SEAT 2025 – Nashville Preview, Josh Barney

This transcript has been transcribed by Riverside.fm, no edits (please excuse any errors)

Sean Callanan (00:01.424)
Very happy to welcome back Josh Barney. He's the CEO for SEAT. The reason I'm talking to him means SEAT is on its way and it's coming up soon, June 28th, July 1 in Nashville. Josh, welcome back to the podcast.

Josh Barney (00:17.196)
Yeah, great to be back, Sean. Thank you.

Sean Callanan (00:20.37)
Well, this is year three of SEAT in brackets, Josh's version. Since you took over SEAT from Christine, it was found in 2007, but last three years you've been running it. What have you learned going from an attendee and part of the community to running SEAT?

Josh Barney (00:44.418)
Yeah, honestly, I would say the biggest lessons learned from my perspective on this one is, you know, first of all, my background was in network engineering. So getting my head wrapped around event management became the first big step in this one. And then as we've had Salt Lake and now Las Vegas, the lessons that I pulled out of that one around the reality of how important the community is to SEAT.

has become one of the focal points for how we're going about doing Nashville. And that again, was specifically that, you know, where we differentiate ourselves in a lot of aspects is that we've got such a fantastic community of folks. And that's where I fell in love with SEAT was from that perspective of the amount of people who want to be involved to help make the industry better. And so from a content perspective and all these other things, we've got folks who want to jump in.

jump in and help out along the way. And that's what has really been the big piece for Nashville is the amount of folks that are now kind of involved in the content, specifically from the steering committee side of it.

Sean Callanan (01:57.468)
So yeah, you said there Nashville in 2025. There's always a plethora of options on where SEAT could be. It's been across the United States in multiple forms and even once way back when in London. Why Nashville?

Josh Barney (02:16.428)
You know, it started out as a personal thing that I wanted to go to Nashville, just from my perspective of seeing cities that are having their moments in time. It was why Vegas was one that I wanted to go to. Nashville was kind of that as well, but I really wanted to make sure that we were doing what the community wanted. So at the end of the Las Vegas event, we went out and put a survey out and asked people, you know, we had 20 cities that were kind of there for them to rank.

And Nashville was by far the leader from what the survey said from the people attending it. So there was an alignment there where selfishly I wanted it to go there because I think Nashville is a fantastic city anyway. But it also became very apparent that the community wanted to go to Nashville as well. And it is that city that's having its moment in time as well. There's a huge kind of thing that's happening there between sports and entertainment.

So it really does make a great kind of marriage to have SEAT go there. And actually some of the things that we'll be incorporating into the event bring in the music industry, which really leans into that sports and entertainment side of this for SEAT.

Sean Callanan (03:30.482)
Well, that's the thing I was gonna say. You already reiterated it twice. But for those who don't know, SEAT is an acronym for Sports Entertainment Alliance and Technology. And Nashville is a really good blend of having lots of great sports and technology piece, but also being the country music capital and that entertainment side of the business. Because there's always a lot to learn from a sports side, from that entertainment side. So…

Nashville gives you that nice blend.

Josh Barney (04:02.318)
Yeah, absolutely. And to your point on that as well, that became one of those things that the moment we started to really interact, and here is actually one of the real beneficial things of having people in the community want to help out. in the very, like in the sun setting hours of a SEAT in Las Vegas, I had Steve Conley come up to me. We were just outside of the lobby in Resorts World and brought up to me, he was like, you know, one of the things that Christine did really well was SEAT

was she got the local city involved. So the teams and venues as a part of the planning of the event. And so that was something intentional that I went in and did as well and immediately reached out to all of the venues and teams that were in Nashville and went out to the Grand Ole Opry, got involved with the Country Music Hall of Fame, all of these groups that have a presence there and started kind of from that perspective of trying to build with their support.

versus just Josh walking into town and trying to pull off an event. And that was one of the real helpful pieces as well was that advice that Steve gave me there in in resorts world.

Sean Callanan (05:12.998)
And then the other part of the community that is vital in that alliance and technology is the different technology partners that help us succeed. And that's definitely something that you need both to run SEAT and to make it vibrant, because we're always looking for those solutions. One sponsor in particular came to you pretty quickly once you said, Nashville is where we want to be.

