Bryan Perez (left); Brian Peunicgeorge w. deloache (perez); marisa garcia photography (peunic)
Bryan Perez
Chief Executive Officer
Brian Peunic
Senior Vice President of Sports
AXS
The Los Angeles-based AXS stands as one of the largest primary ticketing providers in the business, servicing more than a dozen big-league teams, including the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets, and operates the Flash Seats resale platform. By virtue of the company’s relationships at both T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, both the NHL and NBA championships were won this year in buildings serviced by AXS. Perez, a former senior executive with NBA Digital, Live Nation and Clear Channel Entertainment, has led the company since 2014. Peunic has been in ticketing for more than a quarter century and has been a key figure in AXS’s continued merging of primary and secondary ticketing into a single platform. Under the pair, AXS in just its sixth full year of operation last year generated nearly $2.7 billion in ticket transaction volume.
Tickets to success
What do you see as the biggest change coming to ticketing in the next year? And in the next five years?
PEREZ: In the next year, increased use of mobile and identity-based ticketing as teams look to further connect with attendees and personalize experiences.
In the next five years, the rise of more sophisticated airlines-style revenue, inventory and sales channel management
What market segment does the sports industry need to do a better job with in ticketing and why?
PEREZ: A revolution has started in premium seating and we need to continue to rethink that proposition in light of today’s more communal and experiential consumer.
What can sports learn from ticketing in other forms of live entertainment?
PEREZ: While sports generally leads in ticketing experimentation and innovation, the festival business provides an opportunity to learn more about allowing individual fans to use ticketing to customize their event experience (GA vs. VIP vs. camping, cashless, proximity-based communication, etc.)
What do you see as ticketing’s role in live entertainment’s battle versus the couch?
PEREZ: There’s no substitute for the thrill of attending a live event. By reducing friction for ticket buyers — including helping them organize with friends, purchase more seamlessly, customize their experience and enter the venue more easily — we can make the live experience even more magical.
