Jimmy Sanderson didn't start off his career with a doctorate, instead working 11 years for human resources management in the private sector. Now teaching at Clemson University, Sanderson weighs in on some of the biggest, current sports topics of the day, including the NFL Domestic Violence Policy and Roger Goodell, as well as Hope Solo and how Americans view female athletes overall. Sanderson also provides an interesting perspective on the issues facing young professionals who are both in college and have graduated, ranging from self-entitlement issues to lofty expectations by students. Twitter: @Jimmy_Sanderson
Old school technology such as beaconing has become some of the hottest new trending sports revenue drivers used in college athletics and professional sports. Signal 360's Alex Bell explains how beaconing works, and with the advent of the smartphone, how it is becoming the quickest way to deliver localized content to sports patrons in the facility. Bell discusses some of the ethical challenges of beaconing, such as data collection and information gathering, as well as how to ensure that the practice is widely used in the correct manner. Everything is now being centered on how a customer interacts within specific locations, and its is a topic that will help change the face of sports technology over the next three-to-five years. Twitter: @Signal360
Vinny Accardi discusses how he draws in corporate clients to the small college atmosphere of Stony Brook University, amid all of the hype of the Big Apple. Accardi shares his thoughts on developing great activation for clients, as well as getting them involved in the campus community long-term through the front porch of the athletic department. Accardi talks about his supervision of the ticket office, as well as his roots in communications and public relations at Major League Baseball during the mid-2000s. Twitter: @VincentJAccardi
Over the last three decades, Keith Rosen has delivered his customized sales training programs & sales management training & coaching programs to hundreds of thousands of salespeople & managers, helping business leaders in practically every industry; on five continents & in over 50 countries. Rosen chats about some of the ways in which sales trainers can help grow their departments. He frowns upon just focusing on underperformers without having a 30-day turn-around strategy in place. Rosen talks on some of the various aspects affecting sales cultures and how to break through a negative culture. Twitter: @KeithRosen
For over 15 years, Bryan Bedford has been transforming the way sports content is delivered to fans, teams, coaches and leagues around the world. Throughout his career in the digital sports and entertainment industry, Bedford has launched game-changing technologies in high growth businesses’ including broadcast replay solutions, stadium technology integration, digital networks and of course all things mobile related. Bedford talks about fan engagement at the stadium and how interconnected devices are changing the way we view the sports product live. Twitter: @Bryan_Bedford
Bob D'Amelio has been helping grow Western Michigan University for over 22 years, operating under several athletic directors, and growing out the WMU brand. D'Amelio chats about his successes, especially within the community and media realm, as well as some of the challenges that lie ahead for WMU. As D'Amelio states, while several people want to be athletic directors, it is a job title cut from a different cloth, and as far as D'Amelio is concerned, he's happy growing the WMU brand in Kalamazoo and beyond, whether that's at the helm or as one of the officers positioned to guide the overall department forward. Twitter: @BobDAmelio
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the innovative teams attempting to engage with the fan membership model. VP of Sales & Service Corey Breton explains that the team has made a full investment in building the entire fan engagement platform out. Breton discusses how the season ticket has been altered, to the point of conversion to the fan membership model, and where the fan now sits with investing in the team entirely. Breton talks about how the secondary market as well as premium tickets may have been drastically changed as fan attitudes toward buying tickets have converted into a loyalty-system of fan membership. Twitter: @CMB711
Jesse Zumbro has been a longtime listener to the podcast, so its about time that he came on as a guest. Zumbro has worked for two different minor league baseball teams, both independent and affilated, as well as with the Seattle Supersonics in their last year of existence in the Emerald City in 2008. This includes corporate sales, marketing and ticket sales. Zumbro shares his experiences working for the Sonics, including the hateful exodus of fans when the team was about to leave town, as well as the differences between affiliated and independent minor league baseball.
Vic Gregovits has helped initiate some of the largest revenue streams in MLB, NFL and college athletics. Gregovits talks about his stints with the Indians, Pirates and Robert Morris, driving revenue to organizations through new initiatives and sound training tactics. This goes beyond mere ticket sales acumen, and into the world of marketing, concessions and all other ancillaries as Gregovits shares his secrets for sales staff motivation and growth.
For 12 years, Jim Abbott has been leading Oklahoma City University's athletic department at the NAIA level. But he will be the first remind you that the letters NAIA or NCAA don't matter when it comes to whether Oklahoma City University is providing the best student-athlete experience in the country. Abbott's philosophy also extends to how he hires staff, including coaches, and he shares his vision of trying to teach fundraising as well as commitment to the athletic department to new employees. Abbott also talks about College Resource Management which offers up sessions designed to help athletic administrators at the small college level as well as #scachat, which is a Twitter chat aimed at creating a dialogue for athletic administration. Twitter: @jimabbott33