Making the sale is never easy, but it can be harder if teams don’t know who to go after. That’s where Full House Media comes in, explains Director of Sales Brandon Steffek, who goes through the various ways of data mining that have helped the company become a leader in the industry. Steffek talks about going after businesses, showcasing various B2B scenarios that are sometimes overlooked by teams but may be their most valuable premium and group sales. Twitter: @BStefFullHouse
The discussion of brand goes deep in this podcast episode with Drew Bedard, who talks about just about every way in which a brand is perceived, developed and promoted continuously by a sports team or venue. Bristol Motor Speedway is no different, especially when it comes to several issues which would appear to be easy-wins, like the 55-straight sell-out streak branding which, once snapped, has left tickets available with fans thinking that the event is sold out, thus creating a conundrum of more supply going unused even with the fanbase demand is at all time high. Twitter: @DrewBedard
Paul Anderson is a Midwestern attorney who has handled class action and personal injury lawsuits. He also runs one of the top websites explaining the current NFL concussion litigation, and comes on the podcast to explain exactly what is going on with the entire series of cases being wrapped into one Philadelphia courtroom drama. Anderson discusses some of the misconceptions about the litigation, as well as some of the traps that the NFL has found itself in since the mid-1990s with the publication of CTE findings by the league. Twitter: @PaulD_Anderson
Compliance is an interesting role for any athletic department, typically filled with mystery and the fear of bureaucracy. Shawn Farrell explains a lot of the issues surrounding why the rules are the rules, especially at the NCAA level, and why compliance is necessary for coaches, student-athletes, administrators and fans. Farrell discusses his time as a litigator, his philosophy on working with coaches in order to ensure each has a good outcome with any rules education issue, and mentoring young administrators who are just breaking into the industry.
Darryl Wolski has worked with just about every type of league in hockey, including the KHL and NHL. Wolski talks about the differences of the leagues, what players can expect in the KHL overseas as well as the NHL. Wolski then talks about why certain minor leagues may have more value to players than just dollar signs, and then discusses advising for 15-and-under Bantam Draft prospects in terms of junior hockey and college recruiting.
The forgotten child of sports revenue is sometimes its more valuable member, that being premium seating options. Thought for a long time to be an easy win with high end partners, since the economic crash of 2008, teams have found it harder to sell a premium seat. Jason Gonella talks about the role of premium seating, what exactly those customers are looking for, and how to build up a stronger base of premium seating which is valuable real estate on the seating map. A former VP of Sales for AEG & The Rose Bowl, Gonella has worked in over 17 years in premium seating, his clients include AVP Volleyball, the Los Angeles Angels, MKTG, PrimeSport, Santa Anita Park. Twitter: @JasonGonella
Sean Callanan is focused on the growth of the social media market, especially in the world of sports. Callanan’s Sports Geek is responsible for the development of over 1 million Facebook fans for his clients, helping launch Sports DP at the NBA Draft for the Minnesota Timberwolves and a social presence for the Sydney Thunder, Cricket Australia. Sports Geek is about creating a richer experiences for the ever-demanding fan through digital media, and Callanan talks about some of the ways that teams are attempting to meet that demand head-on. Twitter: @SeanCallanan
David Cieslinski has witnessed just about every type of revenue stream that a minor league franchise has to offer while in Rochester as Adirondack Sports owns both Rochester Rhinos soccer and the Rochester Rattlers lacrosse. Cieslinski talks about stadium operations, marketing and even concessions in terms of how each revenue stream wraps into team’s bottom line. Cieslinski talks about his past experience with the Carolina Railhawks.
Jim Calpin comes on the podcast to talk about the role of franchise ownership, especially when it comes to junior hockey. Calpin discusses some of the problematic issues surrounding ownership, especially when dealing with rookies who don’t seem to understand what they are getting into. Calpin examines team evaluation, including marketing, capitalization and whether certain revenue streams have been watered down by previously bad ownership. Twitter: @JPCalpin
Ticket brokers have been around forever, but it took Brittany Menard to write it all down five years ago and start selling one of the most successful guides on the industry. Menard talks about some of the details that those starting out miss when getting into the ticket broker game, as well as what any person thinking about getting into the business can expect in terms of a return on investment.