Building Stadium Experiences for Everyone

At InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas, Josh Barney, CEO of the Sports and Entertainment Alliance in Technology (SEAT), stepped off the Spotlight stage after delivering a talk that touched on one of the industry's most pressing shifts: stadiums are no longer built solely around the sports product. They are being designed for everyone. Barney sat down with Matt Sulkowski of Crimson AV and the LED Experts Group to unpack what that means in practice and to preview SEAT's upcoming annual conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Accessibility as a core design priority

Barney's Spotlight presentation centered on fan experience with a particular focus on accessibility, drawing on work being done at venues like FC Barcelona's stadium. The core argument was straightforward: if a venue only serves a narrow segment of potential attendees, it is leaving value on the table, both commercially and culturally. New tools and technologies now available to stadium operators are making it possible to bring in audiences who previously could not fully participate in the live experience.

Barney connected the subject to his own life in a moment that resonated with the crowd. "The conversation today was around fan experiences and what the task of stadiums have in this moment in time where they're not just building experiences for sports anymore," he said. "It's building for everybody." The personal dimension of that framing, including references to his family, gave the technical discussion an emotional grounding that Sulkowski noted visibly landed with the audience.

From network engineer to SEAT CEO

Barney's path to leading SEAT is itself a case study in what the organization is designed to do. He spent twelve years working for the Utah Jazz, during which time he attended SEAT as a regular member looking for resources and peer connections. A renovation of the Delta Center in 2017 exposed the limits of his background as a network engineer. LED systems, digital signage, and broader AV infrastructure were outside his expertise, and SEAT became the place where he could close those gaps.

"I didn't know about LED. I didn't know about digital signage, and SEAT became that place where I was able to have the conversations and be able to form those relationships that I stick to this day," Barney said. That firsthand experience as an end user now shapes how he runs the organization and what he prioritizes for its membership.

Charlotte conference brings the community together

The annual SEAT Conference is scheduled for June 20th at the Charlotte Convention Center, with a welcome reception at Bank of America Stadium on the 28th. Barney described that opening event as a family reunion, a chance for attendees who have built relationships over years to reconnect in a major venue environment. The program also includes a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 29th and a closing event at Spectrum Center with the Charlotte Hornets, giving attendees direct exposure to several distinct venue types across a single conference.

For professionals in sports technology, venue operations, and AV integration who want to learn more or connect with Barney directly, the organization can be reached at seatconference.com. Barney noted he responds personally to emails sent to josh@seatconference.com and is also active on LinkedIn and the organization's social channels.