Last Friday I had the chance to attend the 2011 Ivy Sports Symposium, which every year offers an impressive array of speakers, informative panel discussions and wonderful networking opportunities. If you haven’t already, search for the Twitter hashtag #ISS2011 to see some of the updates that were shared during the event. During the breaks between sessions, I tried to grab a couple of video interviews to share with you this week, along with a larger event recap post coming soon.

Next up is my interview with Scott Minto, Director of the San Diego State University Sports MBA Program. Scott talks about the value of an advanced sports education degree and how attending events like the Ivy Sports Symposium is critical for young sports professionals.

You can connect with Scott on Twitter at @SDSUSportsMBA or at the SDSU Sports MBA Facebook page.

(Please pardon the slightly unusual shape of the video box – I took the video vertically on my iPhone. I’ll stick to landscape for future clips!)

For those of you in the Northeast, I wanted to make sure you know about a great event coming up in a couple of weeks down in Philadelphia!

The 6th Annual Ivy Sports Symposium @ Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Friday, November 18, 2011 from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM (ET)

Today is the final day to register for the 6th annual Ivy Sports Symposium (formerly known as the Princeton Sports Symposium) on Friday, November 18 at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The Ivy Sports Symposium is an annual sports business conference established in 2006 by Chris Chaney (Princeton ’07) at Princeton University. Click here to view the 2011 Symposium agenda.

The Ivy Sports Symposium is one of the global sports industry’s premier conferences that sets the standard among college-based sports business events. It is widely considered the best and most comprehensive one-day event. The Symposium has gained industry-wide recognition since its inception by featuring more than 180 unique speakers from around the world representing all facets of the sports business.

The Symposium aims to advance the sports business by facilitating interaction among students and professionals, providing a forum for communication and debate, and enabling some of the most successful executives in the industry to share invaluable knowledge with their peers and successors.

Click here to register today for the 2011 Ivy Sports Symposium.

Digital Fan Marketing Summits, created and organized by Pat Coyle, are educational events designed to help attendees increase revenues through digital media. Pat normally hosts a few of these per year, most recently in Los Angeles and New York. His next event is coming up on October 11 in San Francisco, and I highly encourage folks to attend.

As a special offer for our readers, you can use the discount code sportsbiz to get $100 off the cost of admission!

Each summit attracts leading practitioners in digital publishing and brand marketing who share their experiences and latest thinking, build relationships and debate emerging opportunities such as:

• how to attract fans in digital channels
• how to generate value for these fans
• how to drive revenue from fans
• how to evaluate emerging trends and emerging technologies

Major discussion themes will include: social commerce, mobile commerce, location-based services, games, analytics and more. These 1-day events will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, Ignite presentations, and ample networking opportunities.

For more information and to register, please visit http://dfm11-sf.eventbrite.com/.

I am excited to announce that we’re bringing our networking events back to Texas, specifically the Dallas/Forth Worth area!

The Business of Sports – Dallas Networking Event

• Wednesday, September 7 at Hully & Mo’s (2800 Routh St, Dallas)
• Open networking from 5:30 to 8:00PM
• Free to attend, all backgrounds welcome (No resumes please!)
• Details and RSVP here!
• Special thanks to Brian and Brandi Connolly, Jamie Acks and Tom Scovic for making this event happen.

Our goal is to create a regular series of sports business networking events in as many major markets as we can. They provide great opportunities for sports professionals on all levels to connect with other like-minded individuals and build up their professional network. Our feedback continues to be tremendous, so we will keep seeking out new locations and new ways to help support this wonderful community. We hope to see as many of you as we can at one of these events very soon!

Also, please check out the photo gallery from our last New York event, courtesy of VenuesToday.com.

I am excited to announce that we have two more sports networking events scheduled for this month and they are in the two biggest markets in the country!

