Director, Market Development for East Coast Events

PPA Tour; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

PPA Tour is seeking a Director of Market Development for the East Coast pod to turn players into fans and build pre-event buzz for five major pickleball events. You will own spectator marketing and work with operations to root tournaments in each city.

In this role you will build local campaigns, cultivate relationships with media, clubs, influencers and communities, and drive amateur registrations while reporting performance to the Senior Director. Willingness to travel is required.

Qualifications

• 4–7 years of marketing experience in sports, live events, or entertainment.
• Proven track record of building attendance demand and converting audiences into ticket buyers.
• Deep understanding of how to market in local and regional markets.
• Experience managing at least one direct report.
• Strong working knowledge of social media, email, and grassroots activation.
• Willing to travel to every event and show up personally when it matters most.

Responsibilities

• Own the full spectator marketing strategy for each event in your region.
• Work with your Senior Director to build out campaigns that drive ticket sales, registration and pre event buzz.
• Identify and activate market-specific channels — local media, club networks, influencers, community events.
• Collaborate with operations to create event experiences that feel uniquely tied to each city's identity and culture.
• Drive amateur player registrations through targeted outreach to clubs, facilities, and recreational leagues.
• Report on attendance metrics, campaign performance, and registration numbers to the Senior Director.

Skills

Marketing experience

Event marketing

Local market knowledge

Team leadership

Social media & email marketing

Travel readiness

Job description

Pickleball has 25 million Americans playing the sport — and most of them have never watched a live pro event. That's not a problem. That's the biggest untapped audience in sports marketing right now. As Director, Market Development for our East Coast pod, your primary mission is to turn players into fans — to build the kind of pre-event buzz, local presence, and spectator demand that makes sitting in the stands feel like the obvious next step for anyone who's ever picked up a paddle. You'll own five major events and work alongside the operations team to make sure each tournament feels rooted in its city, not dropped into it.

What You're Driving

• Spectator Tickets & Crowd Building: Convert the millions of recreational players in your markets into ticket buyers. Build campaigns that make the live pro experience feel electric, accessible, and unmissable.
• Build Local Presence: Boots on the ground - building relationships with local news outlets, influencers, pickleball clubs, and community groups so that by the time the tournament arrives, the whole market already knows it's coming.
• Ambassador Program: Connect with clubs and recreational networks to drive tournament entries. A full amateur draw deepens community investment and adds to the atmosphere in the stands.
• Local Event Identity: Work with ops to make each tournament feel like it belongs to its city. A Chicago event should feel nothing like Dallas — local hooks, local media, local energy.

What You'll Own

• Own the full spectator marketing strategy for each event in your region
• Work with your Senior Director to build out campaigns that drive ticket sales, registration and pre event buzz
• Identify and activate market-specific channels — local media, club networks, influencers, community events
• Collaborate with operations to create event experiences that feel uniquely tied to each city's identity and culture
• Drive amateur player registrations through targeted outreach to clubs, facilities, and recreational leagues
• Report on attendance metrics, campaign performance, and registration numbers to the Senior Director

What You Bring

• 4–7 years of marketing experience — sports, live events, or entertainment strongly preferred
• Proven track record of building attendance demand and converting audiences into ticket buyers
• Deep understanding of how to market in local and regional markets
• Creative instincts paired with strategic discipline
• Experience managing at least one direct report
• Strong working knowledge of social media, email, and grassroots community activation
• Comfortable being scrappy — this is creative problem-solving, not big-agency budgets
• Willing to travel to every event and show up personally when it matters most

Why This Role

• The Biggest Untapped Audience in Sports. 25 million players, a fraction of them in seats. The gap between participation and spectatorship is your opportunity.
• Creative Ownership. You're not executing someone else's playbook. Five different cities, five different audiences — you figure out what works and you own the results.
• Get In While It's Still Being Built. Pro pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country. The people who join now shape what it becomes.