Fire up the barbecue and grab your 10-gallon hat because we’re headed down to Dallas for this week’s episode of Venueland! We catch up with Julian Bowman, Senior Director of Marketing for Fair Park – a massive multipurpose complex that boasts over 1000 events a year. The national historic landmark is home to Cotton Bowl Stadium, Broadway Dallas, Dos Equis Pavilion (managed by Live Nation), a children’s aquarium, botanical garden, African American Museum of Dallas, The Hall of State, and so much more. They also play host to The State Fair of Texas, the longest running fair in the country, that welcomes a whopping 2.5 million visitors across 24 days. Everything truly is bigger in Texas! Julian tells us all about the complex and the unique partnership between Fair Park First and Oak View Group which collaborate on keeping the facilities active and the park in great condition. We hear about how the various entities and businesses work together to meet challenges, such as parking and traffic, and work to help each other out to ensure the rising tide raises all ships. Julian walks us through his history in the industry, from growing up wanting to be the next Stuart Scott (BOO-YAH!) to pursuing sports, to eventually landing in venue management which found him in various opportunities across North America. He talks about his personal passion of making an impact on his community and tells us about the venue’s internship program with two majority minority high schools to introduce youth to the live events industry. Enjoy this fun, fascinating episode that will make you long for some state fair food and a visit to the Red River Rivalry.
Julian Bowman: Instagram | LinkedIn
Fair Park: Facebook | X/Twitter | Instagram