What 30 Years in Live Events Has Taught Me

Thirty years have taught me a lot of things.

Most of them aren't what you'd expect.

People sometimes assume that after 30 years you stop turning wrenches and start sitting behind a desk.

I never wanted that.

I still enjoy being in the middle of it. That's where you keep learning. That's where you see what has changed, what still works, and what never will.

Over the last three decades, I've watched this industry reinvent itself more times than I can count. Analog became digital. Projectors became LED. Tape decks became servers. SD became HD, then 4K. Live events became hybrid. Now AI is beginning to change how we work.

The technology keeps changing.

If I had stepped away years ago, I'd still have experience—but it would be yesterday's experience.

Instead, I chose to stay in the middle of it.

I still want to understand the equipment, the signal flow, the rigging, the networking, and the failure points. I still want to understand why something works—and just as importantly, why it doesn't.

Understanding how things work has never been about ego. It's about making better decisions.

The best decisions come from understanding what's really happening, not from being the loudest voice in the room.

Thirty years matter because they've given me perspective.

Still being in the middle of it is what keeps that perspective honest.

Every day should teach you something. If it doesn't, you weren't paying attention.

—

Jason Dalton
Founder, 721 Industries