The links on the right hand side of each my blog pages will take you to important trade related sports groups.  When you click on an organization like Sponsorship.com, you will find great resources and now that we have started a new year, I thought I should pass along some information on 2011 sports conferences and trade shows.

Since every business needs to build in sponsorship, this conference is a must.

Return on Engagement:  Sponsorship’s Impact on Business will take places, as always, in my hometown of Chicago from March 13-16,2011.

Their Keynote Speakers for the Conference Include:

Keynote Speakers

• AT&T Senior Vice President, Sponsorships, Gail Torreano
• Kantar CEO, Eric Salama
• Gatorade Chief Marketing Officer, Sarah Robb O’Hagan
• GE President, Olympic Sponsorship and Corporate Sales, Peter Foss
• IBM Vice President, Corporate Marketing, John Kennedy
• Macy’s Executive Vice President, Marketing, Martine Reardon
• NFL Chief Marketing Officer, Mark Waller

Not to be outdone, the IMG World Congress of Sports, held in partnership with the Sports Business Daily and the Sports Business Journal, will take place in Miami March 30 and March 31st.  I was surprised that IMD has not yet published their list of speakers for this conference.  I have attended the West Coast version in the past and it has been well attended.  As the World Congress of Sports finishes, another event begins on March 31st called the Forty Under 40 Awards, held at the same location on March 31st.  This is also a well attended networking event.

Florida appears to be a popular destination to hold a conference in 2011 as Co-SIDA or the College Sports Information Directors of America will move their annual conference to Marco Island, Florida from June 26-29, 2011.  According to their website, the annual Convention includes workshop sessions and networking opportunities are designed to help you thing and grow as a professional. Our CoSIDA Convention is designed to help athletic communicators “think together”.

Make no mistake.  These events help professionals at all levels make new connections, help provide opportunities to learn as well as create a setting to set up and execute new business deals.

Please remember that this is just a sampling of the 2011 Sports Conferences and Trade Shows scheduled to take place.  I certainly did not mean to leave out any organization or key event.  You can explore many more opportunities by clicking on the links under the Blog Roll to the right on the www.sportsinfo101.com home page.

Happy Networking.

Conferences are a great way to learn new skills, brush up on old ones and of course, network.  It has been a while since I researched and published a list of upcoming events so I thought I’d take this Monday to see what is coming up on different topics.  The order if each event is based on a calendar listing.

8th Annual IMG Sports Marketing Symposium

September 21-22, 2010
Marriott Marquis, New York City
Since its debut in 2003, the Sports Marketing Symposium has become the “must-attend” event for executives at every level of sports sponsorship. With an unrivaled speaker faculty of top corporate sponsors and advertisers, the Sports Marketing Symposium delivers the latest sports marketing trends from the perspective of brand-side marketers.

30th Anniversary Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association Conference

The 30th Anniversary Conference will be held October 20 -24, 2010 in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles/West Indies. Anticipated attendance – up to 400 professionals representing the legal, entertainment, sport and other related industries. Networking, continuing legal education (CLE) credits and a host of other activities will be offered to celebrate the founding of the organization.

12th Annual FSA Sports Media & Technology

November 16-17
Marriott Marquis, New York City
This conference gathers the executives who are shaping the future of sports media and distribution. Issues discussed include new technology, revenue models, audience measurement, behaviors and preferences of fans and the integration of media into the fan base. Featured speakers come from every area of this industry including properties, sponsors, media, agencies, technology providers and marketing.

11th Annual Motorsports Marketing Forum

November 30-December 1
The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
The prime gathering of the sponsorship and advertising community in motorsports, this forum is the platform for sponsors, league officials, teams, track owners and ad agencies to present their ideas on sponsorship, the future of racing and the driver-fan relationship. With featured speakers from sanctioning bodies, media, team management and sponsors, this forum has become an indispensable stop on the motorsports circuit for more than a decade.

9th Annual IMG Intercollegiate Athletics Forum

December 8-9
The W Hotel, Lexington Avenue, New York City
This program brings together athletic directors, university presidents, media and sponsors to examine the issues surrounding present-day college sports. With speakers from the ranks of academia, marketing firms, media and corporate sponsors, this event is the one time of the year when these constituencies meet to discuss their mutual issues and opportunities.

Annual COSIDA Conference

Scheduled for June 27-30, 2011 in Marco Island, Fla.

