Tao of Sports Podcast
Business
Sports Revenue & Marketing Consultant Troy Kirby interviews those in the front office within the professional and amateur sports industry, focusing on the details of the business. Ranging topics include ticket sales, marketing, administration, compliance and facility operations.
Location:
Davis, CA
Description:
Sports Revenue & Marketing Consultant Troy Kirby interviews those in the front office within the professional and amateur sports industry, focusing on the details of the business. Ranging topics include ticket sales, marketing, administration, compliance and facility operations.
Twitter:
@SportsTao
Language:
English
Website:
http://www.sportstao.com
Episodes
Ep. 881 - Mike Dellosa (Vice President of Ticket Sales, Arizona Diamondbacks)
3/18/2024
Mike Dellosa grew up in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, rising to the role of Vice Presiden to Ticket Sales. So when it came to the pandemic, he did something drastic, throwing out the playbook entirely on how to sell tickets to fans. Dellosa felt that desperate times called for desperate measures, and he did whatever it took, by forcing in a different membership model than was witnessed at the organization before. And good thing he did, as Dellosa explains, because even the people he has working for him are now of a different generation, Gen-Z, who as he puts it, have some of the "best BS detectors" imaginable.
Duration:00:44:10
Ep. 880 - Matt Slatus (President, General Manager, Camelback Ranch)
3/14/2024
Matt Slatus returns to the podcast, now as President & General Manager of Camelback Ranch, the Cactus League home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. Slatus talks about the decade separation between his podcast guesting adventures, how he took a General Manager job at the Ballpark at The Palm Beaches (Houston Astros & Washington Nationals home), and all of the ins/outs of running a two month Spring Training operation, with a lot of other factors throughout the year.
Duration:00:34:56
Ep. 879 - Kathy Burrows (Sold Out Seating, Sales Trainer)
3/11/2024
Kathy Burrows has been a guest and friend of the podcast for over a decade. So its fitting that she be the first guest since 2019, when the podcast was last updated. Things have changed in the industry, for the better, as the phone crusher model seems to be dead or dying. Kathy talks about what she has learned, especially by asking those buyers what is being done right or wrong to sell them, and how she has incorporated critical thinking leadership training into her sales model for upper management.
Duration:00:32:19
The Hidden Fan Ep. 1
11/20/2019
Stagefront's Mike Guiffre co-hosts this podcast with Troy, discussing various components of searching for the hidden fan. In this episode, data is discussed, along with what that data actually means, in a constructive conversation toward driving revenue in different ways. Including the Don Cherry firing.
Duration:00:30:50
Ep. 878 - Sarah Uhran (Owner, APC Agency)
2/11/2019
Sarah Uhran has taken the concept of personal branding for athletes and turned it on its head. Uhran represents a new type of dynamic that showcases not only the athlete brand from what the public sees, but also the consistent advisor role of ensuring athlete success in their personal or professional interactions with others. Uhran discusses how she has helped guide athletes toward the best decisions possible throughout her involvement with her clients. Twitter: @SarahUhran
Duration:00:30:48
Ep. 877 - Chris Spano (VP, American Hockey League)
9/17/2018
Chris Spano ties various components of the primary and secondary ticket markets together, working for MLB, NFL and NHL teams, along with working at StubHub. Now, at the American Hockey League, Spano discusses some of the ways that the secondary ticket market can even help minor league hockey survive and thrive in a constant push for new inventory sales to the open market. Spano also talks about ways to train staff, along with the understanding that group sales, not season tickets, tend to be the main focus of every AHL team moving forward. @CSpano1980
Duration:00:27:06
Ep. 876 - Graham Oliphant (CEO, Rugby Festival Events)
5/21/2018
Graham Oliphant has helped the growth of rugby in the United States and the United Kingdom, creating a strategic planning effort that other sport organizations have begun to follow. Oliphant talks about the impact of Major League Rugby in America, which has launched successfully with the Seattle Seawolves beginning a sellout streak and developing a winning format for other MLR teams to follow as expansion of the league nears. Oliphant also runs the London 9 Festival due for July 2018. Twitter: @Jumbo230
Duration:00:28:24
Ep. 875 - Jim Sweeney (FIMBA USA)
5/14/2018
Jim Sweeney is just getting started in a period when most people are looking at retirement. Sweeny serves as an international board member and the head of FIMBA USA (Federation of International Masters Basketball Association). The International Olympic Committee calls FIMBA the best senior sports federation in the world. Sweeney talks about how FIMBA hosted its 15th world championship in 2017 in Italy, with over 367 teams, and almost 6,000 players from around the world. Twitter: @FIMBA
Duration:00:25:08
Ep. 874 - Jeff Lapsansky (Tickets/Marketing, BMW Championship)
5/7/2018
The BMW Championship represents a unique challenge for Jeff Lapsansky, since he has to sell tickets to a PGA Tour event that moves every other year to a different city. Lapsansky discusses some of the ways that he drives ticket sales and marketing for the event, as well as ensures that pricing maximizes the possibility of a return for the non-profit organization running the BMW Championship. Twitter: @JeffLaps
Duration:00:22:04
Ep. 873 - John Markiewicz (Director of Sales, Chicago White Sox)
4/30/2018
The weather doesn't stop a great ticket sales staff from selling. John Markiewicz shares his knowledge about selling in cold weather for baseball and hot weather for hockey. Markiewicz talks about his strategy in driving group ticket sales for Chicago White Sox games in April where the temperature is a high of 8 degrees, and selling hockey in Florida, where it is always hot out, and yet, the goal is to get everyone inside a building to watch a winter sport. Markiewicz covers some of the details of selling third party tickets for Purdue. Twitter: @johnm_whitesox
Duration:00:25:21
Ep. 872 - Troy King (Director of Ticket Sales, Churchill Downs)
4/23/2018
As if it couldn't get confusing enough, Troy King comes on the podcast to share a funny episode at the 2018 National Sports Forum regarding Troy Kirby, Troy Tutt and Troy Kirby and one confused gentleman who said "Hi Troy" when all three turned around at once. King talks about his time at Churchill Downs, selling over 70 events beyond the Oaks & Derby. King shares his experiences in selling horse racing, as well as major and minor league baseball.
