Executive Summary
Playoff Premium, the Official Premium Hospitality Program for the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship, delivered an unforgettable championship weekend in Miami and in doing so, reminded the industry why it has become the gold standard for premium sports hospitality.
The weekend began at the Trophy Room Hospitality Lounge at the Andaz Miami Beach, the central hub for the experience. Guests enjoyed direct access to the CFP National Championship Trophy, premium food and beverages, live cigar rolling, and a celebratory brunch with ESPN’s Marty Smith and NBC Sports’s Joshua Perry.
Sunday evening, the Champions Party at LIV Nightclub brought South Beach energy to life with an all-inclusive Miami-inspired high-end culinary experience, private performances by Yacht Rock Revue and Rick Springfield, and a Chalk Talk with ESPN’s Rece Davis, Chris Fowler, and Greg McElroy — a night as memorable as the national championship game itself.
Game day culminated with the Kickoff Party, featuring live entertainment, interactive activations, and elevated culinary offerings as a high-energy lead-in to kickoff. Guests received exclusive on-field access to soak in the championship atmosphere and celebrate alongside their team.
Every element, from personalized concierge service to premium seating and exclusive gifting, was designed to deliver a seamless, white-glove experience.
Now in its fourth year, the program co-created by CFP and REVELxp continued to redefine championship hospitality, creating a fully immersive, end-to-end experience that drove connection, loyalty, and measurable growth in guest engagement and repeat attendance.
Submitting Organization: REVELxp
Photo Credits: Playoff Premium
Detailed Nomination
OVERVIEW
Playoff Premium was created to match the magnitude of the moment. As the Official Premium Hospitality Program for the College Football Playoff National Championship, it was purpose-built by CFP and REVELxp to deliver an experience worthy of the sport’s biggest stage, one that had never existed at the college level before.
Launched in Los Angeles in 2023, Playoff Premium operates as the sole official premium hospitality program for the CFP, offering a level of access, integration, and credibility unmatched in the category. The experience is anchored by a series of signature events: the hotel hospitality experience, serving as a premium home base throughout the weekend; a curated gifting experience delivering memorable, high-end touches at every turn; the Champions Party, an exclusive eve-of-game celebration featuring top-tier entertainment and talent access; and the Kickoff Party, a high-energy, all-inclusive pregame event leading into the national championship game. Each championship city has brought a new iteration of the program, shaped by new venues, new talent partnerships, and new activations, all built on the operational knowledge and guest feedback accumulated from the year before. What guests experience today is the result of four years of deliberate refinement, delivered at the highest level.
INNOVATION & IMPACT
Playoff Premium redefines how fans experience a championship, transforming passive attendance into a fully immersive, multi-day program.
The Champions Party, the Kickoff Party, and the Trophy Room Hospitality Lounge are not standalone events bolted onto a game ticket. They are a fully connected championship weekend, each piece building on the last, each one exclusive, each one entirely taken care of. Guests are not watching the national championship game from the outside looking in. They are part of it, from the eve of the game through the final whistle. Those are the moments fans carry with them for the rest of their lives, and Playoff Premium is built to deliver them.
What distinguishes the program is the depth of its hospitality design and programming, including:
•Intimate Chalk Talks giving guests direct access to some of the most recognizable voices in college football media
•Signature activations including Chummy’s Custom Dueling Sneaker Activation, Digital Caricatures, and Team Keychains
•Daily signature event favors including Cuban Coffee, Cigars, and Personalized Celebratory Watercolor art.
•”The Trophy Room” featuring signature cocktails, live music, and art by a local artist
•Game day tailgate brunch with a premium menu and cocktails
•On-field access for guests following the game
•Private all-inclusive transportation connecting guests to every Playoff Premium event throughout the weekend
•Curated food and beverage across every event so guests never reach for their wallet
•Photo opportunities with the trophy, available in The Trophy Room and at the Champions Party
Every element is designed to remove friction and elevate the experience, ensuring guests are not managing logistics but fully immersed in the moment.
RESULTS & SUCCESS METRICS
Four years of consistent growth tell the story of a program that has earned its place in the market.
•Revenue tied to Playoff Premium has increased 131% since launch in 2023
•Revenue per suite has grown 201%, driven by increased value rather than expanded inventory
•Overall guest satisfaction averaged 8.8/10
•80% of guests rated their experience a 9 or 10 and would recommend Playoff Premium
These results reflect both strong market demand and a sustained commitment to excellence in execution.
INDUSTRY INFLUENCE
Playoff Premium has done something rare in the sports hospitality industry: it has made college football the model others are measuring themselves against.
What CFP and REVELxp have built together is not a translation of what exists elsewhere. It is something more intentional, more curated, and more personal than what has come before it. Where large-scale hospitality programs often prioritize volume and access, Playoff Premium is built around the guest journey from arrival to final whistle, with white-glove touchpoints, individualized service, and programming that feels handcrafted rather than produced.
The result is a program that has quietly reshaped expectations across the broader sports hospitality industry. The interest Playoff Premium is generating from other sports properties is no accident. As the industry continues to evolve toward integrated, all-inclusive models that prioritize experience design and seamless execution, Playoff Premium is not following that trend. It is setting it.
Playoff Premium did not just elevate the CFP National Championship. It established a new benchmark for what championship hospitality can be across all of sports, and properties beyond college football are taking note.
