Kelly Higgins has served as athletic director of four NCAA institutions, driving revenue by making hard choices and trying to innovate despite not having a Division-I athletic department (save for D-I hockey at Alaska Fairbanks). Higgins discusses some of the feats he was able to pull off, such as the exempted "Top Of The World" Classic which drew in several D-I basketball teams to face D-I competition, on a regional cable network from a deal that Higgins crafted. Getting deeper into the details, Higgins talks about selling South Dakota on coaching staffs, renovating areas into fields and building a championship mentality at Fort Lewis College. Now at Alfred State, Higgins has a new challenge ahead of him, to define the identity of what Alfred State is and is not, within the perimeters of NCAA or NAIA. Twitter: @OldNumber83
Athletic tape has often been the invisible side of sports, in a typical white, bland fashion. Keith Moss aims to change that perception, introducing a branding tool with Signature Athletic Tape, that allows athletes and franchises to create a marketing concept surrounding something commonly taken for granted. Moss talks about how he came up with the idea to print logos and colors on the tape, and how it is now starting to generate buzz within the sports community, including a branding tool example made possible by a marathon sponsor, Airbrb. Moss discusses some of the challenges that lay ahead for his company, as well as how his tape has the ability to tear off easier, and reduce some of the stress on athletic trainers when an athlete wants to remove it. Twitter: @SigTape
Jason Bowers is in a unique spot at his alma mater; an assistant IT director for Cornerstone University, he's created a second job for himself as a volunteer running social media for the NAIA Division II men's basketball program. This has paid off 10-fold for the program, which has increased its engagement with its fans, especially after securing the 2015 NAIA Division II National Championship while Dancin' In Branson at the NAIA National Tournament. Bowers shares his thoughts on how he runs the social media accounts for Cornerstone men's basketball, as well as ways that he keeps his channels both fresh and relevant, and avoids subscribing to the idea of increasing followers at any and all costs. Bowers may be a volunteer for the program, but he has certainly increased awareness to a dramatic degree, while having a ton of fun in the process. Twitter: @JBBowers
The role of sports management courses, especially those dealing with the sociological and philosophical aspects in the world of sport, are under fire by critics who deem them unnecessary to finding a job in the industry. Trinity University's sports management director Jacob Tingle can empathize with the concern, but lays out his argument for why a wider breadth of knowledge surrounding the history, psychology and overall education of industry professionals is important to its survival and success. Tingle describes some of the tangible broad issues of the sports industry and how they impact the daily role of people in the community. Twitter: @TingleJK
Data scientist Michael Cavaretta disects the world of information gathering into a whole territory; selling cars. As Cavaretta explains, just getting the data is only one step in the process, and understanding what you are looking at takes a lot more than just a few mathematical formulas to figure out. Cavaretta discusses how Ford is starting to listen to customer-created conversations over social media to determine which features work, as well as how to educate their customers better. The conversation transforms into how sports business can learn a lot from the car business, in order to grow its analytical acumen in new, dynamic avenues. Twitter: @mjcavaretta
Athletic fundraising comes down to the concept of engaging conversations. Joe True has served Marquette University for over 10 years as a member of the athletic development team, rising to the role of Associate Athletic Director. True discusses his strategy to get to know and communicate with the MU alumni base, as well as make the ask, not just friendraising, but actual fundraising. True discusses some of avenues and continual mindsets that have helped MU reach lofty revenue goals and maintain its annual giving levels. Twitter: @MUJoeTrue
The relationship between the primary and secondary market are discussed in deep detail with David Marcus, who helps run one of the largest ways to protect the branding of teams and promoters in both marketplaces. Marcus pinpoints the time in which the secondary market grew up, and everyone including Mom became aware of its power, and its not a sporting event that he cites. It's a Disney-promoted concert which sent shockwaves throughout the nation and really drew a lot of attention toward the secondary market as a whole. Marcus sees the branding of teams as a key part of which ScoreBig can protect, while still offering the general consumer deals that clear seats and generate revenue. Marcus provides his theories on some of the best practices that teams can start to implement, and what the secondary market looks like, in relationship to the primary, in the future. Twitter: @DvdMarcus
Athletic fundraising North of the American border is starting to catch on with its American counterparts. Bruce Logan serves as a foothold reminder of this, at one of the largest collegiate campuses in the entire Canadian system. With Canadian universities turning their attention toward the NCAA model, and joining their academic brothers in the United States, this translates into a huge opportunity for development activities with alumni. Logan discusses how York builds its base, and with a non-traditional Canadian sport of football leading the way, and how it maintains its historical legacy despite affiliation or conference changes. Twitter: @BruceLogan2
Ticket aggregators are unleashing data for the secondary market in record time, with one of the companies at the forefront being SeatGeek. The company's Director of Growth, Will Flaherty, discusses the state of the secondary market, as well as how sales data on the secondary is starting to inform both resellers as well as sports teams on how their tickets are doing. Flathery discusses how the information can help achieve a better pricing structure for resellers and teams, in understanding how the customer reacts to the product, as well as SeatGeek's Deal Score calculation which can help determine the best seats in a venue based on historical data and other statistical information. Twitter: @flathertyiv
As the traditions of college athletics have been usurped by conference affiliation changes, it has placed some challenges for marketing a football or basketball program in the modern era. Matt Wells knows this at West Virginia, where the populations to come watch live college entertainment is limited, and the passion for undeveloped rivalries isn't surfaced yet. Wells shares his views of what makes up a good marketing & sales plan, as well as how to develop an attraction that builds a fan base, despite the lack of a historical or traditional conference rival game. Twitter: @WMattWells