Whitaker spoke on the topic twice in back-to-back breakout sessions and appreciated that each conversation with her fellow panelists was different despite addressing the same general topics.
The panel was broken up into the three main phases of building a stadium: site selection and design, planning and construction, and opening. Whitaker spoke on phase one, as the Bears are currently in the pre-development stage and working toward a stadium deal.
“As part of stage 1, I generally spoke about what goes into picking a site and determining the feasibility of the project.” Whitaker shared. “What sites are viable? Who are the stakeholders? How do we structure and finance the project? And how do we future proof to put ourselves in the best commercial position once development is done?”
Whitaker went into detail on several topics, including building on private versus public land, messaging around public benefits, financing options, land acquisition requirements and more.
Jennifer Sullivan from NYC Football Club spoke on phase two while Daniel Werly from the Tennessee Titans covered phase three. Lisa Glahn from Foley & Lardner LLP spoke about how she supports all three phases as outside counsel. Along with the traditional networking opportunities and legal education the conference provides, Whitaker came away with her own learnings from her panel counterparts.
“I was joking about taking notes during the panel as the other panelists described their respective projects,” Whitaker said. “But all jokes aside, I did learn new things about their respective projects and how they navigated certain challenges. There is more to learn from each of them, and I look forward to staying in touch after the conference. That is the beauty of this event.”
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