Vision
To be the leading and most trusted global authority on providing safety, security and fan experience for sports and entertainment.


Mission
To build and support a global alliance of thought leaders and stakeholders centered around safety, security and the services that contribute to the ideal fan experience while being the world’s resource for the most relevant and up-to-date information in the field.
Welcome
A Few Words About Us
Innovation Institute was established in 2020 with the intent of building a global alliance to lead the NEXT great leap in fan experience — one steeped in health, safety, security, and service. We are bound together by passion and the incomparable skills of visionary thought leaders throughout the international community. Along with our technical and subject matter experts, we are innovating new ways to change the world’s sports and entertainment fan experience for the better.


This Is Why
OUR EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE
Subject Matter Leaders
The Innovation Institute leadership team has firsthand knowledge and experience combined with exceptional capabilities and an unrivaled network of subject matter experts, thought leaders, technologists, futurists, trainers, and business leaders to assist sports and entertainment organizations with an array of expertise, services, and products to meet the challenges of the “new normal”.
Recommending best practices
We collaborate with sports and entertainment executives to assess their safety, security, and service baseline and recommend best practices that inform resource prioritization in organizational budgets, and guide development of innovative risk treatment strategies to enhance their safety, security and service resiliency.
ADDRESSING CURRENT & EMERGING RISKS
The team has executive leadership, experience, and expertise in sports management, public safety, crowd management, incident management, event operations and human capital development that offers real insight into issues posed by current and emerging risks to safety, security, and service at sports and entertainment events.
MEMBER-FUNDED, MEMBER-INFORMED
The Innovation Institute is a member-funded and member-informed organization that has named an unparalleled group of Institute Fellows representing the best and the brightest in the industry. Through expert collaboration, the Innovation Institute is building the largest global alliance to lead a world of sport and entertainment that has been forever changed and informed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic will eventually pass, the world has been awakened to the reality that the way we do business can change overnight, and in an industry that depends on the very idea of gathering people together, we must be ready for anything.

Our Team

Dr. Lou Marciani
DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

CHRISTOPHER KINNAN
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/CO-FOUNDER INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

JOHN F. WHITE
TREASURER AND CO-FOUNDER INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

DR. MARK ZHANG
RESEARCH CONSULTANT INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

ROSS HALLIDAY
GLOBAL STRATEGIC ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE
AMANJYOT S. JOHAR
STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

ALLISON BUCHANAN
STRATEGIC MARKETING ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

GUY GRACE
STRATEGIC SAFETY AND SECURITY ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

MARK MCCOURT
STRATEGIC CORPORATE ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

MATTHEW STROUP
INTERN
INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE

ARI EIZEN
INTERN
INNOVATION INSTITUTE FOR FAN EXPERIENCE
international offices
Canada
UK

PETER DALTON
PROTECTIVE SECURITY AND INCIDENT COMMAN CONSULTANT

PAUL FOSTER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ONE PLAN

CHRIS KEMP
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
MIND OVER MATTER CONSULTANCY LTD
Western Asia/Southeastern Europe

ERGUN YURDADON, PH. D.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF SPORTS MANAGEMENT IGDIR UNIVERSITY IGDIR, TURKEY
ELOISE BRASI
POLICE CAPTAINE
HEAD DEPUTY OF THE SAFETY AND SECURITY POLE FOR THE 2024 OLMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

MARIO COUTINHO
VICE PRESIDENT OF STADIUM OPERATIONS AND SECURITY
TORONTO BLUEJAYS

RICK FENTON
VICE PRESIDENT/CSO OF CORPORATE SECURITY
ILITCH HOLDINGS

BRIAN FINCH
PARTNER
PILLSBURY WINTRHOP SHAW PITTMAN LLP

GARY GARDNER
PRESIDENT & CEO
TOTALEACCESS

JOE LEWIS
CEO
JOE LEWIS COMPANY

SCOTT MCCARTNEY
DIRECTOR OF TEAM SECURITY
SAN ANTONIO SPURS

JIM MERCURIO
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

RUSS SIMONS
CHIEF LISTENING OFFICER AND MANAGEMENT PARTNER
VENUE SOLUTIONS GROUP

JOHN BERTSCH, CSSP
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GLOBAL SAFETY AND SECURITY
THE IRONMAN GROUP

B. TILMAN JOLLY, MD, FACEP
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
AVESHKA, INC.

LIAM BOYLAN
STADIUM DIRECTOR
WEMBLEY STADIUM

CHARLES BURN
VICE PRESIDENT OF SECURITY CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
MICHAEL ROBERTS
DIRECTOR, SECURITY, SAFETY AND
PRECINCT OPERATIONS
MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB
