VCU And Aspire Tip Off Multi-Year Sales And Development Partnership

ATLANTA, GA – Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and The Aspire Group (Aspire) have agreed to a multi-year ticket sales, service, development, and strategy partnership. Aspire’s on-campus Fan Relationship Management Center (FRMC) will be responsible for driving revenue across all of VCU’s ticketed sporting events and generating new gifts for the Ram’s Athletic Fund. Aspire’s award-winning strategy, analytics, and marketing departments will help VCU make data-driven decisions around lead prioritization, fan research, pricing, and many other areas.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to serve the VCU Athletics family,” said Bill Fagan, Aspire’s CEO. “VCU has some of the best supporters in the nation. We look forward to engaging current and future generations of Rams fans as we launch our on-campus Fan Relationship Management Center. Our partnership will be further enhanced with custom research and intelligence from our Strategy, Analytics and Marketing (S.A.M.) team.”

VCU’s Athletic Director, Ed McLaughlin, had this to say about the partnership, “The Aspire Group brings its industry-leading analytics and sales service experience to this new partnership. Improved customer service and outreach will help show our existing and future fans how much we appreciate them. We know their talented staff members will help to grow our brand and provide our fans, donors and alumni with a first-class customer experience.”

A specialized team comprised of a director of sales and service, a database coordinator, and a sales and service consultant will staff the VCU FRMC. Nick Meeson, who previously managed the Richmond FRMC and is one of Aspire’s 75+ internally promoted leaders, will be transferring to VCU to act as the director of sales and service. FRMC staff will benefit from the sharing of best practices across all of Aspire’s partners and develop their skills with in-house VP of Training, Mike Boswell.

VCU joins their neighbor, the University of Richmond, as current representatives of the Atlantic 10 Conference within Aspire’s partner network.

About Virginia Commonwealth University

Located in the heart of historic and artistic Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University traces its roots back to 1838 as the Medical College of Hampden-Sydney. Today, VCU offers its 28,000 students courses across several schools and colleges. VCU Athletics sponsor 15 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete at the NCAA Division I level within the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams have a history of excellence, boasting 16 team and individual conference champions as well as 58 all-conference accolades. Visit VCU Athletics’ website to learn more.

About The Aspire Group

The Aspire Group is an award winning sports and entertainment marketing firm, named as a top employer in the industry by both Forbes and Front Office Sports. Globally recognized for innovative consulting, ticket sales, and partnership services, Aspire created the outsourced ticket sales niche, revolutionizing with its first Fan Relationship Management Center (FRMC) at Georgia Tech in 2009. Over the past 14 years, more than 280 collegiate and professional sports properties have trusted Aspire to drive revenue, attendance, and enterprise-value growth through the combination of strategic consulting and research, sales and service training, and best-in-industry fan relationship management.

For more information about The Aspire Group visit: www.theaspiregroupinc.com and Follow us on Twitter @theaspire_group

For project and partnership inquiries, contact A.J. Smith at aj.smith@theaspiregroupinc.com or Joe Kronander at joe.kronander@theaspiregroupinc.com