Director, Ticketing & Fan

Location:

Chicago, IL (preferred), otherwise remote

Division:
Marketing

Reports to:

Chief Marketing Officer

The APP Tour is dedicated to providing the best pickleball tournament experience for all. The APP, owned by Intersport, was founded in 2019 and serves professionals, senior professionals, and amateurs in the fastest-growing sport in the country. The first and only tour officially sanctioned by USA Pickleball, the APP Tour boasts tournament stops, as well as Showcase Series, International, and Collegiate Series events.

The APP also prides itself on developing the next generation of champions through its APP Next Series and other youth initiatives. You can view the 2026 Tour schedule here: theapp.global/tour

The Position

In 2026, the APP is transforming its events from tournament-first competitions into experience-first pickleball festivals. These events combine elite professional competition with participation, lifestyle programming, and community-driven entertainment.

The Director of Ticketing & Fan Experience (Director) sits at the intersection of revenue, experience, and community. The Director will help define how fans engage with APP events, from first click to final match point, and play a key role in shaping the future of live pickleball as a cultural and lifestyle experience.

The Director is responsible for creating and executing ticket sales strategies while designing and delivering exceptional fan experiences across all APP events. Responsibilities span revenue generation, data-driven ticketing operations, and end-to-end fan journey design – from ticket purchase through post-event engagement. As such, the ideal candidate is both analytically minded and fan-obsessed, with a passion for live sports, experiential marketing, and operational excellence.

This is a senior, revenue-critical role, responsible for designing, selling, and operating ticketing experiences that maximize attendance, dwell time, per-capita spend, and fan satisfaction across a national calendar of APP events. The Director owns the full ticketing ecosystem, from pre-event sales strategy and packaging, to on-site ticket operations and fan journey design, to post-event analysis and optimization.

Further, the Director will:

• Perform a senior role in the team transforming APP events into must-attend pickleball festivals
• Drive sell-through of GA, VIP, and experiential products
• Create frictionless, welcoming, and upgrade-friendly fan journeys
• Build scalable ticketing frameworks across markets
• Use data to continuously optimize pricing, product, and conversion

General

• Embody and reflects the APP’s performance-based culture and commits him/herself and team to the highest standards for all work
• Work effectively with cross-functional teams to deliver executional excellence

Experience-First Ticket Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute ticketing strategies for all APP events, including pricing, packaging, promotions, and inventory management
• Design and oversee the end-to-end fan experience at APP events, from arrival to departure
• Own ticketing strategy aligned with the experience-first festival model
• Design ticket products that support participation, discovery, and social engagement
• Lead pricing, bundling, and packaging across GA, VIP, clinics, add-ons and hospitality experiences that enhance value for fans, partners, and players
• Forecast ticket revenue, manage ticketing-related budgets, and manage performance against targets
• Partner with Marketing on audience-led ticket messaging

Pre-Event Sales Planning and Optimization

• Execute ticket on-sale strategies for each APP event
• Manage inventory, pricing tiers, discounting, and releases
• Monitor sales velocity and adjust tactics, as needed
• Support experiential storytelling in purchase flows
• Align ticketing with sponsor and community goals

On-Site Ticket Operations and Fan Journey

• Own relationships with ticketing platforms and vendors; oversee system setup, reporting, and troubleshooting
• Establish service standards for fan-facing touchpoints including entry, seating, hospitality, premium areas, and customer service
• Partner with operations, sponsorship, and broadcast teams to…