If you eat, sleep and breathe numbers, there\u2019s a place for you in sports. Ask Laura Meyer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a math nerd,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As a child in Cincinnati attending Reds games, she kept score. As a stats student at Xavier, she lived for the metrics. When the Timberwolves hired her in 2006, she took data and analytics and turned it into a now-valuable career in business intelligence. As a result, the Rockets \u2014 and her former mentor, Ryan Tanke \u2014 just hired her away from Minnesota after her 19-year run of constant innovation.<\/p>\n
With the Timberwolves, Meyer was considered a driving force behind the team\u2019s current 94-game consecutive sellout streak, based on her incremental moves over the years. In 2010, in a previous role as director of revenue strategy and operations, she helped the Timberwolves become the first Twin Cities team to adopt dynamic pricing. In 2015, Tanke asked her to explore ticket technology vendors, and she responded by turning the Timberwolves and Lynx into the first NBA and WNBA teams with 100% digital ticketing. She also ideated a platform that had Wolves fans of all ages using the team\u2019s mobile app as \u201ca remote control,\u201d whether for game entry, mobile ordering or mobile loyalty currency and discounts. Just in case, she hired tech-savvy college students to roam Target Center and bring confused customers up to speed. \u201cNo fan left behind,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Meyer also reimagined the arena\u2019s courtside seating map, producing a 29% increase in premium seating. <\/p>\n
\u201cThose are very much more lucrative than the signage that was there,\u201d she said. In the summer of 2024, she orchestrated the renovation of a 500-member arena premium club, another revenue source \u2014 and another math problem that she got correct.<\/p>\n
Laura MeyerSenior Vice President of Performance Marketing and Business IntelligenceHouston Rockets<\/p>\n
Why she\u2019s a Game Changer:<\/p>\n
After leading her team\u2019s embrace of dynamic pricing, Meyer spearheaded the conversion to 100% digital ticketing for the Lynx and Timberwolves, the first WNBA and NBA teams to achieve complete digital entry transformation.<\/p>\n
Born: Cincinnati<\/p>\n
Education: Xavier University, B.S., sport management, minors in business and psychology; University Scholars program, magna cum laude<\/p>\n
Family: Spouse, Jon; dogs, Newfoundland named Oakley and a Cane Corso mastiff named Mariot<\/p>\n
Attributes I look for when hiring: Tenacious problem-solving abilities.<\/p>\n
Sports business story I\u2019m excited to follow in the next year: The growth of the WNBA.<\/p>\n
I have a dream that one day \u2026 : I\u2019ll have a farm and raise llamas and alpacas.<\/p>\n
Best tool to keep me organized in work and in life: My laptop. He\u2019s always with me.<\/p>\n
How I stay current with industry trends: Research, online courses and industry conferences.<\/p>\n