UC 2026: Elevating Operational Excellence Through Peer Learning and Innovation

For the past 16 years, our team has hosted our User Conference (UC) to bring together customers, partners, and industry leaders for an immersive experience focused on what is next in operations, technology, and the guest experience. This gathering serves as a space for customer growth and the sharing of authentic success stories across the global user community.

Sessions utilize a customer-led format where venue leaders share their firsthand experiences rather than company staff giving presentations. The primary goal is to connect users from various sectors, such as entertainment arenas and stadiums, to highlight new ways to solve organizational issues using the platform.

Attendees benefit from peer learning by seeing how high-profile venues such as the Boston Red Sox utilize their data to drive results. The event helps operations teams identify specific areas where they can expand use of the platform to maximize its value.

Current industry trends show a push to modernize internal systems so that operational technology matches the high-end exterior of new or renovated facilities. New leadership teams want internal operations to reflect the modern guest experience while finding ways to do more with less through automation.

Understanding these trends is essential for any professional looking to keep pace with the industry. The following insights from UC 2026 demonstrate how to bridge the gap between back-of-house technology and front-of-house expectations.

Product Evolution and the Convergence of Safety and Security

During the “Take the Blue Pill” session, we explored how users are using the platform to narrow the gap between health, safety, and security teams through unified workflows. It was inspiring to see how different departments are beginning to speak the same language.

To support this goal, we focused on several key areas of development:

• Improvements in health and safety modules ensure that medical and security responses are coordinated within a single communication thread.
• The strategic integration of AI is designed to drive platform adoption by making data insights more accessible to every level of the organization.
• Future growth in the platform centers on providing deeper insights that help teams anticipate needs before they become critical issues.

Achieving a Single Pane of Glass Through Venue Automation

In a collaborative session on venue automation, attendees shared how 24/7 Software acts as a single pane of glass that integrates an entire ecosystem of third-party vendors. By consolidating data from ticketing and weapon detection systems, users found they could eliminate silos and maintain a 360-degree view of the venue.

This level of integration provides several distinct advantages for venue managers:

• Integrated data provides actionable context by tracking an event from the initial alert through the final resolution and documentation.
• Situational awareness is improved when dispatchers and managers can view all active streams in one centralized interface.
• Removing technical silos allows for a faster response when multiple departments need to act on the same information.

Leadership Engagement and Workflow Transparency

We also hosted a candid discussion on leadership engagement, focusing on the fact that long-term operational success requires active buy-in from high-level executives such as CEOs and General Managers. Consensus in the room was clear: Leadership is more effective when they can study the daily workflows of frontline staff.

This alignment is maintained through a few core principles:

• Mutual support is achieved when directors understand operator challenges and operators have visibility into the metrics directors need.
• Bridging the gap between the executive suite and the venue floor ensures the entire organization is aligned on safety and efficiency goals.
• Transparency in how tasks are completed leads to more realistic expectations and better resource allocation.

Designing the Future of Data and Analytics

One of the most practical segments of the conference focused on data and analytics, where we explored how tools are shifting the industry standard from reactive reporting to real-time decision-making.

Users of our platform who manage high-traffic environments are now using data in more practical, everyday ways:

• Venues use historical data spikes in areas such as restroom maintenance or parking incidents to preemptively adjust staffing for future events.
• Concrete data serves as the necessary documentation to justify operational changes to superiors, such as linking high temperatures to specific spikes in medical calls.
• Automating the data collection process removes the burden of manual pen-and-paper or Excel tracking, saving significant time for the entire team.

The Meaningful Application of AI

While it seems like AI is the hot topic in every industry today, our session zeroed in on the meaningful application of AI, which is focused on improving workflows and reducing the training burden rather than adding technology for its own sake.

Our road map includes several initiatives to ensure these tools remain practical:

• Future self-service analytics will empower users to build their own charts and extract specific insights without needing technical expertise.
• Addressing AI fatigue is a priority, ensuring that AI features are presented as helpful tools that support, rather than distract from, the mission.
• Meaningful automation helps new staff get up to speed faster by simplifying complex data entry.

Keynote Insights: Precision Under Pressure

One of the biggest highlights of our User Conference included insights from NASA Rocket Scientist Jordan Evans. The energy shifted during his session, where he shared strategies for solving highly complex problems under
strict deadlines.

The keynote emphasized the necessity of getting a solution right on the first try and maintaining team cohesion under extreme pressure. These principles of precision and leadership were highly resonant for those working in the high-stakes environment of live events and public safety.

Building a Proactive Future Together

User Conference 2026 reinforced that the most effective way to improve operations is through the shared wisdom of the global venue community.

By modernizing internal operations, facilities can meet the high expectations of today’s fans and guests who expect seamless safety and service. This transition allows teams to move from a reactive posture to a proactive, data-driven approach where issues are identified before they escalate.

We hope these insights were helpful as you start to think about your current workflows and identify where you might make improvements.

If you’d like to learn more about the platform highlighted during User Conference 2026, we’d be happy to show you how it can be applied to your specific venue or entertainment arena. Contact our team to request a demo of 24/7 Software!