Resources
What We Read,
Watch & Listen To
A curated, opinionated list of the best resources for game presentation, fan experience, and live event design — with a note on why each one matters.
Industry Communities
GameOps.com
The long-running hub for in-game entertainment and presentation. Idea archives, promotion templates, music lists, and an active community of producers and operators sharing what works.
Why we recommend it: the closest thing the industry has to a shared knowledge base for the people who actually run the show.
TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit
Annual event focused on venue design, fan experience innovation, and the future of live entertainment spaces. Good for benchmarking what's happening globally.
Why we recommend it: the conversations here shape what venues will look and feel like in five years.
Podcasts
Sports Business Journal Podcasts
The SBJ podcast network covers the business of sports — sponsorship deals, venue economics, media rights, and the commercial landscape that shapes every production decision.
Why we recommend it: keeps you fluent in the commercial pressures shaping every decision in the building.
Into the Venue
Conversations with the people who design, build, and operate entertainment venues — from technology choices to guest experience strategy.
Why we recommend it: hearing operators talk about what they actually did (and what they'd change) is the fastest path to better judgment.
Tools & Software
ShowCues
Run-of-show and cueing software built for live events. Handles timing, cue lists, and team coordination — a significant upgrade from the spreadsheet-based system most venues still run.
Why we recommend it: a shared cueing tool makes timing, ownership, and changes visible to the whole control room.
QLab
Industry-standard show control for audio, video, and lighting cues. Used by theater and touring productions — increasingly adopted by forward-thinking sports venues for tighter, more rehearsed shows.
Why we recommend it: if your show has more than three media cues in sequence, QLab makes it repeatable.
Notion
Not built for live events specifically, but the best platform we've found for building show playbooks, segment libraries, and crew documentation that's actually accessible and maintainable.
Why we recommend it: a great show starts with great paperwork, and Notion makes that paperwork livable.
Creative & Production
DaVinci Resolve
Free, professional-grade video editing, color grading, and motion graphics. The best option for teams and producers who need broadcast-quality output without a broadcast-size budget.
Why we recommend it: the free tier includes editing, audio, color, and motion tools that many game presentation teams can use without adding a subscription.
Envato Elements
Unlimited downloads of motion graphics templates, music, sound effects, and video assets. The quickest way to elevate the perceived production value of an existing show without custom production.
Why we recommend it: a carefully adapted template can be a pragmatic alternative when schedule or budget makes custom production unrealistic.
Books & Reading
"The Experience Economy" by Pine & Gilmore
The foundational text for understanding why experiences — not goods, not services — are what people actually pay for. Every argument for investing in game presentation starts here.
Why we recommend it: gives you the language and framework to explain to leadership why the show matters as much as the team.
"Setting the Stage" by Ramsborg et al.
A deep look at how event design, staging, and environment shape audience emotion. Written for the corporate event world, but the principles transfer directly to sports and entertainment.
Why we recommend it: the chapter on environmental design alone will change how you think about your building.
From Arena Takeover
Arena Takeover Insights
Our own frameworks and breakdowns — energy curves, cue ownership, sponsor integration patterns, cinematic production standards, and more. Written for operators, by an operator.
Why we recommend it: because we built it for the work we actually do.
Downloads & Templates
Run-of-Show & Cue Sheet Starter
A practical CSV structure for timing, cue ownership, department standbys, dependencies, fallbacks, completion state, and operator notes. The example rows are generic and safe to replace with your own show.
Use it as a starting structure, not a substitute for venue-specific safety and operating procedures.
Game Presentation Audit Checklist
A timestamp-driven review worksheet covering arrival, opening, in-game flow, sponsor integration, halftime, late game, postgame, and crew systems.
The scoring model separates observable evidence from recommendations and requires a measurement plan before outcome claims are made.