Recently, I had the honor of hosting and moderating a virtual leadership roundtable featuring tech innovators planning for some of the largest, most tech-sophisticated digital entertainment venues in the world.

The power-packed lineup included Derrick Hill, Vice President of Cox Business and Hospitality Network at Cox Communications, Skarpi Hedinsson, CTO of SoFi Stadium & Hollywood Park, Matt Pasco, Vice President of Technology for The Las Vegas Raiders, and Steve Szabo, Vice President of Wireless, IoT, and Partnerships at Verizon Business. There was a wealth of knowledge to be gained from these four individuals packed into an hour.

In our conversation, we touched on the many technological innovations that are influencing business decisions right now as many teams prepare to kick-off their first-ever season without fans in stadiums. Many are balancing shifts between long term planning and the pivot to the short term as a result of the pandemic. With the return to play for many teams this weekend, new ideas have emerged re means for generating revenue, evolving the fan experience, and more. We cannot underestimate the amount of planning and coordination that each of our panelists has been involved in to execute strategies for opening day amidst the pandemic and map a blueprint for how we need to operate venues differently for the future.

Throughout the session, they shared different examples demonstrating how they used the latest technology innovations to provide the best fan experience and create opportunities for continued growth and improvements. Everyone agreed the latest innovation