His mission should he have chosen to accept was to represent Lighthouse at an international live events ticketing conference in Las Vegas. Luckily, to his great delight, our Audience Insight and Sales Manager Tom Shallaker was able to accept.
Here, without a hint of Hunter S Thompson's gonzo literary classic, is his report...
Last month, I was incredibly fortunate to attend the INTIX Annual Conference in Las Vegas – one of the world’s leading professional gatherings for people working in live events ticketing.
Having applied to the INTIX Professional Development and Education Fund, I was delighted to receive a scholarship that covered the full conference registration, travel, and accommodation costs. This meant that I was able to represent Lighthouse at a major international cultural ticketing event at no cost to the organisation.
The conference itself was a whirlwind. Over the course of a week, I took part in talks, workshops, seminars, round table and informal discussions covering a huge range of topics affecting the live events ticketing industry. One of the most prominent themes was the rapidly accelerating use of AI, and what this means for how audiences discover information and interact with ticketing platforms.
A particularly striking point was the growing shift away from traditional search engines and towards generative AI as a primary way for people to find information. As an industry, and this very much applies to Lighthouse, we have become highly skilled at optimising websites for platforms like Google.
However, the next challenge is to ensure our websites are structured in a way that AI tools can easily read, interpret and surface to potential bookers. It feels increasingly inevitable that audiences will soon expect to research and even book tickets via AI-powered tools, and attending the conference has given me real ambition to ensure Lighthouse is ahead of that curve rather than reacting to it later.
Beyond AI, there was extensive discussion around audience journeys and revenue optimisation. This included trends in upselling premium products and hospitality experiences at different stages of the booking process, and ways of building meaningful relationships with audiences from the moment they book, through to arrival at the venue, the event itself, and post-show engagement.
A recurring theme was that even the best performance can be undermined by poor experiences around it, whether that’s parking frustrations, long queues, overcrowded foyers, or slow bar service. One example that really stuck with me came from the Sphere in Las Vegas, where at the end of each show, staff line up to personally say goodbye to audiences as they leave. Regardless of how the show itself was received, this simple human moment leaves people with a strong positive impression of the venue.
There were also thoughtful round table discussions on the ethics and implementation of dynamic pricing, the value (and limitations) of venue apps, best practice in web and mobile design compared with other e-commerce sectors, and ongoing developments in accessible ticketing. These conversations were particularly valuable, as they went beyond theory and focused on what actually works in practice.
Alongside the education programme was a large exhibition hall featuring suppliers from across the ticketing and live events ecosystem. I saw demos of a wide range of platforms and spoke to companies offering tools that could support Lighthouse in improving conversion rates, income generation and customer experience.
These informal conversations were genuinely priceless – not just in seeing what technology exists, but in understanding how other organisations are using it successfully.
One of my biggest takeaways from the conference was confidence. While there are certainly ideas and innovations to bring back to Lighthouse, it was reassuring to see that we are already ahead of the game in many areas, particularly around upselling, pricing initiatives and audience insight. It was great to contribute to discussions and demonstrate that a regional arts centre on the south coast of England has plenty to offer, and teach, some of the major players from across the pond.
There were also a couple of standout experiences that could only happen at a conference like this.
On the first day, delegates were given the opportunity to tour Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. As a big NFL fan, seeing behind the scenes, from locker rooms to broadcast studios, was a personal highlight. Professionally, it was fascinating to see how such a new venue has been designed to maximise fan experience and create opportunities for hospitality, food and drink spend, making the event about far more than just the game.
Another very Vegas moment came during a conference lunch, when we were told there was a “special surprise”… only for Donny Osmond to emerge and perform live for the delegates! Surreal, unexpected, and unmistakably Las Vegas.
Fortunately, it wasn’t all work. On the Sunday before the conference, while battling jet lag, I met up with a few experienced INTIX delegates from the UK who very kindly took me under their wing. We spent the day watching the NFL playoffs, a huge day in the American sporting calendar, in a packed sports bar. It was an unforgettable way to experience the atmosphere around American sport.
After the conference, I had one final day before heading home, so I escaped the bright lights of the Strip and headed to Las Vegas’ Arts District. Having researched the area in advance (largely due to its many breweries), it was a brilliant contrast to the main tourist areas and offered what felt like a much more local, authentic experience.
Overall, attending INTIX was an invaluable opportunity. I’ve returned with practical ideas, renewed ambition, and a strong sense of pride in the work we’re already doing at Lighthouse. I’m hugely grateful to INTIX for the scholarship that made the trip possible, and I’m excited about how we can continue to evolve our ticketing, digital and audience strategies in the years ahead.
Photo credit: CC BY-SA 3.0
Our man in Vegas
