Rocker Jon Bon Jovi is putting his name and money behind On Location Experiences, the restructured NFL experiential hospitality business.
In a pair of transactions, Bon Jovi sold his own company, Runaway Tours, to On Location and also made a cash investment, making him one of four equity partners in the business.
Promising to “think outside the parking lot” in terms of creating unique, high-end sports and entertainment experiences, Bon Jovi said he will work with his partners at On Location to redefine the experiential hospitality business.
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On Location’s leadership: CEO John Collins and equity partners Gerry Cardinale of RedBird, Jon Bon Jovi and George Pyne of Bruin.
Photo: COURTESY OF ON LOCATION EXPERIENCES
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“It’s not just about the game,” said Bon Jovi, 53, whose five No. 1 albums on the Billboard charts have made his band one of the best-selling acts since the 1980s. “The game is just a bookend. It’s about the entire weekend to do much more than experience the game. We’re going to approach this very differently than any company has. It’s not hospitality in the way you’ve known it before.”
Bon Jovi’s investment puts him in business with On Location’s other equity partners. RedBird Capital Partners and Bruin Sports Capital are the two primary owner/operators, and 32 Equity, the NFL owners’ private equity vehicle, has a minority stake.
The details of Bon Jovi’s investment were not disclosed. On Location announced last week that former NFL and NHL senior executive John Collins will be the firm’s chief executive.
“This is much more than just a concert at the tailgate,” said Gerry Cardinale, the founder of RedBird Capital. “When you look at the evolution of sports and entertainment, you get to this final frontier of how you provide unique, bucket-list experiences that are worthy of the rights holders you’re partnering with.”
Bon Jovi launched Runaway Tours — “Runaway” was his first hit in the early ’80s — six years ago as a new business that would give him the platform to perform in much more intimate settings to roughly 500 people or less as part of an event-filled weekend in a destination city. Runaway offers packages on its website that include two nights’ lodging, Bon Jovi’s private show, photo ops with the singer, multiple parties, autographed memorabilia and a variety of keepsakes. For a coming weekend in Dallas, packages run from $1,400 to $2,000 a person.
That kind of weekend-long excursion fits with the vision Cardinale and Bruin’s George Pyne espoused when they took over management of On Location from the NFL earlier this year. The business formerly known as NFL On Location was rebranded On Location Experiences because the owners intend to offer packages that extend beyond the NFL into other sports and entertainment options.
“We’re going to provide unique experiences. That’s where the world is going,” Pyne said. “We want to tap into that once-in-a-lifetime experience and make it something you can share with friends. Jon is already doing it himself.”
The next phase of the partnership will require Collins and his team to figure out ways to bring these sports and entertainment components together. On Location has an exclusive set of rights to major NFL events, such as the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, London regular-season games and the draft.
Could those NFL events be combined with musical acts like Bon Jovi or other artists as part of a weekend package? Possibly, the owners say, though they’re not far enough along in their thinking yet to make any plans public. But they do intend to bring in more musical acts in addition to Bon Jovi.
On Location will continue to run its NFL-related business and Runaway Tours will continue to run its Bon Jovi-focused agency. Runaway will operate under the umbrella of On Location Experiences until a more formal branding plan is put in place.
The grander vision, however, is that On Location will become the high-end destination for its customers to find unique sports and entertainment options.
“They were looking for unique rights holders, which is where I entered the picture,” said Bon Jovi, who learned about the opportunity through 32 Equity. “It’s something that’s been months in the making. What we’ve found out is that we’re going to have boundless opportunities to bring these experiences to a unique consumer, and access is going to be at the forefront of that.”
