A Cup of Coffee with Bill: Recent Episodes
Bill Beach
Bill Beach is joined by sports industry professionals to discuss different topics from a ground-level point-of-view.
Paul Johnson, Founder and President of Johnson Leadership, joins Bill to talk about leadership in the modern corporate landscape. They touch on the failings and successes that companies are finding in communicating and connecting with their employees, where the issues in effective communication come from and how it impacts relationships with employees, and how the management culture needs to change for a long-lasting shift to take hold. Do you want to learn from Paul? Visit http://www.johnsonleadership.com/.
Eric Shainock, VP-Sports & Entertainment Brand Manager for JPMorgan Chase, joins Bill to talk about mental health. They discuss why there has been a shift toward openness and acceptance when discussing mental struggles, how athletes have helped serve as a catalyst for wider acceptance and public discussion, how the business side of the sports industry is starting to shift so employees can take care of themselves, and tools that people can use.
Matt Wolff joins Bill to discuss a possible ticket-less future that fans find themselves facing, as more and more teams and leagues go to digital ticketing both for covid-19 precautions and cost-cutting measures. They discuss how fans may be impacted by taking away a time-honored memento, what teams are doing to replace them, and how Matt's company, Ticket Time Machine, is helping to fill the void. To learn more about Ticket Time Machine, please visit https://www.tickettimemachine.com/. What to connect with Matt? Head to https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwolff3/.
David Neumann, Ticket Sales Manager for the Los Angeles Angles, joins Bill to talk ticket sales. David shares how he and his team quickly ramped up to prepare for sudden increases in stadium occupancy only days prior to Opening Day, how he coached his team to manage the issues faced when interacting with fans during periods of reduced capacity, the excitement that Shohei Otani brings to the team and how to he coaches reps to avoid selling only on star power.
Martin Graham, Manager of Business Development for Ohio State Learfield-IMG, joins Bill to talk selling through the pandemic and the unique situation he and his colleagues found themselves in with college football cancelling the season and quickly reversing course to play during 2020. They discuss how he maintained and used the trust built with Ohio State's partners to keep partnerships alive despite the uncertainty, how the pandemic propelled creativity in discovering new assets for partners, and where he sees NFTs coming in to play for sponsorship sellers.
Pat Nieser, Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Development with The Superlative Group, joins Bill to talk about the FTX/Miami-Dade County partnership that saw FTX become the new naming rights partner of the home of the Miami Heat. We discuss how the process of the deal evolved, with parts of the process taking place pre-covid and wrapping up as the industry started to see some major signs of life. We also dig into other factors like the Fintech focus of Miami-Dade County that helped bring this deal to life, what he learned from selling during the pandemic, and how it made him a better seller.
Jerry Logan, Director of Academic Operations at Gordon College and Co-Author of the new book "The Cinderella Strategy: The Game Plan behind Butler University's Rise to Prominence", joins Bill to talk about the creation of the book with Co-Author Graham Honaker, culture as the driving force behind Butler's ability to sustain the momentum that back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game created, why more schools don't able to replicate this, why basketball instead of football, and how the changing landscape in collegiate athletics might impact their concept. If you are interested in purchasing the book, please visit https://www.pediment.com/products/the-cinderella-strategy-hardcover-book#:~:text=The%20Cinderella%20Strategy%20reveals%20how,its%20soul%20in%20the%20process.
Dan Rossetti, President of Ascension Sports Partners LLC, joins Bill to talk about the job market in the sports industry as more and more groups are looking to reboot their offices. They discuss what jobs are on the rise, what is going to disappear, some key ideas that job seekers need to focus on as they search and how to best position themselves to secure their next role. They also discuss "ghosting" and how to approach requests for collateral during the interview process-both highly relevant to mid and senior level employees on the search today. Want to learn more about Ascension Sports Partners? Head to https://www.ascension-sports.net/
Doug Holtzman, Vice President of Business Development at sportsdigita, joins Bill to talk about how storytelling has changed for sports sales reps due to the pandemic, what he has learned about how to best keep prospects engaged during virtual meetings, and where he has seen others succeed during the pandemic by finding effective ways to tell a story. Interested in learning more about sportsdigita or the Digideck? Head to www.sportsdigita.com or reach out to Doug directly at dholtzman@sportsdigita.com.
Pete Kahler, Director of Sponsorship Sales for the Mid-American Conference with JMI Sports, joins Bill to talk about the transition as the MAC welcomed in a new multimedia rights holder, selling during Covid, the challenges he has faced, the successes he has had, and things he will take away from a unique year in sports.
Bill welcomes Jon Niemuth back to the show to discuss emerging technology that is starting to appear in stadiums. From covid sniffing dogs to AI software that works with venue camera systems, more and more operators are turning to technology to not only improve the fan experience, but also ensure health and safety as more states allow fans back to live events.
Zack Klima, Founder & CEO of WaitTime, joins Bill to talk about his crowd intelligence program and how it has evolved to meet the needs of venues as they start to welcome fans back to the action. They discuss how WaitTime positions itself as a marketing tool for teams and venues to comfort leery fans, as well as the other benefits that team marketing and sales pros might find with the system in place. To learn more about WaitTime, go to http://thewaittimes.com.
Madelyn Robinson, Director at IdeaQuest, joins Bill to continue the conversation about the evolving agency/client relationship. They discuss how it has become more important than before to match buys with the brand's purpose, pushing the envelope and "challenging" clients to consider ideas they may not have in the past, and how make-goods have impacted her work.
Rick Shahum, VP of Business Development in the Brooklyn office of the Troika Media Group, joins me to talk about the evolving relationship between an agency and their clients, through the lens of Troika's work with the Las Vegas Raiders, LA Rams, and Sofi Stadium. To learn more about the Troika Media Group, visit https://www.troika.tv/
Greg Kenneally, CEO and Co-Founder of ECD Lacrosse, joins Bill to talk about changes to NIL rules and how his company is looking at them as a potential part of their marketing plans. Bill and Greg touch on what ECD's pro-endorsements may have to teach them about collegiate endorsements, what would drive them away from college players, and more. ECD Lacrosse is a manufacturer of high quality lacrosse equipment, designed with and for the games' most elite players. Their focus is to advance the sport of lacrosse through passion education and innovation. For more, please visit ecdlax.com
AJ Maestas joins Bill to talk about the impending Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) changes coming to collegiate athletics, whether this will be as big a boon for athletes in non-revenue sports and smaller brands, or is there still too much being decided to fully understand what impact this will have. This is part 1 in a pending series of episodes around NIL legislation, with conversations featuring brand leaders to follow. AJ is the Founder and CEO of Navigate, a leading sports research/data and strategic advisory firm based in Chicago, IL. For more information, please visit https://nvgt.com/
Jon Niemuth, Director of Sports- Americas for AECOM, joins Bill to discuss safe sports venues during a pandemic, which leagues have done well during the return to live sports, the roles that human behavior and personal responsibility play in making venues safe and getting the industry closer to full venues again, and what we should be doing now to get venues ready for 2021 seasons.
Jim Kahler joins Bill to discuss his new role with the Sports Gambling Education program at Ohio University, The NFLPA/Monkey Knife Fight deal, and how teams can support their DFS partners in the offseason. We then veer off-course for a few minutes to talk about Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities in college athletics and what the sales landscape looks like once NCAA regulations are approved. If you're interested in learning more about the Sports Gambling Education program or would like to receive a professional certification in Sports Gambling, go to www.sportsgamblingeducation.com to learn more. Special thanks to Alex Zito for update show graphics.
Anne Gottwald joins Bill in the first episode of "A Cup of Coffee with Bill" to discuss differentiating yourself from the pack in a crowded job market, skills that job seekers should be adding to their toolkit, and Anne's new venture with My Resume Reel.