The $1,000 night out: Authentic Live is all-in on Gen Z’s obsession with the experience economy, hosting events with celebrities in tentpole moments
After being cooped up inside with few opportunities to socialize, people yearned to break the overwhelming isolation they’d experienced during the pandemic. During the past couple of years, younger generations, especially, have been “revenge living,” spending on travel and other lavish experiences to make up for lost time.
That’s where Authentic Live, a dedicated business launched by Authentic Brands Group, has stepped in to create, curate, and host live events as well as immersive experiences. Those outings connect to the group’s 50-plus brands, including Sports Illustrated, Shaquille O’Neal, and more, which have become particularly popular with Gen Z and millennials. The company, at its 50-plus signature events per year (plus other lifestyle and corporate events), blends celebrity heat, premium pricing, and data-driven outcomes at the biggest tentpoles, like the Super Bowl, F1, Kentucky Derby, and more.
“Coming out of COVID [the] generation behind me is craving for tactile experiences and want to be in the arena,” Dan Dienst, executive vice chairman of tactical opportunities at Authentic Brands Group, told Fortune.
One such major upcoming event is Shaq’s Fun House, which will be hosted the Friday night before the Super Bowl next month. Dienst described it as a music experience, plus an outdoor carnival with rides, booths, and performances by Tiësto, T-Pain, and Disco Lines.
But this isn’t any old carnival: Ticket prices start at $250 for general admission, and cost as much as $1,550 for shared VIP tables.
“When someone buys a ticket with their hard-earned dollars—whether it’s a general admission or a VIP—they tend to really enjoy themselves,” Dienst told Fortune. “And that energy lifts everybody.”
On the Saturday night before the Super Bowl, they will also host SI: The Party, where The Chainsmokers and Ludacris will perform. Ticket prices start at $450 and range all the way up to $133,000 for on-stage VIP tables.
Authentic Live’s input on audience expectations and cultural context helps shape the look and feel of events, Justin Toman, vice president of partnerships at Verizon, told Fortune. (Verizon is one of the partners for SI: The Party, and also works with Authentic Live on other events.)
Of course, Authentic Live doesn’t just exist as a means for people to have fun. It also operates as a more immersive way to spread brand awareness for its partners. While Authentic Live declined to share revenue totals, 65,000 consumers attended its events in 2025, garnering 324 million social impressions and more than 35 billion media impressions.
“Authentic Live excels at protecting what a brand stands for while still encouraging new ways for consumers to engage,” Toman said, pointing to Authentic Live’s help on creative development, production, talent sourcing, marketing, and media services.
Another major event hosted by Authentic Live, in partnership with Sports Illustrated, hosts events during F1 races, particularly in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas where it has 50,000 square feet of premium event space including the chairman’s club and owner’s track club. Dienst said event goers pay “thousands of dollars” for one- or three-day passes.
Authentic Live with Sports Illustrated also partners with Churchill Downs to help “elevate” the Kentucky Derby guest experience, Casey Ramage, a senior consultant at Churchill Downs Racetrack, told Fortune. It’s also helped the racetrack with its “goal of engaging a new generation of racing fans,” Ramage added.
With its deep experiential portfolio, Authentic Live made the event unique by decorating the space with Kentucky Derby and Sports Illustrated memorabilia so guests could see what the Derby was like dating back to the 1950s.
“They bring a deep understanding of what resonates with modern sports audiences and pair it with a meticulous, collaborative approach to creating memorable live experiences,” Ramage said.
Gen Z and the experience economy
Especially during the past couple of years, more brands have leaned into and invested in more experiential opportunities for fans and consumers. Aside from Authentic Live’s work, brands from Coach to Netflix have invested in spaces where consumers can experience brands in new and different ways.
Taking a page from Ralph Lauren’s playbook, Coach opened a coffee shop, which was an instant hit with Gen Z, and Netflix opened immersive rooms recreating Stranger Things and Squid Game sets. An Eventbrite report published Jan. 14 also shows nearly 80% of Gen Z and millennials expect to attend more events in 2026, and more crave active involvement at events instead of passive watching.
Authentic Live takes that energy and interest in immersive experiences to a whole different level, though, considering some consumers can expect to shell out thousands of dollars to attend their events, depending on the ticket type and event itself.
That matches Gen Z’s desire to have status-defining experiences in an era in which they yearn to be in the top 1%. In fact, Gen Zers, on average, believe an annual salary of $587,797 and net worth of $9.47 million are needed when they envision “financial success,” according to a 2024 study by financial firm Empower. That’s much higher than any other generation.
“We’re really good at speaking to [Gen Z and millennials] … not that we’re ignoring my generation,” Dienst, who hails from Gen X, said. “We’re really good at curating that mix of people.”
Success at these events hinges on a “cocktail” of top talent, flawless touchpoints, and value, he added, whether it’s at a bespoke 200-person Aspen ski retreat or 9,000-person Super Bowl bashes. Beyond sports events, lifestyle brands like Champion get runways at New York Fashion Week, blending influencers, celebrities, and 80 years of brand DNA.
“We’re really good at bringing heat to a brand,” Dienst said.
To put it in perspective, he described Authentic Live as Disney working in reverse. With Authentic Brands as the world’s No. 2 licensing firm (only behind Disney) they started with iconic brands like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Shaq, then built social followers for storytelling.
“Disney started in content,” Dienst explained. “We’re coming the other way.”
While Gen Z may be priced out of homeownership, they’re still flush for FOMO. For them, a $1,000 night out isn’t indulgence—it’s identity. And with that, Authentic Live bets big: premium access trumps endless scrolls.
As Dienst puts it, Authentic Live events aren’t stale corporate mixers, but “wholesome” fun that are mutually beneficial for consumers and brands. In a world of infinite content, being there is the new luxury—and Authentic Live is selling it by the thousands.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com