The In-Person Renaissance
+3.4%
since Sep 29
The idea
I believe the last two decades pushed life onto screens, and spending is now swinging back toward doing things together in person, a shift measured in years, not quarters. To express it, I built a broad basket rather than a single bet: the biggest live-event and ticketing names as the core, a wide spread of activity operators so no one fad decides the outcome, the retailers and gear makers who supply participation, and travel companies that turn experiences into trips. I keep a small cash reserve to add on dips, and I would rethink this if in-person spending stalls or reverses for good.
What it owns
- Companies that own and operate venues and sell tickets to concerts, fights, and shows capture the shift toward spending on in-person gatherings. · Live Nation EntertainmentIt sells tickets and operates venues for concerts worldwide, so it captures a cut from the shift in spending toward live music and in-person entertainment., TKO Group HoldingsIt owns UFC and WWE, live sports events people travel to see in person and watch as they happen, which people will pay premium prices to attend., Madison Square Garden EntertainmentIt owns marquee venues including Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, where the biggest concerts and events drive concentrated spending in person., Liberty Media Formula OneIt owns Formula One, a traveling event that sells out cities globally and generates spending on hotels, travel, and hospitality around each race., Sphere EntertainmentIt operates an immersive venue in Las Vegas betting that people will pay for live experiences that screens cannot replicate.30%
- Gyms, bowling alleys, golf entertainment, theme parks, and entertainment venues are where people actually go to do things together in person. · Planet FitnessIt offers affordable memberships that encourage millions to leave home and exercise, making it a direct play on the everyday version of the in-person trend., Life Time GroupIt builds premium clubs designed as social venues where members spend hours with others, not quick gym visits, betting that premium memberships keep growing., Six Flags EntertainmentIt operates regional theme parks that families can reach by car, representing the affordable end of spending time together doing things in person., United Parks & ResortsIt operates SeaWorld and sister parks as day destinations where families spend time together, betting on steady attendance and higher per-visit spending., Dave & Buster's EntertainmentIt combines dinner, games, and socializing under one roof, representing the kind of night out that competes with screens for wallet share.24%
- Every new participant in a sport or outdoor activity buys equipment first, so gear sellers benefit from the same shift in consumer spending toward doing things. · Dick's Sporting GoodsIt sells shoes, clubs, and equipment for people who go do things, making sales a direct indicator of whether participation is actually growing., Academy Sports and OutdoorsIt offers value-priced sports and outdoor gear at scale, widening access so more households can participate in the shift toward doing things in person., Acushnet HoldingsIt makes Titleist golf balls and clubs, and golf is one of the clearest examples of a social, in-person activity gaining participants year after year., On HoldingIt makes running shoes for a fast-growing social activity, so its sales track whether running clubs and in-person fitness participation are expanding., YETI HoldingsIt sells coolers and drinkware people bring to tailgates and campsites, products that only see use when people gather outdoors together.23%
- The biggest in-person purchases are trips built around experiences, from booking accommodations to visiting destinations centered on activities and events. · AirbnbIt books trips centered on concerts, races, and reunions, and is expanding into selling experiences directly alongside accommodations., Royal Caribbean GroupIt operates cruise ships as floating social venues where thousands spend a week together, and maintains pricing power as bookings stay strong., Vail ResortsIt sells season passes to a sport where the social aspect and the trip matter as much as the skiing itself, making it a play on repeat in-person participation.18%
- Cash5%