I have been sitting on this post for a while but thought it was time to post it.  I have debated for a while if I should even post it but now mad at myself for holding it back for so long.

This is an open letter to the folks at Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal and the Sport Business Daily as well as to the folks at Sponsorship.com

Dear friends:

Everyone in the sports management business knows you host the IMG World Congress of Sports, which took place in Los Angeles earlier this year.  This event is one of a select few that is a must attend affair for people in our business.  About three weeks prior to this year’s conference, I emailed a request to attend the event and to write about it for this blog.

After the first attempt, no one even bothered to return my request.

So, I tried again.  After the second effort, I received a brief note that stated  the conference was for working media only.

In today’s age of change and Digital 2.0 media, I ask you, what exactly does that mean?  I am not the Los Angeles Times, nor the Associated Press.  I am not KABC TV nor KNBC TV.  This blog, is all about the business of sport.   I write about the the trends, information and people  in the sports business.

There are thousands of people that visit this site every month and some of the leaders in our business have been interviewed here.  Yet, the person in charge of credentialing did not even give me the time of day.

So I ask you, what qualifies as working media today?  How do you define it?  I guarantee it is not the same definition it was two year ago.

What qualifies for working media these days?  There was poor customer service by the staff in that I had to write a second time just to be told I was being denied access to write about the two day conference.  To busy to answer, you are thinking?  Remember, the sports business is, in a large part, customer service.  When  we forget that, we lose the fans that support a particular sport.

The bottom line is, the folks at IMG and the Sports Business Journal missed the boat.  I am guessing that I am not the only “blogger” who has been denied.

Second point.

As many of you know, I am an adjunct professor and teach at the Long Beach State Sport Management graduate program.  Yet, when I brought up the subject of the conference during a class, not one student was even aware that the conference was happening.  Why didn’t the conference offer special rates, seek out interns for the conference or use the students to help make the conference better.  These same students are the future of the industry. Where is the outreach?  Where is the vision?

On to IEG and sponsorship.com.  These good folks had the best of intentions ahead of their annual conference.  In Match they held their 27th Annual event in Chicago and I spoke several times to folks on their team about doing a feature for this blog.

In the end though, I never received the information ahead of the event and was not able to preview it before it happened.  Good intentions and bad execution.

Remember, today, in this fragmented media market, it is about eyeballs and targeted marketing.   They had a great chance to reach people in a non traditional setting but let it slip through their fingers.  Reaching bloggers is more important that ever.  Was I the only one they missed or were there other opportunities? Dunno…..

This is a call to all executives.  Adopt this developing technology, now.  Use the people and the resources that can help your business.  There is so much more these organizations could be doing to help their own cause.

December is here and the holiday rush to buy presents is on.  In a related move, I recently posted a one question poll and asked, would you consider purchasing a comprehensive 2010 event schedule with a focus on sports?  The overwhelming majority, 66% said, yes, there is an interest in this solution.

Since then, I have been hard at work creating something that would fit everyone’s need.  You can visit it here at SportsCalendarPro.com

First, I created a master sports calendar.  It has every major sports event in the United States.  What did I include?  In no particular order, here is a listing of just SOME of the events.  The Super Bowl, The 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2010 World Cup, College Bowl Games, The Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, the men’s and women’s college basketball NCAA tournament and Final Four, sports conferences for sports related events like the IEG Sponsorship Summit and the 2010 World Sports Congress.  There are about 100 sports events in all.

As a sports executive and dedicated sports fan, I want and need to know what is happening and when it is happening.  It would be nice to find everything in one place for the enter year.  I am tired of searching for the Next event.  It is also great for planning events.  Not a sports fan, but you may be involved in major life events like getting married or you are just planning major events like fundraising dinners?  Then this is ideal for you as well.  I cannot remember how many times a major golf event or fundraising dinner collided with a major sports event and either a TV was wheeled in an event or continuous updates were given to keep people informed.

Belowis a snap shot of the calendar for two weeks in April.  If you click on the image you can see it in a full screen view.

If you want additional details of the event itself, you can click on say The NCAA Frozen Four dates and you will see this

At SportsCalendarPro.com, I created the site where you can view it online via a gmail account and from there, you can easily download this or sync it with Outlook and iphone.  I did it and it now runs as event dates on my master calendar.