The Business of Sports – Los Angeles Networking Event

• Thursday, August 18 at ESPN Zone at LA Live
• Open networking from 6:00 to 9:00PM
• Free to attend, all backgrounds welcome (No resumes please!)
• Details and RSVP here!
• Special thanks to Joshua Boren (Populous) and Ara Messerlian (Par 5 Events)

The Business of Sports – New York Networking Event

• Wednesday, August 24 at Slattery’s Midtown Pub
• Open networking from 6:30 to 9:30PM
• Free to attend, all backgrounds welcome (No resumes please!)
• Details and RSVP here!
• Special thanks to Joshua Duboff (The Sports Business Exchange)

Our goal is to create a regular series of sports business networking events in as many major markets as we can (we’re actually working on coming back to Dallas/Fort Worth very soon). These events provide opportunities for sports professionals on all levels to connect with other like-minded individuals and build up their professional network. Our feedback from these events continues to be tremendous, so we will keep seeking out new locations and new ways to help support this wonderful community. We hope to see as many of you as we can at one of these events very soon!

Major League Soccer’s National Sales Center (MLSNSC), which I wrote about almost eight months ago, recently sent their fifth set of graduates into the difficult environment of selling soccer tickets in a down economy. To refresh your memory, the MLSNSC is (and I quote from their official website) “a highly selective 45 day sales training program, this experience provides a one-of-kind learning environment and exposure to the fundamentals of MLS ticket selling. Trainees will have the opportunity to apply what they are learning to actual selling of season, group and mini plan ticket inventory for different MLS clubs during the program. At the conclusion of the session, those trainees earning specific benchmarks throughout the program will have the opportunity to interview for sales positions at MLS clubs.”

Bryant Pfeiffer, Vice President of Club Services for MLS, commented on the changes that were made over the course of the first five sessions. “Initially we were thinking we would try to facilitate close to 6-7 sessions in 2011,” commented Pfeiffer. “After getting a better handle on both recruiting and placement flow in 2010 we felt it worked better to run four total sessions in 2011 that were more spaced out in between them.”

In terms of placement for the first four sessions, 40 candidates went through the program with 39 of those securing employment with an MLS club. Many of those graduates continue to keep tabs on each other. Jacob Hanselman, a graduate of Session IV, was hired by the Chicago Fire in March 2011. “Since we have been out at teams we keep an email chain that we are able to share stories with the entire group about different situations that have occurred or tips on questions some people have,” said Hansleman. “We grew to be very close and there hasn’t been a week were you won’t get a phone call from someone in the session or talk on Facebook comparing numbers and how everyone has been successful. I wouldn’t have been able to have the success that I have had thus far without any of the other 10 people that were in session IV not having a profound impact on me.”

One of the most valuable tools in the program is the instant feedback each candidate gets regarding their techniques. The feedback is not based solely on whether a sale was made or not. Pfeiffer mentioned, “We have added much more emphasis on video and audio recording of sales calls as an instant feedback tool. Trainees have consistently highly rated the impact this technology has on their development.” For Hanselman, the feedback was invaluable. “The most challenging part of the session for me was the refining of the sales process,” commented Hanselman. “Every one of our calls at the MLSNSC was taped, so even when you did make what you thought was a good call, we could go back and analyze and break it down; much like watching game tape. After each one you would see that we still had a lot of room for improvement.”

It’s easy to see after the first five sessions that the MLSNSC is going strong. “Fourteen MLS clubs have either hired or interviewed National Sales Center graduates,” said Pfeiffer. “Dallas and Houston have both hired six graduates so far.” With the blessing of the MLS head office, and strong recommendations from it’s previous graduates, MLSNSC will begin it’s sixth session on July 25th.

A successful candidate will “show a strong to desire to keep improving themselves, a strong competitive spirit, and refuse to be outworked wherever they are.” If that describes you, you can apply by visiting the MLSNSC website, scrolling to the bottom and clicking ‘Apply now.’

I normally don’t post job openings on the blog, but in this case, I had to make an exception because…I used to hold this position! Comcast-Spectactor (the parent company for the Philadelphia Flyers, 76ers, Wings and more) is hiring for a CRM & Technology Analyst. This is a unique opportunity for anyone with an analytical marketing background and a passion for the sports industry.

In general, CRM and other technology and analytics-based marketing programs are becoming more and more valuable for sports organizations, and people with this type of experience are in more demand across the industry. The knowledge and experience you would gain from this position is tremendous, and I am speaking from personal experience. My career would not be where it is today without the time I spent at Comcast-Spectacor.

Take a look at the posting below, and if you have the background and interest in this area, I encourage you to apply right away.

