Penn Athletics continues ticket sales momentum with Aspire contract extension

ATLANTA, GA – The Aspire Sport Marketing Group and the University of Pennsylvania Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics have announced a multi-year extension to its contract.

“Penn Athletics is excited to extend its partnership with The Aspire Group as we look to continue the momentum of sales growth for our ticketed sports and the Penn Relays,” said Dr. M. Grace Calhoun, Director of Athletics and Recreation at the University of Pennsylvania. “We value customer service, community, and a positive fan experience in our historic venues, and The Aspire Group is helping us achieve these goals. We have a big year planned for the 125th Running of the Penn Relays and look forward to The Aspire Group helping us set a new three-day attendance record.”

Penn’s partnership with Aspire began remotely in 2014 from Aspire’s National Sales Center in Atlanta before moving on-site in 2016. Since Aspire arrived on campus, the Penn Fan Relationship Management Center (FRMC) has achieved a 24% increase in football season ticket revenue, a 9.2% increase in overall men’s basketball ticket revenue, and generated over $135,000 in new revenue for the Penn Relays.

“We’re thrilled to continue the growth we’ve had at Penn,” said Bill Duffy, Chief Executive Officer at The Aspire Group. “When you have a leadership team as strong and supportive as we do at Penn, it makes it that much easier to accomplish goals and produce results.”

Penn marks Aspire’s ninth FRMC contract extension in the last 12 months.

 

About Penn Athletics

The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (DRIA) is a broad-based division comprised of 33 intercollegiate teams, 36 club sport teams, and expansive intramural sport and campus recreation programs, all taking place within 22 athletics and recreational facilities. The facilities are contained within a contiguous 24-acre footprint at the eastern end of campus, commonly thought to be one of the best athletics infrastructures among urban campuses, with assets such as Franklin Field, The Palestra, and Penn Park. The Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track competition held in the United States, attracts over 100,000 spectators and nearly 20,000 competitors each spring.

About The Aspire Group

The Aspire Group is a sports and entertainment marketing firm that is globally recognized for innovative consulting, ticketing and partnership services. Aspire created the outsourced ticket sales niche, revolutionizing Intercollegiate Athletics with the first Fan Relationship Management Center (FRMC) at Georgia Tech in 2009. Over 230 collegiate and professional sports properties have trusted Aspire to drive revenue, attendance and enterprise value growth through the combination of strategic consulting and research services, data insights and best-in-industry fan relationship management.

For inquiries, contact A.J. Smith (Aspire) at 404-389-9100 or aj.smith@theaspiregroupinc.com or Kevin Bonner (Penn Athletics) at 215-898-9192 or bonnerke@upenn.edu.