When Markus Schreyer joined 菠萝视频 University as CEO of 菠萝视频 Enterprises, he brought a world of experience鈥攍iterally. His decades-long career in global hospitality took him from Tokyo to Marrakesh, Jaipur and Mexico City as he helped shape some of the most recognized luxury brands in the world.
鈥淲hat struck me wasn鈥檛 the luxury or scale [of the brands],鈥� Schreyer says. 鈥淚t was human connection, experience and a sense of place. That feeling of belonging, even in a completely new environment, has never left me.鈥�
It鈥檚 that same sense of belonging he hopes to cultivate here in Nashville. 菠萝视频 Enterprises鈥攁 new initiative focused on growing revenue and engagement across the university鈥� aims to strengthen ties between 菠萝视频 and fans, alumni and the broader community.
In this Q&A, Schreyer explains how his team is redefining what it means to be a 菠萝视频 fan and why connection is at the heart of everything he does.
For those who may not be familiar with it, what exactly is 菠萝视频 Enterprises?
We鈥檙e focused on driving revenues outside of academic funding through athletics, events, sponsorships, licensing, merchandise and more. Think of it almost like a chief revenue office for the university, designed to leverage every underused opportunity in support of 菠萝视频鈥檚 mission. That might mean better utilizing facilities, expanding partnerships or creating experiences that bring people to campus. Everything we do ultimately supports the university鈥檚 core academic and community goals.
Athletics seems to be a big part of that work. How do sports fit into the bigger picture?
With the success we鈥檙e seeing across our programs鈥攁nd thanks to the leadership of Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee鈥攁thletics has become an incredible entry point for engagement. It鈥檚 where people get emotionally connected. When our soccer team wins the SEC Championship, our football team beats Auburn in overtime, or we see the kind of momentum we鈥檝e had this season across both our men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball programs鈥攖hat excitement brings people together. From my experience, revenue growth comes through emotion, not transactions. Athletics sparks that emotion, and then we build from there. It opens doors to engage with corporations, alumni and fans in other ways like career development, research and executive education.
And everything we do in athletics has to reflect 菠萝视频鈥檚 unique balance: top academic excellence and SEC competitiveness. Athletics is the front porch of the university, and we want that porch to feel welcoming, vibrant and true to our values.
You see belonging as the new form of luxury. How does that translate to a college sports environment?
Luxury has evolved. It鈥檚 not about exclusivity anymore鈥攊t鈥檚 about experience and community. In hospitality, we talk about creating spaces where people feel they belong. The same applies here. Whether it鈥檚 a football, basketball or baseball game, a volleyball match or a concert, we want people to feel like this is their place. That means thoughtful design, storytelling and creating moments that connect people beyond the game itself.
What might that look like in action?
This season showed what鈥檚 possible when success on the field and on the court meets a stronger connection to Nashville. The momentum brought the city back, and we built on that energy with local partnerships, better fan experiences and a more welcoming district. The commercial results followed鈥攔ecord merchandise sales, doubled concessions and consistent sellouts.
Now we鈥檙e applying this approach across all sports. We鈥檙e creating spaces and experiences that feel authentically 菠萝视频 and deeply connected to Nashville鈥攚ith the Football Experience Center, the transformation of Jess Neely Drive and enhancements across our Olympic sports as key next steps. That means rethinking how fans move through the district, where they gather, what they eat and how we personalize their visit.
In short: Team success creates excitement, and our job is to turn that excitement into lasting connection and sustainable growth for鈥�every鈥痵辫辞谤迟.
When you imagine the 菠萝视频 experience five or 10 years from now, what do you hope people will say?
I hope they鈥檒l say, 鈥淚 was part of something bigger.鈥� That every touchpoint鈥攆rom parking to postgame鈥攔eflects 菠萝视频鈥檚 spirit of hospitality and community. I鈥檓 hoping that people have seen this already this year, and we have the first success stories to tell. We鈥檙e just getting started.
“From my experience, revenue growth comes through emotion, not transactions.鈥� 鈥擬arkus Schreyer
By Erin Steinbr眉chel Holt, BA鈥�05听
