Isabella Tamplin opens up the ticket world of Brazil for podcast listeners, sharing insight into her company, Grupo BWA, which oversees ticketing for over 30 professional soccer clubs. Tamplin discusses some of the issues facing the Brazillan soccer fan, especially in attendance and ticket buying consumption. Tamplin discusses how the area has handled venue operations since the Rio 2016 Games & FIFA World Cup of 2014.
John Katz returns for a third time to the podcast (Ep. 601 & Ep. 183), this time to discuss how Tim Tebow and a lunar eclipse, two marketing boons that helped the Columbia Fireflies achieve attendance metrics in 2017. Katz discusses Tebowmania, and how to handle the international press attention that came along with it. Katz shares how the team prepared for the lunar eclipse game in August 2017. Twitter: @JEKatz33
Jim Boone joins the podcast to chat about the volatility in the secondary ticket market for combat sports, especially considering the terrible pricing decisions of the Mayweather-McGregor bout in August. Boone discusses his insight into reselling tickets for MMA/UFC and boxing, as well as why the Klitschko brothers never yielded out a huge demand from American audiences despite their title reigns. Boone shares how his company caters to high-end clients, actually helping promoters move a lot of tickets, filling seats and generating revenue for the fighters. Twitter: @kotickets
Seth Shapiro joins the podcast to discuss the world of sports filmmaking, fresh off of a trip with the NFL in China. Shapiro talks not only about the air of filmmaking, but also the production angle, where there are time limitations with sports stars, as well as branding implications. Shapiro covers the several issues concerning how gauge evergreen content in a world of fast paced social media, along with building a quality production every time out. Twitter: @dieselfilms
Even with the legacy of UCLA, the Bruins face constant changes in how they operate. Assistant Athletic Director of Ticket Sales Evan Flagg explains that UCLA has had to make tough decisions when it comes to dynamic pricing, as well as avoiding dropping the ticket price if they feel it price was originally in error. Flagg shares his insight into dealing with group sales and ticket initiatives for promotions at UCLA, as well as how to enhance longer term commitments from fans. Flagg compares the difference between working in the pros and college. Twitter: @BlueGoldFlagg
Originally published in 1998, the book "Field of Schemes" has continued to be a hot topic for public stadium finance opponents in the 19 years since. Co-Author Neil DeMause talks about some of the issues surrounding the ability of teams to gain publicly financed stadiums, as well as the economic viability that each project actually presents to the community at large. DeMause shares insight into how large events may actually have a net-zero economic gain, and some of the misconceptions overall about team relocation. Twitter: @neildemause
Ashwin Puri joins the podcast to chat about the end of his experience as the Chief Revenue Officer of Cal-Berkeley Athletics and the transition to VP of Strategy and Business Operations at the Oakland Athletics. Puri discusses his time moving from NBA TMBO to Cal in order to start the in-house model for the Pac-12 school in 2012, as well as some of the ways he met the challenge of bureaucracy while building an efficient inside sales model. Puri talks about how the school found creative ways to pay commissions through bonuses and contracts, as well as the opportunity with the Athletics that he couldn't say no to. Twitter: @Ash_Puri
Mark Murdock joins the podcast to chat about how whole body cryotherapy and other recovery modalities are changing sports fitness and athletic training. Murdock discusses the latest cutting-edge recovery methods from the point of view as a former coach; introducing the concept of infrared light therapy which has been shown to reduce oxidative stress and to help rapid recovery, improved sleep and increased strength and performance. Murdock talks about his involvement in the Nike Oregon Project, as well as how the majority of technology on athletic recovery is coming from the U.S. Military.