Director of Partnerships - GoTickets

Director of Partnerships GoTickets | Chicago, IL About GoTickets GoTickets is a fast-growing ticket marketplace connecting fans with live sports, concerts, theater, and entertainment experiences across the country. As the business continues to scale, we are looking to expand our relationships across the live-events ecosystem and strengthen the GoTickets brand through strategic partnerships with teams, universities, venues, entertainment organizations, and media companies. The Role GoTickets is looking for a Director of Partnerships with direct experience in the ticketing, live entertainment, sports, or media industries to build and lead strategic partnerships across the business. This person will be responsible for identifying, developing, negotiating, and managing partnerships across professional sports, college athletics, concerts, theater, live entertainment, and media . A major focus will be building relationships with sports teams, universities, venues, promoters, entertainment organizations, and other rights holders that give GoTickets access to valuable branding and marketing assets - including the ability to use official team, university, venue, event, and partner logos, marks, and branding across our website, advertising, and other marketing channels. Beyond rights-holder partnerships, this person will develop media and distribution partnerships that expand the reach of the GoTickets brand, drive traffic and customer acquisition, and create new commercial opportunities. We are looking for someone who understands the ticketing and live-events ecosystem, has an established industry network, and knows how to turn relationships into commercially valuable partnerships. What You’ll Do Sports & College Partnerships Develop partnerships with professional sports teams, leagues, college athletic departments, conferences, and other sports organizations Build relationships with key decision-makers across professional and collegiate sports Negotiate agreements that provide GoTickets access to official team, university, league, and athletic branding Secure rights to use logos, trademarks, marks, and other approved assets across the GoTickets platform, paid advertising, social media, and other marketing channels Identify opportunities for GoTickets to become an official, preferred, or strategic ticketing and marketplace partner Develop creative partnerships that connect ticket inventory, fan engagement, marketing, and customer acquisition Concert, Theater & Live Entertainment Partnerships Build relationships with venues, promoters, theaters, performing arts organizations, concert operators, and other live-entertainment partners Identify partnership opportunities around concerts, theater productions, tours, festivals, and other live events Develop relationships that improve GoTickets' visibility and positioning within the broader live-entertainment ecosystem Negotiate access to branding, marketing assets, promotional opportunities, and other partnership inventory Identify opportunities to create preferred or strategic relationships with venues and entertainment organizations Media & Marketing Partnerships Develop partnerships with sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and local media organizations Build relationships with digital publishers, broadcasters, content platforms, creators, and other organizations reaching live-event audiences Create partnerships that drive customer acquisition, brand awareness, referral traffic, and ticket sales Develop affiliate, content, promotional, advertising, and other creative media partnership structures Identify opportunities to integrate GoTickets into sports and entertainment content and event coverage Work with partners to create co-branded campaigns and other marketing activations Evaluate partnership opportunities based on audience reach, economics, customer acquisition potential, and long-term strategic value Partnership Development & Management Own the full partnership lifecycle from identifying targets and opening conversations through negotiation, contracting, launch, and ongoing management Leverage an existing industry network to generate introductions and accelerate partnership conversations Develop customized proposals and partnership structures based on the needs of each organization Negotiate commercial terms, marketing rights, branding rights, sponsorship assets, media inventory, and other partnership components Build long-term relationships with senior executives and decision-makers throughout the ticketing and live-events industry Work closely with marketing, growth, legal, product, operations, and executive leadership to activate partnerships Ensure partnership rights and assets are effectively utilized across GoTickets' website and marketing channels Track partnership performance and identify opportunities to expand successful relationships Represent GoTickets at conferences, games, concerts, industry events, partner meetings, and other relationship‑building opportunities What We’re Looking For 7+ years of experience in ticketing, partnerships, business development, sponsorships, media partnerships, or live entertainment Strong preference for candidates with direct experience at a ticketing marketplace, primary ticketing platform, ticketing technology company, or other major live-events organization Existing relationships across sports, college athletics, concerts, theater, venues, media, or the broader live-entertainment industry Demonstrated ability to source, negotiate, and close strategic partnerships Experience negotiating agreements involving marketing rights, branding rights, sponsorship assets, logo/mark usage, media inventory, distribution, or customer acquisition Strong understanding of the relationship between ticket marketplaces, teams, universities, venues, promoters, media companies, and other rights holders Ability to structure partnerships that create measurable commercial value Strong presentation, negotiation, and executive communication skills Comfortable developing new relationships and opening doors without relying on an established inbound pipeline Entrepreneurial mindset and ability to build a partnership function in a fast-moving, high-growth environment Willingness to travel for partner meetings, games, concerts, conferences, and industry events Ideal Background The strongest candidates will have built their careers within the ticketing and live-events ecosystem and understand how partnerships work across multiple event categories. Relevant backgrounds could include: Ticket marketplaces and resale platforms Primary ticketing companies Ticketing technology companies Professional sports teams and leagues College athletics and conferences Concert promoters and live-entertainment companies Venues and theater organizations Sports and entertainment media companies Sports and entertainment marketing agencies Experience working directly with teams, universities, venues, promoters, media companies, or other rights holders is particularly valuable. We want someone who understands how to navigate official partnership rights, branding and trademark usage, sponsorship inventory, media partnerships, digital marketing rights, and commercial negotiations - and can translate those relationships into growth for GoTickets. Why GoTickets This is an opportunity to build a strategically important partnership function for a growing national ticket marketplace. You’ll have significant ownership over GoTickets' partnership strategy across sports, college athletics, concerts, theater, and media , including which organizations we pursue, how deals are structured, and how those partnerships are activated. You’ll work directly with senior leadership and have the opportunity to establish relationships that materially impact GoTickets' brand, customer acquisition strategy, and long-term growth. #J-18808-Ljbffr