Pollstar Live! 2024 Panel Preview: How Will AI Change Live for Booking, Marketing, Operations & Risk Management

February 8, 11:45 AM-12:25 PM, Beverly Hills Ballroom P2

Moderator: Megan K. Smith, O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Brian Ahern, WME
Mike Mauer, SaveLive / Sparrow
Jason Thomas, Tappit
Ed Ulbrich, Metaphysic

When it comes to the court of public opinion, 2023 wasn’t the best time for artificial intelligence with the technology facing scrutiny in various industries, especially in film with both the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild demanding protection from the use of AI. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last summer, 52% of Americans expressed more concern than excitement about AI in daily life.

Many in live entertainment also have reservations about the double-edged sword that is AI, but the potential of the software can revolutionize the industry, from sound to ticketing to venue operation. Brian Ahern (partner at WME), Mike Mauer (vice president of data and technology at SaveLive and CEO of Sparrow), Megan K. Smith (partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP), Jason Thomas (CEO of Tappit) and Ed Ulbrich (CCO of Metaphysic.ai) will weigh in on the pros and cons of AI in the live industry and what stakeholders should know about the technology in the “How Will AI Change Live for Booking, Marketing, Operations & Risk Management” panel at Pollstar Live!.

Ahern said that he looks forward to having an intelligent conversation with his fellow panelists, and “hopefully, we enable industry professionals to leave with a better ability to anticipate change and use the information to positively impact their respective business.”

Pollstar Live! is a space where professionals can geek out with others in person about the various aspects of the industry, which is what Mauer enjoys most about the conference, and he hopes to share his personal experience with AI and how it has helped him in the workplace.

“AI and machine learning will transform the live events business,” Mauer says. “At the same time, it’s still very early days which provides a real opportunity and advantage for people who are able to understand and utilize it. I’m really looking forward to learning from the other panelists, and sharing my own experiences, on all the creative ways we’ve been using AI tools to be more productive, work smarter and sell more tickets.”

There’s no doubting the immense potential AI can have on live events, but the fluidity of the technology makes it difficult to get ahead of it. Such challenges were discussed at a conference hosted by VenuesNow, Pollstar’s sister publication.

“It’s incredible that more organizations are able to deploy more sensors and systems that can collect and store data at lower cost and higher utility than ever before in history,” Nick Noone, CEO of Peregrine Technologies, said during the 2023 VenuesNow Conference in September. “In many ways, these systems and applications are already deeply embedded inside of critical institutions. The obvious question then becomes, what do we do with all that information? And how do we think about the management of it?

“I think regulatory frameworks are so lacking the reality of what we see in the field, whether it’s the highest echelons of the Department of Defense, whether it’s an event space, whether it’s a law enforcement agency at the local level,” he added.

Noone’s questions are just a few of many when it comes to AI and the Pollstar Live! panelists will look to tackle many of them on Feb. 8.