Venue & Event - Development & Management
Based in New England, ESVenues is an internationally recognized, innovative development firm specializing in entertainment and sports; venue and event; development and management.
Prior to beginning his consulting and academic careers, Esckilsen was the Executive Director of six arenas. The largest projects included the successful construction, pre-opening and administration of the 21,000-seat NYNEX arena (now the Manchester Arena) in Manchester, England, and the 12,000-seat Mullins Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Mr. Esckilsen has more than 30 years of international experience in the development and management of public assembly venues and major entertainment and sports events. Esckilsen is the Principal of ESVenues and an Associate Professor in the Department for Sports, Entertainment and Event - Management at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
He was also the Executive Director and Assistant Director of the Providence Civic Center (now the Dunkin' Donuts Center) and was involved in major renovations to the facility in 1987, 1997 and 2007. Additionally, Esckilsen was also the Owner's Representative for the City of Youngstown in the development, construction, pre-opening, and management of the Chevrolet Centre (now the Covelli Center) in Youngstown, Ohio.
Mr. Esckilsen is recognized as a Certified Venue Executive (CVE) by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM). Esckilsen has recently co-authored two textbooks for IAVM.
Esckilsen is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AH&LEI), Washington, DC.
International Ticketing Association (INTIX) member
Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) certification
Esckilsen holds a Master of Science degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana;
Bachelor of Science degree from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio;
Associate of Science degree from Dean College, Franklin, Massachusetts.
Finally, Esckilsen supports the local academic and venue communities as a mentor in the Tiger Woods Foundation (TGR) / Earl Woods Mentor/ Scholar Program.
