Who You'll Meet at FestForums (and Why They Matter)
By: Holly Owen, FestForums | August 30th, 2025
FestForums brings together some of the most creative minds in live entertainment. From legendary festival creators to safety experts, this year's speakers represent the best of what makes live music experiences possible. Here's who you'll meet and why getting your FestForums pass is your chance to learn from the very best!
Kevin Lyman: The Warped Tour Legend Leading Industry Talks
Owner & CEO, Kevin Lyman Group | Creator of Vans Warped Tour
As a speaker on the upcoming State of the Industry panel at FestForums, Kevin Lyman brings unmatched experience to FestForums. The creator of Vans Warped Tour didn't just make a festival, he built a cultural movement that shaped an entire generation and launched countless music careers. This is your chance to learn from someone who turned a touring festival into a $100+ million annual business.
For more than 20 years, Warped Tour gave new artists a platform while connecting established acts with their biggest fans. Lyman's approach focused on community, accessibility, and real artist-fan connections. When you attend FestForums, you're learning the strategy behind one of the most successful touring festivals ever.
Now running Kevin Lyman Group, he continues creating live entertainment experiences while helping the next generation of festival creators. The strategies he'll share during the State of Industry panel could make the difference between your next events' success or failure.
Adam McCurdie: Changing Ticketing for Good
Co-founder and Co-CEO, Humanitix
The ticketing world has long been criticized for high fees and poor transparency, but Adam McCurdie and Humanitix are changing all that. As Co-founder and Co-CEO of this innovative platform, McCurdie represents a new way of handling tickets that puts user experience and social good first and he's proving it works at scale.
Humanitix gives 100% of profits from booking fees to charity, turning what fans usually hate into something positive. This approach saves money for event-goers while creating meaningful connections between live entertainment and helping others. When consumers want brands to do good, McCurdie's approach gives festival organizers a real competitive advantage.
McCurdie will join the 'Ticketing to Success' panel to share insights that could transform how you manage ticketing partnerships and fan relationships, leading to happier customers and increased sales
Catherine Curtin: Making Festivals Safer
Founder, Crowd Cushion Safety Notification System
Fan safety is a big concern for event organizers and Catherine Curtin is leading the way with tech solutions designed to protect people. As the Founder of Crowd Cushion, Curtin combines her event management background with cutting-edge technology to tackle one of the industry's biggest challenges.
Driven by "a relentless passion for fan safety and a love for live music events," Curtin's work comes from real experience in event production. The Crowd Cushion Safety Notification System uses real-time data and communication technology to prevent dangerous situations before they get worse. In a world where crowd safety incidents can destroy careers and hurt people, Curtin's innovations are essential.
The crowd management strategies and technology she'll discuss could be the difference between a successful event and a tragic headline. For anyone responsible for attendee safety, this presentation could save your festival.
Together, these three leaders represent how the event industry is evolving toward more sustainable, responsible, and fan-focused practices that actually make business sense. But the real magic happens in the hallways of FestForums, where collaborations spark over coffee and "aha moments".
At FestForums, you won't just hear from these innovators, you'll meet them. You'll shake hands with your next business partner, exchange ideas with someone facing your exact challenges, or brainstorm solutions that could transform your entire approach. These aren't just conversations, they're the partnerships and breakthroughs that will define your next decade.
While your competitors are still trying to piece together what happened through second-hand reports, you could be implementing insights that put you years ahead. The connections you make and ideas you spark could become the defining moments of your career. What do we hear time and time again? “I met”, “I learned”, “I discovered”....all at FestForums.
Don't let the future of events happen without you in the room. Get your FestForums pass and position yourself at the epicenter of the industry's most important conversations.