Front office consulting firm Elevate announced the Denver Broncos as a new client Thursday as well as a new vertical, Elevate Insights, as teams and venues continue to seek advice on navigating the Coronavirus pandemic.
Thomas Bernstein, previously Elevate’s director of strategy and analytics, will lead Insights as vice president. Roughly 15 staffers will work as part of the group, according to Elevate Chief Commercial Officer Flavil Hampsten, with many coming not from the sporting world but more traditional consulting firms.
Efficient innovation is what many teams are after at the moment, Hampsten said, as they figure out when and how to bring fans back into venues, while managing disrupted sponsor relationships and reconfiguring experience options through 2021 and beyond.
“So much of this is undetermined and unpredictable,” Hampsten said. “It’s about being as ready as you can be so you’re at the starting line when the gun sounds rather than still in the locker room.”
While other sports organizations have been forced to lay off and furlough front office team members, Elevate has added to its staff in the hopes of filling the void. One of the new additions is executive vice president, Chris Allphin, who was previously at Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment.
“Look at the speed by which decisions are being made in sports,” Allphin said. “Team leaders have to make these decisions—what used to take months—now in hours.”
Elevate launched in 2018 as a partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). Ticketmaster, Live Nation and the Oak View Group have since come on as investors. Overall the firm now has more than 30 clients across seven pro leagues, assisting in fields ranging from sponsorship sales to marketing strategy.
