Our Vision
The National Sports Forum is overseen by a diverse Steering Committee of team, league, and industry leaders - peers that share a universal interest in meeting and learning from one another. Like you, they realize that good ideas can’t occur “in a vacuum” ~ executives need to be able to get together with one another to discuss new ideas, new strategies, and new ways in which to keep their sponsors, ticket buyers, suite holders, broadcast partners, and others involved. With increasing competition, rising costs, and tighter margins - teams and events are challenged to not only survive … but thrive! As anyone who’s attended our previous 18 Conference & Trade Shows can attest, the National Sports Forum is THE conference that gives you the edge!
A b o ut U s
The National Sports Forum is the largest annual cross gathering of the top team sports marketing, sales, promotions and event entertainment executives - from throughout the broad spectrum of teams and leagues, (i.e. NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Minor Leagues, Racing, Colleges, etc.), in North America. (On average, 75-80% of our Attendees come from the US, with Canada comprising approximately another 20%.) We meet each year for three days of networking, idea sharing and listening to the industry’s top spokespeople, through numerous breakout sessions, panel discussions, networking events and keynote speeches. Speakers in the past have included: Pat Williams, SVP of the Orlando Magic, Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the National Hockey League, Genie Buss, EVP of the L.A. Lakers, Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company; Michael Bidwill, President of the Arizona Cardinals; Drayton McLane the Former Owner of the Houston Astros; Jerry Colangelo, Chairman & CEO of the Phoenix Suns; Bud Selig, Commissioner, Major League Baseball, Tony Ponturo, VP, Global Media & Sports Marketing at Anheuser-Busch and Don Garber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer.
The four pillars of the National Sports Forum were the direction for our choices for standalone days and their sponsors. Through research and discussion we elected to focus on the sales and business development through two distinct stand-alone days. Our two Sunday events will attract group ticket sales directors and undergraduate directors of sports management programs. To sponsor our director of ticket sales stand-alone day we chose Legends Sales and Marketing and for the undergraduate directors of sports management programs we decided on a co-sponsorship between Teamwork Online and Routledge Publishing Company. In our focus on group ticket sales professionals, we sent out surveys in order to gauge interest in the National Sports Forum. Only a few more than half of those group ticket sales directors had been to the Forum before. What was most interesting from that survey was that all but one respondent said that they would attend the Forum if it were within 350 miles of their location. Furthermore, each and every respondent said that the Forum would be beneficial to them career-wise. Our idea from there led us to focus our research on Legends Sales and Marketing, which helps in training and recruiting sales professionals. Our research also brought us to the Manager of Group Ticket Sales for the Oakland Athletics, Josh Feinberg. Feinberg was very excited about the idea of a group ticket sales manager stand-alone day stating that the day “would give [him] a chance to talk to more people that [he doesn’t] see at every other baseball conference.” He was also very excited about the prospect of hearing group ticket-specific content in the sessions. Undergraduate sports management directors gave some interesting results on the surveys we delivered to them. The main encouragement for the directors who had not yet attended the National Sports Forum was the opportunity to meet and network with sports professionals for both them and their students. Their focus, we can infer, is to enhance the academic and job placement aspects of their respective programs. In order to focus on the academic and job placement parts of the undergraduate programs, we chose cosponsors Routledge Publishing Company and Teamwork Online. We felt two sponsors were necessary because another major theme of the survey response was the high cost of admittance to the Forum. Routledge Publishing Company would have the opportunity to show their products to the directors who are making the curriculum and textbook decisions. Teamwork Online has MVP Access that schools can use to receive greater access to open jobs. In an interview with Matt Kittle, Director of New Business and Marketing Partnerships at TeamWork Online, he stated that they “would be interested in access to the directors.” He went on to mention that showing them how to successfully utilize the service would be Our stand-alone days and sponsorship ideas will encourage two groups of people to attend the conference and have a different experience than they normally would. The costs of attendance for these two groups would be subsidized by the sponsors with the intent of increasing attendance at the National Sports Forum.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Executive Summary
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Executive Summary..............................................................................................2 Introduction.........................................................................................................4 Group Ticket Sales Survey Results.........................................................................5 Introduction of Group Ticket Sales Professionals....................................................6 Undergraduate Sports Management Directors Survey Results.................................7 Introduction to Undergraduate Sports Management Directors.................................8 Sports Management Director Interview..................................................................9 Introduction to Legends Sales and Marketing.......................................................10 Sponsorship Summary - Legends Sales and Marketing.........................................11 Sponsorship Summary - Option Two....................................................................12 Introduction to Teamwork Online and Routledge Publishing..................................13 Sponsorship Summary - Teamwork Online...........................................................14 Sponsorship Interview - Teamwork Online............................................................15 Sponsorship Summary - Routledge Publishing Company......................................16 Sponsorship Summary - Option Two....................................................................17 10 Companies for NSF to Target in the Dallas Region............................................18 Conclusion.........................................................................................................20
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Table of Contents
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As NSF continues to expand — with a goal of getting 1,000 attendees this year — these two professions present a wealth of opportunity for getting new and returning attendees to NSF. Last year, more than 100 people that work in sales attended NSF out of a total of 852 people at the
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Business Devel.
