REVELxp launches ticketing division, a 'one-stop shop' for consumers

REVELxp, a leading fan experience and hospitality company, will announce on Monday the launch of its new ticketing division, a significant move that the company believes will make it an essential one-stop shop for consumers. 

The ticketing division will complement REVELxp’s suite of established offerings for partners, which include full-service tailgating, custom game-day events, premium hospitality, seasonal venue builds and premier staffing. Executives believe the ticketing division is the natural extension to provide partners and fans with an all-encompassing experience. 

By building out the full ticketing platform, REVELxp, founded in 2020, believes it is uniquely positioned to offer partners a model that combines game-day experiences with event tickets. Tracy White, REVELxp’s president, believes ticketing will become the company’s largest sales division.

“When we’re providing hospitality and opportunities for fans, a frequent question we get is, ‘Well, what about tickets? Can I buy tickets from you as well?'” White told On3. “Because most people like to have one-stop shopping for their tickets and hospitality and overall fan experience.”

REVELxp is the official ticketing partner of Colorado State, which will be the first client to receive the company’s complete offerings. The ticketing division’s services will initially be used in an “as needed” capacity by other partners, including the College Football Playoff, SEC and Big Ten Conference, along with 15 athletic departments and non-college properties.

REVELxp has recently launched ticket sales partnerships with USC, Michigan, Washington, Louisville, Wake Forest, and Arizona State, among others. In all, the company has partnerships with more than 100 collegiate and professional partnerships nationwide, hosting more than two million fans at hundreds of events annually.

“So, when we started thinking about this: We do pregame experiences, we do in-game experiences, we have non-game-day opportunities,” Brad Sexton, the company’s executive vice president of sales, told On3. “Ticketing was a natural extension for business.”

The all-encompassing offering by an industry leader addresses a challenge that both college and professional teams increasingly face: How do you enhance the in-venue experience to combat the increasing convenience and appeal offered by the at-home viewing experience?

REVELxp executives echoed sentiments expressed in recent years by athletic directors and pro team officials. The new generation of fans wants to be entertained, but the game may not be their primary motivation. They seek a social, communal, personalized experience. And they want to be entertained pregame, during the game and postgame. 

That is what colleges need to deliver at a time when they face pronounced pain points trying to maximize both people in the seats as well as ticketing revenue. White said fans are willing to pay a premium for attractive and appealing overall experiences. 

‘One-stop shopping for the consumer’

REVELxp believes that, the hospitality experiences they provide pregame – along with other elements – it is creating a greater connection point between fans and the university. Plus, selling tickets with these other assets creates a greater revenue opportunity and a higher ceiling for revenue for its partners. 

The way executives put it: It is more than just selling a ticket – it’s sort of a ticket-plus experience.

“We’re only a good partner for our partners if we’re growing overall revenue streams,” Sexton said. “And because we have additional assets to layer into the overall ticket sales, we’re able to be a little bit more aggressive on the risk-taking on our sales to grow the overall revenue for our partners. We’re not risk-averse the way some others are, where they really make sure that they have a guaranteed profit at the end of the day regardless of results. We want to make sure we’re aligned with our partners and we’re growing revenues and we all share in that together.”

The company’s ticketing clients are supported by locally based REVELxp sellers as well as the company’s Dallas-based sales center, comprised of more than 40 employees. 

REVELxp is the official hospitality provider for the CFP. They handle 100-plus of their suite sales and 1,000-plus of their best-located seating inventory. Around that, they build out events, including concerts and parties, and hotel packages they then bundle with those tickets. They also have official relationships with all Power Five conferences.

“We really are one-stop shopping for the consumer,” White said. “When we think about going to our college partners, it’s creating an opportunity to increase your overall value and the revenue that comes in by meeting the expectations of what fans want. They’re willing to spend. You just have to make sure that the experience matches up to that. And we’re uniquely positioned to be able to do that.”