On this episode of Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast, cohosts Diane Brady, executive editorial director of the Fortune CEO Initiative and Fortune Live Media, and editorial director Kristin Stoller talk to Gillian Zucker, the CEO of Halo Sports & Entertainment and president of business operations for the Los Angeles Clippers. They talk about the unique ways Zucker is putting fans in seats, what she’s learned from team owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and preparing the Clippers’ Intuit Dome for the 2028 Olympics.
Gillian Zucker: That’s the most amazing thing about this building. I describe it in Steve Ballmer terms, which is: the building itself is a piece of hardware, and the way that it operates inside is a piece of software, and it changes literally every day. So, you know, this entire summer, we’re working on, how do we make people’s jaws drop when they come in and they see this Halo board? Which they saw all out of last year, but it does things that they could have never imagined.
Diane Brady: Hi, everyone. Welcome to Leadership Next. The podcast about the people…
Kristin Stoller: …and trends…
Brady: …that are shaping the future of business. I’m Diane Brady.
Stoller: And I’m Kristin Stoller.
Stoller: Yes, you and I met her at our COO Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona…
Brady: …sweltering Scottsdale…
Stoller: …very hot. June day, 107 degrees. She spoke with me on stage before we did this interview, in front of our attendees…
Brady: …rubber chicken in hand…
Stoller: …yeah that was—in the green room, she came up to me and said, “Can I bring this rubber chicken that makes noise on stage? And can I also bring this drink cup that is a sound maker.” I cleared it with our sound people, and they said, “Yes,” so…
Brady: …that was a loud cup. And I have to say this is one of the most tech savvy organizations. Of course, Ballmer, being the former CEO of Microsoft, you would expect no less. But incredible what that stadium has.
Stoller: Yeah it’s really cool. The tech is amazing. I’m sure having a boss like Steve Ballmer is a little intimidating. She beat out 30 candidates, I might add, for that role. But on stage, she was telling me–and what I thought was a little big brother creepy, but I also could see the appeal–is they can track the decibel level of every fan down to the individual seat. So if you’re screaming the loudest Diane, you might get a seat upgrade. You might get a freebie. Who knows
Brady: And you thought facial recognition was cool? Yes, now they can track your voice. I think, look, I think it’s incredible what they’re doing. It’s “The Wall,” as they call it. We’ll hear more about that from her. I will say that Ceylan, who many of the viewers and listeners don’t get to see every week, but is the brains behind this—she’s working the camera as we speak. She and I went to a game at Madison Square Garden, very different, of course, in terms of where its technology is, and it was a game that the Clippers won. So the experience of being in a Knicks-heavy stadium with Zucker, yeah, I will talk to her about that as, Oh, please,
Stoller: Yeah, as a Mets season ticket holder, we need all of the insights on what we can do with our stadiums here in New York.
Leadership Next episodes are produced by Fortune‘s editorial team. The views and opinions expressed by podcasters and guests are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions of Deloitte or its personnel. Nor does Deloitte advocate or endorse any individuals or entities featured on the episodes.
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