Sponsorship
Ticket Sales
Marketing
The National Sports Forum is built upon four distinct pillars which accurately reflect the most important parts of the sports industry: Marketing, Ticket Sales, Sponsorship, and Business Development. In order to create new stand alone days that generate the maximum amount of revenue and exposure for NSF, our team has identified group ticket sales and business development as two crucial areas moving forward. Through our research and speaking with professionals in the ticketing and academic sports management industries, we think the best two stand alone days for NSF to pursue center on group ticket sales professionals and undergraduate directors of sports management academic programs.
conference. There is already an emphasis placed on NSF from that industry, creating a bandwagon effect to help others attend. In addition, ticket sales professionals are attractive candidates for sponsors such as Legends Sales and Marketing because of their revenue generating capabilities. Academics that are the chair or director of their institution’s respective undergraduate sports management program also represent an exciting potential avenue for growth. Directors and chairs alike get a travel budget for going to conferences, and NSF could position itself as a huge resource to which to devote those travel funds. The directors of these programs are generally paid and judged based on the job placement of their students. NSF’s networking capability is perfect justification for these people to attend the conference. For sponsors, Teamwork Online and Routledge Textbooks would be interested in sponsoring a stand-alone day in order to gain access to potential new business clients.
In order to get an idea about what individuals in our two target groups thought of and knew about NSF, we polled industry professionals in each category and also had conversations with them.
Do you know what the National Sports Forum is?
Here are our questions for the survey we sent to ticket sales professionals at the college, pro, and minor league levels:
Have you ever attended National Sports Forum?
1. Do you know what the National Sports Forum is? Yes - No 2. Have you ever attended National Sports Forum? Yes - No If yes – what were your reasons for attending?
3. If yes – what were your reasons for attending? - To meet and network with sports pros - To learn more about trends in sports today - To meet vendors - Compare best practices is your specific sports field - Educational experience - Other 4. If no – which of the following options would encourage you to attend? - Opportunities to meet and network with sports professionals - Opportunity for educational experiences - Opportunity to meet vendors within your specific sports field - Opportunity to learn and share best practices within your specific sports field - Other
If no – which of the following options would encourage you to attend?
Would you consider going to the National Sport Forum if it were within 350 miles of you?
5. Would you consider going to the National Sport Forum if it were within 350 miles of your location? Yes - No 6. Are there any specific topics or issues in the sports industry that you would like to see covered at the National Sports Forum? - Open-ended
Would attending NSF would be beneficial to you &your counterparts in the industry?
7. Do you feel attending the Forum would be beneficial to you and many of your counterparts in the industry? Yes - No - Other (please specify)
Business Devel.
Sponsorship
Ticket Sales
Marketing
8. Is there anything that would prohibit you from attending The National Sports Forum? Funding Location Low Interest Other (please specify)
Is there anything that would prohibit you from attending NSF?
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Survey Results Group Ticket Sales Professionals
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64 surveys were created and distributed to Group Sales Directors and other ticketing professionals. More than 80 percent of the Group Sales Directors that we interviewed knew about the National Sports Forum, but just over half of them have actually been to the Forum. Of those that have attended, they acknowledged their desire to go because of the opportunity to network with so many industry professionals. They also were interested in learning about upcoming trends and comparing ideas and best practices with like-minded industry professionals. The individuals that were not as fortunate to attend admitted that they would prefer to go to NSF for very similar reasons. The two biggest limitations preventing Group Sales Directors from purchasing badges were lack of funding and time. Location was the next highest limitation response. In fact, over 90 percent of these professionals said that they would attend NSF if the conference was within 350 miles of their living location. In our conversations with group ticket sales professionals that had previously been to NSF, we found a desire for a more focused sessions rather than the broad league-wide meetings. Most of the league-wide meetings were so general that group ticket sales people did not get to share best practices or actually talk about problems specific to their niche in the industry. By creating a separate group ticket sales stand-alone day, NSF can provide a unique learning and networking experience for a group of professionals that share a lot of common goals and problems.
