Speakers Announced For Pollstar Live! Panel ‘I Really Did Forget My Wallet: The Next Era In Cashless/Touchless’

Stas Chijik, the CEO and co-founder of Billfold POS, will share his expertise on cashless payment technology during the Pollstar Live! panel “I Really Did Forget My Wallet: The Next Era In Cashless/Touchless.” Other esteemed speakers who will be contributing to the discussion include Michael Conley, the chief information officer and senior vice president of the Cleveland Cavaliers; Amy Latimer, president of Boston’s TD Garden; and Wayne Scarsella, EVP of Sports & Entertainment at Appetize Technologies, Inc. The panel will be moderated by Dr. K. Elizabeth Hawk, president at Ampersand Intelligence. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing about an increased need for sanitization in public spaces, the issue has venues and events putting a greater focus on installing contactless technology for general concessions, premium dining, and other transactions, whether its tap-and-go payments with credit cards or mobile ordering. The mobile piece represents just 2% to 5% of total transactions over the past 15 years those systems have been available. Some feel those numbers could spike dramatically after venues reopen for business, especially with the advent of 5G and health concerns. The June 17 panel “The Next Era In Cashless/Touchless,” which starts at 11:30 a.m., will look at the latest and greatest in new tech that will protect and entertain fans of the live experience in the Great Return of the live business. 

Pollstar Live! is set for June 15-17 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.  

The conference is the world’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals and the flagship event for Pollstar magazine. The event features panels with the industry’s top executive and visionaries, multiple networking opportunities and the 32nd annual Pollstar Awards. Pollstar Live! kicks off June 15 with Production Live!, the one-day companion conference that features insightful panels and discussions from industry professionals on all topics related to staging live events including lighting, video, staging and stage management, sound technique, concert production, video, regulations, security and more.

Previously announced speakers include Dayglo Presents founder Peter Shapiro; Shavonne Dargan, SVP, Strategy & Marketing for CURATED at Live Nation Entertainment; Edgar Orjuela, Latin Talent Buyer at Nederlander Concerts and owner of Orjuela Entertainment; Maureen Valker-Barlow, EVP Partnerships of Danny Wimmer Presents and President of BrandMark Agency; Jonathan Azu, founder of Culture Collective; Helena “Leca” Guimarães international director at C3 Presents; Ant Taylor, founder and CEO of Lyte, Inc.; and agent Sara Bollwinkel of Wasserman Music, whose clients include Billie Eilish.

Panelists were previously announced for the Production Live! panel “What I Did On My Summer Vacation: How The Production Biz Stood Tall In The Pandemic,” including Maria Brunner of Insight Management and Musically Fed; Joey Gallagher of Gallagher Staging; Robin Shaw of Upstaging, Inc.; Michael Strickland of Bandit Lites; and Debbie Taylor; production coordinator for AC/DC, U2, Black Sabbath, Guns ‘N Roses and The Rolling Stones. 

Production manager/tour manager Bill Reeves and production stage manager Lance “K.C.” Jackson the founders of Roadies of Color – will take part in the panel “Roadies of Color/Inclusivity on the Road & At the Show,” a candid discussion on the critical issue of a lack of diversity in live entertainment. Other speakers on the panel include Tour Forensics’ Dave “5-1” Norman, Rebekah Foster of Ujima Sound Productions, Ltd., and Tina Farris of TF Tours – all skilled veterans of the business of producing live entertainment.

This year’s conference will offer digital passes as a registration option for those who can’t attend the conference in person. 

Registration for in-person and digital passes is open now.