The second option is to purchase the 2010 Master Calendar.  This includes not only al of the sporting events, but also includes the 2010 Entertainment Calendar, the 2010 Technology Calendar and major U.S. holidays.  For example, want to know when the 2010 Academy Awards take place or the ESPYs?  Maybe you want to visit the Sundance Film Festival, CES in Las Vegas or Macworld?  Then, this option is for you.

Last, which you won’t find on the home page but you will find on the ordering page, is the 2010 Custom Calendar.  It includes all of the above and allows you to add four (total) sports team schedules to the mix. For example, say you live in New York or the Boston area.  You can add the 2010 schedule for the Yankees, Mets, Nicks and Islanders in one place.  Hate NY teams but love Boston sports?  Then you can choose the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics schedules.

You write a sports related blog?  This allows you to preview the event since you know what is coming up.

Okay, it is the first time I have blatently plugged a product in the year I have been writing this sports business blog, but it is my product and I really believe in it.

Please, visit the site, Re-Tweet and Post this onto facebook or Digg for others to see.

Consider purchasing this unique holiday gift for the sports fan or event planner in your life.

I ran a listing of prominent sports related business conferences a few months back so I thought it was time to revisit some of the ones coming up that you may consider attending at the end of 2009 or to plan for 2010.  This is by no means a complete list.  However, we all know this business is about connections and what a better place to improve your rolodex by visiting, learning and networking at one of these seminars.

One of the first conferences on the schedule is one in the next week.  On November 12 & 13, the SportsBusiness Journal, SportsBusiness Daily and the Fantasy Sports Association will host the 11th annual FSA Sports Media & Technology (SMT) conference at the Marriott Marquis.

For the first time in its ten-year history, the Motorsports Marketing Forum (MMF) will be headed west!  MMF will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 1 & 2 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. 10th Annual Motorsports Marketing Forum

On December 9 and 10, during New York City’s College Week, SportsBusiness Journal, SportsBusiness Daily and strategic partner IMG, will host the eighth annual IMG Intercollegiate Athletics

The IMG World Congress of Sports will be moving to the West Coast in 2010. The 2010 Congress will be taking place March 17-18, 2010 at the L.A. LIVE campus in Los Angeles from March 17-18. 9th Annual IMG World Congress of Sports

Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily are now taking nominations for the Forty Under 40 Class of 2010.

If you know of someone who will be 39 years old or younger on December 31, 2009, and you feel they deserve to be nominated, submit their name for consideration by completing an online nomination form on their behalf. All nominations must be received by Sunday, November 22, 2009.  The Forty Under forty Awards will be held on March 18, 2010

For sponsorship executives, one of the best conferences around is the IEG Sponsorship conference,  held in Chicago.  In 2010, it is scheduled for March 21-24, 2010 and if you register by January 31, 2010, you can save $200.  From Sunday through Wednesday you will be immersed in what’s-next strategies for building brands and profits while enhancing lives and communities.

In 2009, the $10 billion premium seat marketplace has undergone a profound change.  Those who know the new rules will rule.  The 20th Annual Association of Luxury Suite Directors (ALSD) Conference and Tradeshow is scheduled to take place from June 27-30, 2010 in New York City.

I just returned from attending the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) annual conference in Columbia, South Carolina.  This year’s event was attended by more than 500 people including dozens of professors who made presentations this week which I will touch on in a few minutes.  If you are looking to earn a degree from a college sports management program, there are different levels, including undergraduate, graduate and doctoral.

During the few days I was in Columbia, I asked some of the people I met about their program and took some general notes.  I was just looking for the basics — numbers of students, which level they offer programs, where the programs are located within the university (they vary greatly) etc….Here are a few things I noted during conversations with folks from four different college sports management programs.

The University of Cincinnati

The number sfor the program break down like this.

* 83 students are currently enrolled in this undergraduate program which just launched this year 
* An additional 40 students have committed for the coming fall giving this fledging program about 120 students.

* The program is housed in College of Applied Science

* Internships are not part of the program this year but they hope to add this component in the fall

Ball State

* More undergrads (330) than grads in the program 330 undergrads (70)
* Students can complete the program in 1.5 years but the school prefers you do it in two years
* The program is located within PE, Sports and Science

VCU

* First part of internships are as graduate assistants.  Students take classe sin the morning.

