On Location Experiences is going to need a bigger office. The New York experiential hospitality agency with ties to the NFL has added five new executives and promoted another as it gears up for Super Bowl LI and other big events.
When George Pyne and Gerry Cardinale acquired the hospitality business in March 2015, it was operating out of the NFL office with three people. Since then, the firm has rebranded, acquired Anthony Travel’s 250-person team, and expanded the On Location office with designs on growing to a 40-person staff in the New York headquarters.
The expansion of the business also comes at a time when On Location will have 9,500 Super Bowl ticket and hospitality packages to sell, up from 3,500 in the past. The NFL maintains a minority ownership stake in On Location, the NFL’s official hospitality partner, and its team owners agreed in May to move a greater portion of tickets to its own agency.
“We want to be big, bold and official, and very transparent about what we’re offering in what has been a little bit of a shadowy space,” CEO John Collins said.
Cardinale’s RedBird Capital and Pyne’s Bruin Sports Capital own most of the firm, while NFL owners and Jon Bon Jovi also hold stakes.
Collins has been working through the summer to build out his executive staff. Among the hires and promotions: Scott Marshall, chief financial officer; Don Renzulli, executive vice president of events; Janet Duch, senior vice president of marketing and communications; Raleigh Leahy, senior vice president of sales and corporate partnerships; Chris Giles, vice president of sales; and Deanna Forgione Carey, vice president of corporate partnerships.
Marshall’s background includes stints at ActionX, iHeartRadio and CSTV, while Renzulli has extensive events experience from the NHL and NFL. Leahy comes over from the U.S. Open Tennis Association, where she spent the past 18 years in premium hospitality. Duch, formerly at MSG, will take the lead for On Location’s look and feel when it goes to market, and Giles came over from premium sales with the San Francisco 49ers, where he was part of the team that opened Levi’s Stadium.
“These are people who know this space, and their quality and experience suggest we’re on a good path,” Collins said. “They know exactly what it means to create that emotional connection between the event and the fans.”
