VenueNext has appointed Anthony Perez, the former chief marketing officer for NBA basketball franchise the Orlando Magic, as its new chief executive.
The current chief executive and founder of the firm, John Paul, will become vice chairman on VenueNext’s board of directors. He will assist in various initiatives including expansion into Europe.
VenueNext’s platform ties together operational systems in a venue and creates mobile apps for guests, patients, fans and employees to access services that make their visit more convenient and builds customer loyalty. Its platform generates valuable data that provides venue owners real-time insights to help them to make better informed data-driven business decisions.
“Anthony’s background in finance and sports, as well as his work with VenueNext over the past three years, makes him an extraordinary fit to run the company,” said Paul.
“Anthony understands the tremendous value of the VenueNext platform and his role with the NBA’s Orlando Magic was instrumental in enabling one of the best mobile-first personalised fan experiences in the industry. I have full confidence in Anthony to lead the company into its next phase of growth.”
Perez has spent the last 10 years with the Orlando Magic in various leadership roles, including executive vice president of strategy. He was promoted to chief marketing officer in 2017 where he was responsible for all marketing and strategy operations.
During his tenure, the executive led several of the Magic’s most significant strategic projects, such as implementing the team’s data and analytics platform, deploying marketing automation, and developing the idea for a virtual currency programme, which has reportedly been successful in retaining season ticket holders and increasing revenue for the team.
“I’m incredibly excited to join VenueNext,” said Perez “I’ve worked closely with the VenueNext team over the past three years and believe in the vision and the platform that they have built and that the Magic adopted.
“Beyond great momentum in sports, VenueNext has huge potential to gain a foothold in other verticals as well as to expand internationally. I have a great rapport with the team and I’m honoured to build upon their accomplishments.”
The Orlando Magic was the first NBA basketball team to leverage the VenueNext technology, which is designed to redefine the season ticket and amplify the fan experience on a mobile device.
“Anthony is a natural fit for VenueNext. He has been an integral part of the team at the Orlando Magic leading the reinvention of the fan experience and season pass which has been very successful and increased revenue for the team year over year since its launch,” said Jed York, chief executive officer of the San Francisco 49ers and VenueNext board member.
“He has first-hand experience using the VenueNext platform and understands the value proposition for sports and other markets. He will be a great leader for the company and the board is excited to have him join the team.”
Image: BusinessWire
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