Josh Barney (05:38.21)
Yeah, absolutely. The moment we kind of put it out there that we were going to Nashville, JMA Wireless had their hand up in the air saying that they wanted to be a part of it. And that was actually really encouraging as well from knowing that we're kind of bringing this back from COVID to have folks that want to be involved that way. So JMA came right out of the gate with their hands up. Fernando's obviously been a huge supporter as well as Diane and Bruce there. And then immediately after that, we all of a sudden have

all these other sponsors that are throwing their hand up in the air with American Tower was one that came out quite quickly as well. And Charles is obviously a huge advocate for us and Michelle there. So Jessica Turner is another one. So having these folks immediately want to be in a town where some of them are doing business there as well, which helps them kind of show off what they've been able to do in these venues as well. having folks immediately that knew kind of

why I was going to that town and wanted it to be a part of it that way was huge. And JMA is obviously, they were hugely helpful for us in Las Vegas and coming again into Nashville, been massive there as well.

Sean Callanan (06:47.378)
Absolutely. And then a big part of, know, when you do get the community together. And one thing I will say, because a lot of time the conversation I have it and, and, you know, and it is about meeting up and catching up with people you previously have connected with that SEAT And it's, it becomes like a family reunion. But the thing is, what I also want to stress is new people arrive every year. And it's, it's very welcoming. It's not, Hey, you've never been, you're not part of the, you're not part of the reunion.

Josh Barney (06:48.75)
.

Sean Callanan (07:14.194)
There's always new people and especially over the last three years, there's been people that have turned up to see it for the first time and have been welcomed in open arms. And part of that, I guess, that equation and to get that to work is to get these events where you get the community connected. You've had a day of sessions, you've learned a lot, but then getting together with the events, that's a big part of SEEK. Can you sort of take us through…

what we have planned to beginning with on the Sunday with the welcome reception.

Josh Barney (07:46.946)
Yeah, as you said, the family reunion on that Sunday night, the 29th, will be at Bridgestone Arena and American Tower, who I already brought up, will be there with us. They are the ones who've got such a great relationship with them that helped facilitate that to help us get into the building and be a part of that and help build that relationship that way. And one of the things that is special about the welcome reception is that most

folks are getting together for the first time every year. So that's where it really gets that nickname of the family reunion is we have a chance to just be in space together, catch up, find out how each other's families are doing. It is one of the special moments of SEAT where there's nothing really to do other than just be there and interact with other people. And I really appreciated that piece of it in our first year back in Salt Lake.

where we had the registration booth for people to pick up their tickets and that, it turned into a chance for me to just kind of walk the line for a while and chat with folks. So being at Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena and having American Tower kind of help us get in there, we're actually quite excited for this. Bridgestone Arena is obviously one of the most famous, not only from just the acts that they bring through, but they have a reputation as well of being one of the best.

best venues in North America. So having folks like David Kells and we've got Leif who's with the Predators, who's on one of our steering committees. Having these folks come in and host us there in that space is actually a really cool piece just because what Bridgestone actually is for the community in Nashville as well.

Sean Callanan (09:29.67)
I mean, as someone who's occasionally jumps up and grabs the mic, because I have a tendency to do that. But at the welcome reception, is normally just like going, you know, people will turn up and sometimes, CED a really great conference to turn up with two of your colleagues, you know, someone that works in the technology space will go through the tracks, but someone in the BI and some of the digital, and you do find those little triplets are all in their little groups and maybe connecting with other people. But that first session, that first event is a really good one to go and meet.

you know, another trio of in another team, potentially in another sport. Because you really can set up your SEAT to find a few familiar faces that you'll meet in a session the next day, those kind of things. So it's it is one to, to meet colleagues that are, you know, in similar roles. And also start looking, you know, come to sleep with a problem. There'll be someone there, someone there to solve it. So that's the Sunday night. So the you know, you get into Nashville.

either Saturday or Sunday and enjoy some hospitality in Nashville. But Sunday night sort of sets things up. And then on the Monday night, again, we're going to another venue in Geodes Park with our friends at Cisco.

