Opening Keynote Address
“Emerging technology has a powerful influence on customer expectations–and how airports can exceed them.
Hear from an executive who has built successful careers on both sides of the equation: a seasoned Silicon Valley tech executive who now leads a major league sports franchise with a primary focus on creating memorable customer experiences.”
Jonathan Becher, President, Sharks Sports & Entertainment

And there’s more still to come from the San Jose Sharks, both on the ice and at SAP Center. There’s still hope, in the near-future, for a sports and entertainment district anchored by the renovated arena.

“This is not the end. This is the beginning,” Becher said. “The Shark Tank has always been the convening place for the City of San Jose. We think it’ll be the convening place for all of Silicon Valley, coming forward. And so we start today, but this is the beginning of a journey, and you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Sharks president Jonathan Becher recently spoke to NBC Sports California’s Alan Hoshida about why the overhaul of SAP Center is so necessary.

“Look, we all love this [place],” Becher told Hoshida. “This has been the heart of the Sharks for 30-plus years, it’s an iconic venue but it’s starting to show its age. The way you designed buildings in the 80s is different then you would design buildings now. And so you’re basically at a crossroads. Do you tear the baby down and try to build something new, which is really hard to do in Silicon Valley? Or do you say, ‘What would happen if I re-imagined how the building works?’

“What if I pretended I didn’t have 30 years of history and said, ‘How can we re-imagine the way the Tank works?’ How people approach it, how they get in, how they experience it, what the spaces look like. And so it’s the difference between changing the paint, like you might at your house vs. tearing it down to the studs and thinking [about] it all over again and we’re doing something closer to the second [option].”

Beyond filling more seats at SAP Center, the Sharks are seeing double-digit percentage increases across television viewership, merchandise sales and food and beverage revenue, with one executive crediting a significantly higher marketing budget and social media strategy.

Brodie Brazil talks with Sharks President Jonathan Becher about the updated lease agreement for SAP Center and plans for the building.