The best sessions at TLCC feel like a conversation among the whole room.

At TLCC London this past March, we tried something new to generate more of those conversations. For the first time, we curated multi-sponsor panels organized around a single compelling theme. The idea was simple. First, bring together partners who have something meaningful to say to each other and to the Tessitura community. Then, create the conditions for presentation and conversation.

The result was two of the most engaging sessions we've seen on the TLCC stage. I’m pleased to share a glimpse into these lively, informative discussions.

AI in arts technology

With Capacity and Double Eagle Consulting

This panel brought together two partners with distinct but complementary perspectives on how artificial intelligence is reshaping how arts organizations work. The broad and curious crowd enjoyed a genuine exchange of ideas. Here are four pieces of advice this discussion shared:

1. Provide guidelines.

Staff are already experimenting with AI tools, whether leadership has a policy or not. The organizations ahead of the curve are the ones that provided clear guidance to their teams.

2. Cut through the overwhelm with these four pillars: literacy, vision, policy, and governance.

In other words: Do we understand AI? Why are we using it? What is allowed? Who is accountable? If your organization feels stuck, this framework offers an actionable starting point.

3. Start with the problem, not the tool.

A case study from the San Francisco Opera showed how AI can accelerate a human-led strategy. Their problem: Nine out of ten first-time ticket buyers were disappearing before the season ended. That challenge became the compass, and AI supercharged every phase from research to execution.

4. Human creativity stays at the center.

AI works best when it frees up humans to do more of what only they can do. That includes the people who understand your mission, your audiences and your own voice.

Audience behavior

A sponsor panel at TLCC London 2026. Photo by Ben Hines.

With Digonex, easy-connect and Queue-It

This panel tackled the layered challenge of understanding and responding to patron behavior across the ticketing and attendance journey. The discussion centered around three themes: understanding behavior, exceeding expectations and driving revenue.

Here are my top four takeaways from this rich discussion:

1. The Tessitura community is solving real problems together.

This session brought together three Tessitura partners tackling some of the most pressing challenges in arts ticketing: mobile conversion, audience engagement, and revenue optimization. The energy in the room reflected what makes the TLCC community special. Partners sharing what's actually working at member organizations!

2. Mobile is where your audience lives, and the data proves it.

73% of web traffic is mobile. 90% of mobile time is spent in apps, not browsers. easy-connect showed that organizations building native app experiences are seeing one in three users complete a purchase. That conversion rate would be the envy of any e-commerce team. The arts can compete on digital experience, and Tessitura members are proving it.

3. The waiting room just got a whole lot more interesting.

Queue-it flipped the script on the on-sale experience. That moment when thousands of your most passionate fans are queued and waiting is not dead time — it’s peak attention. Tessitura members are using that window to drive membership sign-ups, promote sponsors and build brand affinity. Most of all, they’re engaging audiences in ways that make the wait feel like part of the experience.

4. Dynamic pricing is a tool, not a philosophy.

Digonex reminded us that dynamic pricing is as flexible as you make it. Organizations set the rules, the floors, the ceilings and the scope. Subscriptions and group tickets stay protected. The algorithm advises, and you decide. The results speak for themselves with typical revenue lifts of 5–20% or more. And Tessitura powers the integration every step of the way. 

Insights from knowledgeable voices in arts technology

Our sponsors are some of the most knowledgeable practitioners in the arts technology space. They work alongside Tessitura members every day, and they bring real-world insight that's hard to replicate in any other format. Curated panels give that expertise room to breathe and give members a chance to hear it in context, tested against other points of view. For sponsors, the format offers something valuable too: visibility alongside peers and the kind of audience engagement that comes from a room that's genuinely invested in the topic.

Attendance at both sessions reflected something we've long believed: when the content is substantive and the perspectives are varied, members show up.

An invitation to our sponsors

We're building this approach into our future programming. You asked for more opportunities to present at TLCC, and we listened! Panel presentations allow us to spotlight multiple experts within a single session. That helps us make the most of the limited number of session slots. As we develop future conference sessions, we'll actively identify opportunities to pair or group sponsors around themes that matter most to the community, and to you.

If you have ideas for topics that would benefit from this kind of conversation, or if you're interested in suggesting a future panel topic, we’d love to hear from you.

The best sessions at TLCC have always felt like a conversation the whole room was part of. This is our way of making more of them.

•     •     •     

Top photo by Benjamin Hines