Knight Eady uses sports to connect marketers, fans in ‘profound way’

Knight Eady, based in downtown Birmingham, began in 2013 as an event operations company specializing in sports — a core passion for founders and University of Alabama graduates David Knight and Michael Eady.

The company has staged numerous large events in the Birmingham area, such as the National Senior Games, the Alabama state high school basketball championships, the Elevate the Stage NCAA women’s gymnastics event, the Olympics-style Birmingham Corporate Challenge and the Mike Slive Invitational and Chick-fil-A Birmingham Classic college basketball games.

But over the last few years, Knight Eady has evolved. In addition to staging events, the company began working with corporate clients to help them use a connection to sports events as a way to build positive attention for their own brands and products.

“Through our growth, we identified a unique marketplace in sports where brands and fans intersect,” Knight said in a recent company news release.

“We’re now able to help our clients connect with new fans in a more profound way,” said Knight, who is the company’s president for operations.

Knight Eady has worked with companies “that have used sports and leveraged their relationships with particular sports brands to really elevate their own brands and grow their audience and really market their product to the right people,” Eady told Iron City Ink. Eady serves as the company’s president for strategy and creative.

In keeping with this new reality, Knight Eady announced a rebranding, including a new logo, in February. The company is now presenting itself as a full-service event, strategy and creative agency.

“Most people just knew Knight Eady for events,” Eady said. “They didn’t know the other side.”

There are also other big changes happening at Knight Eady, long based at Innovation Depot downtown.

Construction is underway for the company’s new headquarters in Parkside.

The company also expanded its reach in spring 2019 by opening offices in Huntsville and Charlotte.

But even with these changes, sports — and the unforgettable moments and strong community bonds they generate for fans and athletes — will remain at the core of the company’s practice.

“The audience that goes to a sporting event in a lot of ways is a focused opportunity for you to market yourself in a unique environment,” Eady said.

“So many times, you have the opportunity to be a part of somebody’s greatest memory,” he said.

To help clients achieve their goals, Knight Eady offers a wide variety of services.

In the events area, this includes site selection and venue management, ticketing and registration operations and the in-venue fan experience.

In the area of strategy, the company offers such services as data, research, media buying, social media and consulting on sponsorships.

The company’s many creative services include video, photography, graphic design, brand development and event presentation.

Knight Eady’s business clients have included Hibbett/City Gear, Nexus Fitness and BancorpSouth, a Mississippi-based bank holding company with operations in Alabama and eight other states.

Knight Eady’s new headquarters, which measures about 7,500 square feet, is located at the corner of First Avenue South and 12th Street South in the Parkside 101 development. At press time, the company’s move-in date was March 30, Eady said.

The company’s new office in Huntsville is run by Penn Garvich, who serves as tournament director for the Huntsville Championship golf tournament, an annual stop on the PGA’s Korn Ferry Tour.

Knight Eady also stages a college basketball game in the Rocket City each holiday season, Eady said.

“We thought it was a good idea to have an office up there,” he said.

The Charlotte office is run by Katie Jernigan, the company’s vice president for strategy, along with one other staff member, he said.

The company has “lofty goals” of seeing the Huntsville and Charlotte offices expand, Eady said.

However, 21 of the company’s 25 staffers remain in the Magic City, he said.

“Birmingham is our home,” Eady said. “David and I are from here, and we are very invested in the growth that’s already occurred and in helping Birmingham continue to grow.”