Accelerating the future of cultural infrastructure across the United States of America
Date: Tuesday 9th February 2027
Location: Wilshire Grand Center, ARUP Offices, 900 Wilshire Boulevard, 20th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90017 USA
Sound Development is an accelerator for cultural infrastructure investment
One of Sound Diplomacy’s flagship events, Sound Development brings together visionaries from music, entertainment, real estate, and government to explore how cultural infrastructure can transform cities and economies across the USA and beyond.
Through keynotes, workshops, networking sessions, and guided tours, Sound Development will catalyse new collaborations and inspire investments that leave a lasting legacy.
Why join Sound Development
Sound Development has helped secure new venues, negotiate operator agreements, and catalyse partnerships between developers, cities and investors.
This event is more than policy, it’s about action. Each edition brings together the people and cities ready to deliver cultural infrastructure, not just discuss it.
Designed for leaders who want to create destinations that deliver both cultural and commercial value, the event acts as a melting pot and accelerator, sparking the ideas that bring projects, collaborations and investments to life.
Sound Development brings together more than 180 senior professionals who shape and deliver cultural infrastructure across the public and private sectors.
Designed as a high-impact forum, it connects the people and cities driving real projects, investment and change.
Who is attending Sound Development LA?
Who attends Sound Development?
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Organizations delivering & funding cultural and entertainment districts, mixed-use schemes, and large projects across the US.
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Cities & public sector leaders shaping regeneration, tourism, cultural strategies and looking to invest in new cultural infrastructure in cities.
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Designers and engineers responsible for creating the vision, while leading the design and technology required to deliver future cultural venues and destinations
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Culture & entertainment sector leaders building new infrastructure or activating existing assets.
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Venue developers, owners and delivery partners who are looking to expand portfolios, and seek new partners & collaborators
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Trade organisations & industry groups representing real estate, entertainment, music and creative industries.
Apply to attend Sound Development Los Angeles 2027
Sound Development is an invite-only forum for senior professionals shaping the future of culture and real estate.
Each application is reviewed to ensure a dynamic mix of expertise and perspectives.
For sponsorship opportunities or to take part, please contact Jett Glozier at jett@sounddiplomacy.com
Presenting Partner
Supporting Sponsors
Looking back at Sound Development 2026
In February 2026, we launched our flagship event in Los Angeles, uniting leaders from music, entertainment, real estate, and government to shape the future of cultural infrastructure across the United States.
Delegates attended panel discussions covering venues with lasting cultural landmark status, immersive design and technology in performance spaces, the realities of financing and delivering new US venues, and the role of non-performance music spaces in driving viability and community impact.
Site tours included ARUP's SoundLab, an early preview of Refik Anadol's DATALAND, Spotify's At Mateo campus, and the Academy Museum's ARUP-designed theatres, closing with an evening reception at Pacific Electric.
Testimonials
“Serving as a panelist at Sound Development Los Angeles 2026 was both an honor and an inspiring experience. It was a privilege to share the City of Atlanta's approach to building strategic partnerships and investing in arts and culture while learning from fellow leaders who are advancing creative ecosystems across the country.
The conversations were thoughtful, collaborative, and solutions-oriented, providing valuable insights that I was able to bring back to strengthen our work in Atlanta. Sound Development continues to be an important convening for leaders committed to expanding opportunity and sustainability in the creative sector.”
Brenda Moorer, Strategic Partnership Manager, City of Atlanta
“Sound Development LA 2026 felt like one of those rare events where you walk away with genuine new relationships that will lead to new business growth.
As a sponsor, having the chance to share Live Nation’s venue growth, in addition to Jordan Zachary’s keynote on the impact of venues in communities, gave us a platform to connect with developers and city leaders who are shaping the future of cultural infrastructure in this country.
The conversations we had about finding bespoke locations, creative financing, and aligning the right teams were invaluable.”
Rick Mueller, President, Live Nation
“Sponsoring Sound Development LA was a fantastic way for Arup to engage with the entertainment industry and connect with new cities we hadn't worked with before. Beyond hosting, we were able to help shape the program itself, identifying speakers, key themes, and delegates, helping bring together a diverse group of leaders who drove meaningful conversations across the industry.
It was a brilliant showcase for our work: we opened up the Arup SoundLab® and gave delegates the chance to tour our state-of-the-art projects, DATALAND and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. We also led a panel discussion, and our team delivered a workshop on entertainment district inclusivity and nighttime safety that sparked engaging conversations.
Events like Sound Development LA affirm Arup's longstanding commitment to design culture, innovation, and shaping a better world.”