Josh Barney (10:37.678)
Yeah, yeah, honestly, that's actually a fantastic one as well. Specifically from the standpoint that in the DNA of SEAT are these venue tours. And so one of the things we wanted to make sure we were doing is having that capability to get in and see some of the newer facilities that we might not have been able to do before. Cisco is a partner with them from their technology immediately made sense for us to be able to do that. And Brian Bedford's obviously.

a huge proponent for C and what we can offer the community in kind of access and connections that way. So going to Geodes actually is an exciting one. It's a couple days before our event, they'll actually be hosting a match from the FIFA Club World Cup that they'll have some games there. So it's a world-class facility that way in that it hosts some of the big events that you'd experience in football.

and having Cisco walk in with us as well and really turn this into an entertainment night where we have a chance to have a little bit of fun while we're networking as well is one of the exciting things. We've got a shuttle that will be taking people to and from the hotel so that we've got people that'll be able to be in motion. We've got all that sorted out this year and make it so it's an easier place to do that. So we'll start the night off with a venue tour and end up.

with little bit of entertainment and kind of social networking in there as well. And then after that, you know, breaking out into the town, getting out to Broadway, you know, whatever that looks like from bouncing between the honky tonks, it's gonna be a great time in Nashville that way.

Sean Callanan (12:14.642)
Absolutely. And the good thing is, I guess, one of the learnings and lessons from last year is that, you know, there's no RSVPs, everyone attends the three events. So there's no confusion or not knowing where people are going. the good thing is, yeah, we'll be, you know, look at Nashville, there will be a bunch of sports executives on the prowl for those couple of days. So yeah, that Monday night will be good. then

And then to close things up, you've really brought a little bit of, you know, not a little bit, a lot of Nashville to the closing night event at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Josh Barney (12:53.612)
Yeah, so that night is actually going to be a really special night. So it's going to be hosted by a charity that my wife and I started this past year. And it's specifically in an effort to help bring visibility into the need for us to make our public venues more accessible. And we have some fantastic partners that have come along with us on that one. The Country Music Association has actually come in and they are partnered with us on that event.

We have AMP Think, Unigest, and Peerless AV have all come in to support that event, to be a part of that, to help make that night possible. And one of the cool pieces about Nashville, when we bring up the music industry, is the singer-songwriter culture that exists there. And we found a woman named Lindsay Lawler, who that's what her world is. She's also a SiriusXM radio host. She's got a million plus people that tune in to listen to her daily.

And that's one of the cool pieces is that she's got all of her friends that are the hit songwriters that are the songs that we all know from many years past and even present ones. And so she's bringing in her best buds who are the hit songwriters to come in and perform for us and give us a little bit of the behind the scenes of why they were inspired to write those things and kind of what led to that. we've got multiple hours of them being able to do those presentations to us.

And then we also have, you know, a run of the museum as well. So everybody's going to be able to actually move throughout the museum and be able to experience all of that and see kind of where all of those pieces of culture from where country music started to where it is now and how it's all branched out and how everything ties together. So it really was kind of the way to culminate the Nashville event by bringing something that is true and authentic to Nashville itself.

Sean Callanan (14:44.69)
Absolutely. It is going to be something you don't want to miss. So don't do the thing of, I've got to leave the conference and get home on a Tuesday night because you'll have massive FOMO if you're sitting at the airport terminal and you start finding out what the great night is. So make sure that booking is for Wednesday and have a great night on that Tuesday night. So they're the extracurricular activities, the networking, the one that helps form those bonds, it really strengthens the SEAT.

Seed community, but it is also anchored on knowledge sharing, solving problems and the content. And so that's across the four tracks. And for those who don't know, and if you've listened to the podcasts, you know, I've been a long attendee of Seed and you know, it did start from a place of technology and all those CTOs and then expanded to having multiple tracks. We've now got four tracks. I just wanted to sort of go through each of the tracks with you, Josh, on

what they've been working on, how they're being put together and what people can expect from those tracks. So first of all, you've got the venue tech and security. Who are the people, one, building the content for that? And also, who are the people should be attending those sessions?

Josh Barney (16:01.046)
Yeah, well, the venue tech and security track is actually the track that was what interested me the most when I was on the team side. My role was specific to kind of the technology inside of the venue. So some of the things that you'll learn about in there are going to be centered around the facility, around the infrastructure that you would have in there, whether it be hardwire, Wi-Fi, the DAS system, cybersecurity data center type of content. So the folks that this

really kind of centers around are your facilities people, your IT people, and those that might be involved in a little bit of F &B though.

