No one understands fan culture quite like Lance Fensterman. Known for his “fan first” philosophy, he has spent more than 25 years shaping experiences that celebrate community and shared passion. As CEO of Fanatics Events—the new live events division of the wildly popular digital sports platform and retailer Fanatics—he’s building a new era of fandom at the intersection of sports, pop culture, and collectibles, most notably through Fanatics Fest, which in its second year drew 125,000 fans and $200 million in memorabilia to New York’s Javits Center.
Fensterman joined Fanatics in 2023 after nearly two decades at RX (formerly Reed Exhibitions), where he conceived of and launched ReedPop, the company’s pop culture division that became a global powerhouse with marquee events like New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, PAX, Emerald City Comic Con, and C2E2. Under his leadership, ReedPop grew to oversee 40 live events across 10 countries, drawing tens of thousands of fans worldwide. His career proves that when you put attendees and their passions first, the experience always follows.
How his role has evolved—and stayed consistent—over the past 25 years:
"My role has consistently been focused on building immersive, impactful experiences for fans and fan communities—from Comic Con to video games to Star Wars and now sports and collecting. Specifically, my obsession has been to assemble teams that are excited and motivated to innovate constantly for these communities. That means finding people willing to think big and creatively and give them the space and empowerment to make mistakes and learn from them to consistently and directly deliver deeply meaningful experiences for fans.
With that foundation, we are able to innovate the event tech, the on-site experience, and the interactions with guests, facilitating the connection between fans, the treatment of brands and sponsors, and on and on. By keeping the first things first (fans and our people), we can then change and innovate everything else."
Throughout his career, Fensterman and his team have overseen 40 trade shows across 10 countries.Photo: Courtesy of Lance Fensterman
What trends/tech have had the biggest impact on events today:
"Social media. Hands down. We design our shows to be live, interactive, and immersive, but with elements that will resonate with billions across social media. We create big moments on site that feel intimate and viral online."
Advice for his younger self:
"Do not waver in your focus on the people you hire, the culture you create, and keeping everything aligned towards your ultimate customer—in our case, communities of passionate fans. When you get all that right, the rest takes care of itself, so don’t stress."
An event he'll never forget:
"The most recent one, of course! Fanatics Fest NYC in 2025 was a breakthrough for this team."
Last month's FanaticsFest 2025 drew 125,000 fans, who spent the weekend immersing themselves in activations, meet-and-greets, exclusive merchandise drops, and sporting competitions at the intersection of sports, pop culture, and collectibles. See more: Fanatics Fest 2025: This Mega Celebration of Sports Fandom Returned For a Bigger, Bolder Second YearPhoto: Courtesy of Lance Fensterman
What he hopes his legacy will be:
"That I was part of developing strong teams and leaders with a focus on doing the right things the right way. Secondly, that I gave millions of people over my career happiness through amazing experiences."
What excites him most about where the industry is headed:
"The generations behind mine have everything they want at their fingertips and thus are increasingly craving connection, meaning, and experiences. I think we are going to be designing experiences for a sophisticated and eager audience—and that sounds like a lot of fun."
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This feature is sponsored by Convene, a global hospitality company that manages a growing portfolio of brands that design and operate premium event venues, meeting spaces, and flexible office.
