Sports & Properties

What Sports & Properties does

Sports & Properties, Inc. (SPI) is a sports and entertainment marketing and development company headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, founded in 1986 by Hill Carrow. The firm operates as a boutique professional services provider rather than a software or product business, delivering five integrated service lines: sponsorships (including naming rights), event management, sports tourism consulting, facility analysis and planning, and emerging esports services. Its clients are exclusively B2B and include national sports governing bodies (e.g., USA Gymnastics, U.S. Figure Skating, USA Water Polo, USATF, USMS, NCTTA), sports commissions and convention and visitors bureaus, facility owners and managers (e.g., Greensboro Coliseum Complex), municipalities, and private corporations.

SPI's go-to-market is event-driven and project-based: it serves as Local Organizing Committee for major national championships and Olympic trials, and originates and produces multi-sport properties such as the USA Masters Games. The firm has completed over 100 major projects across its history and states it has secured naming rights and sponsorships on behalf of clients totaling 'in the hundreds of millions of dollars,' with comparable economic impact delivered to host communities. Revenue is generated through professional-services fees on these engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and no productized, subscription, or platform revenue stream exists.

The company is privately held, has 1-10 employees, and is led by founder/CEO Hill Carrow, who is inducted into the National Association of Sports Commission's Sports Tourism Hall of Fame. Of Counsel Jim Cain provides senior diplomatic, NHL-front-office, and legal relationships via Kilpatrick Townsend and Cain Global Partners. SPI has won the industry's 'Event of the Year' award and multiple other trade accolades, but discloses no technology products, AI capabilities, patents, funding events, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Sports & Properties

Legal name

Sports & Properties, Inc.

Website

https://sportsproperties.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sports & Properties, Inc. is a Cary, NC-based boutique sports and entertainment marketing firm that provides sponsorships, event management, sports tourism consulting, facility planning, and naming rights services to national governing bodies, sports commissions, facilities, and municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Marketing Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sponsorship Sales, Valuation & Analytics Services (Rights Sales, Measurement, Consulting) (MPAKALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence) (MPAKAKAL), Athlete & Team Sponsorship Deals (Official Partners, Jersey/Kit Sponsors) (MPAKALAA)

Keywords

• Sports event management
• Naming rights services
• Sports sponsorship sales
• Sports tourism consulting
• Facility planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Event Management Services: Revenue generated through organizing and producing major sports events including national championships, Olympic trials, and multi-sport events. Services include event planning, production, and management.
2. Sponsorship and Naming Rights: Revenue from securing naming rights and major sponsorships for sports facilities and events. The company has secured sponsorships totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
3. Sports Tourism Consulting: Revenue from facility analysis, planning, and development consulting services for sports commissions and government entities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sports & Properties is a sports and entertainment marketing and development company that sells five core professional services: Sponsorships (securing naming rights and major sponsorships), Event Management (producing national championships, Olympic trials, and multi-sport events), Sports Tourism (building local sports economies), Facilities (analysis, planning and development of sports complexes), and Naming Rights. Services are sold to sports commissions, convention and visitors bureaus, facility owners, municipalities, private corporations, and sports teams and organizations.

Product overview

Sports & Properties is a sports and entertainment marketing and development company offering a portfolio of interconnected professional services. The core offering consists of five integrated services: Sponsorships (securing naming rights and major sponsorships), Event Management (organizing major sports events), Sports Tourism (building local sports economies), Facilities (analysis, planning, and development of sports complexes), and Naming Rights (revenue stream services). The company has completed over 100 major projects for clients ranging from sports commissions and convention bureaus to cities, counties, and sports teams. The company also indicates involvement in emerging markets such as esports. The overall approach is service-based rather than product-based, with expertise delivered through consulting, event production, and development projects rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sponsorships Sponsorship services that help clients secure naming rights and major corporate sponsorships, with the firm having secured deals totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Event Management Comprehensive management of major sports events ranging from grassroots to Olympic-level competitions, with more than 100 major national and international sports events organized for clients such as USA Gymnastics, U.S. Figure Skating, USA Water Polo, USATF, USMS, and NCTTA.
• Sports Tourism Services focused on building local sports economies and driving significant economic impacts for communities through sports-related tourism initiatives for sports commissions, convention and visitors bureaus, and government entities.
• Facilities Facility analysis, planning, and development services for top-tier sports complexes including WakeMed Soccer Park, USA Baseball National Training Complex, and Boombah Sports Complex.
• Naming Rights Expertise in securing naming rights and other important revenue streams for sports facilities and events, delivered as part of SPI's sponsorship and facility engagements.
• Esports Emerging market services targeting the growing esports industry segment, offered alongside SPI's traditional sports practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 major projects completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Legends Hospitality: Legends provides venue-based hospitality, sponsorship sales, and event management services to sports facilities and properties — directly overlapping with SPI's naming rights, sponsorship, and event production offerings, only at substantially greater scale.
• GMR Marketing: GMR Marketing is an experiential and sports marketing agency delivering sponsorship sales, event management, and venue consulting to brands and properties — directly comparable to SPI's sponsorship/event marketing core services.
• Wasserman (Wasserman Group): Wasserman is a global sports marketing, sponsorship consulting, and event management agency competing for the same high-value sports sponsorship and event production mandates that SPI pursues for NGBs, venues, and municipalities.
• rEvolution: rEvolution is a sports marketing agency focused on sponsorship consulting, property representation, and event management for sports leagues and brands — comparable in offering mix to SPI's sponsorship and event services for rights holders.
• Octagon (Interpublic Group): Octagon is a global sports marketing agency offering sponsorship consulting, athlete/brand partnerships, and event services for rights holders and brands — competing head-to-head for sports property sponsorship and event management engagements.
• MKTG / Labyrinth: MKTG (now part of Labyrinth/Dentsu) is a sports and experiential marketing agency competing in sponsorship activation, naming rights consulting, and sports event production — directly comparable to SPI's mid-market positioning.

Broad incumbents

• AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group): AEG operates one of the largest portfolios of sports venues, teams, and live entertainment assets globally and competes across naming rights, sponsorship sales, and event production — broader than SPI, but overlapping on venue sponsorship mandates.
• Endeavor / IMG: Endeavor owns and operates IMG, a global sports agency handling events, media rights, and sponsorship sales at scale — an incumbent that competes with SPI for major event management and sponsorship mandates from national and international sports bodies.

Regional players

• Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance: Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance is the destination marketing organization that acts as a sports commission for the Raleigh area — a regional sports tourism client/partner of SPI and a comparable regional sports tourism development organization.
• VisitNC / North Carolina Sports Commission: The North Carolina Sports Commission and VisitNC are state/regional sports tourism bodies whose mandates (securing championships, economic impact analysis) overlap with SPI's sports tourism consulting and event hosting services in the Southeast U.S.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sports-&-properties-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sports & Properties