By Ella Dorsey

Introduction

That’s a wrap! The 2024 National Sports Forum was a success. The Forum Family gathered in Pittsburgh, PA, for three days of networking, idea-sharing, and behind-the-scenes tours at our hosts – PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium. The Forum kicked off with a series of Disciplinary Workshops, Tech Tank flights, and League/ Event Workshops.

In addition to the workshops, the NSF Case Cup Competition was taking place with SportsPITTSBURGH as our host! 12 schools participated in a 24-hour multidisciplinary case study and presented their ideas to a panel of expert judges. After initial presentations in the morning we ended with selecting 3 finalists: Ohio University, George Washington University, and the University of Oregon. After final presentations and deliberation with our 12 judges, the winner of the 2024 NSF Case Cup Competition was the University of Oregon!

BDSE programming for the 2024 Cohort wrapped up Monday with their workshop at the Clemente Museum. Thanks to Legends, our official partner of the BDSE program, the cohort was able to enjoy tours and networking at the museum, followed by an amazing BDSE Reception. We look forward to continuing to expand our BDSE Alumni and welcome them to the Forum Family!

We ended Monday night with the 2024 NSF Welcome Reception hosted by PNC Park and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Forum Family gathered together for an exciting night of networking with other industry professionals, embarking on fun behind-the-scenes tours of the stadium, and a fascinating drone show put on by Sky Elements.

 

Opening Super Panel – “The Next Industrial Revolution? – How AI is going to Change the Way We Work”

Leading us into day two, Tuesday, Feb 27th, the NSF welcomed to the stage Brian Jemison, Senior Director, Membership Services for the Detroit Tigers, as he joined panelists David Burke, Executive Vice President, Sales & Business Development for the Pittsburgh Pirates; Bryan Bellows, Director of Corporate Partnership Sales for the Minnesota Wild; Mike Donnay, Vice President, Marketing Operations for the Detroit Pistons; and Paul Bee, Senior Vice President, Ticket Sales & Service for the Milwaukee Bucks, to discuss the impact of AI in the revenue-generating side of the sports industry and how it’s reshaping the way we work. With each panelist coming from a different realm of the industry, attendees were able to hear from each different perspective. From a ticket sales standpoint, Paul Bee discussed the use of two new Ai chat bots, Ashley Nelson and Emma Baker, to help warm up potential sales clients. “We eliminate the use of cold calls and this helps chase down members that we can’t get face to face” Just two of the benefits of AI that Paul describes. From a marketing perspective Mike explains how his team is using neuroscience with AI to predict the performance of creative. He goes on to discuss how AI is able to detect attention points, cognitive demand, and where viewers’ eyes will go on graphics and advertisements. David goes off of Paul and Mike’s comments and explains how AI has helped with “shifting out of hustle metrics to a healthy pipeline.” This has helped his team spend more time with engaged leads and people. “It’s here, it’s going to stay, and I want to be involved in it,” Bryan concluded. 

Following the insightful opening Super Panel, we rolled in our first and second rounds of breakout sessions. Expert industry professionals led the first 16 breakout sessions, covering the topics of Ticket Sales, Fan Engagement, Senior Management, DEI, Sponsorship, and more!

 

Tuesday Afternoon Super Panel – “Her Time: The Changing Face of Sports Leadership”

Later that day, the NSF introduced the Tuesday afternoon Super Panel – “Her Time: The Changing Face of Sports Leadership.” Toni Will, General Manager, of the Kalamazoo Wings, sat down with four expert panelists, Tracey McCants Lewis, Chief People Officer & General Counsel for the Pittsburgh Penguins; Danita Johnson, President of Business Operations for D.C. United; Macaela Mackenzie, Author, Journalist, Editor; and Karen Leetzow, President of the Chicago Red Stars shared their perspective about the rise in female leadership throughout the world of sports. “Sports and specifically women’s sports shape our cultural attitudes about women,” Macaela shared while elaborating on what she has noticed in her time being a journalist. This led to the topic of the glass ceiling and what it means to break it. Karen went on to describe what ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ meant to her, “when these issues come up we’re automatically at the table.” The other panelists agreed as they continued talking about the importance of including women in sports from the beginning, and no longer as an afterthought. 

As the conversation continued, Tracey and Danita shared their perspective on being an executive in a male-dominated industry and how other factors like age and experience have played a part in how they have achieved their career goals. Attendees experienced a unique way of storytelling and received first-hand advice from some of the industry’s top leaders and executives. Following Tuesday’s closing panel, we hosted the first Women in Leadership Social Hour. This time offered our attendees to continue the conversations they had during the super panel, and a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, share experiences, and build meaningful connections!

