vivenu and Elk Sports & Entertainment team up to turn sports venues into live event destinations

NEW YORK, October 19, 2026 - Elk Sports & Entertainment has partnered with vivenu to bring live event productions to the sports organizations and athletic departments in the vivenu network.

As athletic departments look for ways to generate new revenue streams, turning their oft used facilities into revenue generators has become a core focus. Athletic directors know those facilities can earn incremental dollars, but departments lack the production experience and resourcing plus the budget to take the risk alone. ESE works alongside each department to bring a comprehensive event strategy and help to de-risk events for struggling organizations. ESE will proudly sell tickets for these events through the vivenu platform. Every buyer purchases through a fully branded ticket shop and from the first sale, ESE & their partners will see live reporting and have direct access to funds and buyer data.

"With revenue shortfalls at an all-time high in college sports, forward thinking athletic directors are realizing their facilities can become profit centers," said Dan Libro, Principal Owner of Elk Sports & Entertainment. "What holds them back is the experience to produce the events plus their inability to take on additional capital risk. That's the gap we fill, in true partnership with the department. To do it well, we need full access to our reporting, funds and data, so we can learn who the fans are and what they want. vivenu gives us all of that on a platform our team could run from day one."

"Our partners already have something most promoters would pay for: a venue with an audience that knows the way there," said Glenn Gronkowski, US Lead for Live Entertainment at vivenu. "ESE gives them a way to use it on the days between games, with an experienced team handling production and carrying the risk. We look forward to bringing ESE to our partners and seeing what they build together."

Libro sees the partnership as a long-term one. "A year from now, we want vivenu's partners to know us as an extension of vivenu," he said. "Two teams they can rely on to plan and run a live event strategy, with case studies across different kinds of partners to prove it."

About Elk Sports & Entertainment
Elk Sports & Entertainment is a sports and entertainment agency focused on building partnerships through live events to help increase revenue-generating opportunities across the sports marketplace. www.elkse.com

About vivenu
vivenu is the global technology leader in advanced, AI-native ticketing infrastructure, empowering organizers to transform their primary sales channel into a strategic business asset. Designed for high-performance and full customization, vivenu's API-first platform powers the world's most demanding event ecosystems, with an AI assistant that runs ticketing operations and surfaces revenue opportunities in real time. This includes the Grammy Awards, the Golden Globes, and global sports phenomena such as HYROX and Stanford Athletics.

With a footprint spanning 50+ countries, vivenu specializes in managing complex fan journeys and premium experiences. Whether it is handling massive demand spikes for icons like Bad Bunny, orchestrating campus-wide partnerships for 150+ colleges, or integrating hospitality for venues like the KKL Luzern, vivenu provides the digital backbone for the future of entertainment. By prioritizing data ownership and seamless connectivity, vivenu ensures that organizers remain at the heart of the fan relationship.