Mark Faber has more than 30 years’ experience in the sports and entertainment industry. Before joining Texas Motor Speedway in August 2022 as executive vice president and general manager, Faber spent the previous 17 years with AEG, one of the top global sports and entertainment companies. Faber was Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships, for AEG in Las Vegas, overseeing both T-Mobile Arena and MGM Grand Garden Arena. As the first lead representative promoted by AEG for Las Vegas, Faber’s primary responsibility was to secure high revenue long-term partners for the venue including Naming Rights, Founding Partners, and Premium Inventory, such as suites, loge boxes and club seats. Faber led the initiative when T-Mobile signed its first ever naming rights agreement to put its name on T-Mobile Arena in the “sports and entertainment capital of the world”, and 10 national and international companies joined as Founding Partners. Founding Partners and premium seating were sold out culminating in gross sponsorship and premium seating revenue reaching a combined nine figures, helping to make T-Mobile Arena one of the top venues in the world.
As a member of the AEG/MGM Joint Venue arena leadership team, Faber was also actively involved in the design phase of T-Mobile Arena as well as media interviews, public relations, civic, and charity initiatives. Faber also focused on continued sponsor, premium seating, and event revenue generation as well as client development for key major events such as UFC, Boxing, Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Vegas Golden Knights, concerts, sporting events, and other top events. In 2021, T-Mobile Arena and the MGM Grand Garden Arena were the top venues globally in their venue size categories for gross ticket revenue. Faber sat as a member of the AEG/MGM Joint Venture Operating Committee which provided strategic direction and oversight for the venues’ operations, revenues, financials, capital expenditures, concessions, staffing, primary/secondary ticketing platforms, event booking and production, and EBITDA.
Prior to Las Vegas, Faber was the first “boots on the ground” for AEG’s and the City of Kansas City’s arena, Sprint Center, now renamed T-Mobile Center. In this public-private partnership arrangement, Faber was responsible for revenue generation including naming rights, sponsorships, and premium seating for Sprint Center, and he helped lead and finalize Sprint’s 25-year naming rights agreement in its hometown. In addition, Faber and the AEG Team sold 11 Founding Partnerships and sold out all of the luxury suites, resulting in nine figures of sponsorship and premium seating revenue. As a member and officer of the arena leadership team, Faber was also involved with design, events, media interviews, communications, marketing, concessions, and civic initiatives. During his tenure in Kansas City, Faber was elevated to consult with other AEG properties in the Midwest Region including Target Center, Maverik Center, The Midland by AMC and Verizon Theater, and he also consulted on sponsorships and premium seating renovations with ISC properties including Daytona International Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.
Faber began his sports and entertainment career as an intern in the ticket office with the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami, Florida, and he was promoted to Ticket Manager six weeks after joining the organization. After a year and a half at the Orange Bowl, Faber joined the Dallas Cowboys in October 1989 as sales and syndication coordinator for Dallas Cowboys Television Productions. After the team moved it training camp to Austin, Texas, Faber was promoted to Vice President of Dallas Cowboys Training Camp Sales & Marketing and also assisted in the sales efforts for sponsorships, events, hospitality, and luxury suites at the Cowboys’ Texas Stadium. During the next five years, the Cowboys won back-to-back World Championships in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII, and Faber was elevated to add the responsibility of being a member of the post- season advance team for NFC Championship games and Super Bowls.
In 1995, Faber left the Cowboys to pursue additional opportunities in sports with Liberty Media and subsequently held senior-level positions with Host Communications, Galles Indy Racing, PSP Sports, and Learfield Sports in Dallas.
A native of Prairie Village, Kansas, Faber graduated from the University of Kansas, where he obtained Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History and earned a Master of Business Administration. During his time in Kansas City, Faber was a frequent guest lecturer at the Sports Management Program at The University of Kansas as well as involved in multiple civic and philanthropic organizations. After his move to Las Vegas, Faber has been a speaker or moderator at several key conferences: ALSD-moderator and panelist multiple times; Harvard Law School Sports Law Symposium- panelist; SEAT-panelist; XLive-moderator and panelist; Coliseum Summit USA in Las Vegas- Speaker 2017 and 2019; Sports Business Awards venue nominations; Cox Communications National Sales Meeting-speaker; Schneider Electric Global Innovation Summit- speaker; and UNLV sports symposium- speaker. Faber was a member of the City National Bank Advisory Board and was also on the board for After-School All-Stars which serves at-risk youth.
Currently, Faber serves as a member of the Fort Worth Chamber Investor’s Council and is a board member of Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway. He was recognized as a member of the Dallas 500 for a second consecutive year by D CEO. In January 2024, Faber will begin serving as a board member for the Metroport Chamber of Commerce.
In 2022 at the 32nd Annual ALSD Conference in New York, Faber was presented with the Bill Dorsey Visionary Award. The achievement award is given each year to an individual in the sports and entertainment industry who represents character, integrity, team work and employee loyalty. https://alsd.com/content/2022-alsd-visionary-award-mark-faber
Mark and his wife, Holly, live in Trophy Club, Texas. Their daughter, Megan, graduated Cum Laude from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee where she earned a double major in Entertainment Industries Studies and Spanish and recently concluded a two-year assignment teaching English, Science and Math to Spanish elementary students in Madrid, Spain. Their son, Drew, graduated from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa with a degree in Creative Media and was on the President’s List for academics his last academic school year. He currently is under contract with Universal Music Group.