Summary: This entry level / experienced position resides in the Technology Solutions department at Comcast-Spectacor. This position will be aligned to Sales, Marketing and Customer Service departments of the entities inside Comcast-Spectacor to assist them in fostering and developing new and existing business through analysis of the CRM data and other sales and marketing technologies. This position will be the leader and expert in Comcast-Spectacor’s CRM and marketing automation systems (sales, service, and marketing) and will also measure the effectiveness of these and other technologies and campaigns that drive through these organizations.

Responsibilities Include:

• Develop a yearly business plan for this role and the ability to measure the results
• Configure the CRM and marketing automation systems to help achieve ongoing business goals for ticket sales, customer service, and marketing
• Mine the CRM system to create targeted list for emails, mailings, and other marketing campaigns
• Configure, support, measure and report on innovative sales and marketing campaigns to support the various assigned entities and departments
• Create targeted direct marketing campaigns for ticket sales using direct mail, emarketing, hypersites, PURLs, and call campaigns
• Create and manage campaigns to increase entities database and newsletter subscriptions
• Track monthly, quarterly and yearly count of entity newsletter sends and subscriptions
• Work with ticket sales and marketing to acquire new lead lists through various means
• Provide training and support for ticket sales, customer service, and marketing on sales and marketing systems and other technology products and solutions introduced to the business
• Utilize web traffic reporting and tools to generate opportunities for advertising and ticketing sales
• Occasionally work with the ticketing service provider to best maximize the use of the ticketing, auctions, and marketplace sites to integrate with entities’ respective websites
• Keep up to date on the latest technologies and work to keep respective entities ahead of the curve
• Work with the respective Leagues and member clubs to best maximize tools available to generate leads and sales opportunities
• Familiarity with SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and online advertising campaigns

Qualifications – Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work comfortably with Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook

Qualifications – Preferred:

• One to two (1 – 2) years of experience in business operations of a professional sports organization, preferably in marketing, sales or technology
• Experience with Salesforce.com and / or Eloqua
• Working knowledge of HTML, JAVA and Photoshop
• Experience with database applications such as SQL / MS Access

Click here for the full job posting and to apply.

I have a couple of quick announcements to share with everyone today!

I am very excited to announce that I’ve been selected to be an official blogger for next week’s Global Sports Forum in Barcelona, Spain! This conference has a tremendous lineup of international speakers from UEFA, Rio Olympics, Sochi Olympics, FC Barcelona, Havas, IOC, adidas, Li Ning, IMG, EuroSport and more. Over the three days of the conference, I will be posting updates here and on the GSFB blog. You will also be able to follow the conference on Twitter via the hashtag #GSFB.

If you are interested in attending the conference, they are running a last-minute, 30% off special offer. Visit www.globalsportsforum.org for the details. And if you are going to be there, let me know so we can have an informal, international networking event!

Speaking of networking events, we have added two new events to the schedule!

The Business of Sports – Philadelphia Networking Event

• Monday, March 28 at the Field House
• Open networking from 6:30 to 9:30PM
• Free to attend, all backgrounds welcome (No resumes please!)
• Details and RSVP here!
• Special thanks to Haynes Hendrickson (Turnkey) and Caleb Mezzy!

The Business of Sports – Los Angeles Networking Event

• Saturday, April 2 at Big League Dreams in West Covina
• Food and drinks, networking and softball from 11:30AM to 3:30PM
• Free to attend, all backgrounds welcome (No resumes please!)
• Details and RSVP here!
• Special thanks to Joshua Boren (Populous) and Ara Messerlian (Par 5 Events)

I’m also hoping to have information on New York, Phoenix, Dallas and Boston events very soon. Stay tuned!

This weekend I had the chance to email back and forth with Lou Imbriano and J.W. Cannon, who a few weeks back started a weekly event on Twitter called #sbchat. It’s another valuable resource for the sports business community that everyone should take advantage of. Here’s what they had to say about it.

First off, what is #sbchat?

Lou: Every Wednesday at 8pm EST on Twitter, a group of sports business professionals utilize the #sbchat hashtag to discuss various topics about the business of sports. This one hour chat is a great exchange of concepts, opinions and philosophies concerning topical sports business issues. JW Cannon and I moderate and lead the direction of each week’s chat to keep the chat efficient and helpful to all participants, rookies and veterans alike. At the end of the chat a transcript of the hour exchange is provided in case any participant missed any comments or if those interested in sports business were unable to attend.

