Oak View Group Names Alex Patton Senior Director of Booking for Canadian Alliance as it Expands Presence in Canada

Oak View Group (OVG) is continuing to expand its Canadian presence.

The sports and entertainment company has named Alex Patton as Senior Director of Booking, Canadian Alliance. Patton brings experience booking major Canadian festivals including Boots & Hearts, WayHome Music & Arts, NXNE and Toronto Jazz Fest, as well as a network of relationships across the country.

The announcement comes as Oak View Group continues renovations on Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre (formerly Copps Coliseum), undertaking a $280M project to transform it into the planned 18,000-seat Hamilton Arena, to open in late 2025.

Oak View Group, one of the world's largest sports and entertainment venue developers, launched its Canadian division in 2022. Patton will work with promoters, agents, managers and other stakeholders for programming, booking and content development at the company's Canadian Alliance venues: Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

"With her industry relationships and experience, Alex will direct the expansion of live event programming across Canada, as well as lead event bookings for our latest venue development property in Hamilton. We’re pleased to welcome Alex to our team in this crucial role," said OVG Canada President Tom Pistore in a statement.

Having previously worked at Live Nation, the Agency Group and IMG, Patton joined TD Toronto Jazz Festival in 2022 as Director of Operations, Marketing & Strategy. A release from OVG Canada highlights her skill in developing creative brand strategies and strategic partnerships.

"I’ll be working closely with our OVG Arena Alliance & OVG 360 venues to bring world-class shows to arenas across Canada," Patton shared on LinkedIn. "I’ll be focused on content development, building strategic promoter partnerships, & growing new business opportunities that elevate the fan experience at OVG venues."

This summer, OVG Canada also acquired Canadian Music Week in a partnership with Loft Entertainment, indicating the company's interest in extending its Canadian industry footprint beyond single-venue events. Though the company has been in Canada for just a few years, it seems keen to become a key player in the Canadian landscape.