SBC has named InsightPlay.ai as its Official AI Solutions Partner for SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon, expanding a collaboration that began at earlier events in Rio and the Americas. The partnership will deploy Bruna, a conversational AI agent, to handle both pre-event ticket sales and real-time attendee support during the summit, which runs September 29 to October 1 at the FIL and MEO Arena.
The event brings together the global betting and gaming industry and features a keynote with Michael Jordan, Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl, and DraftKings CEO Jason Robins. A new structured networking program will run alongside the main content, using speed networking, regulatory meetups, and curated meetings to build more targeted business connections.
One agent, two distinct roles
InsightPlay.ai designed Bruna to operate across voice and WhatsApp, shifting its function as the event timeline progresses. In the weeks before the summit, Bruna works as an AI Sales Agent. It engages prospective attendees, answers questions about the event and ticket options, and guides delegates through the purchase process. Once the doors open in Lisbon, the same agent becomes an AI Customer Support and Event Concierge.
Attendees can ask Bruna about session agendas, speakers, exhibitor stand locations, ticket access, networking opportunities, parties, venue details, and general logistics. The agent remains available 24/7 throughout the summit. This dual deployment demonstrates how a single conversational AI infrastructure can support acquisition and conversion before an event, then shift to real-time support during it.
Building on earlier deployments
The Lisbon deployment follows Bruna's debut as an event concierge at SBC Summit Rio and SBC Summit Americas. Those earlier rollouts focused on attendee support alone. Lisbon expands the scope into commercial engagement and ticket sales, giving SBC a single AI system that powers multiple business functions at once.
"Both Rio and SBC Summit Americas allowed us to demonstrate how conversational AI could transform attendee support," said InsightPlay.ai COO and Co-Founder Cristian Barbosa. "Lisbon takes that concept further: Bruna is now part of the journey before attendees even reach the venue, helping SBC engage prospects and support ticket sales, then seamlessly shifting into customer service during the event itself."
SBC Marketing Director James Shanahan framed the expansion as a logical progression. "We've already seen through Rio and Americas how useful Bruna can be as an attendee support tool, so expanding her role in Lisbon felt like a natural next step," he said. "This time, we're looking at how the same technology can support us before the event as well as during it, from helping prospective attendees with questions and ticket options to providing delegates with instant support once they arrive."
For InsightPlay.ai, the partnership also functions as a live product showcase. Rather than encountering the technology through a demo, attendees interact with Bruna directly and experience how conversational AI manages high volumes of simultaneous conversations across voice and text.
Why this matters for customer support professionals
Bruna's dual-role deployment at SBC Summit 2026 offers a concrete example of how AI for Customer Support can span both pre-purchase and post-purchase stages without requiring separate systems. The same conversational infrastructure handles sales inquiries and ticket conversion, then pivots to real-time logistics and information requests once the buyer becomes an attendee.
For support teams evaluating AI for Hospitality & Events, the deployment pattern matters. It suggests that agent design can move beyond single-use chatbots toward systems that follow the customer lifecycle. The ability to maintain context as a prospect becomes a customer - and to switch channels between voice and WhatsApp - points to where enterprise conversational AI is heading. Support leaders watching this space should note the emphasis on 24/7 availability and high-volume conversation handling, both of which directly affect staffing models and response times during peak event periods.
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