Jamel Jodah may also go by "Jay" but his hard-charging way of selling tickets is never mistaken for anything other than revenue generation. Jodah discusses his thought process in attacking the New Orleans market for ticket sales for Tulane University, as well as ensuring that there is equal communication between the campus athletic department and the Aspire Group, the third party that he works for. Jodah talks about his methodology in going after groups and season tickets. Twitter: @JGreenWave
The New Orleans Zephyrs are looking to re-ignite their AAA franchise in 2016 and captivate the entire city. SVP and General Manager Augusto "Cookie" Rojas sets the tone with his viewpoints on marketing and promotions, eliminating the complimentary tickets from years past, and going aggressively after businesses throughout Southern Louisiana. Rojas talks about some of the challenges that the Zephyrs are set to overcome, as well as some of the new strategic planning being implemented to show immediate success. Rojas shares some insight into how he got his nickname "Cookie." Twitter: @TheCookieRojas
Getting into the mindset of how to lead takes a lot of initiative. Executive coaching guru Tanya Wheeless explains some of the pitfalls that await many leaders when they are attempting to run an organization, across the board, from vision to staff. A former SVP of the Phoenix Suns, Wheeless presents her thoughts on how to engage workers that each supervisor manages, as well as how to properly evaluate productivity and efficiency. Wheeless talks about the labeling of Millennials, along with some of the issues that young people are having in developing an effective career in the workplace. Twitter: @TanyaWheeless
In the annals of baseball history, nothing even comes close to the regular season winning success of the Atlanta Braves from 1991 to 2005. Former AP Writer and SABR member Dan Schlossberg details the unprecedented success of the Braves in his book, "When The Braves Ruled Baseball: Fourteen Flags Over Atlanta" starting with General Manager Bobby Cox's trade for John Smoltz, to David Justice, Terry Pendleton, Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine and the free agent signing of Greg Maddux. Schlossberg shares some of the insight he gleaned from interviews with former Braves executives, including the differential in budgets from owner Ted Turner from 1991-95 compared to those from 1996-2005 under conglomerate Time Warner. Though only one World Series win during that record run by the Braves, Schlossberg mentions the amount of above-average players such as Denny Neagle, Bruce Chen and Ryan Klesko, who were traded on an absolutely talented roster as the Braves marched on, each year, for the 14 straight seasons, to the playoffs and several World Series.
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Jeff Ianello has experienced an evolution from his time in sports. While at the Phoenix Suns as a Vice President of Ticket Sales and at the NBA's TMBO, Ianello was on the primary side of the business. Now, Ianello sits on the opposite end, advocating for why digital distribution and the secondary market can help grow revenues for teams. Ianello talks about his catharsis into the world of resale and how it broadened his perspective on what truly lies out there for teams to explore. Ianello shares his thoughts on the New York Yankees' decision to stop print-at-home ticket acceptance, and its affect on the New York FC crowds for Opening Day of the MLS season. Twitter: @Jeff_Ianello
When the legendary H.B.C. (Head Ball Coach) retires mid-season from your school, it can change a marketing plan in short order. South Carolina Associate AD/CMO Eric Nichols talks about the differences in a global and local sense, then examines how to best develop a marketing plan that will stand the test of time. A former president of NACMA, Nichols discusses his thoughts on drawing out audiences, including to sports that are 40 miles away from campus and aren't the highest of profiles. Nichols presents his case for why being at the National Sports Forum is vitally important to his growth as a sports marketer. Twitter: @EricNichols
A recognized industry thought leader for digital sports in Asia, Maurizo Barbieri dissects some of the different strategic and tactical capabilities across a burgeoning media landscape. Barbieri discusses his drive to build one of the primary resources for Japanese sports fans, with most than 350k users, on LiveSports Japan, and then describes the effort of launching a sports channel for cable and Internet in Singapore, to an OTT audience. Barbieri talks about the channels that lie ahead for traditional media sources in general, with a segmented sports market place, as selective, on-demand tastes grow with consumers worldwide. Twitter: @MGBarbieri
Analytics and membership represent the cutting edge of what sports business is turning to in the fit to earn revenue from the elusive fan. Fred Gambino Fred Gambino is part of a team that oversees analytics & business strategy for the Miami Dolphins, the ultimate test at creating a sports fan experience and generating enough information to build a credible, authentic customer profile. Gambino discusses his role as well as expectations at the Dolphins, especially at seeking out defining characteristics of prospective and current customers beyond the typical misconceptions about who is buying the product and why. Gambino talks about strategy, as well as implementation, in order to build a better organizational system.
If there's one person who can own a room simply by walking into it, Wayne Stickney has that title outright. Long Beach State's Sr. Associate Athletic Director for Major Gifts & Revenue Acquisition, "The Stick" talks about how to engage donors from the lowest giving levels and earn their trust enough to build a base of solid support through a multi-level, multi-year engagement. Stickney discusses some of the ways that he has learned to embrace change, as well as handle expectations of those above him with the realities of financial gift support when it comes to the budgetary process. Stickney chats about his overall vision for athletics as a community relations tool, as well as how he views the professional development of those he supervises in the department. Twitter: @Styckrunner
The role of the deputy director is explored with Dan Satter, who is in his first year in that position. Satter shares his vision of developing communication with the coaches and staff at Boston University, as well as how to make sure that he is help facilitate dialogue with the athletic director. Satter also discusses how to engage student athletes with students as well as the campus in general, including the legacy of the Bean Pot Classic. Twitter: @DSatterBU