Why did the two of you decide to start it?

JW: To be completely honest, I think that the biggest reason that #sbchat was started was because we were sick and tired of seeing sports business “professionals” peddling “advice” for a business that they haven’t even worked a day in their lives in. Much of the information they were sharing (often with a price tag) was inaccurate or factually misrepresented, and we felt that it was leading the young folks coming up in our business down the wrong path. Unfortunately, nobody was really calling them out on it, and we saw this as a potential forum to set the record straight – not by throwing jabs, but with proven advice and commentary from savvy sports business professionals that had actually done the work. It sounds cliché to say that Lou and I want to “give back” to the industry, but we really do.

What are your goals for the weekly chat?

Lou: The goals of #sbchat are to introduce a topic that is relevant to the business of sports at the time of the chat in order for sports business executives to exchange best practices, while answering questions for those new to or interested in getting into the industry. The intention is to provide some transparency about the business of sports, while exhibiting mentoring and lending advice for those who are seeking direction. The hopes are that experienced pros will not only help those entering the business but also others in the field by providing their philosophies and experience.

What has the response been like so far?

JW: The response thus far has been great. We have a broad range of folks from all across the industry participate on a weekly basis – from the property to the brand to the event side, and usually average 20-40 folks per week participating. What’s most positive has been the participation from the up-and-comers in the industry, who are not only coming to share their opinions, but also to learn from other folks in the industry (without paying $19.95, that is).

Finally, what is the best piece of advice or insight that you’ve seen in #sbchat so far?

Lou: There has been an ample amount of great advice since the genesis of #sbchat. Each week there are nuggets of gold that folks share that are not only helpful, but also thought-provoking. One theme that seems to have surfaced a few times is that sponsorship is only as good as the activation efforts that are put into motion to bring it to life and drive consumers. It’s a concept that experienced sports business executives would think to be a given, however many companies miss the mark quite often. The reinforcement from multiple #sbchat participants has displayed that no one should assume that any proper practice is a given and discussion about all facets of the industry is healthy and helpful.

JW: There’s been so much good advice passed though #sbchat that it’s hard to pick out just one tidbit, but I’ll try. I think in our very first #sbchat, we talked career development, and someone made a very good point about working in this industry and the work-life balance we all face. The point was that we all work long hours, weekends and holidays, but that’s no reason for us to completely sacrifice a life outside of the office or to neglect your loved ones. We’re not saving the world or curing cancer, so we all need to stop, take a step back, and at times, work a little more efficiently to ensure that your significant other, your family and your dog all remember who you are.

Thank you to Lou and J.W. for providing this great resource. Make sure to check out the next #sbchat tomorrow night!

Editor’s Note:  You can use any Twitter interface (twitter.com, HootSuite, TweetDeck, etc.) to monitor and participate in the chat. However, I personally prefer to use TweetChat.com which has a very nice web-interface designed specifically to track a chat-specific hashtag like #sbchat.

I tend to be a fan of many of the business initiatives that the Phoenix Suns put together. They are a very creative, forward-thinking organization, and that comes through in their marketing, service and digital media efforts.

Last week, someone on Twitter (update: Thanks Emily Huddell!) sent out a link to the Phoenix Suns New Business Team website. The website, branded with the header “Where All-Stars Happen,” is an HR/recruiting site promoting the opportunity to work on the Suns’ sales and business development team.  Many organizations will simply post their sales openings on a page or job board, knowing that they will get a tremendous number of applications for the position no matter what. For the Suns, having a website dedicated to promoting the benefits of being part of their sales team shows the value they place on recruiting top talent at every level of their organization, and this can be a great asset in building a quality staff. I have had the chance to work with a few former Suns employees, and have always come away quite impressed.

In particular, the section of this site that I like the most is the “Where career growth happens” page. Here, the Suns have highlighted how members of their sales team have gone on to succeed in bigger positions, some still with the team and some with other organizations. I like how proud they are of the success that their employees have had, and it emphasizes how their organization can help launch a person’s career.

If I was a potential applicant, seeing a website like this would really encourage me to try and become a part of their organization. It helps to instill passion, build confidence and motivate applicants to succeed.