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Join us in person on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the E-Central Downtown Los Angeles Hotel for a special Lunch & Learn featuring leaders from the Los Angeles Sports &
Entertainment Commission. This session will provide a comprehensive look at the opportunities, community impact, and strategic initiatives surrounding the 2026 World Cup’s presence in the Los Angeles area.
Agenda:
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM — Check-in & Networking
12:00 – 12:30 PM — Lunch
12:30 - 1:15 PM — Presentation, Q&A
1:15 – 1:45 PM — Closing Remarks & Networking
Key Take Aways:
- Overview of the eight World Cup matches scheduled for SoFi Stadium and what they mean for regional tourism, transportation, and economic impact.
- How LASEC is activating Los Angeles area across a 39-day tournament window through marketing, community engagement, and citywide programming.
- Opportunities for local stakeholders, including hospitality, business, civic, and cultural partners—to participate in fan engagement and event-related initiatives.
- Insights into communication strategies and regional collaboration led by LASEC to ensure unified and elevated visitor experience.
- Understanding the scale and legacy goals of hosting the World Cup and how Los Angeles plans to leverage the event for long-term benefits.
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Jason Krutzsch
Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC)
Jason Krutzsch is Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC). Jason is focused on developing the brand and communications strategy for LASEC and each of the major event Host Committees, while working with community partners to market the high-profile, impactful events taking place in Los Angeles.
Prior to joining the LASEC team, Jason spent twelve years working for ESPN on the X Games brand. During his time at ESPN, Jason was focused on event marketing, the launch and growth of @XGames social media platforms, developing the World of X Games weekly TV show and overseeing the strategy for all X Games content across TV, digital, social media, and premier action sports events globally.
Jason is a Southern California native and graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts in business marketing.
Ellen Riotto
Director, Fan & Stakeholder Engagement
Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC)
Ellen Riotto is Director, Fan & Stakeholder Engagement for the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission. Ellen’s role was established to create clear and accessible opportunities for regional stakeholders to develop activations for the FIFA World Cup fanbase. She serves as the Los Angeles Host Committee’s point of contact for community members, helping to ensure that their activations adhere to FIFA’s guidelines, and amplifying them out to FIFA World Cup fans.
Prior to this role, Ellen spent two years as an independent consultant for both nonprofit and for-profit clients, helping them navigate local government. Before consulting, Ellen was the Executive Director of the South Park Business Improvement District, where she spent more than six years managing a $3 million annual budget to execute and expand the programming of the organization whose mission is to provide maintenance, security and economic development services to the 52-block neighborhood in DTLA. In her role, Ellen oversaw the expansion of the BID boundaries, two successful contract renewals with the City of LA, the launch of the Homeless Outreach Program which led to long-term housing opportunities for more than a dozen people experiencing homelessness in South Park in the first two years, and much more. Ellen is a graduate of the Coro LA Fellows Program in Public Affairs. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in Italian.
Jason Krutzsch
Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC)
Jason Krutzsch is Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC). Jason is focused on developing the brand and communications strategy for LASEC and each of the major event Host Committees, while working with community partners to market the high-profile, impactful events taking place in Los Angeles.
Prior to joining the LASEC team, Jason spent twelve years working for ESPN on the X Games brand. During his time at ESPN, Jason was focused on event marketing, the launch and growth of @XGames social media platforms, developing the World of X Games weekly TV show and overseeing the strategy for all X Games content across TV, digital, social media, and premier action sports events globally.
Jason is a Southern California native and graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts in business marketing.
Ellen Riotto
Director, Fan & Stakeholder Engagement
Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC)
Ellen Riotto is Director, Fan & Stakeholder Engagement for the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission. Ellen’s role was established to create clear and accessible opportunities for regional stakeholders to develop activations for the FIFA World Cup fanbase. She serves as the Los Angeles Host Committee’s point of contact for community members, helping to ensure that their activations adhere to FIFA’s guidelines, and amplifying them out to FIFA World Cup fans.
Prior to this role, Ellen spent two years as an independent consultant for both nonprofit and for-profit clients, helping them navigate local government. Before consulting, Ellen was the Executive Director of the South Park Business Improvement District, where she spent more than six years managing a $3 million annual budget to execute and expand the programming of the organization whose mission is to provide maintenance, security and economic development services to the 52-block neighborhood in DTLA. In her role, Ellen oversaw the expansion of the BID boundaries, two successful contract renewals with the City of LA, the launch of the Homeless Outreach Program which led to long-term housing opportunities for more than a dozen people experiencing homelessness in South Park in the first two years, and much more. Ellen is a graduate of the Coro LA Fellows Program in Public Affairs. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in Italian.
