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This Playmaker session charts how the Cedar Point Sports Center (CPSC) matured from a COVID-era opening to its five-year milestone by applying a reproducible operating model that blends fiscal discipline, culture building, client trust, and capability development. It highlights the turnaround from a >$200K loss two years ago to a projected $500K+ NOI in 2025, the creation of a leader factory advancing talent to enterprise roles, and a durable relationship stack—client, CVB, and event operator partnerships—that fuels sustained growth. Attendees leave with concrete plays, metrics, and partnership patterns they can apply immediately across markets.

December 9, 2025 @ 9:50 am – 10:10 am — SFC Mainstage

This Playmaker session tells the story of the Clary Anderson rink’s turnaround—how a community-first surge, aligned public partners, and an SFC venue team saved a shutter-threatened facility in about 30 days through disciplined sequencing and urgent communication. It highlights over $400K raised in one week to jump-start critical repairs, a creative readiness plan that overcame constrained municipal spend, the daily leadership rhythms that sustained confidence and pace, and a personal progression story that humanizes the work and shows how culture creates leaders. Attendees leave with a field-tested playbook for mobilizing stakeholders, aligning incentives, and communicating urgency under extreme timelines.

December 10, 2025 @ 9:45 am – 10:05 am — SFC Mainstage

This Playmaker session unpacks how leadership is built, not born. Through Ryan Ladd’s story—from part-time team member at Cedar Point to General Manager in Virginia Beach—it reveals how intentional design, mentorship, and culture turn daily operations into a leadership engine. Attendees will see how clear pathways, empowered decision-making, and growth-focused systems can elevate individuals, strengthen teams, and ripple impact across entire communities.

December 9, 2025 @ 2:45 pm – 3:05 pm — SFC Mainstage

This Playmaker session spotlights human-centered innovation that expands access and impact by listening to community needs and designing for specific life stages to unlock new demand. It covers the launch of pregnant and postpartum water fitness and a low-impact Aqua Dance Fit format; the program design choices that drive safety, retention, and word-of-mouth in underserved segments; and how inclusive design strengthens venue relevance, brand, and recurring revenue—offering a replicable roadmap for category growth through empathy-led design.

December 10, 2025 @ 2:20 pm – 2:40 pm — SFC Mainstage