Understanding the role of a fundraiser while in the ticket office is perfectly fine, but Liz Menne takes it a step further. Originally starting her career in college athletics as a part of the donor management team, Menne now oversees one of the larger college athletic ticket operations in the country. Menne discusses her role in tying donor engagement with ticket operations customer service, her decision to move from her alma mater at the University of Miami to Texas Tech, and whether there are some future opportunities on social media for athletic development opportunities. Twitter: @LMenne
The world of online media platforms extend far beyond the social media buttons asking for a shares on posts. Tariq Ahmad discusses the role of check-ins at stadium, and how the realization of that impact is still in its infancy for most professional sports teams, while others such as the NBA’s Golden State Warriors have used it to their advantage. Ahmad, who also runs a Twitter chat #smsportschat, talks about the importance of social media impressions and how engagement between players and their fan base has started to change sports media forever. Twitter: @Tariq_Ahmad
Canadian sports sponsorship is discussed with Craig Purcell, who has had a heavy influence on sport north of the American border. Purcell has represented organizations such as NFL Canada, SiriusXM Radio, Ottawa Sentators, Buffalo Bulls, Skate Canada and the CFL. Purcell talks about working as president of Insight Sports to help develop the inaugural Buffalo Bills Toronto Series for all suite and corporate partnerships, as well as some of the lessons learned from the experience as a whole.
The sponsorship platforms for sports are changing in a dynamic world of rapid technological innovation. The Marketing Arm’s Bill Glenn talks about some of the ways in which activation may be achieved through these new routes, as well as the digital platforms which exist. This conversation extends into the world of sports business as a whole and how sales experience develops young sports executives. Twitter: @Sponczar
Sacramento Kings VP of Ticket Sales & Service Phil Horn discusses how the last few years of franchise turmoil helped shape the future marketing efforts of the organization, that includes driving ticket sales, revenue and sponsorship at a time when the team's future in Sacramento was uncertain. Horn talks about how the ticket staff dropped from over 50 full time staff members to 15 sales staff at the time of the May sale and some of the challenges of selling out the building to show the NBA that the league made the right decision by keeping the Kings in Sacramento. Twitter: @PhilKingsTix
Charles Lucas talks about some of the factors with the Reno Aces baseball team, and how they are able to draw fans in a continuous, fun environment. The Reno Aces are a franchise success story, because professional baseball in Reno has been a sorted one. Reno has had eight professional baseball teams play in the city since 1947. Once a boomtown before native casinos took away the allure of the Biggest Little City in the World, it is now a different place, especially hit hard by the 2008 economic crash. In 2009, the Tucson Sidewinders became the Reno Aces and started playing Triple A baseball in a brand new ballpark at a time when the local economy had 25 percent unemployment.
Running a marketing budget in a basketball-crazy state like Kentucky isn’t easy, but Morris White looks towards the positives of what he does on a daily basis. White talks about ways to draw out a student crowd, as well as mentor those young interns around him, in order to ensure that they get as much experience as possible. Small college sports programs can sometimes allow its workers and interns to do more things, and White talks about how dynamic MSU can be regardless of the money they don’t have against the big boys of the University of Kentucky or Louisville. Twitter: @MorrisEWhite3
Naming Rights for venues is the largest part of what Jeff Ferguson focuses on with Live Nation. Ferguson talks about how to achieve activation, exclusivity, whether the naming right partners need fuller explanation of their business to consumers, and breaks down some of the ways that naming rights can and can’t work for a client. Ferguson also spent a great deal of time with ISP and discusses how the collegiate market works for signage, corporate sponsorship opportunities, and partnerships. LinkedIn: Jeff Ferguson - Twitter: @FergySports
Legends Marketing & Sales has been one of the leaders in the professional sports market for a while now, and is just starting to make waves in the collegiate market as a third party out-bound sales force. Leading that charge is Chad Estis, who also serves as Vice President Sales & Booking of the Dallas Cowboys franchise for the past six years. Estis talks about the professional and collegiate market, focusing in on revenue streams, some of the ways in which teams are becoming more dynamic in building up their brands. Estis discusses some of the hot sports business topics and dissects whether some of the doom and gloom of technological influences causing attendance drops is valid or not.
Bringing in the right trainer matters, especially when they have a great track record of success. Jack Mielke has been training for the past 20 years, helping guide some of the largest sports franchises toward revenue success through ticket solutions. Mielke shares his knowledge on how to develop a sales culture from the ground up, taking assessment of staff already on board, and how managers should be taking ownership over results by their team. Twitter: @JackMielke