“I want more nitty gritty content. Go deep into topics. If you can do that, that will get people to come back.” “A group sales directors stand-alone ay would give me a chance to talk to more people that I don’t see at every other baseball conference.” -- Josh Feinberg, Oakland Athletics Group Sales Manager
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Introduction Group Ticket Sales Professionals
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In order to get an idea about what individuals in our two target groups thought of and knew about NSF, we polled industry professionals in each category and also had conversations with them. Here are our questions for the survey we sent to undergraduate sports management directors: 1. Do you know what the National Sports Forum is? Yes - No 2. Have you ever attended National Sports Forum? Yes - No 3. If you have attended, what were your reasons for attending NSF? - To learn more about trends in sports today - To meet vendors and learn about new products - Compare best practices in your specific sports field - Attended with students as an educational and networking experience - Other (please specify) 4. If you have not attended, which of the following would encourage you to attend? - Opportunities for educational experiences with students - Opportunities to meet vendors within your specific sports field - Other (please specify) 5. Would you be more inclined to attend NSF if it were within 350 miles from your location? Yes - No 6. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see covered at the National Sports Forum? - Open Ended
Do you know what the National Sports Forum is?
Have you ever attended National Sports Forum?
If you have attended, what were your reasons for attending NSF?
If you have not attended, which of the following would encourage you to attend?
Would you be more inclined to attend NSF if it were within 350 miles from your location?
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Survey Results - Sports Management Directors
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In an emailed survey of 18 undergraduate sports management directors, only two had attended a National Sports Forum in the past even though more than half of them were aware of what the existence and purpose of the National Sports Forum. For the two that did attend, their reasons for attending were exactly the same. They both said they wanted to network with other sports professionals and give their students an opportunity to network as well. For those who did not attend the Forum, the most attractive reason for them to attend was the opportunity to network within the industry. Of the 16 who had not attended, 12 said that the networking was what they wanted out of the forum. So, the main purpose for undergraduate sports management directors to attend the National Sports Forum is to network and learn about current trends and practices in the industry. The networking experience is very important for the undergraduate directors in what we can guess is an attempt to enhance the academic experience and increase job placement for their students. A few of the more interesting free responses to the questions of what would attract them to come to the Forum most were based on price. One of the respondents wrote “free” as what would encourage them to attend the forum and a few others wrote “lower cost.” In terms of the 350-mile radius, mostundergraduate sports management directors indicated that they would attend NSF. In our research there are approximately 20 undergraduate sports management programs within the 350-mile radius for the 2014 National Sports Forum. In the final free response question, the undergraduate directors again brought up price as something that they would want covered at the Forum. They mentioned that their travel budget is usually very small and does not allow for much flexibility in the conferences they would like to attend. The one participant who had attended in the past mentioned that it was “very valuable,” but the biggest issue in attending again was the cost. Another director said that they would like to attend and would be more inclined to do so if there were an “academic rate.” A cheaper cost for undergraduate academics would increase their attendance at the Forum as most of them thought it would be a valuable experience for their students and their programs.
