Services Clients Work About Get in touch
Sports · Major Events · Venues

Where strategy
meets the
stadium.

Independent advisory for organisations navigating commercial complexity in sport, major events, and venues. Twenty years of scar tissue. Every engagement built from scratch — not a template.

Let’s talk View our work
✦COMMERCIAL STRATEGY ✦EVENT ACQUISITION ✦VENUE ADVISORY ✦GOVERNANCE ✦BUSINESS CASES ✦PRECINCT STRATEGY ✦MAJOR EVENTS ✦SPONSORSHIP ✦COMMERCIAL STRATEGY ✦EVENT ACQUISITION ✦VENUE ADVISORY ✦GOVERNANCE ✦BUSINESS CASES ✦PRECINCT STRATEGY ✦MAJOR EVENTS ✦SPONSORSHIP
What we do

The full pitch.

01
Commercial Strategy
Clear revenue strategy and commercial models that hold up to scrutiny, built around your specific context rather than a generic framework applied to your numbers.
Revenue models Sponsorship Financial analysis
02
Event Acquisition & Strategy
End-to-end support for attracting and retaining major events, from bid strategy and rights holder relationships to government partnerships and commercial negotiation. Grounded in direct experience on both sides of the table.
Bid strategy Government relations Frameworks
03
Venue & Precinct Advisory
Strategic advisory for stadium projects, precinct redevelopments, and venue operations, across planning, governance, commercial structuring, and stakeholder management.
Precinct strategy Business cases Stakeholders
04
Governance & Board Advisory
Practical governance frameworks, board reporting, tenure structures, and strategic planning for sporting organisations and not-for-profits at all levels.
Board reporting Strategic planning NFP advisory
05
Executive & Leadership Support
All the capability of a senior hire, without the overhead. Senior experience embedded where and when it’s needed. We work alongside CEOs and executives as a trusted advisor, sounding board, and strategic partner.
Fractional advisory CEO support Board engagement
Clients & Partners

Trusted by the game's decision-makers.

Tighthead works with organisations where genuine relationships and deep industry knowledge make the difference between advice that looks right and advice that works.
Melbourne Cricket Ground ✦ Royal Geelong Yacht Club ✦ Axis Project Solutions ✦ Melbourne Cricket Club ✦ SMC Strategies ✦ Visit Victoria ✦ Ground Control Global ✦ Stadiums Tasmania ✦ Llama x Chicks Who Ride Bikes ✦ Transport Accident Commission ✦ Stadiums Queensland ✦ Melbourne Cricket Ground ✦ Royal Geelong Yacht Club ✦ Axis Project Solutions ✦ Melbourne Cricket Club ✦ SMC Strategies ✦ Visit Victoria ✦ Ground Control Global ✦ Stadiums Tasmania ✦ Llama x Chicks Who Ride Bikes ✦ Transport Accident Commission ✦ Stadiums Queensland ✦
Stadiums Queensland ✦ Transport Accident Commission ✦ Llama x Chicks Who Ride Bikes ✦ Stadiums Tasmania ✦ Ground Control Global ✦ Visit Victoria ✦ SMC Strategies ✦ Melbourne Cricket Club ✦ Axis Project Solutions ✦ Royal Geelong Yacht Club ✦ Melbourne Cricket Ground ✦ Stadiums Queensland ✦ Transport Accident Commission ✦ Llama x Chicks Who Ride Bikes ✦ Stadiums Tasmania ✦ Ground Control Global ✦ Visit Victoria ✦ SMC Strategies ✦ Melbourne Cricket Club ✦ Axis Project Solutions ✦ Royal Geelong Yacht Club ✦ Melbourne Cricket Ground ✦
Selected work

Outcomes that count.

Major Events · Government

State Tourism Agency — Regional Venue Mapping & Event Alignment

Developed a venue-event alignment matrix across ~30 government-funded venues, matching event content to infrastructure readiness across sport, community, and cultural categories.
Venue-event alignment matrix across ~30 regional venues
Feasibility assessed against readiness, timing and lead-in
Activation options delivered for government decision-making
Major Events · Infrastructure

State Venue Authority — Event Acquisition Strategy

Authored a dedicated event acquisition chapter within a state venue authority's broader content strategy — defining a fit-for-purpose acquisition model, mapping enablers and barriers, and outlining a governance and measurement framework for building a stronger, more deliberate events pipeline across the state.
Acquisition framework and methodology delivered
Roles and coordination mapped across state agencies
Commercial considerations structured for Board
Venue Commercial · Major Events

