Elevate Sports Ventures has launched its new service, ‘Elevate on Campus,’ which is responsible for ticket sales for more than 100,000 seats across US college sports.
The new joint venture with Mark Dyer, ESV founder and chief executive of Taymar Ventures, will provide ticket sales strategy and execution for intercollegiate athletics departments, conferences, bowls and other organisations in the space.
As part of the announcement, the University of Kentucky has selected Elevate On Campus to support the ticketing strategy, sales and servicing for men’s basketball at the soon-to-be-renovated Rupp Arena, football at Kroger Field and the more than 100 ticketed sporting events hosted annually by the Southeastern Conference school.
“The addition of Mark and the University of Kentucky to the Elevate family represents a continuation of our strategy to build this business with the best people and brands in sports,” said Elevate Sports Ventures chief executive Al Guido. “Elevate on Campus will allow us to bring our proven ticketing sales and service strategies to the college sports space and deliver improved revenue for our clients.”
Elevate On Campus said it will aim to provide individualised ticketing strategies, ticket and customer analysis, and comprehensive sales plans and servicing capabilities to university athletic departments.
“Building attendance in football and basketball is the greatest revenue challenge facing collegiate athletics departments,” said Dyer. “Elevate On Campus will offer a combination of college and professional sports ticket sales expertise the market hasn’t seen until now. The Kentucky athletics program is a perfect first client because Mitch Barnhart and his staff understand our unique assets and share our vision and strategy.”
Prior to the start of the 2015 season, the University of Kentucky completed a $126m renovation of Kroger Field. It added a new external appearance, revamped concourses, more comfortable seating and new premium areas.
In May 2018, the UK released details surrounding the next phase of renovations to Rupp Arena scheduled to be completed in the coming seasons. Renovations include upper-level chair-back seating along both sidelines and new club areas. The project comes on the heels of the installation of a new centre-hung scoreboard, ribbon boards and sound system at Rupp Arena.
“We are in a changing marketplace when it comes to the way fans buy tickets to sporting events,” University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “For that reason, it’s important that we are both innovative and personal in the way we connect our fans to our teams and convey to them how important their support is to our success. We are proud to have a proven partner in Elevate Sports Ventures as they bring their expertise to the college level.”
Image: Kasey Moody
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