THE NATIONAL SPORTS FORUM VALUE PROPOSITION FOR UNDERGRADUATE SPORTS MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS:
LEARN FROM INDUSTRY MAKE CONNECTIONS PROFESSIONALS STAY COMPETITIVE BEST PRACTICES BENCHMARKING NETWORKING CASE STUDIES
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Introduction Sports Management Directors
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In order to gather information about the group we suggest to target as a group to attend the National Sports Forum, directors of undergraduate sport management programs, as well as to have a stand-alone day created for them, our team conducted interviews with members of this target group. By doing these interviews , we were able to confirm our ideas of what undergraduate directors look for in deciding whether to attend the National Sports Forum, as well as build on our ideas and gauge interest. We were able to reinforce our idea of targeting this group because the directors we spoke with were interested in attending if there was an offering of this stand-alone day where they could come together. In a phone interview, we spoke with Louis Iglesias, the Director and Executive in Residence for the Undergraduate Sports Administration Program at Ohio University. Iglesias also mentioned Michael Lysko, who holds the position of Director and Professor of Practice of the Sport Management Program at Southern Methodist University. Like Iglesias, Lysko was a professional in the sports industry before returning to academia. Undergraduate directors we spoke with were interested in attending the forum as well as a stand-alone day in order to: -Learn from industry professionals about issues and hot topics in the industry to integrate into the classroom -Discuss best practices with other directors -Benchmark with what other directors and programs are doing -Stay competitive, don’t want to miss out on what other directors are experiencing and learning at NSF -Make connection to the university and the program with companies and sponsors Both undergraduate Directors Iglesias and Lysko, come from a background of working in the sports industry, Iglesias worked for the Dallas Cowboys Organization and Legends, Lysko previously worked at Intersport in Chicago, where he served as Vice President of Marketing Partnerships. Their industry experience, Iglesias said, is not the majority, so, Directors could very much benefit from a day lead by Teamwork Online because they would be trained and informed on how to use the program for better placement, as they may not have enough connections in the industry to place all of their students. Iglesias stated that placement of their students shows success of their positions, so he, and his counterparts would attend the forum for this reason. Iglesias stated that the directors would benefit from a workshop put on by Teamwork Online. Additionally, they could learn from Teamwork Online about data that Teamwork has about who is hiring, where they are hiring, and new trends and hot topic they have seen and collected.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Sports Management Director Interview
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This year at the 2013 NSF conference, more than 105 people that work in sales attended the conference. More than half of those people work directly in ticket sales. Since the 2014 NSF is going to have its stand-alone days at Cowboys Stadium, introducing a group ticket sales standalone day with Legends Sales and Marketing as the presenting sponsor makes a lot of sense. Legends is already the official catering provider of the 2014 stand-alone days, so the relationship with NSF has already been established. With 95 teams and organizations (ranging from the MLS to the NFL) currently utilizing the Legends’ sales strategy and training, it is clear its method is a best practice in the sports industry. By pairing Legends as the Ticket Sales standalone day sponsor, professionals in attendance and Legends can both benefit. Legends would get to schedule all the programming for that day, including having their own speakers present on group ticket sales topics. This would give the company primetime access to people from teams or organizations that do not currently utilize Legends but could become a future client. The professionals in attendance would benefit from gaining a new perspective on group ticket sales while also being able to network with other that share their same passion and position. While many of the leagues such as the NFL and NHL already have their own stand-alone days, we feel that group ticket sales professionals would benefit more from a targeted session rather than a broad league overview. After talking with Josh Feinberg from the Oakland A’s, our suspicion was confirmed. Feinberg said the MLB day was too broad last year and he would prefer a ticket sales programming day. Although Legends already is involved with The National Sports Forum in some capacity, we feel that there is also another direction this relationship can go, which will grow the partnership as well as increase the mutual benefits for both parties. With this partnership, Legends would not only be able to get in front of these Sales Directors to illustrate and market their sales training to them, providing opportunity for business growth, they will also be networking with Senior Sales Directors in which they could gain new business for other entities of their organization. In talking with Josh Feinberg of the Oakland A’s and Mike Behan of Legends, we feel this would be a perfect opportunity for NSF to create a unique experience for group ticket sales professionals.
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“We would certainly be interested in adding a project such as this. It is a challenge to get great sales people and find the right people”. - Mike Behan, Vice President of Sales at Legends in the Sales and Marketing Division
“Legends is perfect example of a sponsor for a Stand-Alone Day… It would be very popular”. - Josh Feinberg, Oakland Athletics Group Sales Manager
In order to gauge interest in the sponsorship of a group of Group Sales Directors and a stand-alone day at the National Sports Forum, our group conducted an interview with Mike Behan, Vice President of Sales at Legends in the Sales and Marketing Division. Behan stated that although Legends is “always interested in ways to add new business”, that they would especially be interested in the idea such as partnering with the Forum in order to sponsor a group of Sales Directors and hold a day where they can get in front of these directors, as it could provide a few different benefits for them at Legends. “We would certainly be interested in adding a project such as this. It is a challenge to get great sales people and find the right people.” With this partnership,Legends would not only be able to get in front of these sales directors to illustrate and market their sales training to them, but also give business to Legends. Another incentive for Legends would also be interacting with these sales directors. It will also be able to recruit successful talent for their own purposes. With these sales directors, some whom are in higher positions in their industries, Behan stated that Legends would be interested in this sponsorship as they would able to get new business from these senior sales directors, both in partnerships for their other business entities, and with the most obvious and pertinent aspect being that they would be in a position to increase their business when they are hired to train sales people. Also of the directors, Behan said, Legends would be able to do recruiting for talented sales people from these places. Overall, Behan said that he would like more information of this opportunity to work with the National Sports Forum and sponsor a stand-alone day of group sales directors. He said he is “definitely interested” and would like to learn more of the logistics to carry this idea forward.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Sponsorship Summary Legends Sales and Marketing
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Ballena Technologies is a leader in venue visualization within the sports and entertainment industries. Ballena Technologies offers unique sales and marketing tools for sports teams, venue owner/operators, and Internet based ticketing solutions. Ballena Technologies creates “Legends uses our products all of the realistic seating visuals to improve the online ticketing time… Legends runs the Preview Center experience by familiarizing [in San Francisco] and we are a large part potential customers with a facility, creating excitement, of it so people can visually see what the sales and customer new stadium and their new seats will look satisfaction.
