Ballpark Future Forum 2025

Nippon Seinenkan Hotel 4-1 Kasumigaoka-machi, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0013, Japan
Ballpark Future Forum 2025 - Tokyo
Date: Wednesday 19 March, 2025
Time: 2pm to 5pm

Ballparks of the future

Join our global baseball experts and our Asia-based designers and advisors who will share their international technical capabilities and their local cultural understanding of the design of ballparks in Asia.  We’ll look at how clubs and venue owners and operators can provide purposefully designed spaces for fans to gather and celebrate their teams over coming decades.

Meet our global team in Tokyo

  • Brett Wightman | Senior Principal & Global Director
  • James Smith | Senior Principal, Director - APAC
  • Byron Chambers | Senior Principal, Design Director
  • Mako Ihara | Senior Principal, Head of Business - Japan
  • Greg Sherlock | Principal, Senior Architect
  • Nicholas Malyon | Associate Principal, Head of Baseball Design, APAC
  • Seungho Lim | Associate Principal | Asia Baseball Design Lead

Agenda

  • Session 01: Ballpark Design Evolution

    Session 01: Ballpark Design Evolution

    This panel discussion will analyze the history and evolution of ballpark design, discussing future trends and how the next generation of ballparks around the world is emerging.

    Moderator:
    Brett Wightman | Senior Principal & Global Director, Populous

    Panellists:
    David Cromwell | Executive Vice President, and Chief Operations Officer, Chicago Cubs
    David joined the Cubs in 2018 as senior VP of operations and became executive VP and COO in 2024. He oversees Wrigley Field Campus operations, including event services and safety. Prior to the Cubs, he spent 20 years at SeaWorld, most recently as park president of Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Virginia. He holds an MBA from San Diego State.

    Akinori Iwamura | Former Major League Baseball Player/ Chairman of the Board of Directors, Fukushima Red Hopes
    A former MLB player who also excelled in Japanese professional baseball, contributing to the first WBC victory and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' League Championship. After retiring, he led the Fukushima Hopes as a player-manager to a district championship. He will share insights on the appeal of ballparks in Japan and the U.S.

    Ichiro Shinohara | Specially Appointed Professor, Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Juntendo University
    An expert who continues to contribute to the development of the baseball world as a sustaining member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and an official scorer for the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League.

    Byron Chambers | Senior Principal & Head of Baseball Design, Americas, Populous
    Byron Chambers brings over two decades of sports design leadership and experience delivering spaces dedicated to enhancing athlete performance and the game day experiences.

    Agenda

    • DYERSVILLE, OH - AUGUST 11: A general view of the scoreboard during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at The MLB Field at Field of Dreams on Thursday, August 11, 2022 in Dyersville, Iowa. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
  • Session 02: Designing With Data

    Session 02: Designing With Data

    Our presenters will look at the data behind the world’s most successful venues and consider how good planning and design can create dynamic, functional and memorable experiences.

    Moderator:
    James Smith | Senior Principal | Director - APAC, Populous

    Panellists:
    Yuji Matsunaga | Representative Director, Nielsen Sports Japan
    A versatile professional who has held key positions in domestic and international business strategy, sports marketing, and digital media, continuously creating new value with extensive experience and sharp insights.

    Tim Arrowsmith | Design Director, Pepsico Asia
    One of Asia's most experienced design directors, Tim brings a wealth of knowledge in the design of products and brands that connect with fans.

    Mako Ihara | Senior Principal & Head of Business, Japan, Populous
    Highly proficient in brand, advertising, sport and entertainment services, Mako's market research and analysis skills have supported iconic events like the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as various marquee sporting and entertainment venues across Asia.

    Agenda

    • Aerial view of Taipei and Taipei Dome at dusk.
  • Session 03: Multipurpose Venues

    Session 03: Multipurpose Venues

    In our final panel session, we'll look at the changing venue landscape and how sustainability, technology, community engagement and hospitality offerings have evolved to create 365-day-a-year arenas that enhance and extend the game day experience.

    Moderators:
    Nicholas Maylon | Head of Baseball Design, APAC, Populous

    Panellists:
    Yutaka Minagawa | Sales Department Section Manager, SAITAMA ARENA Co., Ltd.
    A seasoned professional in venue operation management and business development who has led key operations at Saitama Super Arena and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

    Eiji Morimoto | Executive Officer, Arena & Stadium Div., KOTOBUKI
    SEATING CO., LTD.
    Extensive knowledge in sports and entertainment facilities is leveraged to enhance spectator experience and hospitality through seating sales and maintenance.

    Masayuki Minegishi | Chugoku Wellness Business Office, MITSUI & CO., LTD.
    Involved in stadium and arena projects centred around sports teams, with the aim of commercialising the sports business. Work with stakeholders and partners to develop a business model that covers every aspect of the project, from the initial concept to the creation of a profitable business model and its operation.

    Greg Sherlock | Principal & Senior Architect, Populous
    Greg Sherlock is a Senior Design Director with thirty years of experience crafting iconic venues around the globe. With a forward-thinking approach to sports and entertainment venue design, Greg prioritizes the holistic experience, focusing on creating world-class typologies that harmonize ambiance and performance.

    Agenda

Our Projects

  • Changwon NC Park

    Changwon NC Park

    Populous designed the Changwon City baseball park in South Korea after winning a design competition in 2015. The new stadium, opened in March 2019, is the home ground for top professional baseball team, NC Dinos.

