GEMA NY HOSTS SPORTS MARKETING SYMPOSIUM - SPRING 2009

On May 7, 2009, the New York chapter of the Georgetown Entertainment & Media Alliance (GEMA) hosted a panel to discuss the dynamic sports industry of today - Sports 2.0 - and how globalization, an increasingly passionate fan base, new technologies and channels of distribution are feeding that frenzy. About 120 GEMA members and other Georgetown alums and their guests gathered at The Cornell Club in New York City.

The five panelists were Tim Brosnan (C '80), Executive Vice President of Business for Major League Baseball; Jim O'Connell (C '87), Vice President, Corporate Marketing for NASCAR; Rich Michel (C '94), Vice President and General Manager of Busch Media Group; Molly Solomon (F '90), Coordinating Producer for the NBC Olympics; and Hayes Roth, Chief Marketing Officer of Landor Associates. The panel was moderated by Matt Winkler, Associate Dean of Georgetown University's Sports Industry Management Graduate Program.

Panelists' observations focused on how new media and the social networking explosion has changed the sports industry. This opens up a new and sometimes daunting challenge of managing the brand (and budget) when servicing fans and consumers with new media distribution channels which are difficult to monitor, Internet and sports-specific networks.

Other critical points included describing the sports industry stakeholders and the issues today that are most critical in the industry with regard to fans, athletes, teams, leagues, advertisers, sponsors, TV, new media, and new government rules and regulations.

Return on investment (ROI) is increasingly becoming more important in an age of maximizing revenues to match the athlete salaries and events, as is the importance of player behavior and image in an era of big money sports and new media exposure.

A reception followed the panel presentation and audience Q&A. Many thanks to Landor Associates, Georgetown Alumni Career Services and the Georgetown Sports Industry Management Graduate Program for their support in making this event possible.