Each Tuesday we visit with a different sports executive who has a successful story to tell about their experience in sports administration.
If you have ever dreamed about a sports job on the international circuit, then listen up. Today’s guest on The Sports Info Business is Sam Piccione, a sports executive with AEG currently living and working in China. Sam got his experience in Southern California before….Wait a second. Let’s let Sam tell it in our weekly 10 Questions with feature:
Name: Sam Piccione III
Title: General Manager, Sales AEG China
Current Organization: AEG (Global Partnerships)
Years with Organization: 2.5
1. Describe your position and current responsibilities.
In charge of all sponsorship and suite sales at AEG’s two newest Arenas in Beijing and Shanghai. We are selling the first ever naming rights and founding partnerships of the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena and the Shanghai World Expo Performing Arts Center (2010 World Expo Venue). Along with 47 suites in Beijing and 65 suites in Shanghai.
2. Tell us about your first job in sports.
Intern for the Angels Baseball Team and Mighty Ducks Hockey Team. Then was hired as Promotions Representative in the marketing department for both teams.
3. What was best advice ever received?
It’s not what you know but who you know in this business. And never burn a bridge. This industry is too small and your network is your livelihood.
4. What sports memory are you most fond of telling to others?
Career wise, being with the Angels when they won the 2002 World Series. And in particular getting a call from the President of the team while we were on the golf course before Game 5 saying we needed to sell sponsorships to support the World Series Parade back in Anaheim. And we had 2 days to do it which we did! It was a true team effort (3 people) and a “create as you go” sales experience.
5. Describe the area(s) of opportunity for growth in your business.
In China in particular since this is the business I am working on now, the growth is endless. We are starting our company from scratch which consists of 12+ Arenas/Entertainment districts in mainland China and a content division. And sports marketing is still relatively a new business in China.
6. What are the biggest challenges that face your business today?
The economy which is a world wide problem right now. And also, educating China on sports marketing and our offerings. What we are doing here doesn’t exist and there is nothing to compare it to in China.
7. What is the best way to get a full time job in your sport?
Internships. And meet as many people as you can in this business. It is a small business and everyone knows everyone and is willing to help the “good people” succeed.
8. How has this business changed in the last five years?
Again, my business is sponsorship sales. And how this side of the business has changed is that the partners have many choices to spend their marketing/advertising/hospitality dollars so the product offering need to be unique and the ROI has to be as transparent as possible. And with the difficult economic times the major players are being condensed through acquisitions (banks merging with banks, AB being sold to In Bev etc.) so there are less “traditional categories” and less money to go around. So finding new and emerging categories to be partners is very imp.
9. What are the kinds of things do you look for in an employee?
Passion and work ethic! Those two things separate the great from the good. And a willingness/desire to learn and grow.
10. Finish this sentence. If I had to do it all over again, I would start by…..
learning multiple languages. At least Spanish and now Mandarin Chinese. Having worked for Telemundo a few years back and now in China for over a year, being bi/multi lingual will make you so much more successful in our business.
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Some additional informaiton about AEG, which I pulled from their wesite, under “About Us”
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), Prudential Center (Newark, NJ), Sprint Center (Kansas City, MO), The Rose Garden (Portland, OR), WaMu Theatre (Seattle, WA), XL Center (Hartford, CT), El Rey Theatre (Hollywood, CA), Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Las Vegas, NV), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Rentschler Field (Hartford, CT), Nokia Theatre Times Square, Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie, Acer Arena (Sydney, AU), Color Line Arena (Hamburg) and The O2, a 28-acre development located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River which includes a 20,000-seat arena and over 650,000 sf of leisure and entertainment use; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Los Angeles Riptide (MLL), Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS), two hockey franchises operated in Europe, the Hammarby (Sweden) Futbol Club and management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers; AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate that operates or consults with more than 60 of the industries preeminent venues worldwide; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales and consulting company; AEG Merchandising, a multi-faceted merchandising company; and AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency.
