AI transforms college, pro sports entertainment ROI with 220M data points

Sports technology company Elevate launches EPIC, a new AI-powered platform that analyzes fan data to help sports organizations optimize revenue and engagement, with early adoption by NFL teams and college athletics.

Platform overview: Elevate’s performance and insights cloud (EPIC) combines consumer insights, ticketing management, and property analytics to help sports organizations make data-driven decisions.

• The platform processes data from 220 million people, including fan behavior, ticket sales, and sponsorship information
• EPIC helps organizations determine stadium seating options, ticket pricing, and fan retention strategies
• More than 25 organizations, including the Tennessee Titans and University of Illinois Athletics, are already using the platform

Technical infrastructure: The EPIC platform leverages multiple AI technologies and data processing methods to deliver insights.

• Anthropic Claude Haiku 3.5 LLM, fine-tuned on Elevate’s data, powers the platform’s interface and persona-based insights
• XGBoost machine learning library, via Amazon Sagemaker, analyzes numerical data for ticket pricing using 55 different features
• The system required extensive data vectorization processes to optimize accuracy and performance

Real-world implementation: The Tennessee Titans are using EPIC to support the development of their new $2.1 billion stadium project.

• The platform helps create detailed fan personas for targeted marketing strategies
• EPIC has assisted in developing sponsorship sales strategies and revenue roadmaps
• The Titans have exceeded premium seating sales targets for their upcoming stadium

Collegiate impact: University athletic departments are also benefiting from EPIC’s capabilities.

• University of Illinois Athletics uses the platform to improve ticketing and annual giving models
• The system helps athletic departments move beyond assumptions to make data-driven decisions
• EPIC’s analysis supports sustainable engagement models for fans and donors

Strategic implications: While AI in sports entertainment isn’t new, EPIC represents a significant advancement in how organizations can leverage data for business decisions.

• The platform addresses common challenges like fragmented data sources and evolving fan expectations
• EPIC differentiates itself from traditional CRM solutions through sports-specific intelligence
• The technology’s success with early adopters suggests potential for broader adoption across the sports entertainment industry

Market trajectory: As sports organizations continue to seek ways to maximize revenue and enhance fan engagement, AI-powered platforms like EPIC may become increasingly crucial for maintaining competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving sports entertainment landscape.