    Our Projects

    ↳ Changwon NC Park
  • Taipei Dome

    Taipei Dome

    Taiwan’s first-of-its-kind integrated mixed-use development, Taipei Dome, is a 40,000-seat indoor baseball arena located in the in the center of the Taiwan capital, Taipei City.

    Our Projects

    ↳ Taipei Dome
  • Jamsil Sports MICE Complex

    Jamsil Sports MICE Complex

    Populous was selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as architect for the masterplan and concept design for the regeneration of the Seoul 1988 Olympics site. The 35-hectare site will be re-imagined into a world-leading destination for sport, conferences and entertainment named the Jamsil Sports MICE Complex.

    Our Projects

    ↳ Jamsil Sports MICE Complex
  • Oriole Park at Camden Yards

    Oriole Park at Camden Yards

    Until the early 1990s, the Major League Baseball experience was inundated with facilities that served as home to more than one sport. Three decades ago, Populous changed that model of ballpark design.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
  • PETCO Park

    PETCO Park

    The coast of California is a place of sea, sky, and amazing natural beauty. These are the traits the San Diego Padres had in mind in the late 1990s when they set out to build the city a new ballpark. Rather than reaching back into history, they challenged Populous to create a new ballpark concept – something that would revolutionize sports stadiums the way Camden Yards did decades ago.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
  • Yankee Stadium

    Yankee Stadium

    The original Yankee Stadium, built in 1923, was one of the most iconic structures in sport. As it neared the end of its life in the early 2000s, Populous was set the challenge of designing not just a replacement, but a new American icon.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
  • Citi Field

    Citi Field

    To understand Citi Field, you first have to understand the Mets. Founded to replace the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants after both teams departed the city, the Mets played their home games at Shea Stadium in Queens. It was a multipurpose venue that didn’t necessarily serve baseball well, with fans further from the field than at other major league ballparks.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
    • CitiField, Mets Baseball Stadium; Architect:Populous
  • Target Field

    Target Field

    When our designers first walked the Target Field site, located in the historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis, it made them think differently about the potential for ballpark design. It would take a leap of faith by the design team and the Minnesota Twins to squeeze every element of a 40,000-seat ballpark onto an eight-acre site – one smaller than 95 percent of existing big league ballparks.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
  • Sloan Park

    Sloan Park

    Our relationship with the Cubs spans more than two decades, having designed renovations to both Wrigley Field and the ball club’s previous spring training facility, Hohokam Stadium. In addition to the design of the 15,000 capacity ballpark, the surrounding land is master planned to include commercial and retail development, a public park and public open space.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
  • Truist Park

    Truist Park

    Fan expectations of the live experience are putting increasing emphasis on time spent before and after the game itself. With that in mind, we designed the new home of the Atlanta Braves to be an authentically Southern destination that offers something for everyone and ample reasons to linger.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
  • MLB at Field of Dreams

    MLB at Field of Dreams

    An event six years in the making, this regular season matchup between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox had a huge twist. It took place next to the original site of Field of Dreams, the 1989 baseball film starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta and James Earl Jones.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project
  • Rogers Centre

    Rogers Centre

    The Toronto Blue Jays partnered with Populous for a multiyear $300 million privately-funded renovation that will transform Rogers Centre from a stadium into a ballpark through a series of projects focused on modernizing the fan experience and building world-class player facilities.

    Our Projects

    ↳ View Project

Related Articles

  • Connecting regional culture to ballpark design in Asia

    Connecting regional culture to ballpark design in Asia

    Sport is an activity that draws people together and transcends international borders. The rules of sport facilitate a common unspoken language of the game regardless of where in the world you are from. But while the sporting field itself will always have the same dimensions; dictated by international regulations, the same is not always the case for the fan experience, particularly in Asia where Populous is creating truly local experiences for world games such as baseball.

    Written by: Mako Ihara

    Related Articles

    ↳ Full Article
  • Asia’s baseball form continues to meet the challenge of new functionality through generational ballpark change

    Asia’s baseball form continues to meet the challenge of new functionality through generational ballpark change

    Our baseball heroes are globally recognised for the impact they have had on the popularity of the game in Asia. And the same can be said of our iconic sporting venues.

    Written by: Seungho Lim

    Related Articles

    ↳ Full Article
  • Creating all-round experiences for baseball fans (and non-fans) through precinct activation in Asia

    Creating all-round experiences for baseball fans (and non-fans) through precinct activation in Asia

    When is a baseball game also a trip to a microbrewery, and when is a boutique shopping trip also a baseball game? When you’re designing a ballpark for the future of sport in Asia.

    Written by: Nicholas Malyon

    Related Articles

    ↳ Full Article

We hope you can join us in Japan, immediately following the 2025 MLB World Tour: Tokyo Series.

11 items.
  • Hokuto Fukushima Associate Principal - Senior Architect - 1st Class Architect Tokyo
  • Shion Go Associate, Project Architect Osaka
  • Mako Ihara Senior Principal, Head of Business - Japan Tokyo
  • Jack Kato Principal, Design Manager, Architect Tokyo
  • Henry Turner Senior Associate, Project Manager | Architect (RIBA) Tokyo
  • Seungho Lim Associate Principal, Architectural Designer - Parametric Tokyo
  • Nicholas Malyon Associate Principal, Senior Architect Brisbane
  • Greg Sherlock Principal, Senior Architect Kansas City
  • Byron Chambers Senior Principal, Design Director Dallas
  • James Smith Senior Principal | Director - APAC Brisbane
  • Brett Wightman Senior Principal | Director - APAC Singapore

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