8:30–9:00 a.m. — Registration & Breakfast
9:00–9:20 a.m. — Welcome & Research Framing: Questions for the AI-Enabled Experience Economy
A concise intro into experience-economy and AI research to establish the questions that will organize the day.
Harbir Singh, Mack Professor of Management, The Wharton School; Faculty Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management
Valery Yakubovich, Executive Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management
9:20–9:50 a.m. — Designing and Measuring Experiences That Build Loyalty
A practitioner perspective on how organizations design, operate, measure, and continuously improve experiences rather than treating them as one-off events.
Jonathan Yaffe, Co-Founder & CEO, AnyRoad
9:50 a.m.–10:30 a.m. — The 2026 FIFA Cup as a Citywide Experience Ecosystem
A retrospective on the physical and digital fan journey across the stadium, fan festival, media, transportation, hospitality, and city operations.
Michelle Singer, Senior Vice President, Political Engagement, Comcast; Co-Chair, Philadelphia Soccer 2026
Lauren Lambrugo, Chief Operating Officer, Philadelphia Soccer 2026
Charlie Slonaker, Chief Revenue Officer, Philadelphia Union
Moderated by Patti Williams, Sr. Vice Dean, Ira A. Lipman Associate Professor, The Wharton School
10:30–10:50 a.m. — Coffee Break
10:50 a.m.–11:20 p.m. — Experience Ecosystem Complementors: Media & Commerce
How complementors shape a fan’s total experience before, during, and after an event, and how they coordinate data, incentives, and service standards.
Saj Cherian, Head of Fanatics Ventures, Fanatics
Lora Dennis, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal
Moderated by Raghu Iyengar, Miers-Busch W’1885 Professor of Marketing, The Wharton School
11:20–12:05 p.m. — Connecting Employee and Fan Experiences
Fan experiences are shaped by frontline employees—whose work is increasingly influenced by AI-enabled technologies—and this discussion explores how strengthening the employee experience can enhance the fan experience and help organizations see employees as participants in the experience economy, not merely sources of labor.
Sam Fuld, President of Business Operations, Philadelphia Phillies
Scott McDade, VP of Data Science, Aramark
Arlen Shenkman, President & Chief Financial Officer, UKG
Moderated by Jonathan Yaffe, Co-Founder & CEO, AnyRoad
12:05–1:00 p.m. — Lunch
1:00–1:40 p.m. — Mass Customization, Agents, and Smart Venues
Exploring AI use cases in fan engagement, navigation, service, operations, content, and venue infrastructure with attention to both opportunity and boundaries.
Jenna Kurath, Executive Director, Sport Technology & SportsTech Business Development, Comcast Business
SportsTech businesses (Satisfi Labs, Comcast Sports360, PAM)
Moderated by Valery Yakubovich, Executive Director, Mack Institute
1:40–2:10 p.m. — Designing the Arena of 2031 for Experiences We Cannot Yet Predict
The new South Philadelphia arena will become operational in 2031 when AI, digital media, fan expectations, and the relationship between physical and virtual experiences will be very different from today. How can the arena be designed as a platform for experiences that have not yet been invented?
Philip Laws, Chief Operating Officer, Comcast Spectacor
2:10 –2:30 a.m. — Coffee Break
2:30–3:20 p.m. — Design Studios: Building the 2031 Fan Experience Roadmap for the New South Philadelphia Arena
Participants work in facilitated groups to apply the insights and evidence from the previous sessions to a future fan journey. Each group proposes priority capabilities, a boundary on AI adoption, and a near-term pilot that can generate learning before 2031.
3:20–3:50 p.m. — Studio Report-Backs & Cross-Group Synthesis
3:50–4:00 p.m. — Research Agenda, Pilot Opportunities & Next Steps