Michael Marty

Dallas-based Leap Event Technology is promoting Michael Marty from president of Leap to chief executive officer and president to lead the company as it continues to become “a data powerhouse for live events.” Marty’s predecessor, Marc Jenkins, will continue to support the company and has transitioned to the company’s board of directors.

“This leadership change is a deliberate part of our long-term strategy. We have been preparing for this transition for some time, and it marks a natural and positive step forward for the company,” Jenkins said in a statement. “Marty is the right leader for Leap’s next chapter, and I’m excited to continue supporting the company’s vision as part of the board.”

Both Marty and Jenkins have been working together for the past seven years developing Leap’s vision as a data-driven live event platform. The leadership shift is designed to balance with forward momentum, supporting Leap as it grows its impact while maintaining the disciplined strategy that has fueled its success, the company said.

More on Leap Event Technology

Founded in 2017, Leap Event Technology was formerly known as Patron Technology before changing its name to Leap in June 2023. Leap moved to its Dallas headquarters at 3131 McKinney Avenue in July 2022 and has offices in Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Sydney, Australia, along with an expansive remote workforce, the company told Dallas Innovates. In 2023, Leap acquired Canada’s Epic Photo Ops.

Now, Leap Event Technology said it is “entering a defining new chapter” to offer data insights for live events including major league sports, festivals, large fan conventions, and pop-up attractions. With the strategic portfolio realignment and leadership transition, the company is strengthening its position “at the intersection of technology, live entertainment, and data intelligence.”

Leap is a portfolio company of Vector Capital Management, L.P., a private equity firm with a nearly 30 years of experience leading transformational investments in established technology and technology-enabled businesses.

Shaping ‘the future of the events industry’

Leap said it aims to unify ticketing, marketing, and engagement data across its solutions to empower clients to generate high-value fan data that can be turned into actionable insights. With Leap, organizers can sell more tickets, optimize marketing spend, create effective pricing strategies, and provide highly personalized fan experiences. Leap’s technology is designed to combine insights, creating a centralized data engine for smarter decision-making and enhanced events, the company said.

Leap has divested PatronManager, a CRM platform serving the performing arts organization, nonprofit, and museum verticals, to capitalize on its rich, proprietary database built to serve iconic events around the world while concentrating on its core business, the company said. 

Today, Leap’s integrated and scalable suite of solutions and all-in-one platform for event technology and data insights can support a wide variety of large-scale events, delivering cutting edge technology and data services to event organizers. Leap said its clients include NBA All-Star Weekend, Fanatics Fest, the NFL Draft, the NFL Super Bowl Experience, D23 Expo, REDWEST music festival, and New York Comic Con.

“Data is the most valuable asset in live events today, and we are strategically positioning our company to help our clients fully harness it,” Marty said. “With a strong path forward and accelerating momentum, Leap is well positioned to drive innovation, deepen customer value, build better experiences at scale, and shape the future of the events industry.”

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