Chris Allphin thinks the addition of Elevate Sports Ventures to the ranks of premium seat sales consultants is a good thing.
That may seem odd coming from an executive for a company chasing the same clients as Elevate. Allphin is senior vice president of team and venue services for Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment, which like Elevate is looking for deals with teams to sell PSLs, suites and club seats.
And Elevate has the pedigree of a serious player. The joint ven¬ture, announced in late January, was formed by the San Francisco 49ers, CAA Sports and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.
“We’re looking to partner with teams, leagues and governing boards to grow our business,” said Al Guido, 49ers president, and CEO and managing partner for Elevate. “I believe in our services, and we look forward to competing in an open market.”
To Allphin, it’s all good.
“The more teams can go outside their own walls, the better it is for us,” said Allphin. “Our biggest competition is the teams themselves that feel they can do it better. Clearly, [outsourcing] works. I don’t see Elevate as a threat. I want teams to think this [option] is an obvious choice.”
Bernie Mullin feels the same way. Ten years ago Mullin, formerly an NBA executive, launched The Aspire Group, which works exclusively in the college market.
Legends Global Sales, another consultant, does work in the pro and big college space; Aspire’s client list extends to smaller schools.
“Knowing most of the guys in our world, [Elevate’s] competition will be with Legends and not us,” Mullin said. “If they want to get into our space, we welcome it.”
IMG-Learfield, Aspire’s chief competition, “is a multibillion-dollar company and we more than hold our own against them. Welcome and good luck.”