Sean Callanan (16:37.744)
Absolutely. And the steering committee, I guess, behind that, they're the people who are rolling out the tech, rolling out the changes, whether it be a completely new build or retrofit builds, they're in that world every single day.

Josh Barney (16:54.434)
Yeah, and that's actually one of the cool pieces about this as well is, again, when we go out and reach out to these folks to get them involved from that perspective, there are so many of these folks that come straight from these roles that are hugely helpful in this.

So we've got David Jones from AEG. We've got David Payne from University of Oklahoma. We've got Nguyen Nguyen from the Vancouver Canucks. We've got JP Williams from Texas Tech University. Andrew McIntyre, who's our hometown boy there in Tennessee Titans, and Daniel Brusilovsky, and Opara Young.

We've got some names that actually the community is very familiar with. These are folks that have had a chance to sit down and be able to kind of talk about what matters to them as the boots on the ground. And so the content that we've been going in and pulling around that directly reflects. that type of content that we have in there. So some of the stuff that we've got in the venue tech and security track, we've got conversations around wayfinding and smart navigation. We've got a conversation around smart venue and IOT devices and how to integrate those better into your world. We've got conversation around managing and driving more revenue with your digital signage and your IPTV solutions. We've got

conversations around smart venue management, around advances we've started to see there. We've got, like I said, a conversation around data centers. And then kind of the final one that, it's not final, but it's one that again is special to me, is around accessibility and inclusion in your building. We've got conversations around how to improve your hearing systems that you have inside of your venues for those who have hearing impairments and that.

A lot of great content that we've got coming in that session. So we've got some great announcements that will be coming out for some of the people involved on

Sean Callanan (18:53.82)
So on that people in the venue tech and security, and again, you rattle off a bunch of the folk in the steering committee. I'm very happy to endorse a stack of them because a lot of them have been on the podcast like David Jones, David Payne, Daniel Brusileski. They're very much people who are rolling out technology or CTOs overseeing things, sports technologists looking at that piece. They're the people that are in those sessions having those conversations.

The other thing that's important for each track is the track sponsors that are very much embedded in these conversations for venue tech and security who is supporting SEAT 2025.

Josh Barney (19:35.768)
Yeah, we're happy actually to announce that we have Verizon that's coming in as our partner for the Venutech and Security Track. And again, Verizon's a household name, not only in the consumer side, but in the business side. And some of the conversations that we're going to be bringing with them around that are specifically around some of these, you know, the Verizon Insights platform. And it was the smart venue and IoT devices component to that. there are a lot of things that we can learn from market leaders in the space.

which is awesome. One of the things that I always ask out of not only our partners, but our presenters is that what we go in and present is scalable technology solutions so that when people walk away from SEAT, they have something actionable that they'll be able to use when they get back to their venue. And this is one of those as well with a partner with Verizon that from a scaling perspective, venues large and small can go in and bring these folks in.

and be able to apply their technology in this space, which allows them to expand or contract as they need with what the venue requirements are. So great partner in that one. And we're quite excited for that one, for them to be a part of that.

Sean Callanan (20:46.426)
And then one of the things I think one of the key growth pieces for SEAT was when it moved from just being that technology piece to who are the people using the technology and analyzing what the technology is capturing. And that's where you get the data and business intelligence track. With all my friends that are in the data CRM space, again, you're lucky enough to have some…

terrific support from the steering committee setting the path and setting up the content for this track.

Josh Barney (21:22.872)
Yeah, absolutely. And again, from the perspective of having people that have their boots on the ground and can go in and give us relevant content to what is going to be needed for the folks, you know, when they walk away from SEAT has been fantastic. So we've got folks like Dani Brown from Oklahoma City Thunder and Dan McBride from USA Golf Association and Josh Meek from Vinick, Jake Radelet from the Texas Rangers, Kyle Burkhardt from Dallas Mavericks.

Matt Phillips from Nashville SC, Nick Makarov from Austin FC, Nikhil Marar from the LA Lakers, Rich Barbier from New Orleans Pelicans and Saints, Tanner Franklin from Miami Dolphins, and Laith Yasiri from Nashville Predators. So again, you can kind of see some folks from the Nashville area that have been involved on the committee that way.