* Second part is three months and about 400 credit hours required for the internships.  Often at VCU, the students do their internships away from the campus.

* They have placed people with Disney in Orlando as part of their internship

* Today, there are 35 students in the program

University of Michigan

* Heavy emphasis in research and theory

* 250 undergrads and 20 graduated students

* The undergraduate program has  a larger emphasis on internships and practical application of the business of sport.

This is just a random sample, but the bottom line is this — understand the types of degrees offered, the emphasis (theory vs. practical) and the value of work experience based on location.

As I said from Twitter, NASSM is a good organization but is geared towards professors who need to publish.  The conference had more than 120 presentations (yes 120!).  One of the wives pointed out to me that professors need to publish and this is a great annual opportunity to do so.  Form a practical standpoint, it did not have a big impact form a learning experience.  Like anything else however, the events, form the opening reception to the awards dinner provided a great opportunity to meet with people and network.  It is always about networking and relationships.

Here were some of the titles of scheduled presentations

* Technology and Classroom Instruction:  The Tension Between Technological Measures To Protect Exclusive Ownership Rights And Fair Use

* Spectator Anxiety and Self Esteem:  A Case for the 2008 Taiwanese Professional Baseball Series

*Is There a Difference Between Miami of Ohio and Miami of Florida When You are A Student Athlete from Slovakia?  Examining the College Selection Process for International Student Athletes.

My advice for people who want to teach as a profession — this is the perfect place to attend.  However, if you want to work on the business side of sport however, there are other trade events like the World Sports of Congress and others (see links on the right hand side of this web site) for more options. 

Have a great weekend

—————————–

I landed safely last night and am attending the North American Society of Sports Management (NASSM) conference in Columbia, South Carolina.  My first time visiting South Carolina and I am happy to be here.  I have no idea what to expect as some 500 people are gathering in this college town.  When I mentioned this to another sports executive, I was told by this person “those people are dinosaurs.  They live in the past.” 

Since this is my first time here, I cannot and will not judge.  The local folks have been extremely friendly and hospitable.  I loved the white rocking chairs placed throughout the airport as I arrived and waited for the shuttle to take me to the hotel.  The local airport had not only the University of South Carolina licensed college gear for sale, but Clemson University clothing as well.

The only time I felt I stepped back in time so far was by sitting in the Columbia Hilton business center.  There are four computers here and I feel like I am working off an dial up account, circa 1996.

The nice college student who picked me up from the airport, game me a quick tour of the University of South Carolina’s new $36 million dollar baseball stadium that seats almost 9,000 people.  What a facility.  Better than many minor league baseball stadiums.  When I asked my escort, a USC alum about Clemson, about the Clemson gear being sold int he airport, she only referred to it as “that other school” and was quite unhappy its gear was being sold there.  Though she did admit there were quite a few Clemson grads that lived in the area.

The is the first time the NASSM conference is being held in South Carolina.  The content and the people, officially gets under way today.  I will write an updated blog about the conference and will Tweet about it as well on Twitter.  You can follow me there at http://www.twitter/sportsinfo101

Here are a few of my random thoughts while I finish up a business trip to New York City.

* The Bulldog Reporter Media Relations Summit in New York City, which was the main reason why I was in town, was a business trip to help connect with others in the industry and to all visit with other colleagues in the city.

*I was amazed, how many people were checking their iphones and Blackberrys during the presentations.  I could not figure out if they were: 1) working while at the conference 2) posting Tweets on what the presenters were saying or 3) bored with the presentations and were trying to keep busy.

* Did not see of meet one sports executive at this conference.  I question where the sports industry really is when it comes to the development of Social Media game plans.

* I love to walk the streets of New York between meetings.  The city is alive with people, noise and action.  It made me think however, that in a world were today social media reins and we desperately are trying to connect and reconnect with friends relatives and new contacts, the people often times seems lonely as they make their way around the city.

* A buzz has come back to the city streets here, something that was missing the last time I was in town a few months ago.  The restaurants were half empty then, now they seem more full in the mornings and in the evenings.  As the Dow is up 50 points and the Wall Street is on a nice little run of late, are better days ahead for us all?

* I was contacted by a woman who helps produce events and was asked to cover the June 1-2 program in San Francisco for this blog.  We will see what happens in the next few days.

