Tao of Sports Podcast

  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 inter...

  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 ho...

  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 ma...

  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 sh...

    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 at...

  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 pres...

  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...

  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 t...

  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, hi...

  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 ar...

  Don’t tell Chris Palin that a local team has a harder time trying to sell hockey in their market than he does. Palin’s Everblades have no residences to the West (Gulf of Mexico) or the East (The Florida Everglades). Palin also has to deal with a population age in the mid-60s, with games at night when most of his residences may not want to drive. Despite that, Palin has helped increase sales of t...

  Bill Herring has worked on both the business and the consumer side of corporate sponsorship, amassing a ton of experience while working for Dell Computers’ examination of whether to sponsor the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, setting up the media center at the Circuit of the Americas Grand Prix in Austin or establishing corporate sponsors for BMW Sauber F1 Team. Herring talks about the differences betw...

  Jarrod Simmons oversees stadium operations for the Jacksonville Suns baseball team. While the fans may be having fun, Simmons is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of each patron, amid beer, on-field promotions and natural events. Simmons talks about his role with the team, how his ticket sales to fans and professionalism with minor league players and coaches matter, and the small things t...

  The complex world of supply, demand and dynamic pricing is broken down in stark detail with Analytix President Anil Malhotra. The conversation extends into both the primary and secondary ticketing market, as well as the philosophical reasons why to and why not to dynamically price tickets. Malhotra works with major symphony orchestras and sports organizations in the U.S., Canada, Australia & Eur...

  Jason Taylor loves to talk his passion, which is group sales. Rebooting the Jacksonville Sharks’ group sales efforts for the Arena Football League team, Taylor talks about why group sales matter, and how to increase those 20 ticket group buys into a 200 tickets group buy.   Taylor talks about his original break in sports with the New Jersey Nets organization as part of the inside sales unit, the...

  One of the major innovators in Sports Digital E-Commerce over the last ten years has been Laura Rozentals. She was part of Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media ticketing system from its implementation, then moved over to the NBA and Turner Sports, before working with Bloomberg Media. Rozentals discusses the various forms of applications with mobile and digital use by consumers, players and coa...

  The complexity of leadership is discussed with Jacksonville University Athletic Director Brad Edwards, who brings both administrative and NFL playing experience to the topic, particularly when mentioning his former coach, Joe Gibbs. Edwards broadens the topic to how his leadership skills have developed, especially when dealing with donors, coaches, student athletes, and promises made by previous...

  John Kuhn talks about how his minor league career was built on learning from the best, that being Mike Veeck. Kuhn discusses how it is more than just sales and promotions in the stands that drives out fans, but also how the experience extends to the bathrooms and concessions stands. Kuhn talks about the differences between affiliated and independent ball, as well as the Fort Myers market, home o...

  The evolution of college athletics into the world of building proper sports revenue has been a quick one in the last few years. David Frost talks about how Total Sports Entertainment has helped university athletic departments build out their revenue streams, as well as enhance the fan experience beyond the game play. Frost also talks about how crucial that internships and connects are to getting...

  The complex world of league stadium security is discussed with Evan Dabby, who oversees the operations of the MLS through its league office. Dabby examines some of the best practices that are used to ensure safety and maintain order, as well as how the MLS has succeeded in facilitating its team’s local supporter clubs in order to ensure that its messaging about fan safety are received. Dabby tal...

  Building a crowd isn’t easy, but the Orlando City Lions are doing that in the USL with an MLS launch date in 2015. Kelly Worthen runs a skeleton crew of four full-time employees, trying to develop a crowd in the only outdoor team in Orlando, despite the turbulent weather changes, tourist environment, and a 70,000-seat Citrus Bowl. Worthen talks about how the team achieves a solid price point wit...

  Fan experience is quickly becoming one of the hottest topics in sports business, as teams look to enhance how each customer feels upon a trip to the venue. Ruby Newell-Legner works with several teams and leisure facilities in order to improve every touch point of the customer experience through guest relations, discussing how her 7 Star Service System has increased retention for various teams. N...

  The owner’s box for two minor league clubs is where you’ll find Alan Stein, who has several partners for the Omaha Storm Chasers and Lexington Legends minor league baseball teams. Stein talks about some of the ways that owners involve themselves both on the partnership and team level, as well as how owners can improve their acumen through Minor League Baseball’s instruction.

  The discussion of corporation sponsorship activation goes deep with Chris Codington, who examines exactly how to reach the right metrics for business development. Activation from the corporate side doesn’t get talked about as much as it should, but Codington breaks down why businesses spend what they spend on signage, B2B cultivation areas, and other sponsorship activities.

  The complex world of the CRM is discussed with Jawed Yusufi, who has reorganized two CRM systems at Nebraska-Omaha and Georgetown. While that may appear mundane to the layman, CRM maintenance is going to be one of the largest determinations of revenue driving in the coming years. Yusufi understands this and discusses what to look for in creating the right questions for a CRM, especially in Archt...