Industry News

49ers score with new stadium and events venture

The San Francisco 49ers has launched a new global premium sports and entertainment services company, Elevate Sports Ventures.

Along with its partners, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the NFL American football franchise revealed that its new company will offer services in areas including stadium licences, premium ticketing and corporate hospitality.

Elevate Sports Ventures will source the expertise and networks of its partners to create comprehensive strategies to drive organisational performance.

The 49ers president, Al Guido, will serve as the firm’s chief executive and managing partner. Elevate Sports Ventures will have offices in Silicon Valley, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, and London.

“I am thrilled to partner with the leadership teams at CAA and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment to bring Elevate Sports Ventures and comprehensive business solutions to the sports and entertainment world,” said Guido.

“Our collective services and global experience working with teams, leagues, brands, colleges, venues, and owners will provide decision-makers with a full-service partner to identify new revenue opportunities and bring innovative ideas to market.”

After leading record-setting sponsorship and premium seating sales campaigns that enabled the construction of Levi’s Stadium in 2014, the 49ers have developed into an innovative and diverse business operation.

Through their Silicon Valley connection, the 49ers have been able to apply advanced technology to enhance the fan experience in pioneering ways, the 49ers also incubated VenueNext, a smart-venue technology platform, into a successful company that now counts many of the most prominent sports and entertainment venues in the country as clients. 

“We’ve reached a pivotal moment in the rapidly changing sports and entertainment landscape. The risk, competition and opportunity have never been greater,” said Scott O’Neil, HBSE chief executive and Elevate Sports Ventures co-managing partner.

“Elevate Sports Ventures assembles the industry’s leaders in business innovation, revenue generation and venue development; offering brands, teams, leagues and entertainment properties the opportunity to access world-leading expertise and a vast professional network.

“In our partners, CAA and the San Francisco 49ers, we share the drive to innovate, desire to use our expertise to strengthen the sports and entertainment ecosystem, and aspiration to use our extraordinary platform to work with partners who have the same DNA.”