From left: Scott Jablonski, Jill Kimmel, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy and Perkins Millerhans kwiotek
Scott Jablonski
General Manager, NFL, NBA and NHL
Jill Krimmel
General Manager, MLB, NCAA and Other Sports
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy
President
Perkins Miller
General Manager, North America
StubHub
The eBay-owned company still reigns as the biggest brand in secondary ticketing, despite years of challenges from various players, and the past two years have been marked by a series of company sales records around major sports events such as the Super Bowl, World Series and Stanley Cup Final. Singh Cassidy, a longtime tech executive and entrepreneur, arrived last month as StubHub’s new president and will be a key figure in the company’s growing international aspirations. Miller, well known in the industry after prior stints at the NFL, WWE and NBC Sports, leads the company’s North American business. And Krimmel and Jablonski oversee StubHub’s critical league partnerships, notably large-scale pacts with Major League Baseball and the NFL.
Tickets to success
What do you see as the biggest change coming to ticketing in the next year? Five years?
MILLER: Fans will expect more from their tickets this year — not only the best selection at the best price, but ease of access (mobile!), better ways to share and buy tickets with friends and even more robust customer support.
Looking further out, we will see far richer personalization for every seller and buyer.
What market segment does the sports industry need to do a better job with in ticketing and why?
MILLER: Gen Z, women, and the LGBTQ community are all underserved audiences in sports.
What can sports learn from ticketing in other forms of live entertainment?
MILLER: Offering complementary commerce alongside tickets. We know there’s demand for sports merchandise and memorabilia, which could enhance the ticket buyer experience.
What do you see as ticketing’s role in live entertainment’s battle versus the couch?
MILLER: We must do more than reduce the friction of going out by making discovery and planning easy. We must go beyond working with rights holders to ensure ease of access and the best pricing. Finally, we have a responsibility to effectively market events so fans recognize the value of “being live.”
