Elevate Sports Ventures, the North Carolina-based sports and entertainment agency, has announced a commercial agreement with US golf’s PGA Tour to support its premium hospitality strategy, sales, and service for The Sentry, The Players Championship, and Tour Championship events through 2026.
As part of the deal, Elevate will also lead the national sales team and strategy for the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, as players from the US compete against an International team in the biennial competition.
The multi-year agreement will use analytics and business intelligence from the agency’s insights division, and it will set up and manage a national sales team focused on opportunities for guests of the tournaments in the form of tailored experiences and travel-inclusive packages.
Elevate has chosen vice president Mike DeMarino to lead the national team responsible for hospitality strategy, sales, and service. Demarino will be based in PGA Tour’s Global Home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The nearly 20-year industry executive has previously worked with the NHL’s New York Islanders, the New Jersey Devils, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and the NFL’s New York Jets.
DeMarino’s national sales team will assist the PGA Tour’s business development arm with forecasting, pricing, and scaling strategy, ideation and development of new premium assets, market research, the execution of a marketing and sales strategy, and event day client coordination and management.
PGA Tour senior vice president of championship management Matt Rapp said: “With golf’s rising popularity, we recognized the value of investing in an agency that can help raise the national profiles of the biggest events on the PGA Tour.
“We are thrilled to team up with Elevate, who comes equipped with the tools and resources to create new and exciting offerings that will position these tournaments among the world’s bucket list events.”
Elevate President Flavil Hamspten added: “Through this new pact, the PGA Tour and Elevate have the opportunity to capitalize on the significant momentum of 2023, providing and driving curated, premium experiences to golf’s most passionate fans.
“We look forward to building a new, national business development arm that will enhance and amplify the national interest in these elite events moving forward.”
The Sentry will take place from January 4 to 7, 2024, at Kapalua Golf Resort in Maui, Hawaii, The Players Championship is from March 12 to 17, 2024, at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, The Tour Championship is from August 28 to September 1, 2024, at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, and The Presidents Cup will be in 2026 at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, Illinois.
The PGA Tour also recently partnered with Korean tech giant Samsung to bring the Tour programming to Samsung TV Plus viewers in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Korea, with the PGA Tour channel available on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free ad-supported TV (FAST) service.
