Business Insider is bringing its first-ever flagship live event to Lower Manhattan, and the lineup reads like a masterclass in corporate reinvention. Media mogul Barry Diller, Take-Two Interactive chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick, and Gotham FC governor Carolyn Tisch Blodgett have all been announced as headline speakers for The Long Play, set to take place Thursday, October 29, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Perelman Performing Arts Center.
The conference, described by Business Insider as its inaugural flagship event, brings together influential leaders and executives for conversations about long-term business building. Passes start at $400 and include access to all sessions, which the outlet says will feature facilitated lunchtime conversations, curated interactive experiences, and an evening reception. The venue itself, PAC NYC at 251 Fulton Street, opened in September 2023 as a public cultural component of the rebuilt World Trade Center master plan, according to Wikipedia, giving the summit a fittingly symbolic downtown backdrop for a day devoted to reinvention.
A Media Titan on Resilience and Timing
Diller, whose career has spanned network television, Hollywood, and the early internet, will sit down with Business Insider chief correspondent Peter Kafka for a conversation about resilience, timing, nerve, and knowing when to move on, per the outlet's announcement. Diller built his empire leading Paramount Pictures in the 1970s, co-founding the Fox Broadcasting Company with Rupert Murdoch, and later launching IAC and Expedia Group, according to Forbes. Kafka himself has deep ties to the publication, having been the first editorial hire in 2007 for Silicon Alley Insider, Business Insider's predecessor, before returning to the outlet in 2023 after stints covering digital media for Vox and Recode, as noted by Talking Biz News.
GTA's Chief Talks Franchise Longevity
Zelnick will discuss the enduring power of Grand Theft Auto, bringing a defining franchise to a new generation, and long-term entertainment-company strategy, in a session with journalist Sarah E. Needleman. The timing lines up with Take-Two's own numbers: the company posted record annual net bookings of $6.72 billion in fiscal year 2026 and projected up to $8.2 billion for fiscal year 2027, driven largely by the planned November 19, 2026 release of Grand Theft Auto VI, according to Game Developer. Grand Theft Auto V has sold nearly 230 million units globally since its 2013 debut, and Zelnick called pre-orders for GTA VI unprecedented and astonishing in August, per Men's Journal.
Sports and Sneakers Turned AI
Tisch Blodgett, governor of Gotham FC and co-owner of the New York Giants, will explore spotting new opportunities and turning cultural momentum into lasting business growth, and separately discuss building sports businesses for a new generation of fans. Her track record includes helping lead a transformation at the NWSL club following her family's stake acquisition in late 2023; the club has been valued at about $40 million and $110 million. Beyond soccer, Tisch Blodgett advises the Giants — valued at over $10 billion in 2026 following a minority stake sale to the Koch family — and invests in emerging properties like TGL indoor golf and League One Volleyball, per Front Office Sports.
Perhaps the most dramatic pivot on the roster belongs to Nadia Carlsten, SmartBird's CEO and president, who will discuss the company's AI infrastructure investment and earning credibility during a business pivot in an interview with Ben Bergman. SmartBird was formerly Allbirds, the footwear company that sold off its shoe brand assets and raised $100 million in convertible financing to remake itself as an AI infrastructure provider, according to Market Chameleon. Carlsten wrote in an August shareholder letter that worldwide spending on AI infrastructure is on track to surpass $1 trillion by 2029.
Why Business Insider Is Betting on Live Events
The summit's existence traces back to Axel Springer's August appointment of former BuzzFeed and Complex executive Christian Baesler as permanent CEO of Business Insider, a move meant to steer the outlet away from search traffic dependence and toward live flagship events and specialized professional franchises, according to Axios. Baesler said The Long Play examines how people and companies got through disruptive moments, what they got wrong, and what they would tell others facing similar situations. He added that every company that lasts has been through at least one moment where the old model stopped working and nobody was sure what came next.
Dan DeFrancesco will guide the day's conversations at the venue, and Business Insider says more speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. The Long Play is sponsored by Trac, and passes and full event information are available through Business Insider's official events page. The Long Play is a major journalism-led gathering coming to PAC NYC in October, while the Atlantic Festival returns to Lower Manhattan in September, which Hoodline covered in a report on its Kaepernick, Pugh and Buttigieg lineup.