But from the perspective, again, of some of the relevant sessions that we've got for the things that are important to people these days. We've got, again, you're going to kind of hear an element of AI across most of these platforms because obviously its application can be done in pretty much every vertical. And so we're having conversations specifically around how to go in and use that technology to do what you do better. And so AI actually has a place in this conversation that way with

With Teradata, they are actually the title sponsor for this track. They're bringing in couple of their partners to talk specifically around one of the newer venues that has actually had some really cool stuff that they've done in it. And the data partnership that they have, I think, will provide some great insights for folks around how they can go in and use their data that they have. And another session we have is around all-star events.

We're quite excited about that one, bringing in some of the teams and venues that have been involved in not only the NFL Super Bowl, but the NBA All-Star game, the MLS All-Star game, the WNBA. So we've got a lot of folks that will come in and talk about kind of these one-off events and how to use the data that you're pulling in from the greater experience with those to kind of drive some revenue and get better engagement out of your fans and that.

Josh Barney (23:42.534)
once that event is done. So quite excited about that one. We've got Miami Dolphins coming in with engaging.io to talk around some of their stuff. Did you want to jump? Sorry.

Sean Callanan (23:54.0)
Yep. Yeah. So I mean, it's very hard to pull up on your enthusiasm once you get going. But yeah, the data and data business intelligence is a really good track. It's one that I occasionally sneak in on. And again, lucky enough to have a couple of podcast alumni there, you know, that will be in the data and business intelligence. So if you are a data analyst, if you're helping analyze your tickets and season tickets and trying to drive more

drive more revenue through your data there that's definitely the track to be attending. And then the next track again, which was part of that expansion, I'll say way back in 2012, it was definitely advanced, is the digital sponsorship and ticketing track, which is, you know, close to my heart. It's one that I'm on the steering committee. And we've been really excited in what's being developed, you know, what is new. But again,

for you, what's the piece that I guess excites you around that digital sponsorship and ticketing and I guess the people behind it forming what the content will be?

Josh Barney (25:02.818)
Yeah. So again, these are individuals that have helped out in the previous two events. But again, bringing their expertise and knowledge of seeing that. And one of the things that I really appreciate as well about all of the student committee members, as well as kind of where they're coming from, is the kind of the diversity of their kind of the space that they're in.
So we have G.M. from the Anaheim Ducks, fantastic from that perspective and seeing a few different things. Bobbie Walker from San Diego State University and his ticketing background. Patrick Hooper from the Sharks, Jarret Nobles from Monumental, Zack Burleson from Churchill Downs, which I feel like is an incredible introduction into a world that does something very similar to what we all expect. It's obviously sports, but has a different approach to it in certain ways because of the event around it. So we feel like that's an incredibly valuable piece to bring in. Brian Costello from Portland Timbers, Lauren Lambis from the Orlando Magic, and Lenny Goh from Tradable Bits.

So again, bringing folks in that have these different, you know, kind of diverse backgrounds and diverse places where they work, I feel like this is an incredibly valuable asset to us from the content perspective and some of the things that they're doing.

Sean Callanan (27:02.778)
And then the last one, which is effectively an invention of yourself. So this is the track that was added on for Utah and for Las Vegas. It was a new track and it was one of yours. Fan experience is what it is, but it was one to again, connecting those dots of the technology, the venue tech and security, really talking about the ones and zeros and getting the network right and…

providing the infrastructure, but this one's more about customer experience. What does that fan experience look like? And again, lucky enough to have some really talented individuals behind the scenes from a steering committee point of view and really drive what that conversation looks like.

Josh Barney (27:48.268)
Yeah, we actually were able to bring in Chris Frei, was a SEAT kind of alumni from it pre-COVID and getting him involved again, kind of with the perspective of what he brought from the collegiate space and now where he's positioned himself with WMT is incredibly valuable. We've got Renee Ciuda, who's with ASM Global Legends and she is over customer experience for 300 plus venues and how that interacts that way.