 

Wednesday Morning Super Panel – “From Where I Sit: Leadership in 2024”

Bringing the NSF to a strong close, two more Super Panels took place on day three, February 28th. John Roberson, CEO of Advent, led the Wednesday morning panel – “From Where I Sit: Leadership in 2024” presented by Advent. Travis Williams, President of the Pittsburgh Pirates; Kevin Acklin, President, Business Operations of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Jeff Brown, President of the Greenville Drive; and Chris Kaiser, Chief Marketing Officer of the Cleveland Cavaliers, joined John to discuss successes, challenges, and the future of sports business. Travis took the time to reflect on the pandemic and how it was dealing with a crisis that had never been dealt with before. He encouraged the audience, “Take those moments and use the opportunity to improve the organization, get better, and make sure you’re really ready to move forward.” This led to Kevin sharing his advice of “meeting people where they are.” Encouraging employees to stay eager and grow in tough circumstances. John asked Kevin about an open door policy that he had previously mentioned. “Recognizing that when you take on a responsibility it isn’t an end zone or a goal, it’s an opportunity to use that platform to make a difference,” Kevin shared. He emphasized the idea of taking leadership positions and doing the most you can do to create a good work culture and support those on your team. Throughout the panel there was a central theme around the importance of community. Jeff shared Greenville Drive’s goals that his team was able to implement, “we’re in the community engagement business, the community entertainment business.” The panelists shared great advice on how to be a successful leader in your industry while also showing support for your team and the surrounding community.

We then rolled into our final two rounds of breakout sessions. Expert industry professionals led 16 more excellent breakout sessions, covering the topics of Business Development, Social Media, Customer Service & Retention, and more!

 

Wednesday Afternoon Super Panel – “Spotlight on Soccer: The Most Beautiful Game”

Wednesday evening, the NSF concluded with its fourth and final Super Panel – “Spotlight on Soccer: The Most Beautiful Game” presented by TickPick. John Durbin, joined Boris Gartner, CEO of LaLiga North America; Brett Goldberg, Co-CEO of TickPick; Mike Quarino, Vice President, Club and Fan Development for MLS; and Nan Vogel, Senior Vice President Partnerships, In-Game Experience and Community for NJ/NY Gotham FC, to discuss their thoughts on the growth, development, and future of the most beautiful sport! To start the discussion, each panelist shared their thoughts on the rising popularity of soccer in the United States. Boris explained, “In the US for the next 4-5 years you have the center of world soccer.” All of the cups and leagues that are expected to take place in the US combined with the size of the media market in the US have contributed to an increase in eyes on the world of soccer. This led the conversation to the idea of global soccer coming to the United States. Nan shared how soccer is unique due to the fact that you can be a fan of multiple teams due to the different levels and leagues. She noted, “Once you introduce someone to the world of soccer the fan base grows. There are so many different fanbases.”

The conversation shifted to a ticketing and partnerships lens to give attendees an idea as to how the different leagues are continuing to drive revenue and fan engagement in the hottest sport. Mike was able to dive into the partnership between MLS and Apple, “Every season ticket account gets a subscription to MLS Season Pass for the season.” He mentioned how this has added value to the season ticket experience while allowing for a more global reach. From a ticket sales perspective, Brett shared how TickPick is “using ticket data and simultaneously delivering stories.” They are doing this to drive fan interest in attending live sporting events. The panelists also touched on how all metrics for soccer continue to grow each year and how the popularity of the sport is here to stay.

 

Conclusion – Thank You!

To conclude this year’s forum, we all gathered at Acrisure Stadium for the Budweiser Gala to enjoy a tour, delicious food & drinks, and some fun. We announced our anniversary award winners and NSF SAMMY Winner, the Kalamazoo Wings! We want to thank Acrisure Stadium and the Pittsburgh Steelers for being a host at the 2024 NSF and giving the Forum Family the chance to explore the stadium’s unique spaces and features! Thank you Forum Family for joining us in Pittsburgh for the 28th edition of the National Sports Forum. We can’t wait to see you next year in Boston for the 2025 NSF!

Join us virtually for the 2024 Spring Summit on Wednesday, May 15th. Register today for $49! Learn more by visiting https://sports-forum.com/virtual-spring-summit/