Iconic Venue Operator — Commercial Review of Major Events

Engaged to conduct a commercial review of major concert events at one of Australia's most iconic venues, analysing hirer agreements, promoter side-letters, and historical event financial returns to benchmark commercial performance and identify opportunities to improve revenue outcomes.
Analysis of major concert hirer agreements and promoter side-letters completed
Returns benchmarked against industry comparators
Commercial review report delivered to management
Venue Commercial · Precinct Development

AFL Club — Precinct Commercial Operating Model

Commercial operating model for a major AFL club precinct redevelopment — modelling revenue, operating costs, and operator sensitivities across a multi-asset site to support Board and government engagement.
Operating model across four precinct asset classes
Club-operated vs external sensitivity analysis for Board
Decision-support tool — not a full feasibility study
Social Impact · Sport Partnerships

Government Agency — Sport Partnership Strategy

Refreshed how a government agency leverages sport partnerships to drive positive behaviours — from grassroots to elite, across consultation, benchmarking, and a coordinated partnership framework.
Consultation across grassroots to elite sport
Framework aligned to behavioural change objectives
Benchmarked against national and international models
Venue Commercial · F&B Strategy

Multi-Venue Operator — F&B Pricing Review

Delivered a food and beverage pricing review across a state venue operator's managed portfolio, benchmarking current pricing and yield against comparable venues, identifying commercial gaps, and providing actionable recommendations to improve per-capita revenue without compromising the fan experience.
Benchmarked against national stadium comparators
Yield gap analysis with revenue uplift modelling
Recommendations structured for Board presentation
Digital · Commercialisation · Exit Strategy

Tech Start-Up — Growth Strategy & Commercial Advisory

Embedded executive advisor to the founder of a niche community platform — leading commercialisation strategy across user acquisition, revenue model development, and exit positioning.
Phased growth roadmap with owners and milestones
Revenue model options across three commercial streams
Exit narrative and acquisition-readiness from day one
Fractional Executive · NFP

Regional Sport Organisation — Fractional Executive Advisory

Fractional strategic advisor to a regional NFP exploring a major sport infrastructure opportunity — framing the vision, developing Board materials, and identifying funding pathways without the cost of a full-time hire.
Strategic framing across a complex multi-stakeholder brief
Board materials, roadmap and options delivered
Senior capability embedded — no headcount added
About
Kim Cummins — Principal, Tighthead Advisory
Kim Cummins
Principal
CPA GAICD 20+ years

Practical.
Trusted.
Purpose-Led.

Kim founded Tighthead Advisory after two decades at the sharp end of sport, major events, and commercial strategy. Every engagement is led personally and built from first principles — no off-the-shelf frameworks, no recycled analysis, no templates.

His career spans world-class venues, national sporting organisations, and government major events strategy. That breadth means clients get advice that is commercially grounded, operationally realistic, and actionable — not just a well-designed slide.

Visit Victoria
Major events acquisition and strategy and rights holder partnerships across national and international sports.
MCG & Marvel Stadium
Senior roles spanning finance, commercial, operations and major projects at Australia's most iconic venues.
AFL
National sporting body experience across commercial strategy, infrastructure projects and venue operations.
V8 Supercars
Consumer strategy, fan engagement, ticketing and membership, driving patronage and commercial performance across the national racing calendar.
AFL Barwon
Deputy Chair and Chair, Finance Risk & Audit Committee.
How we work

Clarity. Alignment. Action.

Less workshops, more progress.

01
Frame the problem
Every engagement starts with a clear-eyed view of what the real problem is — not the presenting question, but the underlying strategic challenge or opportunity.
02
Define the scope
Practical scope management from day one. We agree on what success looks like, what's in and out, and how progress gets measured.
03
Do the work
Original analysis, genuine stakeholder engagement, and deliverables built for the specific brief — not adapted from a previous job. Regular touchpoints and complete transparency throughout.
04
Drive outcomes
Recommendations that are implementable, not just defensible — with a clear path to delivery, not a list of observations. We stay engaged where it matters.
Let's talk

Ready to
make the call?

Whether you have a defined project or a challenge you’re still working through, get in touch.

kim.cummins@tighthead.com.au
Send a message