How Strategic Partners Improve Operations, Revenue, and Campus Impact
As colleges and universities strive to create dynamic, inclusive, and financially sustainable environments, campus sports venue management has become a growing priority. Multi-use sports facilities that serve athletics, recreation, academics, and external partners are now central to campus life. But with opportunity comes complexity, especially when it comes to managing venues with overlapping priorities, diverse user groups, and growing expectations.
From scheduling conflicts to facility management, from demanding revenue models to misaligned user experiences, campus sports venue management requires more than just standard operations. It needs a strategic, coordinated approach to balance competing priorities and maximize the strategic value of these high-impact spaces.
The Multi-Use Facility Dilemma
Blending varsity athletics with campus life, academic programs, and community access is a compelling way to maximize space and expand impact, but it also brings significant challenges:
- Scheduling Conflicts: Athletics, recreation, and academics often compete for peak-time usage.
- Operational Wear and Tear: More users mean faster deterioration and higher maintenance costs.
- Compromised User Experience: Shared access can dilute the quality of varsity athlete training or the visitor experience at community events.
- Revenue Gaps: Without a professional strategy, institutions often miss opportunities to monetize rentals or event hosting.
- Partner Coordination: Managing long-term external partners, such as hospital wellness programs or municipal recreation agencies, adds layers of complexity around scheduling, branding, liability, and program alignment.
While some institutions choose to self-operate these venues, the complexity often outpaces available resources, expertise, or staffing structures. Without a unified management strategy, even the most thoughtfully designed facility can fall short of its potential, leading to underutilized spaces, strained campus relationships, and unrealized revenue.
This is where a third-party operating partner can make a meaningful difference. By bringing professional expertise, streamlined systems, and a mission-aligned approach, a strategic operator helps institutions unlock the full value of their sports venues while reducing administrative burden and enhancing the experience for every user group.
Why CENTERS? A Higher Ed-Focused Partner for Multi-use Sports Venues
CENTERS is purpose-built for higher education. Unlike traditional venue management firms, we understand the unique needs of a college campus and deliver operations that serve students, protect institutional values, and unlock new revenue potential.
Expertise in Ticketed Sports Venue Management
CENTERS has extensive experience managing ticketed arenas, overseeing every element from event scheduling and logistics to staffing, security, and crowd control. The team understands how to create seamless guest experiences while maximizing revenue through ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships, and premium seating.
Whether it’s a Division I basketball game, a performing arts concert, or a community showcase, CENTERS ensures the arena meets professional standards while staying true to the campus’s educational mission. For example, at both Longwood University and the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, CENTERS leads all game day operations, which takes the burden from the athletic department. This allows athletic administrators and coaches to focus their time and resources on recruitment and player development rather than ticketing and venue management.
Pro-Level Scheduling for Mixed-Use Campus Venues
CENTERS implements a tiered scheduling system that ensures varsity athletics get the access they need to train and compete at a high level. Campus recreation, academics, and rentals are strategically layered into the calendar, maximizing usage without compromising quality.
A centralized scheduling system ensures transparency, minimizes conflicts, and allows for long-term planning across all departments and partners.
Managing External Partnerships in Higher Ed Venues
Many campus venues operate in collaboration with external partners—hospital systems running wellness clinics, municipal parks and recreation departments offering community programs, or third-party vendors delivering specialized services.
CENTERS brings a high level of professionalism, structure, and strategic clarity to the management of complex external partnerships. The team skillfully negotiates and administers partner agreements, coordinates logistics, upholds brand consistency, and ensures that all activities remain aligned with institutional priorities. This allows colleges and universities to fully benefit from collaborative partnerships, such as those with hospitals, municipal agencies, or community groups, without becoming overwhelmed by the operational demands.
A prime example is Harper College in Palatine, IL, where CENTERS manages a highly diverse set of users, including students, varsity athletics, community members, Northwest Community Hospital, the Palatine Park District, and various academic programs. Supporting such a broad spectrum of stakeholders requires exceptional communication and collaboration—two areas in which CENTERS consistently excels.
By deeply understanding institutional goals and translating them into daily operational decisions, CENTERS serves as a neutral, mission-aligned manager that ensures all partner activities adhere to the original priorities established by the institution. This approach fosters trust, reduces conflict, and maximizes the value of shared-use facilities.
Revenue Generation and Sports Facility Monetization
Beyond just facility management, CENTERS identifies opportunities to generate revenue through rentals, special events, and ticketed experiences. The team manages pricing strategies, marketing partnerships, and facility rentals to create sustainable income streams, especially during off-peak and off-season windows
These revenues help offset facility operating costs and create long-term financial viability.
Operational Excellence in Campus Sports Venue Management
CENTERS brings professional-level operations to everything from daily maintenance and custodial services to event production and risk management. This proactive approach to campus sports venue management extends the life of the facility and reduces the administrative burden on campus departments.
Strategic Campus Venue Management for Long-Term Impact
In today’s higher education environment, institutions need to do more with less—delivering high-performance athletic and recreational spaces, maintaining strong community relationships, and ensuring fiscal responsibility. The demands on campus venues continue to grow
Outsourcing CENTERS empowers institutions to:
- Deliver elite-level athletic and arena experiences
- Serve diverse student and community needs
- Professionally manage complex external partnerships
- Maximize rental and ticket revenue
- Align every aspect of the facility with institutional values
Whether you are operating a dedicated athletic venue, shared recreation center, or a hybrid facility that serves students, athletes, and external partners, CENTERS provides the expertise, leadership, and strategy to elevate the experience and sustain long-term success.
About the Author
Mike Schneider is the Assistant Vice President of Operations at CENTERS, where he supports site leadership, business development, and facility start-ups. He played a key role in launching operations at The Sonnentag, a multi-use sports and events venue at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. With a background in recreation and venue management at both two- and four-year institutions, Mike brings deep experience in optimizing campus assets for student and community impact.