*  Social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg and others are here to stay.  It was the buzz of the Bulldog conference, though many of traditional means of the communication industry were pushed to the door for the 2 1/2 days.  I truly think effective marketing and PR campaigns are a combination of the two.

* Words of wisdom by several speakers.  Before jumping into any social media programs with your brand, take the time to actively listen before you begin a dialogue and finally engage.

* Be flexible when scheduling meetings with leading executives of large firms.  I was able to hold quite a few meetings while others had last minute  issues was forced to juggle my schedule.

* Anytime you have a business trip to New York City, take time out to spend time walking through Central park.  Since I arrived on a Sunday, I had time that afternoon and it was well worth the walk.  Might post a few photos of it later here and on flickr.

* One last meeting before heading home.  Going to catch up with Scott Carmichael, the Founder and President of Prodigy Sports.  Scott is an executive recruiter for the sports industry.

Miami anyone?  One of the best sports conferences of the year, at least from a networking standpoint, is scheduled to kick off this week when the  2009 IMG World Congress of Sports begins a two day whirl-wind of speakers, events and networking at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami ,Florida.   I have attended this conference in the past and there’s no shortage of networking and deal making opportunities.

 Rapid-Fire Roundtable: Thought Leaders Examine the Headlines of the Day and an Industry in Flux 
one of the first sessions features these sports business leaders Gary Bettman, Commissioner, NHL; Brian France, Chairman & CEO, NASCAR; Tim Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG; Alonzo Mourning, Founder, Alonzo Mourning Charities; Kevin Plank, CEO & Founder, Under Armour; and George Pyne, President, IMG Sports and Entertainment.

 An impressive roster.

 Joe Gibbs, the three time Super Bowl winning coach of the Washington Redskins, will deliver a keynote address that reflects on his career in sports, examines his keys to success and provides his views on the future of sports business.

Here is a selection of a few other sports titans expected to participate in the two-day seminar, starting April 1.  This is no April fool’s day joke.

Jim Bankoff, Chairman & CEO, SB Nation

David Berson, Executive VP, Program Planning & Strategy, ESPN

Michael Fanuele, Managing Director, Strategy, Euro RSCG

Peter Foss, President, Olympic Sponsorship & Corporate Sales, GE

Don Garber, Commissioner, MLS

Ross Greenburg, President, HBO Sports

Wyc Grousbeck, Managing Partner, Governor & CEO, Boston Celtics

Jeremy Jacobs, Owner, Boston Bruins; Chairman & CEO, Delaware North Cos.; Chairman, NHL Board of Governors

Ted Leonsis, Chairman & Majority Owner, Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics and Lincoln Holdings

David Levy, President, Turner Sports

Mike Levy, Chairman & CEO, OPEN Sports

Jon Litner, President, Comcast Sports Group

Michael Lynch, Head of Global Sponsorship Management, Visa

Jamie McCourt, Vice Chairman & President, Los Angeles Dodgers

Peter Moore, President, EA Sports

Dave Panos, CEO & Co-Founder, Pluck

Beatriz Perez, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing, N.A., Coca-Cola

George Pyne, President, IMG Sports and Entertainment

Tim Schoen, VP, Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Anheuser-Busch

Joe Steranka, CEO, The PGA of America

 Remember, this is just a selection of names. 

Credit IMG.  This annual conference is not held at the same place every year.  In fact, in 2008 IMG staged the two day event at the St. Regis resort in Southern California where some 500 executives showed up for the seventh installation of this annual event.  Highlights included a one-on-one interview with DirecTV head Chase Carey and a keynote address from U.S. Olympic Committee chairman, former MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth.

Positives:  You will never be around more heavy hitters in the sports business at one single event.

 Negatives:  The cost is a bit prohibitive.  Cost to register for the event alone is $1,850, and if you are a paid subscriber to the Sports Business Journal, the price is reduced to $1,695.  For two days in this economy, it is a bit steep.

 Last:  I love how the event is scheduled to end, Florida style.  In keeping with the South Florida’s theme the final act will be a beach volleyball tournament hosted by AVP.  The Pro-Am will take place on the beach at the host hotel immediately following lunch on April 2nd, and will feature AVP pros and special guests.  Attendees are invited to not only enjoy the festivities while networking with their peers, but they’ll also have a chance to test their volleyball skills.  What a great mixer for all and a nice touch to involve the AVP.