Team Players
Comcast Spectacor is a professional sports and live entertainment company that is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology leader that operates Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal and Sky. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Spectacor owns and operates the Wells Fargo Center arena and complex, as well as a portfolio of professional sports teams that includes the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers, the Overwatch League’s Seoul Infernal, the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings and the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. Our world-class stage and broad portfolio of professional sports teams excite and inspire millions around the world. We have a passion for excellence that fuels our winning culture, ignites our teams and elevates the fan experience. Through innovation and new technology, we are constantly evolving through the promotion of live event advancements.
Sam Ebb
Vice President, Business Strategy and Analytics
Sam joined Comcast Spectacor in August 2019, with a focus on modernizing the organization’s approach to data, analytics, and strategic decision making. He works across all departments in the organization to bring data to the heart of every decision made, helping drive revenue and operational efficiencies across the Philadelphia Flyers, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia Wings and Maine Mariners. Within his role, Sam also works to keep the organization at the forefront of new technological innovations ranging from data science to sales & marketing automation to the fan experience.
Ilkka Kortesluoma
Vice President, Ticketing
Ilkka has been at Comcast Spectacor since 2008 and currently serves the role of Vice President of Ticketing. He oversees the growth and retention of season ticket memberships, contractual premium seat holder licenses, group ticket initiatives and single-night suite rentals for the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Wings and Wells Fargo Center.
Media & Entertainment
Sports media is becoming a participatory event that extends far beyond the televised slots of scheduled games. Immersive and interactive media is fueling video production and democratization of both production and sports video content is creating entirely new distribution models for new companies that had never even been considered part of the sports media ecosystem.
Business of Sports
Sports organizations are able to extend their brands in new ways, from leveraging cross-platform data to better reaching and understanding targeted audiences. Now, sports teams are focusing more on new forms of business like eCommerce and are enabled to do so with new tools that enhance cybersecurity, data visualization, and even booking platforms that put the power of ticketing in the hands of the sports team.
Venue & Event Innovation
Because fans can watch sports virtually anywhere, stadiums are being built with the latest technology enhancements that can create an unparalleled gameday experience. Now, they’re catching up to the changes in technology to create smart stadiums that are thinking about scheduling, ticketing and merchandising in new, innovative ways. Increasingly, as consumers are also seeing ways that teams are thinking about cybersecurity to protect consumers from ticketing to in-game purchases.
Fan/Player Engagement
The way fans consume sports is changing. With increasing demand for multichannel entertainment and more personalized interactions with both teams and players, fans are getting closer to the action and real-time engagement before and after sporting events. Younger, mobile generations are consuming more and more content on smartphones. Every technology innovation has the opportunity to change and influence the way we experience sports.
