating model. RightsHelper provides organizations with a structured way to manage all these variables in one coordinated system. We believe it will elevate how organizations manage their revenue strategy at a fundamental level.”
The ecosystem of ticketing vendors on which rightsholders rely remains highly fragmented, with most teams relying on multiple vendors that operate independently and require constant manual reconciliation across departments. Rather than layering another analytics tool onto these disconnected systems, RightsHelper restructures how pricing, marketing, sales, and distribution decisions are governed — replacing a collection of vendors with one internally unified system for each team. Designed for Owners, Presidents, Chief Revenue and Chief Strategy Officers, RightsHelper was built by operators managing real ticketing risk inside a live sports environment, ensuring it directly addresses the practical, day-to-day challenges revenue leaders face.
RightsHelper was originally developed and deployed within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Following its successful implementation, more than 40% of Major League Baseball teams have turned to RightsHelper to deploy independent, custom solutions to allow them to serve their fans better, while maintaining the confidentiality of each team’s data. The technology is now being formally structured under the TWG Global umbrella to be licensed by the broader commercial rightsholder market.
“Building RightsHelper inside the Dodgers organization meant it had to work in a real, high-stakes environment from day one,” said Royce Cohen, Senior Vice President of Business Strategy, Los Angeles Dodgers. “It wasn’t developed in a lab or as a theoretical product. It was built by operators who live with the revenue consequences of every pricing and inventory decision over an 81-game home schedule and a varying number of playoff games in a 50,000-seat stadium. It’s practical, executable, and aligned with how teams actually operate. That ultimately benefits every rightsholder who uses it.”
Looking ahead, TWG Global intends to integrate capabilities from its advanced intelligence division, TWG AI, into the RightsHelper platform, further strengthening predictive modeling, scenario analysis, and real-time decision support
Sporting Club Jacksonville reveal sporting district plans
Sporting Club Jacksonville today announced a site in the Town Center area that will serve as the permanent home for the club and anchor a transformative mixed-use sporting and entertainment district in North Florida.
The landmark destination will integrate professional sports, entertainment, hospitality, residential living, and curated retail into a single, walkable district in North Florida. The project will create a true urban destination rooted in where Jacksonville already lives, works, shops, and gathers by being centrally located, easily accessible, and within 30 minutes of nearly the entire region. Positioned just a few hundred yards from major highway infrastructure, the site offers unmatched connectivity and positions the development to become one of the premier destinations north of Orlando.
The project is expected to generate a substantial long-term economic impact across North Florida, including construction jobs, permanent operational roles, expanded hospitality and retail employment, and increased tourism driven by regional and national events, positioning Jacksonville for outsized return potential as a premier sports and entertainment destination in the Southeast.
“What we’re building in North Florida is more than a stadium—it’s a permanent identity for Jacksonville and for this entire region,” said Ricky Caplin, Majority Owner and Chairman, Sporting JAX. “This is a privately led investment, backed by our own capital and a long-term commitment to doing something meaningful here. We’re creating a place where families gather, where young athletes see a pathway to opportunity, and where every child feels welcomed and valued. This is about investing in Jacksonville in a way that lasts for generations.”
“This project is deeply personal to me because Jacksonville is home,” said Tim Tebow, Owner and Board Member of Sporting JAX. “As we bring this vision to life, we’re committed to building more than a stadium. We’re creating a place where families feel welcome, where the special needs community is intentionally included, and where young athletes can see a pathway to pursue their dreams. This space will reflect the heart of Jacksonville and bring people together year-round.”
Anchored by a purpose-built stadium, the district will integrate restaurants, hotels, shopping, entertainment venues, and family-friendly gathering spaces into a cohesive, experiential destination. Rooftop activations, loft-style spaces, green space, and layered experiences will create a vibrant environment active 365 days a year, not just on match days. The development aims to elevate the Town Center area into a dynamic urban entertainment district unlike anything currently in Jacksonville.
“The real estate landscape is ever changing. Large scale projects today require a curated blend of uses that expand the reasons a project is relevant to more people – for more reasons. What we are building in Jacksonville promises to be truly unique,” said Michael McNaughton, President of Sporting JAX Development Company. “By integrating stadium, hospitality, residential, retail, and entertainment within a vertically oriented urban environment, we are creating a walkable, experiential district designed to drive long-term economic resilience and growth across North Florida.”
Beyond its physical design, the project is rooted in community impact. The stadium will serve as a civic asset, hosting professional matches for both the Sporting JAX men’s and women’s teams while also supporting high school championships, regional youth tournaments, college athletics, conference and club championships, major concerts, mentorship programming, and inclusive access for adaptive and special-needs athletes.
“Across the country, we’ve seen that professional soccer thrives when clubs have permanent, purpose-built homes rooted in their communities,” said Justin Papadakis, Deputy CEO & Chief Real Estate Officer of USL. “The most successful organisations in our league are anchored by stadiums that serve not only professional athletes but youth players, families, and neighbourhoods. What Sporting JAX is building here positions Jacksonville as one of the premier soccer markets in the Southeast and reflects the long-term infrastructure required for the sport to grow sustainably and competitively.”
“What we’re building in Jacksonville is one of the highest-profile sports and development projects moving forward anywhere in the country right now,” said Fred Taylor, Owner, Sporting JAX. “This is about pride in North Florida, expanding access to the game, and creating real opportunity for the next generation. It’s about building something this community can rally around for decades to come.”
The district will serve as the permanent home for both the Sporting JAX men’s and women’s teams, reinforcing the club’s commitment to shared opportunity and long-term investment in the region.