like.” - Jeff Sherratt, Director of Business
This service assists Development ticket and group sales representatives when they are in the closing stage of the sales process because the customers and clients are given a visual reference of the available seats and premium areas.
Ballena Technologies has attended the National Sports Forum since 2004/2005 and held a booth for a few years. Now, the company’s Vice President of Sales attends and networks with prospective clients and current partners. Ballena Technologies, travels to approximately 4-5 conferences per year at both the collegiate and professional levels. Ballena Technologies uses its Seats3D product in NCAA, NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, NHL, and NASCAR facilities. According to Jeff Sherratt, Director of Business Development at Ballena Technologies, the company’s target market consists of vice presidents of ticket sales and marketing directors. Sherratt also mentioned that Ballena Technologies has worked with Legends to sell-out Cowboys Stadium and the new Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Sponsorship Summary Option Two
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The National Sports Forum started a Case Cup competition among academic sports administration graduate students nearly a decade ago. It has evolved into a competitive event that brings the best sports administration programs from around the world.
“Undergraduate Directors of Sport Management Programs should attend for the competition. If one program goes, the other will not want to miss out and risk falling behind. They will soon follow each other when they see the advantage. � - Louis Iglesias Director and Executive in Residence, Undergraduate Sports Administration Program Ohio University
With this case cup comes the academic professors in charge of their respective program. We believe that NSF can capitalize on the budding academic portion of its conference and turn it into a unique standalone day that will draw academics from sports management programs around the country. Our idea is to create a stand-alone day for professors and chairs of sports management undergraduate departments across the country in order to share best practices, curriculum advice, and more. NSF could work with various targeted schools in order to petition the schools for funding for the academics to attend the conference, which would help offset the high cost of attending. In addition, we believe there could be a joint sponsorship between Routledge Publishing Company and Teamwork Online. Routledge is one of the main textbook provider for sports management programs, so it would be a perfect opportunity for them to mingle with their clients and also recruit new programs to use their textbooks. Teamwork Online already works with 30-40 undergraduate program with their MVP access program, which gives bulk access to undergraduate students. After speaking with representatives from Teamwork Online, they are looking to expand that portion of their business, and NSF would be a perfect opportunity to recruit new schools.
We believe targeting undergraduate directors to attend the Forum, would be successful if a stand-alone day can be held that is sponsored by Teamwork Online. Our group chose Teamwork Online to be the potential sponsor of the undergraduate directors of sports management programs, because they can meet the desired incentives in the value proposition for the directors to attend the Forum. Additionally, the idea behind this sponsorship is that the directors are the key decision makers in where and how to advice the students in their program to look for jobs. Directors have a vested interest in the successful placement of these students. If Teamwork Online was able to be directly in front of these directors, they would be able to advertise the use of Teamwork Online and its services, as well as illustrate and train the directors on the most successful uses of their program. Furthermore, Teamwork Online would have an interest in connecting these directors with the industry executives who will already be in attendance of the Forum, which is the purpose of their organization. Teamwork Online currently has about 40 schools that pay $1,000 year for MVP Access to their system, and Teamwork is interested in expanding this part of their business. With this sponsorship opportunity, Teamwork would have the opportunity to be directly in front of their target market for this expansion. Ideas of this sponsorship could be similar to a variation of sponsorship of $250 per director for 30 (goal for stand-alone day) directors. This would be a direct cost of $7,500 to TeamWork, and lower the cost to a more affordable rate for the undergraduate directors. Althoughwthere are different price ranges for the Forum, the cost to directors could be about $500-$750, as first time attendees. In talking with undergraduate directors as well as with the Director of New Business and Marketing Partnerships at Teamwork Online, Matt Kittle, there was a distinct connection between what both parties were looking to do. Without being prompted or asked about these things, both what Teamwork Online said they would be looking to provide and get out of a stand-alone day, Kittle said his company’s goals matched up with what NSF has to offer. Both, undergraduate director Louis Iglesias and Matt Kittle, expressed that they would like to accomplish a training on Teamwork Online, to access to one another, to connect the directors with the industry professionals, and to discuss feedback and benefits to using Teamwork. They would also be able to have sessions about trends happening in the industry, and discuss ‘hot jobs’ and ‘hot topics’ including where the industry is going, and where the jobs will be.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Sponsorship Summary Teamwork Online
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In order to gauge interest in the sponsorship of a group of undergraduate directors of sport management programs and a stand-alone day, we conducted a phone interview with Matt Kittle, the Director of New Business and Marketing Partnerships at Teamwork Online. Kittle made a very good point when he mentioned would be of value to their organization, and an incentive to get involved with a sponsorship such “In a TeamWork Online sponsorship of a as this, in that the timing Stand-Alone Day for collegiate Directors of of the National Sports Sport Management Programs, we would be Forum is an opportune interested in access to the directors, being able one.