Stacy McGranor from the San Jose Sharks is over that Austin Reed with the Indianapolis Colts and Kami Testa from Guard IQ. Having all of these folks that their role is focused around what that fan experience looks like. And that comes from not only the employee perspective on creating good experiences for your employees with their technology tools, but also what that ends up being when we create.

kind of the perfect environment for a fan experience to be well built. And one of the reasons why I wanted to introduce this track was I felt that it was a good moment in time because we're seeing so much overlap between the tracks now that I really wanted a space where the member of the venue tech and security, a member of the data and BI, a member of the digital sponsorship and ticketing track could sit in the same room from the same organization.

and be able to see what a fully built fan experience looks like and help them recognize where their role fits into creating that experience. One of the things that we're trying to do with SEAT is to break down those barriers that exist internally within organizations to help that communication be better so that folks, that the marketing team can have those conversations with the data NBI group, that the data NBI group can communicate to IT what their needs are.

so that everybody's working towards common goals versus independent departmental goals. So the fan experience really is trying to give opportunities for these cool conversations to take place and see some of the stuff that's been built up there that is really kind of amazing stuff. Some of the content that we have with that one is we actually have a session where we're going to then follow it up with a workshop around fan journey mapping.

Josh Barney (30:09.088)
One of the things that we want to do is help people really truly understand how to interact with their fans, not only just from the perspective of, know, from the time that they're kind of interacting with you, buying tickets or whatever, but also as they come into your venue, you know, for those that have different needs, what are we doing to help those people to have those needs addressed inside of their venue so that it feels like it's a part of the event and not something that's been bolted on after.

We've got a session with Clemson specifically around them hosting the Savannah Bananas. Obviously the Savannah Bananas are a very big talking point right now, specifically around fan experience. And I feel really excited about having kind of that perspective of what it's like to host that inside of your venue and what all goes into that. We've got Cosm coming back again for a second conversation with them.

you know, now that they've got two venues kind of in their portfolio and two more that they're building, what are some of the things from a technology perspective that they walked into the building these venues that maybe wasn't what ended up being the case and where did they find their wins and not? So some of these things are really kind of cool conversations that we'll be able to be a part of. One that I'm actually super excited for is the Houston Livestock and Rodeo. It's the largest event in North America and

over 20 days, they bring in almost three million participants into their event. And it's a lot like the entertainment districts that we're talking about now, where they have people that are coming in specifically for concerts who may not have an interest in a livestock show or may not be interested in a rodeo. But now they're having these interesting ways of cross promoting and trying to build fandom from people that are coming into their space.

that may not be there for the one particular purpose that they bought a ticket for. And that's one of the cool pieces of kind of how this fan experience is, is that these, feel like are problems that a lot of organizations are trying to solve. And we're hopefully bringing in some of the folks that are doing a pretty good job of this to help them kind of see what that looks like, that they could take some of these lessons learned and take it back to their own venue and apply those things.

Sean Callanan (32:26.925)
Absolutely. I mean, you're diving in there on some of the content and some of the things that has been changed based on the feedback from attendees in Las Vegas. One of them was, and one of the changes is quality over quantity. And so it has been a challenge as a steering committee member. There are six dedicated sessions for each track, six all-in sessions for everybody.

And so there's so many topics that can be tackled, but that's where I guess the steering committee has come in really handy to lock in what those six are and really making sure that those six sessions are really relevant, really current, looking really at solving problems. So those track sessions will be 45 minutes deep dive, a mix of panel and…

and conversations on and you've touched on some of them. And then we've got those six all in where we bring everyone together and try to bring that connectivity. And, one of the other things that was, I guess, feedback from SEAT Vegas was the value of those round table, round table sessions in that they're going to be held before lunch every day. And if you've never attended SEAT, a round table session is an open air discussion, discussing some, some of the

the issues of the day, whether it's recapping something that happened earlier in the day or discussing some of those big topics that are better done in a conversational atmosphere. think that, I guess, that changing to the, I guess the structure gives those two days, I guess, maximum output from my point of view. And I think, yeah, but like the challenges, like there's all of these things, as a steering committee member, we've really been focused on making sure that we're really hitting it out apart for each one of.

each one of those sessions. I mean, you've been overseeing the agenda as it sort of locks into place, Tetra style. Are you feeling comfortable in the structure that we've got for C2025?

