Going for Gold: Venues, Businesses and the Legal Playbook for the L.A. Olympics

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the 2026 FIFA World Cup have brought California venue and sponsorship agreements into sharp focus, as facility operators, rights holders and local businesses navigate overlapping commercial rights. This program examines the legal architecture of venue multimedia rights (MMR) agreements, covering the rights typically licensed to MMR holders, category exclusivity and its drafting pitfalls and revenue structures. We will also discuss “clean venue” requirements imposed by major international events such as the Olympics. Finally, we will take a look beyond the venue walls: how ambush marketing rules and host-city enforcement obligations affect local businesses seeking to capitalize on Olympics-driven attention. David Sunkin and Evara David, Sheppard Mullin, will walk through real contractual language illustrating each of these issues. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for advising venue operators, rights holders, sponsors and local businesses through each stage of an MMR deal and its intersection with major-event hosting requirements.