to explain how to use our system, feedback of use of TeamWork from the directors, as well as students and parents, showing the most successful ways to utilize it, and discussing hot jobs and where the industry is going.” - Matt Kittle Director of New Business and Marketing Partnerships at TeamWork Online
The middle of February is in the heart of when students and the directors are beginning to look for job opportunities. If Teamwork Online and sport management program directors were able to get together at this time, train on how to best use Teamwork, and discuss all of the topics they suggested, it would fit perfectly into both of their needs and objectives, as well as serve as revenue generation opportunities for Teamwork. Kittle said if this sponsorship were to be taken further, he would like to include as part of the deal. Also, an additional value added for the partnership would be meeting Senior Level Executives that their company has relationships with. This networking and gathering facet for Senior Executives would factor into the sponsorship. They would also have a time to be able to connect these people with the directors of the college programs. This involvement would also allow for the interaction of these senior executives in the sport industry and the directors of programs, which both parties suggested would be ideal for them. By getting these two groups together, the directors of programs, who are preparing the next generation of people in the sport work force would be learning from and discussing issues and hot topics with the experts in the fields. If an executive says that the next big thing in the industry is social media, or group sales, the directors could look into offering classes on those topics. Kittle agreed that they would like to accomplish a training on Teamwork Online, discuss feedback and benefits to using Teamwork, trends happening in the industry, and discussing ‘hot jobs’ and ‘hot topics’ including where the industry is going, where the jobs will be.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Sponsorship Interview Teamwork Online
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The Routledge Publishing Company is a leader in the textbook publishing industry. They are a part of the Taylor & Francis Group, which is a leading international academic publisher in a variety of academic subjects. Our decision to target Routledge was based on the variety of sports related textbooks. They had the widest variety of textbooks within the sports industry, particularly within the ethics and philosophy of sports, sports science and psychology, sociology of sports, research methods, sports law, and most importantly sports management. With various titles in each of those subject areas, we felt that they would have the most to offer our undergraduate sports management directors giving them many options if they were to decide to purchase textbooks from them. Routledge is a British company that is part of Taylor & Francis Group and was started in London. However, they have a New York, New York marketing office, a Florida sales office, and a Kentucky operations and customer service center. While the majority of marketing operations are run out of London, there are two representatives at the New York office for Routledge. The main marketing officer for Sports and Leisure Studies textbooks is based in London. The directors of each of these undergraduates is in charge of the curriculum for their respective programs. Along with that curriculum comes the requisite textbooks that will supplement the learning. Bringing in a sponsor like Routledge would allow them to show their newest editions and give academic options to the undergraduate directors who make the decisions on which textbooks will be most helpful to their program. Often times booksellers attend conferences in order to showcase their products and this would be the same as any other book selling exhibition. This gives Routledge a change to become the main publisher for sports management textbooks with the country’s best sports management programs. On the other hand, the advantage for Routledge would be the opportunity to speak with industry professionals to improve their content. Having the opportunity to talk with professional and collegiate sports executives and directors could provide Routledge with case studies and spotlights to make their products even better and even develop new textbooks and journals. Marketing Manager, US – David Jurman – david.jurman@taylorandfrancis.com Marketing Assistant, US – Francesca Galbo – francesca.galbo@taylorandfrancis.com Marketing Manager, Sport and Leisure Studies – Anne-Marie Scoones (UK) anne-marie. scoones@tandf.co.uk Senior Marketing Manager – Jennifer Clark – jennifer.clark@tandf.com Senior Vice President of Sales – Dennis Weiss Directory, Retail, Institutional & Special Sales – Evelyn Elias – evelyn.elias@taylorandfrancis. com
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Sponsorship Summary Routledge Publishing Company
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Our secondary options for publishing companies are Human Kinetics Publishing and Fitness Information Technology. Both of these publishers are smaller companies with a smaller selection; however their books seem to be more focused in sports management and sports business. The publisher called Human Kinetics has a variety of textbooks and presentation packs related to sports management and sports law. They are based in Champaign, Ill. and distribute their products worldwide. This publisher being a bit smaller than Routledge would benefit more from having the opportunity to speak with sports professionals as they are an American company with roots in a university academic setting. Fitness Information Technology is division of the International Center for Performance Excellence which is a part of the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences at West Virginia University. They have a larger selection of eBooks relating to sports management and sports business. Similar to Human Kinetics they would benefit from the option to speak with sports professionals as they too are based in the United States and are a part of a university.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Sponsorship Summary Option Two
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NA M E : L o v e ’s
NA M E : D e v o n E n e r g y
NAME: QuikTrip
LO C AT I O N : O k l a h o m a C i t y, O k l a .
