How AI, fandom, and frictionless experiences are transforming partnerships—and why the time to act is now.

Last week, our Trak team—Cameron Oliver (CEO) and Charles Reynolds (CRO)—had the privilege of attending the Horizon Summit, hosted by the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. This unique gathering brought together visionary leaders across sports, entertainment, technology, and sponsorship.

Over two days, one message resonated loud and clear: the way we engage fans, build loyalty, and drive business in an AI-first, experience-driven world is being redefined.

Here are the key takeaways still echoing for me—and why they matter if you’re responsible for sponsorships, partnerships, fan engagement, or brand experience.

🧠 1. The “Intelligent Stadium” Goes Far Beyond Wi-Fi and Screens

Costa Kladianos (49ers) and Neda Tabatabaie (San Jose Sharks) are leading the charge in creating “intelligent stadiums.” Their vision—powered by partners like NetApp, SAP, and Intel—integrates AI at every touchpoint, not merely infrastructure upgrades.

Their mission: unlock better decision-making, deliver real-time fan insights, and upskill employees instead of replacing them.

“AI isn’t about cutting 50% of jobs—it’s about unlocking 50% more value from your people.” – Neda Tabatabaie

Takeaway: The future of partnerships lies in AI-augmented employees, smarter workflows, and rapid iteration. What once took weeks can now happen in real time—with personalization and security at the forefront.

🎥 2. Content is Still King—But Context is Queen

At DreamWorks, Skottie Miller revealed that a single animated movie generates 2.7 petabytes of data. They’re harnessing that data to predict fan trends, improve storytelling, and accelerate production—all while vigilantly protecting IP with the help of partners like NetApp.

Across organizations—from HBSE to Slate and Team Liquid—there’s a surge in tools that automate clip creation, generate content, and adapt narratives to match what fans truly care about.

“More content, faster, with more relevance.” – Skottie Miller

Takeaway: If your brand or property isn’t telling personalized stories at scale, you’re already behind. AI isn’t just delivering faster answers—it’s enabling us to ask better questions.

📣 3. Fan Experience Is the Product

For leaders like Kaitlin Bailey (Seattle Sounders) and Alex Meyer (LA Clippers), fan experience has become the frontline of value creation. The Sounders’ “First Match On Us” campaign drove huge increases in new fan engagement, while the Clippers are exploring interactive cup holders and biometric seat recognition to gamify the arena experience.

Shayna Sangster of the Indiana Fever demonstrated that fandom connected to identity and culture—beyond just team wins—can spark dramatic results, including a staggering 1,210% spike in merchandise sales and billions of digital engagements.

“Being a fan gives you purpose. It’s about feeling together.” – Shayna Sangster

Takeaway: You’re not just competing with other teams anymore—you’re competing with people’s couches, social feeds, and shrinking attention spans. Experience is the new differentiator, and it’s wildly sponsorable.

🔄 4. The Best Partnerships Start Internally

Kendall Peters (Minnesota Vikings) underscored a critical point: internal alignment is just as crucial as external execution. The Vikings’ cross-functional “Red + Blue = Be Purple” approach has transformed insights into action, driving season ticket member satisfaction and retention rates up to 99%.

Meanwhile, Whitney Goodman (HBSE) and Jim Caruso (Elevate) are developing centralized collaboration toolkits to ensure every partner has access to living dashboards and storytelling strategies tied to real business outcomes—not just vanity metrics.

Takeaway: If your sponsorships feel disconnected, start by creating alignment across marketing, sales, and operations. The true ROI lives in the seams.

💥 5. AI Isn’t a Feature—It’s the Foundation

Speaker after speaker emphasized this reality: we’ve moved beyond experimenting with AI. We’re now building entire businesses on top of it.

James Slagle (Shift4) showcased how tokenization is transforming anonymous fans into known individuals. Meanwhile, Vinod Khosla (Khosla Ventures) and Tom Giles (Bloomberg) cautioned that while some jobs will be replaced, passion and purpose will continue to thrive—especially in entertainment and sports.

“If everyone is right about AI, we’ll all need more entertainment.” – Vinod Khosla

Takeaway: Don’t merely ask, “How do we use AI?” Instead, ask: “What does a business built on AI allow us to do that we couldn’t before?”

🏁 Final Thought: Action, Not Admiration

The Horizon Summit wasn’t just inspiring—it was activating.

It reminded me that those who will win in the coming era are the ones who can connect insight to impact the fastest—whether that’s selling sponsorships, nurturing fan relationships, or reinventing legacy workflows.

At Trak, we’re building our platform and partnerships with this future in mind: smarter systems, cleaner data, and storytelling that drives real business outcomes.

If any of these insights spark a question or an idea, let’s connect.

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