ReliaQuest Bowl

What ReliaQuest Bowl does

The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game operated by the Tampa Bay Bowl Association, a non-profit organization headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Established in 1986 as the Hall of Fame Bowl, it was renamed the Outback Bowl in 1995 and became the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2022 under a multi-year title sponsorship agreement with Tampa-based cybersecurity firm ReliaQuest. The game matches a team from the SEC against a team from the Big Ten Conference and is played at Raymond James Stadium, which has a capacity of 65,890 (expandable to 75,000). The 2026 edition will be the 41st game in the series, and the bowl has reported over $1.3 billion in cumulative economic impact on the Tampa Bay region and more than $190 million in contributions to participating universities over its history.

The organization's revenue model is multi-stream and event-driven: ticket sales ($80 general seating, $170 club seats), a tiered membership program (General Memberships at $85–$750 and VIP Club Memberships at $3,800–$23,000), corporate sponsorship packages, and merchandise sales through an online store and on-site retail. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via Ticketmaster, school ticket offices, the bowl office phone line, and a dedicated membership sales channel. The bowl cultivates a dense partnership ecosystem that includes the SEC and Big Ten Conferences (for team selection), Visit Tampa Bay and Visit St. Petersburg Clearwater (tourism), Grand Hyatt and JW Marriott (team headquarters), and a deep sponsor stack spanning GEICO, Allstate, Tampa General Hospital, Tito's, Mosaic, and TAMPALAW, among others. Charitable giving is a stated pillar of operations, with over $5 million donated to 240+ Tampa Bay non-profits since 2016 and $500,000+ committed annually.

The bowl operates as a non-profit with no private equity, venture capital, or public ownership structure. Technology infrastructure is limited to a Sidearm Sports content platform, Ticketmaster for ticketing, ParkJockey for advance parking, and a Shopify-based merchandise storefront. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology products, or software development operations. The organization is dependent on a single annual event for the vast majority of its revenue, with auxiliary recurring revenue from year-round membership renewals and e-commerce merchandise sales.

Name

ReliaQuest Bowl

Legal name

Tampa Bay Bowl Association

Website

https://reliaquestbowl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The ReliaQuest Bowl is a 40-year-old annual college football bowl game in Tampa, Florida, operated by the non-profit Tampa Bay Bowl Association, matching an SEC team against a Big Ten team at Raymond James Stadium and monetized through ticket sales, memberships, sponsorships, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Events / College Football Bowl Game

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Collegiate Athletic Conferences & Associations (MPAKACAA)

Keywords

• College football bowl game
• Postseason college athletics
• Game ticketing memberships
• Event sponsorship sales
• Sports event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to the annual bowl game. Tickets sold at $170 for club seats and $80 for general seating.
2. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship packages providing advertising, event sponsorship, sampling opportunities, and hospitality benefits at the bowl game and surrounding events.
3. VIP Club Memberships: Annual membership packages providing tickets, parking passes, and VIP event invitations at four price levels ranging from $3,800 to $23,000.
4. General Memberships: Annual memberships providing ticket purchase rights and parking at three levels from $85 to $750.
5. Merchandise Sales: Official bowl merchandise including apparel, hats, souvenirs sold online and at events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football postseason bowl game matching SEC and Big Ten Conference teams, played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The organization produces the game itself plus surrounding bowl week events, and monetizes the event through ticket sales (general seating at $80, club seats at $170), VIP and general memberships, corporate sponsorship packages, official merchandise, and ancillary bowl week programming.