LO C AT I O N : O k l a h o m a C i t y, O k l a .
LOCATION: Tulsa, Okla.
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 1 0 , 0 0 0
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 5 , 7 0 0
NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 9,630
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T : We
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T :
MISSION STATEMENT: To wisely
care about our employees, our customers and the communities in which they live. Our stores a c ro s s t h e c o u n t r y c o n t r i b u t e t o l o c a l n o n p r o f i t s e v e r y y e a r, a n d the corporate office in Oklahoma City donates at least two percent o f n e t p ro f i t s t o l o c a l c h a r i t i e s .
B R I E F D E S C R I PTI O N: This is a chain of travel stops with its h e a d q u a r t e r s i n O k l a h o m a C i t y. Their reach is nationwide with concentrations in the south and Midwest.
Devon is a results-oriented oil and gas company that builds value for shareholders through our employees by creating a c u l t u r e o f h e a l t h , s a fe t y a n d environmental stewardship in an atmosphere of optimism, teamwork, creativity and resourcefulness and by dealing with everyone in an open and e t h i c a l m a n n e r.
invest dollars in community efforts that will help impact (in measurable terms) individuals in our society who are dependent on the charitable support of others. We believe the most effective way to do that is to invest our contribution dollars and volunteers in strategic efforts that help those at risk reach their functional capacity as successful, independent citizens.
B R I E F D E S C R I P TI O N: Devon
Energy is an oil and natural gas c o m p a n y b a s e d i n O k l a h o m a C i t y.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: A Tulsa,
Oklahoma-based retail and gas station and convenience store chain, QuikTrip, has a national footprint. They have their own brand of convenience store sandwiches and snacks.
NA M E : B o x Ta l e n t A g e n c y
NA M E : S o n i c
LO C AT I O N : O k l a h o m a C i t y,
LO C AT I O N : O k l a h o m a C i t y, O k l a .
N o r m a n , O k l a h o m a , Tu l s a , O k l a h o m a , D a l l a s , Te x a s , a n d L a s Ve g a s .
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 1 0 0 M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T : Yo u r entertainment choice since 1987.
B R I E F D E S C R I PTI O N: This
is a talent agency and event planning company with offices i n O k l a h o m a C i t y, N o r m a n , O k l a h o m a , Tu l s a , O k l a h o m a , D a l l a s , Te x a s , a n d L a s Ve g a s . They may be interested in meeting sports organization to share their event planning and talent representation services.
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 3 0 , 0 0 0 M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T : A m e r i c a’s D r i v e - I n
B R I E F D E S C R I PTI O N:The
n a t i o n ’s l a r g e s t c h a i n o f d r i v e - i n restaurants is based in Oklahoma C i t y. T h i s i s a c o m p a n y t h a t m a y want to have a larger footprint in sports as many quick service restaurant (QSR) are involved in sports sponsorships.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
10 Companies for NSF to Target in the Dallas Region
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NA M E : W h a t a b u r g e r
NA M E : T h e W i l l i a m s C o r p o r a t i o n
LO C AT I O N : S a n A n t o n i o , Te x a s
LO C AT I O N : Tu l s a , O k l a .
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 2 2 , 5 0 0
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 4 , 0 0 0
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T : S i n c e
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T : We
1950, we’ve proudly served a b i g g e r, b e t t e r b u r g e r.
