PATRICK DODSON / PRUDENTIAL CENTER When Adam Davis joined the New Jersey Devils as executive vice president of corporate partnerships in February 2014 after a long stint at Madison Square Garden, he said there was a clear plan laid out to him by CEO Scott O’Neil: build the corporate partnership team, take on responsibility for premium sales and then take over ticket sales, after which he’d be promoted to chief revenue officer.
“The fun thing for me is that was an 18- to 24-month plan, and it happened in 12 — which is great,” Davis said with a laugh.
Named to the post where he now oversees the revenue streams of both the team and the Prudential Center, Davis has quickly become a key component of the entire organization’s business overhaul. Under his directive, ticket sales and sponsorship revenue have had double-digit year-over-year growth. Across the past year and a half, the team has signed more than 15 partnerships with major brands ranging from Infiniti to Jack Daniel’s. Most recently, there was a multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal with Barnabas Health that stands as the largest deal for the organization since the venue naming-rights agreement in 2007.
The Devils also introduced prior to this season a flex-membership ticket platform through which fans can choose the number of tickets and where they want to sit on a game-by-game basis. It was a first-of-its-kind program in the NHL when launched, and it’s brought in more than 1,000 new accounts.
But Davis said the accomplishment he’s most proud of is a collective.
“The Prudential Center and the Devils were not always historically known as anyone that was trying to change or lead the industry; perhaps it was the polar opposite of that,” he said. “I’m proud that we’re changing that landscape.”
— Ian Thomas
Adam Davis
New Jersey Devils / Prudential Center | Chief Revenue Officer
Age: 37
Where born: North Brunswick, N.J.
Education: University of Arizona (B.S., psychology)
Family: Wife, Carly; children, Dylan (4), Parker (3)
Advice I’d give to my younger self: Aggressively build your network. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
2016 will be a good year if: We hit budget.
Person in the industry I'd like meet: Rick Welts.
I'd like to change jobs for a day with: Rob Gronkowski. (Wouldn’t you?)
Group supported: American Cancer Society.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve done: Skydiving in Arizona.
You'd be surprised to know: I’m an ordained minister and have performed two weddings to date.
