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
Creating the perfect VIP experience isn’t easy. Jen Beaver has been doing it for years, building up exclusive party events the NBA All-Star Game, Kentucky Derby, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, ESPY Awards, and Indy 500. BRANDed has attracted the attention of media from People Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, US Weekly, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood with events attracting high-profile athletes such as Tony Romo, Jerry Rice, and Reggie Bush. Beaver shares her knowledge on how to ensure there aren’t party crashers as well as autograph seekers, and ways to prevent taking the job home with you afterward, especially stress. Twitter: @BRANDed
Maxson is one of the more innovative sports executives in minor league baseball on protecting the price point at all costs. Maxson talks about guarding against the bane of free tickets or heavy discounts, especially working in markets where that used to be the norm. Maxson discusses his philosophies on ensuring higher revenue, greater fan experiences, and increased retention efforts. Maxson presents his beliefs on how students can break into sports as well as stay into sports, as well as what he looks for during the sports hiring process. Twitter: @ChipMaxson
The Southeast Asian markets are serving as new growth potential in the world of sports revenue. Hass Aminian, on vacation in California from Singapore, explains how some of the largest new markets are becoming a potential goldmine for internationally marketed teams in the world, especially in The Olympics and the world’s game of football. Aminian discusses how the markets are changing, and what sports sponsorship activation for international brands may entail in the future. Twitter: @HassAminian
Deep South baseball is personified by the Savannah Sand Gnats, led by President John Katz, who rescued a troubled brand a few years ago and transformed it into a thriving business. Katz talks about how working with elbow grease and duct tape has built a fun fan experience environment for any patron who enters to watch the Sand Gnats play. Katz discusses the history of the Sand Gnats, including the elimination of bleachers which were once a symbol of Southern segregation as Katz sought to involve every community member into the Sand Gnats’ brand equally.
One of the major third party ticket companies to emerge in the last ten years for both professional sports and college athletics is Turnstyles Ticketing. Helmed by founder Chris Hutson, Turnstyles Ticketing tries to break the mold on how to speak to the fan through customer service out-bound calls, especially when discussing personal seat licenses. Hutson discusses his vision for the company, his involvement with selling tickets for the National Football League and New York Yankees, and how crucial protecting the price point is to ticket sales efforts in the future.
Steven Ziff is one of the top branding minds in the National Hockey League, taking his retail experience from Office Depot over to the Florida Panthers, which have shown an increase of attendance in 2012-13 of over eight percent in a shortened-strike year. Ziff talks about the challenges which face the Panthers, especially with a lack of hockey tradition, a population of only 30 percent who are actually originally from the Miami area, and what efforts the Panthers are doing to show a true ROI guarantee to local sponsors.