Auction site makes corporate experiences available to sports fans

Fandeavor is enabling fans to take advantage of unique sports stadium experiences previously only available to corporate and VIP spectators.

Some sports fans are happy to be armchair critics, but there are still a large number who want to get as close to their favorite teams as possible. We’ve already seen Pogoseat offer a way for ticket holders to upgrade their seats to empty ones nearer the action, and now Fandeavor is going one step further and enabling fans to take advantage of experiences previously only available to corporate and VIP spectators. As sports obsessives, and having previously worked for a company that gave them access to corporate packages, co-founders Tom Ellingson and Dean Curtis realized that there must be many who would pay extra to be able to make more of their stadium visit. With this in mind, Fandeavor has struck up deals with both top league clubs and university teams to arrange VIP-like packages affordable for die-hard fans. For example, one soccer enthusiast not only got a good view of Real Madrid’s recent friendly against Santos Laguna with pitch-side seats at the Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, they also got to spend some time on the field before the match and chat to some of the players. Currently, however, Ellingson and Curtis want to concentrate on college football, basketball and baseball, enabling universities to bring in extra revenue with relatively little investment. Prices for packages – which typically include premium tickets, pre-game hospitality, a tour of the stadium, a meeting with the players or an autographed memento from the match – range from USD 250 to USD 750 and are offered in an auction format, allowing consumers to potentially grab a bargain. Fandeavor opens up access to unique live experiences to dedicated fans – rather than just those who can afford it – and could potentially increase engagement while also providing a new revenue stream for colleges and clubs. Currently operating within the US, could your country benefit from a similar model? Spotted by: Katharina Kieck