Rod Davis joined IndyCar at a unique time in the organization’s history: on the cusp of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. Named chief revenue officer late last year, the longtime Indianapolis-based sports executive holds experience from stints at the Indiana Sports Corp., USA Swimming and USA Gymnastics. He talks here about his first two months in the role and how he’s looking to leverage the Indy 500 into growth for the Verizon IndyCar Series overall.
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It’s definitely an exciting time here. I’m reminded daily as I look out the window and see construction activity happening at the speedway, all part of the celebration of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 this year. There’s a whole plethora of new events and community programs and activations, so it’s an absolutely exciting time to join the team here and be a part of that.”
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Photo by: VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
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On building from this year’s Indy 500:
Ticket sales and hospitality sales are all trending north, so all going in the right direction and ahead of schedule. I look at it as — and I’ve shared this with others — this needs to be a launch point, not a culmination. And so you’re trying to figure out, “OK, how do we capture that momentum and keep it going?” So [looking at] those folks who may be coming here for the first time, or maybe they haven’t been here in a few years but they’re motivated to be here for the 100th, how do we get them back for 2017? That’s where your ticket promotions and other incentive programs that we can do [come into play].
On sponsor categories he’s looking to fill: [Quick-service restaurant and insurance] are categories where companies tend to spend a lot of money, so are there challenger brands that need to break through and gain some attention? Are there brands where the price point of an Indy car or a Verizon IndyCar Series relationship would make sense from a competitive standpoint?
On his goals for the job: I look at the broader goals that the enterprise has: growing the fan base; growing viewership; evolving and enhancing the on-site experience for fans. I think those were goals set up by the leadership team prior to my arrival, and I look at some of those goals and some of the revenue marks, and our plan now is, “OK, how do we help go achieve those and identify what it’s going to take to contribute to that.”
