After being cooped up indoors with few opportunities to socialize, people yearned to break the crushing isolation they had experienced during the pandemic. Over the past two years, younger generations, in particular, have been “revenge life”, spending on travel and other lavish experiences to make up for lost time.
It’s there Live authentica dedicated company launched by Authentic Brand Groupstepped in to create, organize and host live events as well as immersive experiences. These outings connect more than 50 brands from the group, including Sports Illustrated, Shaquille O’Neal, and many others, who have become particularly popular with Generation Z and millennials. The company, at its 50+ flagship events per year (plus other lifestyle and corporate events), combines celebrity heat, premium pricing, and data-driven results on the biggest tentpoles, like the Super Bowl, F1, Kentucky Derby, and more.
“Getting out of COVID [the] The generation behind me is hungry for tactile experiences and wants to be in the arena,” said Dan Dienst, executive vice president of tactical opportunities at Authentic Brands Group. Fortune.
Photo courtesy of Authentic Live.
One of these major upcoming events is Shaq’s Fun Housewhich will take place on the Friday night before the Super Bowl next month. Dienst described it as a musical experience, more of an outdoor carnival with rides, booths and performances from Tiësto, T-Pain and Disco Lines.
But this isn’t just any old carnival: Ticket prices start at $250 for general admission and cost up to $1,550 for shared VIP tables.
“When someone buys a ticket with their hard-earned money, whether it’s general admission or VIP, they tend to really enjoy themselves,” Dienst said. Fortune. “And that energy uplifts everyone.”
Photo courtesy of Authentic Live
On the Saturday night before the Super Bowl, they will also host SI: The partywhere The Chainsmokers and Ludacris will perform. Ticket prices start at $450 and go up to $133,000 for VIP tables on stage.
Authentic Live’s input on audience expectations and cultural context helps shape the look and feel of events, said Justin Toman, vice president of partnerships at Verizon. Fortune. (Verizon is one of the partners of SI: The Party and also works with Authentic Live on other events.)
Of course, Authentic Live doesn’t just exist to let people have fun. It also functions as a more immersive way to raise brand awareness among partners. While Authentic Live declined to share its revenue totals, 65,000 consumers attended its events in 2025, garnering 324 million social media impressions and more than 35 billion media impressions.
“Authentic Live excels at protecting what a brand stands for while encouraging new ways for consumers to engage,” Toman said, highlighting Authentic Live’s help with creative development, production, talent search, marketing and media services.
Another major event organized by Authentic Live, in partnership with Sports Illustratedhosts events during F1 races, notably in Austin Circuit of the Americas where it features 50,000 square feet of premium event space, including the President’s Club and Owner’s Athletic Club. Dienst said event attendees pay “thousands of dollars” for one- or three-day passes.
Live authentic with Sports Illustrated also partners with Churchill Downs to help “elevate” the Kentucky Derby guest experience, Casey Ramage, senior consultant at Churchill Downs Racecoursesaid Fortune. It also helped the racetrack achieve its “goal of engaging a new generation of racing fans,” Ramage added.
With its extensive experiential portfolio, Authentic Live made the event unique by decorating the space with the Kentucky Derby and Sports Illustrated memorabilia so guests can see what the Derby looked like from the 1950s.
“They bring a deep understanding of what resonates with modern sports audiences and combine it with a meticulous, collaborative approach to creating memorable live experiences,” Ramage said.
Generation Z and the experience economy
Over the last couple of years in particular, more brands have leaned into and invested in more experiential opportunities for fans and consumers. In addition to the work of Authentic Live, brands from Coach to Netflix have invested in spaces where consumers can experience brands in new and different ways.
Taking inspiration from the Ralph Lauren playbookCoach opened a cafe, which was a instant success with Generation Zand Netflix opened immersive rooms recreate Stranger Things And Squid game sets. An Eventbrite report released on January 14 also shows that nearly 80% of Gen Z and millennials expect to attend more events in 2026, and more of them crave active participation in events instead of passively watching them.
Authentic Live takes this energy and interest in immersive experiences to a whole new level, as some consumers can expect to shell out thousands of dollars to attend their events, depending on the ticket type and the event itself.
This aligns with Gen Z’s desire for life-changing experiences at a time when they aspire to be in the top 1%. In fact, Gen Z on average thinks an annual salary of $587,797 and a net worth of $9.47 million are necessary to envision “financial success,” according to a 2024 study. study by the financial company Empower. This is much higher than any other generation.
Photo courtesy of Authentic Live
“We are really good at talking [Gen Z and millennials] …not that we ignore my generation,” Dienst, originally from Gen Xsaid. “We’re really good at organizing that mix of people.”
The success of these events depends on a “cocktail” of top talent, perfect touchpoints and value, he added, whether it’s a custom ski retreat in Aspen for 200 people or a 9,000-person Super Bowl party. Beyond sporting events, lifestyle brands like Champion show at New York Fashion Week, mixing influencers, celebrities and 80 years of brand DNA.
“We’re really good at bringing warmth to a brand,” Dienst said.
To put things into perspective, he described Authentic Live as Disney working backwards. With Authentic Brands as the second-largest licensing company in the world (only behind Disney), they started with iconic brands like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Shaq, then built social followings to tell stories.
“Disney started with content,” Dienst explained. “We’re coming the other way.”
Although Gen Z may be priced out of homeownership, they still experience FOMO. For them, a $1,000 party isn’t an indulgence, it’s an identity. And with that, Authentic Live is betting big: premium access trumps endless scrolls.
As Dienst says, Authentic Live events are not stale corporate mash-ups, but “wholesome” entertainment that is mutually beneficial for consumers and brands. In a world of infinite content, being on-site is the new luxury, and Authentic Live sells it by the thousands.
