Nickole Tara leads the development and execution of brand monetization strategy, specifically responsible for partnership strategy, branded content, consumer products (merchandise, eCommerce, licensing), and filmed & immersive entertainment. A seasoned sports and entertainment industry executive with the heart and passion of a thoughtful entrepreneur, Nickole has led growth strategies resulting in the execution of global multi-million dollar partnerships throughout her career and built a vast and strong network across the entertainment industry.

Prior to joining Cirque, she worked for AEG Worldwide where she headed the Global Portfolio division and oversaw the business development for AEG’s collection of global properties. As such, she engineered first-in-class partnerships for AEG’s top music festivals (namely Coachella and Stagecoach), naming rights of world class facilities (such as Crypto.com Arena and LA Live), and for storied sports franchises (with LA Kings and LA Galaxy).

Previously, she held various roles at Topgolf where she built the national partnerships team and at IMG where she oversaw all business development for IMG Golf. She began her career as a talent agent with IMG Golf, where she was fortunate enough to manage top talent including LPGA star, Michelle Wie.

Keynote speaker: Future proofing the extraordinary - Cirque du Soleil®: Growing the business with high-flying operations