“The Inter Miami CF brand is poised to become a powerhouse on the world stage and a dominant team in the South Florida market.” Al Guido, Chief Executive Officer of Elevate Sports Ventures

Miami, Fla., May 23, 2019 — Kenneth Russo

In a joint press release Thursday, Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami and Elevate Sports Ventures (“Elevate”) have announced an agreement whereby Elevate will serve as the Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team’s premium sales agency. With an emphasis on premium, season and individual ticket sales strategy, servicing and hospitality, Elevate will support Inter Miami’s inaugural home season schedule.

“We are thrilled to partner with Elevate as we launch our inaugural MLS campaign in 2020.” Jurgen Mainka, Chief Business Officer, Inter Miami CF

Al Guido, Chief Executive Officer of Elevate Sports Ventures, described Inter Miami as one of the most dynamic ownership groups, innovative management teams and promising soccer clubs in the world today. He added: “The Inter Miami CF brand is poised to become a powerhouse on the world stage and a dominant team in the South Florida market. We are confident that South Florida’s communities, fans and businesses will rally around this exciting new franchise, mirroring captivation around the globe. We are thrilled to add Inter Miami CF to Elevate’s growing roster of diverse, global clients, brands and teams.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Elevate as we launch our inaugural MLS campaign in 2020,” said Jurgen Mainka, Chief Business Officer of Inter Miami CF. “The market knowledge, resources and innovative processes they bring to the table will help us engage and connect with the dynamically diverse communities we proudly represent in South Florida and around the world.”

Today’s news comes as Inter Miami began accepting season ticket deposits earlier this month for priority access to season tickets for its inaugural season in March 2020. (Deposits are still being taken at intermiamicf.com.)

Elevate will leverage the best-in-class expertise and resources from its dynamic roster of founding partners to support the sales and marketing efforts for Inter Miami CF. Fueled by unparalleled understanding of CRM and database management, analytics and data-driven fan insights and award-winning ticket sales techniques, Elevate will implement a market and team-specific strategy for the new, highly anticipated MLS franchise.

Inter Miami CF is the 25th club in Major League Soccer. The club aims to leverage Miami’s international population: “Inter Miami CF will celebrate all that makes Miami extraordinary. We will be multilingual and omnicultural. We will harness the city’s great history and unmatched culture to create new traditions, rituals, and symbols that are admired around the world. We will bring world class fútbol to this world class city, once and for all. Fútbol that is as creative, exciting, unique, and multicultural as we are. Fútbol that makes people everywhere wish they could be here.”

For more information, visit www.intermiamicf.com or follow the Club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. ­­­­

Who Is Elevate Sports Ventures?

Elevate Sports Ventures has a stated goal of “taking entertainment to new heights.” They are a sports and entertainment consulting firm that offers proven, innovative solutions to organisations across the global sports and entertainment landscape. Elevate has extensive resources, relationships, and calls on the expertise of its partners to innovate and execute comprehensive strategies and solutions in the following areas: venue renovations, sales and marketing, stadium licenses, premium ticketing, corporate hospitality, customer research, strategy and analytics, sales training, and more.

New Company Formed in 2018

Elevate was founded in 2018, as a partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). Elevate welcomed Oak View Group (OVG) and Ticketmaster and Live Nation as partners in June 2018. The new company distinguishes itseld as a “world-class premium services company” focused on project transformation, execution, and sales and marketing dynamics for teams, venues and leagues. They can deliver an array of services including market research, corporate hospitality and CRM optimisation.

Their executive team is steeped in industry experience, with partners that include Al Guido (President of the San Francisco 49ers), Scott O’Neil (CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment), Tim Leiweke (CEO of Oak View Group) and Jared Smith (Executive Vice President of Live Nation and President of Ticketmaster). In September 2018, Elevate launched Elevate On Campus, with the goal of supporting ticket sales, strategy and service in intercollegiate athletics and university venues. Their university clients include the University of Kentucky.

O’Neil, the Co-Managing Partner of Elevate Sports Ventures, in an interview in 2018, stressed the experience and talents that the company possesses.

“We understand the importance and diligence it takes to manage big brands, because we manage some of the biggest sports and entertainment brands in the world,” O’Neil said. “For sports properties, venues and teams seeking a true partner, who understands the needs and challenges of an operator and has a proven record of maximising monetization, Elevate Sports Ventures offers innovative and individualised solutions. The size and scope of the deals that this group of executives has generated and projects they’ve undertaken is unmatched by any one organisation in the space today.”