Josh Barney (34:35.618)
Yeah, you brought up the general sessions. That's actually one of the ones that I think is going to be one of the most fun pieces in that. So as we have been playing the game of Tetris on this, getting these all to fit in appropriately, some of the things that we're able to do as a part of the content with these general sessions is quite exciting from the perspective of we're trying to do things that will help inspire people, that will show people maybe a different way to do stuff.

we brought the Country Music Association in. They're actually going to be doing a general session to talk about how they go in and view data and interact with their fans and have kind of a different maybe way for us to look in the sports industry at how they do things. So that's a great one. JMA, we're actually bringing in some big hitters for their stuff. I'm not gonna steal their thunder because we want to do our announcement on that one, but.

fantastic stuff. We've got InfoTech that's going to be coming in to talk about some of the data and research that they've been doing around the sports space specifically in that effort to try and help people, you know, not make as many emotional decisions, but give them some science behind it as well on why they need to do things maybe differently. One of the things I feel like we've seen from what happened in COVID is COVID…

gave us an actual great opportunity for us to reset as an industry and do things differently, adapt to what the landscape has changed for us. I mean, frankly, there's been teams I've talked to where it's turned out to where there's an opportunity for them to just get comfortable in how things were pre-COVID. And so bringing InfoTech in and groups like that to help people see that, you know, the industry changed, know, technology is no longer the same as what it was.

pre-COVID and helping us adapt with the right information is a great way for us to keep the industry moving forward and having them come and speak around that is fantastic. Then one that I'm actually super excited about is bringing in some of the OGs and having some of these people who've been technologists in this space for 30 plus years talk about what it looks like from the perspective of being uncomfortable with technology. And I mean that from the perspective of

Josh Barney (36:55.064)
Technology is an iterative process and having people who've seen pre-internet to where we're at right now and show what that process looks like, you know, is growing and making decisions that you don't know exactly what it's gonna turn out like, but that's the beauty of kind of technology is when we get it right, we get a beautiful product and we have amazing fan experiences because of that. And so…

One of the things in the industry that's been very common is copy and paste. We wait for somebody to go out and do something and then try and copy and paste what they've done. And one of the things we're going to have to start being a little bit more uncomfortable with is not necessarily being on the front of a technology wave, but being out a little bit further than we have before and knowing that we're being asked to do more with less, that we have typically smaller teams with fewer resources to be able to pull those things off.

This is one of those things of hearing from people who've been down the path and had to go through what that is. And they've done it for 30 plus years. I think is a fantastic opportunity for us and even the new individuals that we brought up in the industry to be able to go through and see what this looks like, to be able to have that opportunity to go in and learn from these people who've built the path that we're on.

Sean Callanan (38:16.07)
Well, I'll be very, I'm very, I'm looking forward to that. Cause I will be moderating that at that event with my good friends, Caleb off Steve recent Todd Catholician. It's not only that piece of how do you, how do you see technology in the future, but also how do you lean on friends and colleagues and community, which is a big part of to help understand what that solution is. You're not, know, you're not on an island and they've been terrific mentors for the industry.

and so how did they go about that? But then also, if you are coming up, how you can find a mentor, but then also how you can be a mentor, in the, in the future, because that's how, I guess the, our industry continues, continues to thrive. you've a couple of other sessions, which you've already, which you already mentioned, you know, the Miami dolphins talking about their data technology journey. the Savannah Savannah bananas and bananas. What am I doing?

in that fan experience space, obviously one that works, look forward to, and then one that has been a big talking point in the digital space is sort of breaking some of the norms, but looking at what works in game day in 2025. So, and sort of what still works, what should we not stop doing? And so that's where Seek can either be, that high-end theory, looking forward and what you're trying to do, but also practical things of…

Like you said, you know, copy and paste. I say steal with pride, like, I want to use that. I'm to use that from next week or from next season. So you can get both it that, you know, that strategy and that 30,000 foot view of what you should be doing and help set what you want to do. But then also there will be people with their, with their boots on the ground, still doing the work. and some, and some real useful tactical stuff that will happen in this in the sessions or in those follow-up sessions or.

a lot of times in those round table sessions where you get to ask the question, how did you do that? And it starts something that might take, might continue via email and phone calls very months into the future. But you sort of, gives you that spark of inspiration, as you said.