Product overview

ReliaQuest Bowl is a single major event (a college football bowl game) rather than a software platform. The organization offers a portfolio of complementary products centered around the annual bowl game: VIP and General Memberships for guaranteed ticket access, sponsorship packages for corporate partners, an official merchandise store, photo gallery archives, and a charitable giving initiative. The core product is the bowl game itself, with all other offerings serving as add-on services for fans, sponsors, and community stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ReliaQuest Bowl Game
• VIP Club Memberships
• General Memberships
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages
• Official Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• $6 million+ annual contribution to universities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• ReliaQuestflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2022Title sponsor of the bowl game since 2022. Tampa-based cybersecurity firm. The sponsorship represents a multi-year naming rights deal that renamed the bowl from Outback Bowl to ReliaQuest Bowl.
• Visit Tampa BaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial tourism partner for the ReliaQuest Bowl, promoting Tampa Bay as a destination for bowl visitors and fans.
• Grand Hyatt Tampa BaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial hotel partner and Big Ten Team Headquarters for the December 31, 2025 game.
• JW Marriott Tampa Water StreetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial SEC Team Headquarters hotel for the December 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl.
• LMCU (Lake Michigan Credit Union)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor and sponsor of the Contract Signing Party event welcoming the head coaches.
• Tampa Bay Sports CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional sports marketing organization and official partner promoting the bowl and Tampa Bay sports tourism.
• GEICOmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial game sponsor providing insurance services promotion and branding at the bowl game.
• Visit St. Petersburg ClearwatermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial tourism partner promoting St. Petersburg and Clearwater beaches to bowl visitors.
• Hyatt House Tampa Airport WestshoremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDesignated Media Headquarters hotel for media covering the bowl game.
• The Mosaic CompanymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Mosaic Parade event during bowl week in Tampa's historic Ybor City district.
• Tampa General HospitalmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Pregame Show and healthcare partner for the bowl. Also hosts team hospital visits.
• Tito's Handmade VodkamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Pregame Bowl Bash event.
• TAMPALAWmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Gridiron Gala, the holiday event of the year for bowl and school VIPs.
• Johnson PopemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Happy Hour Huddle event, a festive evening for VIP supporters.
• AllstateminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipating sponsor of the ReliaQuest Bowl.
• Busch Gardens Tampa BayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTheme park partner hosting team outings and Battle of the Bands during bowl week.
• Storm ShielderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Celebration Reception event.
• SEC ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference partnership for team selection. The bowl typically receives second selection from SEC after CFP bowls.
• Big Ten ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference partnership for team selection. The bowl matches Big Ten teams against SEC teams annually.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Long-running El Paso-based college football bowl with ACC/Big Ten/Pac-12 matchups. Comparable established legacy bowl with similar sponsorship and ticketing structure.
• TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Nashville-based college football bowl matching SEC and Big Ten teams at Nissan Stadium. Closely comparable conference pairing and game-day staging model, operating at a slightly smaller scale.
• Valero Alamo Bowl: San Antonio-based bowl matching Big 12 vs SEC teams. Comparable legacy bowl with strong title sponsor (Valero), extensive community engagement, and similar stadium-based event production.
• Pop-Tarts Bowl: Orlando-based bowl matching ACC vs Big 12 teams. Comparable tier bowl targeting a similar sponsor demographic (consumer brands) with comparable ticket and membership structure.
• Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Annual college football bowl game in Orlando matching SEC and Big Ten teams at Camping World Stadium. Directly comparable as a same-tier SEC/Big Ten tie-in bowl with a named title sponsor and similar fan/sponsor economics.
• Duke's Mayo Bowl: Charlotte-based college football bowl matching ACC vs SEC teams. Comparable tier, comparable consumer-brand title sponsorship approach and fan-experience programming.
• Camping World Bowl: Orlando-based bowl matching Big 12 vs ACC teams. Same operational tier and revenue model (title sponsorship, ticket tiers, fan events) as the ReliaQuest Bowl.
• Gator Bowl (TaxSlayer Gator Bowl): Jacksonville-based SEC/Big Ten/ACC-affiliated bowl at EverBank Stadium. Comparable tier bowl with similar sponsor-driven revenue model and Florida tourism orientation.
• Las Vegas Bowl (Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl): Las Vegas-based bowl game with Big Ten/Mountain West or SEC tie-ins. Comparable mid-tier bowl positioning, title-sponsor economics, and tourism-driven marketing approach.

Broad incumbents

• Sugar Bowl (Allstate Sugar Bowl): New Orleans-based New Year's Six bowl with CFP tie-in. Same conference footprint (SEC-heavy) but a much larger, higher-prestige brand with significantly larger media rights and sponsor economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reliaquest-bowl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ReliaQuest Bowl