Duration:00:24:34
Ep. 871 - Zach Dayton (Sr. Assoc. AD, Fairfield U)
4/16/2018
Zach Dayton returns to the podcast after nearly four years since his original one (Ep. 328). Dayton talks about his transition from Pace University, a D2 school, to Fairfield University, which is Division 1. Dayton shares his insight into bringing not only fresh ideas, but also ways to help implement those ideas beyond the presentation stage with traditionalists in a group. Twitter: @Zach_Dayton
Duration:00:30:11
Ep. 870 - Holly Marie Jones (Fmr. COO, Corvallis Knights)
4/9/2018
Fresh off her departure of a second stint with the Corvallis Knights, former COO Holly Marie Jones shares her insight into the West Coast League baseball franchise's brand, and how she was able to enhance it through merchandise, ticket sales and concessions. Jones discusses how the presence of the mascot, along with a sidekick, helped boost the Knights' community efforts as well as shaping the overall food & beverage experience for the fans by bringing it all in-house. Twitter: @HollyMarieJones
Duration:00:25:03
Ep. 869 - Dominic Laico (CEO, AutoProcessor)
4/5/2018
Back in 2010, if Dominic Laico had been able to get his work done for a secondary market reseller on time, the entire resale market would have never been revolutionized. Laico would launch AutoProcessor in 2011, with the set goal of mass uploading e-tickets to all secondary distribution channels at once. Laico compares notes on what the market was before and after his company was formed, as well as some of the issues that have created consumer frustration today, including short-selling. Laico may not be very recognizable even at industry functions, but he has had a major impact on how the primary and secondary markets interact.
Duration:00:28:16
Ep. 868 - Glenn Wong (Sports Law Professor, ASU)
4/2/2018
Glenn Wong has had a continual front-row seat to the evolving world of sports law education, citing his enrollment in one of the first sports-focused legal classes in the country. After a long tenure at U-Mass, Wong is helping broaden the sports legal education on the west coast at Arizona State University. Wong discusses various components of sports law; from NCAA issues and FBI probes to potential labor collusion. Twitter: @WongSportsLaw
Duration:00:39:35
Ep. 867 - Brad Taylor (GM, El Paso Chihuahuas)
3/29/2018
The biggest dog in the fight is sometimes a little yapper. That's what El Paso Chihuahuas' general manager Brad Taylor discusses as he joins the podcast, covering exactly how the MiLB team has created one of the hottest merchandise brands across the country. Taylor talks about perception versus reality with the El Paso, Texas/Juarez, Mexico marketplace, as well as how the El Paso Chihuahuas' mascot is the biggest ambassador of the team in the greater community. Taylor specifically mentions his advocacy against discounted or free tickets, pushing for group sales over even season tickets, as well as how the Bowling Green Hot Rods became a top group sales effort with a small county population. Twitter: @BTinEP
Duration:00:38:30
Ep. 866 - Alicia Jessop (Assist. Professor, Pepperdine)
3/26/2018
Since 2012, Alicia Jessop has had one of the premiere sports legal blogs called Ruling Sports. Jessop has parlayed that platform into a full-fledged website, as well as a career change from a practicing assistant city attorney to an assistant professor at the University of Miami and Pepperdine University. Jessop discusses her path, as well as provides insight into various aspects of sport law, especially on how it impacts cultural norms and society as a whole. Twitter: @RulingSports
Duration:00:43:28
Ep. 865 - David Crawford (Principle, FloorballGuru)
3/22/2018
David Crawford is one of the top industry advocates for the game of Floorball, which is fast becoming one of newest off-season training options and intramural sports in the world. Crawford shares his story of how he first engaged with the sport of Floorball, and quickly because one of its staunchest promoters. Crawford talks about launching his own business, Floorball Guru, LLC, and some of the new endeavors it has allowed him to do. Twitter: @FloorballGuru
Duration:00:35:41
Ep. 864 - Mackie Feierstein (Assist. AD, Miami)
3/19/2018
Mackie Feierstein doesn't have the ability to focus on a single successful sport, because the University of Miami athletic department has several winning programs to sell. Feierstein talks about serving several masters, including men's basketball and football, as well as picking up prospects between both. Feierstein discusses the issue of playing in an NFL stadium, with a heavy-premium focus, and how he trains his staff to work toward selling out the house. Twitter: @MackieFire
Duration:00:31:27
Ep. 863 - Harris Peskin (Associate Attorney, ESG Law)
3/15/2018
Harris Peskin works for the leading esports law firm in the world, ESG Law. Peskin talks about representing various ownership groups and teams in leagues throughout esports, and how that shakes out as the landscape begins to solidify from a wild west atmosphere into a structured tier system. Peskin describes governance and esports economics, as well as where the industry has to go in order to be successful long term. Twitter: @HarrisPeskin
Duration:00:43:01