Josh Barney (40:30.978)
Yeah, one of the things as well is, you know, having a lot of conversations that I do with folks from the community, from the industry. And, you know, I have conversations with people who tell me over and over again that they've built their career from their networking and from the education pieces that came from SEAT. And specifically, I'll refer to myself in this as well. When I very first became a director of technology for the jazz.

there was an individual that I was corresponding with. He was one of the first people I interacted with on LinkedIn and that was Todd Cafflish and his recommendation around going to SEAT because where I was at in time and space, there was one other pro sports franchise in Salt Lake City, which was Real Salt Lake. And they had a little bit different things that they were doing. They were an outdoor stadium. I was in an indoor arena and most of the collegiate space, you know, between the University of Utah, BYU and some of those others weren't

They weren't quite as mature in their technology at that point in time. And so I didn't have anybody locally in Salt Lake that I could really turn to. And Todd recommended that I go to SEAT and have that opportunity. And it just happened to be that the NBA league meetings were happening at the same time as SEAT tied together in Vegas. So I got introduced that way. And a lot of the conversations I'm having with folks that are now the CIOs for these organizations or the SVPs of technology is,

they talk about how they've had their time at SEAT and that, and it was great help for them. And one of the things that I'm actually bringing up to people now is encouraging them to let the people who are below them in the organization have that opportunity as well to receive that mentorship, receive those opportunities to network with folks and really kind of give them a space for not only their own career progression,

but from the perspective of learning what other folks are doing and being able to have that conversation with them one-on-one that way, I feel like that's one of the biggest strengths of SEAT. And it's where I got the value from it when I was on the team side. And again, that's what I'm hoping to get out of this is that we give people opportunities to do what they do better and give them that opportunity to actually have a space to make those interactions better.

Sean Callanan (42:49.522)
Absolutely. And you know, I could definitely put my hand up as someone that has definitely benefited from the from the network and the connections and the conversations I've had at C's and yeah, that is that's I have the same conversations when I asked people are you going to C's this year and and if they say, I've got something else or I'm not playing or I'm in a different place from a you know, they're in a very senior position and that's not what they feel it definitely is well then, you know, take that advantage that you did you get

that you got and give it for your people. No, you know, that is, you know, can't be undecided enough from my point of view. So to wrap things up, Josh, travel wise and people coming in, you know, I know I'll be flying in on international on Saturday to enjoy a little bit of Nashville hospitality. that, that seem, you know, from your conversation, people who have registered, does that seem to be the…

I guess the game plan for many people coming in on the Saturday or Sunday.

Josh Barney (43:51.234)
Yeah, a lot of the folks that I've been talking to, know, and obviously flights are different from everywhere. So a lot of folks are arriving on either that Saturday night or Sunday morning based upon, you know, the availability of flights. So it's actually going to be kind of fun leading up to that. Again, from Nashville, just having every capability of entertaining you in whatever aspect you're looking for. There's a lot of fun stuff to do in space while you're there. And then, you know, for the flights out,

I really do encourage anybody who can stay for that Tuesday night event to be there. Just close out the event with something that's a proper Nashville event. And then for those who are interested in sticking in town a little bit longer, we actually have a suite at the Omni for those who want to be there on the 4th of July, that the suite will actually overlook Broadway where they do their fireworks show. So we'll host just kind of a little intimate party up there for anybody who wants to stay in town.

and watch the fireworks. It's gonna be a little bit of fun in a place where they apparently do like the third largest fireworks show in the country for the 4th of July here. So should be a lot of fun.

Sean Callanan (45:01.17)
It should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it. 2025, mean, you know, as we're releasing this episode, parts of the agenda and parts of the sessions that we have discussed on in this conversation will be released and more will be released. You can check it all out at seeconference.com or follow. If you're not following SEAT on LinkedIn, please do so. That's where you can engage with the community. And also finally,

announcements around the steering committee and connect with them. What you will find once you start engaging with the community, you will find, you know, almost a Kevin degree, Kevin degrees, seven degrees of separation, Kevin Bacon style is what I was trying to say. For the sports industry, you will, you will find that you do know someone that has been or is going. And as I said before, I found it to, you I've really always worked in welcoming new people, new people in knowing the benefit that I've got from SEAT.

Over, over the years, and, know, and it's always a lot for to find people and talk to people and they say, oh yes. Um, someone new is coming to sit and I'm, very happy to, you know, to welcome them and make sure they have a, a great experience. Um, because yeah, I've had one of the many years I've attended. So Josh, thank you very much for coming on the podcast. Um, and keeping SEAT, going, see 2025 Josh's versions at year three.

Really looking forward to it. And yeah, head to SeedConference.com to register if you have not done so and get your bookings in at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Looking forward to it.

Josh Barney (46:44.398)
Yeah, thank you, Sean. Appreciate you helping me get this message out there. I'm really looking forward to see everybody again here at Nashville. It's going to be a lot of fun.