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 – 1:00 PM — Lunch & Presentation, Q&A
1:00 – 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.
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 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 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 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.
