Turning engagement into impact: LAVA Moments 2025 recap

Last month, LAVA customers, partners, and team members came together for the very first LAVA Moments customer conference. Hosted at the InterContinental LA Downtown, the two-day event (September 18–19, 2025) brought together leaders from across sports, entertainment, retail, and more to explore how AI and real-time engagement are reshaping customer loyalty.

From inspiring keynotes and fireside chats with industry leaders to hands-on product training, customer success stories, and the debut of new LAVA product updates, the conference showcased the future of customer engagement in action. Our agenda included an impressive roster of speakers from the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Lions, Portland Trailblazers, Los Angeles FC, Angel City FC, Apple, Adobe, Wicket, Ogilvy One, and even a surprise appearance from Metta World Peace and welcome message from Shaquille O’Neal.

But more than product updates and panels, LAVA Moments was about connection, celebrating how brands are designing experiences that delight customers, deepen loyalty, and unlock measurable business impact.

Customer spotlights & awards: Celebrating innovation in action

The most inspiring moments at the event came from our customers and industry leaders who are redefining what engagement, loyalty, and community mean today. From the Detroit Lions always looking for new ways to transform gameday experiences and the Indianapolis Colts expanding fan rewards through a first-of-its-kind partnership with Fanatics, to the Sacramento Kings sharing their journey to becoming NBA Team of the Year and winner of the NBA Innovation Award — each story demonstrated how powerful innovation can be when it’s built around creating moments that truly matter.

We also honored a few LAVA customers whose creativity and collaboration have shaped LAVA’s own journey, recognizing those who have been exceptional partners to us throughout the years.

• 6th Man of the Year Award - John Rinehart, President of the Sacramento Kings

• MVP of the Year Award - Tim Zenner, Sr. Director of Ticketing & Fan Engagement at the Detroit Lions

• Rookie of the Year Award - Charlie Shin, VP of Analytics & Digital Innovation at the Indianapolis Colts

• Crafty Veteran Award - Christian Lau, CTO of Los Angeles Football Club

Introducing LAVA gamification + rewards marketplace

While some updates aren’t ready to share on the blog just yet, one of the key product announcements made at the conference was the launch of LAVA’s new gamification features and rewards marketplace, providing new ways for customers to engage with your brand. Now, your loyalty members can play trivia games, join polls, and complete challenges—all while earning rewards they can redeem at your marketplace of products and experiences. It’s a unified system that lets you engage with your customers in more fun, flexible, and rewarding ways. Learn more in our announcement post.

Stay tuned for more product updates to come!

Key takeaways & trends

Attendees left LAVA Moments 2025 energized by the possibilities ahead. Here are a few key takeaways from the conference: 

• AI is becoming an integral part of how customers interact with brands—reshaping the future of engagement in real time.

• Brands are reclaiming the customer relationship by removing social media as the middleman and building direct, data-driven connections.

• A culture of innovation and experimentation empowers teams to keep discovering new ways to “make the magic” for their customers.

• Real-time AI and targeted rewards are turning every interaction into a measurable moment of connection and growth.

• Loyalty is no longer transactional—it’s built through everyday engagement within a connected ecosystem of partners in a broader community.

That’s a wrap!

A massive thank you to our customers, partners, and speakers who made the summit such a success. Together, we explored how real-time engagement and loyalty innovation are transforming industries—and we celebrated the trailblazers already putting these ideas into practice.

This is just the beginning. The conversations we started in Los Angeles will continue to shape how organizations connect with fans and customers in the moments that matter most.

We can’t wait to see you at the next LAVA Moments event. See you there next year!