Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) President and CEO Antonio Neri will be the first corporate leader to deliver a keynote address at Sphere in Las Vegas during HPE Discover 2024. On June 18, Neri will take the stage for the company’s gathering that kicks off on June 17 at the Venetian Convention and Expo Center. 

Backstory: Since opening in Las Vegas in September 2023, Sphere has hosted concerts like U2 and Phish, as well as films like Postcards From Earth. Since then, UFC announced plans for the first sporting event inside the Sphere in September. HPE’s session will be the first corporate event to leverage the venue’s full technical capabilities and unique offerings to create an experience to engage key stakeholders. 

Why it matters: “Big moments call for bold moves,” said Jim Jackson, chief marketing officer at HPE. “At the core of HPE’s rapid transformation is a commitment to bringing innovative, new experiences that engage new audiences and define the future. Sphere is the perfect venue for us to declare what’s next for our brand and to bring to life the technologies that will enable enterprises to thrive in the AI era.”

Zooming in: HPE Discover 2024 will feature three curated programs, including Edge Computing, Hybrid Cloud and AI. With registration starting at ​​$1,895, the event offers hundreds of sessions and demos across these topic areas, and attendees can meet with experts and peers, elevate their skills and explore the solutions to discover what’s next for their businesses. The event will also include general sessions by HPE leaders — such as Fidelma Russo, EVP and GM, Hybrid Cloud, and HPE CTO; Neil MacDonald, EVP and GM, Compute and HPC & AI; and Phil Mottram, EVP and GM, HPE Intelligent Edge — who will share the latest announcements, partnerships and innovations coming from HPE and customers around the globe.

What they’re saying: “Sphere is where the world’s biggest artists, and now the biggest brands, go when they want to create an experience unlike any other,” said Sphere Business Operations President Jennifer Koester. “The HPE keynote will leverage the venue’s cutting-edge technologies to deliver a bespoke experience that sets a new bar for brand storytelling and corporate events.”

Deeper dive: Consisting of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, the exterior of Sphere – the Exosphere –  is capable of displaying more than 1 billion different colors – creating an unparalleled digital canvas for brands. With 17,600 seats and a 160,000-square-foot LED screen that wraps up, over and around the audience, Sphere offers a fully immersive visual environment. Sphere’s immersive sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, delivers precise, crystal-clear sound quality to every seat.

Zooming out: Sphere is owned and operated by Sphere Entertainment Co., a live entertainment and media company that includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming.