SPEAKER PREVIEW: Blurring the lines: where are the next premium seat products?

Friday, April 27, 2012

Delegates at Premium Seat Seminar will be offered an insight into creating a premium seat experience fitting of sports finest brands; with Legends the latest leading sports hospitality business to join the international speaking programme in Turin.

A joint venture established by the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and Goldman Sachs in 2008, Legends is the premier market research, hospitality and sales & marketing solution provider in the industry.

Legends’ clients roster reads like a ‘who’s who’ of major league franchises and venues across North America; including the likes of the San Francisco 49ers, the Rose Bowl, the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix, and New York Red Bulls… in addition to their deployments at the new Yankees and Cowboys stadiums.

And at Premium Seat Seminar 2012 in Turin, Bill Rhoda – President, CSL International and EVP Business Development at Legends Sales & Marketing – and Ben Wrigley – Legends’ VP of Project Development – will join the international speaking line-up in two sessions, to offer delegates their insight and expertise into building a thriving premium seat business, in 2012 and beyond.

“We are really excited to be a part of the first Premium Seat Seminar,” comments Wrigley. “And we’re honoured to be invited to join the programme in Turin.”

In Session 3: ‘Customers. Packages. Prices. Sales’ Rhoda and Wrigley will ask “Should You Outsource?” exploring when, and why, it may be valuable for a property to look at contracting out the sales and marketing of their premium seating products. With the increased cost of new sports venues, it has become critically important to plan, design and execute sales and marketing campaigns that maximize the facility revenues.

Meanwhile, in Session 4: ‘Planning for the Future’, the duo will examine trends in premium seat markets across the world, asking ‘what are the next new premium products that will allow us to stay relevant to our customers?’

Explains Rhoda: “We’ll be looking at what we are seeing in terms of premium seating trends around the world with a focus on the changes that have occurred as a result of the increased competition and the faltering economy.

“It really is a very exciting time in the industry now because all of a sudden, we’re not just talking about suites and club seats. As we’ll discuss in Turin, we’re starting to see hybrid products that are blurring the lines between what were traditionally distinct premium seat products.”

“At both Legends Sales & Marketing and CSL International we are constantly looking at new and innovative premium products,” continued Wrigley.

LEARN FROM Legends, and industry leaders from North America and Europe at Premium Seat Seminar 2012. Join us in Turin for a day of discussions, site visits and peer-to-peer networking that will change your premium seat business forever!

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Based in Legends’ Dallas office, Bill Rhoda is the President of CSL International as well as the Executive Vice President of Business Development for Legends Sales & Marketing. Mr. Rhoda’s experience in the marketing industry includes managing assignments focusing on all primary marketing and financial issues on more than 450 previous projects over the past 20 years.

Mr. Rhoda’s experience over the past decade includes leading all sports consulting efforts on behalf of CSL International with a staff of 18 professionals in Dallas and Minneapolis. His clients have ranged from professional sports teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Orlando Magic, Seattle Seahawks, New York Mets and Phoenix Coyotes to municipalities including the City of Chicago, City of Las Vegas, City of Tulsa, Nassau County (N.Y.) and Collin County (Texas) to universities such as the University of Oregon, University of Michigan, Texas Christian University, and Texas A&M.

Mr. Rhoda’s recent marketing and sales experience includes the planning and execution of the sales campaigns for the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE, City of Plano, New York Yankees, New York Giants and MetLife Stadium. Routinely asked to speak at various industry conferences regarding marketing issues such as contractually obligated income generation, sponsorships, naming rights and premium seating, Mr. Rhoda was honoured in 2010 as recipient of Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40.”

The Vice President of Project Development at Legends, Ben Wrigley has more than 17 years’ major league (NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB), minor league and collegiate sports marketing and consulting experience focused on naming rights, sponsorship, premium seating, seat licenses and season ticket sales for new or renovated sports venues.

Mr. Wrigley has extensive management experience and has been involved in sales and marketing programs for more than 10 new sports facilities. His responsibilities on these projects include the management of sales, marketing and administrative staffs; budget management; consultation with architects and project principals on the design of seating bowls and premium seating levels and amenities; recommendations to clients regarding optimum suite, club seat, seat license and season ticket configuration and pricing; sales and marketing plan development; and sales execution.

In 2008 – ‘09, Mr. Wrigley spent 15 months on-site directing the premium seating sales and marketing efforts for the New York Yankees at the new Yankee Stadium. The project generated more than $700 million in term revenue. Mr. Wrigley is currently overseeing all sales and marketing activities for Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW