Speaker Profile

Derek Zhou is Head of SeatGeekIQ, where he leads the application of AI and data science to some of the most complex challenges in ticketing and live event marketplaces. With a background in quantitative finance, Derek brings the discipline of market modeling, risk management, and systems thinking to an industry that has traditionally relied on static pricing and intuition.

Over the past six years, Derek has helped teams and venues move beyond basic pricing into more advanced, operational use cases for AI. His work spans forecasting event value before tickets go on sale, informing booking and inventory decisions, shaping season ticket strategies, and improving how tickets are distributed to real fans who attend events. Today, organizations across major professional leagues use these approaches to balance revenue goals with long term fan engagement.

Derek’s career spans quantitative finance and sports technology, with experience managing global macro portfolios at Citadel and trading FX, rates, and mortgages at major financial institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Science with Distinction from Duke University in computer science, biology, and computational biology and bioinformatics. A frequent speaker at industry forums, including the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and Sports Business Journal events, Derek is known for translating complex analytics into practical frameworks operators can apply immediately.

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