LO C AT I O N : Tu l s a , O k l a .
m a ke e n e r g y h a p p e n .
its headquarters in San Antonio, Te x a s , W h a t a b u r g e r i s a Q S R known for its hamburgers and for being open 24/7. Whataburger h a s d e e p ro o t s i n t h e s o u t h , e s p e c i a l l y Te x a s . Q S R s o f t e n have success with sports sponsorships and Whataburger h a s b e e n a s p o n s o r o f a fe w sports organizations.
Williams Corporation is an energy company with its corporate o f f i c e i n Tu l s a , O k l a h o m a . T h e y are in the natural gas and oil industries. They have a presence i n a fe w s p o r t i n g v e n u e s i n Tu l s a’s v a r i o u s b a s ke t b a l l arenas, but serve all of North America.
NA M E : A m e r i c a n F i d e l i t y Assurance
LO C AT I O N : O k l a h o m a C i t y, O k l a .
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 5 0 M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T : R e p u t a t i o n , S t r a t e g y, Leadership
B R I E F D E S C R I PTI O N: The B R I E F D E S C R I PTI O N: With
NA M E : S c h n a ke Tu r n b o Fr a n k
BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
S c h n a ke Tu r n b o Fr a n k i s a public relations firm based i n Tu l s a , O k l a h o m a . I t i s the largest public relations firm in Oklahoma. They are both a public relations and management consulting firm. They were on retainer as a public relations firm for a s p o r t s o r g a n i z a t i o n i n Tu l s a a n d M r. Tu r n b o l i s t s s p o r t s a s one of his interests.
NA M E : A d v o c a r e LO C AT I O N : P l a n o , Te x a s N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 2 4 7
N O . O F E M P LOY E E S : 1 , 6 0 0 M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T : 1 9 6 0 t o To d a y. O u r Fa m i l y, D e d i c a t e d t o Yo u r s .
B R I E F D E S C R I PTI O N: This
Oklahoma City-based insurance company is a family-run business. They may be interest in sponsorship as they sponsor t e a m s i n Tu l s a a n d O k l a h o m a C i t y.
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T :
AdvoCare is a premier health a n d w e l l n e s s c o m p a n y o f fe r i n g w o r l d - c l a s s e n e r g y, w e i g h t - l o s s , nutrition, and sports performance products along with a rewarding b u s i n e s s o p p o r t u n i t y.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
Advocare is a health and wellness company that is based i n P l a n o , Te x a s . T h e i r m a i n focus is sports performance products and they have a hand i n s p o r t s w i t h a fe w i n d i v i d u a l athlete sponsorships across s e v e r a l d i f fe r e n t s p o r t s .
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
10 Companies for NSF to Target in the Dallas Region
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In order to suggest what our research group believes to be the best groups of attendees to target to for National Sports Forum and its stand-alone days, we collected surveys, conducted interviews, did research, and studied the feasibility of these groups attending. In order to create new stand-alone days that generate the maximum amount of revenue and exposure for NSF, the two groups that we believe to be ideal to target are Group Ticket Sales Directors and Directors of Sport Management Programs. These groups fall under the ticket sales and business development pillars of which the National Sports Forum is based upon. We created value propositions and incentives for what would drive these targeted groups to attend National Sports Forum. While conducting these surveys and interviews, we found that the results matched up to the incentives and value propositions, and most all of what people in these positions were looking for was the same. The surveys were collected from industry professionals in Ticket Sales Directors and Directors of Sport Management programs. The interviews conducted gave us insight into what these target groups were looking for that would draw them to commit to purchasing a badge, or getting their respective employers to purchase, and attend National Sports Forum and a stand-alone day. The findings that we gathered from all of these facets of research allowed us to support our ideas for these target groups. Furthermore, we believe that sponsors matched up with these stand-alone days would create mutual benefits for the attendees, the sponsors and the National Sports Forum. Legends Sales and Marketing is an ideal sponsor for Ticket Sales Directors because ticket sales professionals are attractive candidates because of their revenue generating capabilities, and opportunities for new business and training. Directors of Sport Management Programs ideal stand-alone day sponsors are Teamwork Online and Routledge Textbooks, as they would be interested in sponsoring in order to gain access to potential new business clients. The interviews conducted, including representatives from the proposed sponsors companies, also supported the sponsorship ideas. As National Sports Forum continues to expand — with a goal of getting 1,000 attendees this year — these two professions, in conjunction with the suggested sponsorship partners, present a wealth of opportunity for getting new and returning attendees, as well as sponsors, to National Sports Forum.
Executive Summary •Table of Contents • Introduction • Survey Recap • Sponsor Summary • Local Companies • Conclusion
Conclusion
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