SportsMark Announces Promotions

With great pleasure, we would like to announce the promotions of two of SportsMark’s senior managers on the operations team: Walter Dobrowolski and Willie Rodriguez..

Willie Rodriguez Named SportsMark’s Great Performer for 2008

The 2008 SportsMark Great Performer Award was presented to Willie Rodriguez, Vice President, Events and Hospitality. This award, which is given annually and is voted on by our peers at SportsMark, nominates employees for their exceptional commitment to quality, customer service, and dedication.

Throughout 2008, Willie demonstrated tireless efforts and exemplary leadership skills. He has given tirelessly over the years to all of his colleagues. Please join us in recognizing Willie for a job well done and for another tremendous year!

SportsMark’s Headquarters Office Has Moved

As of December 1, 2008, SportsMark’s global headquarters has moved to:

781 Lincoln Avenue
Suite 380
San Rafael, CA 94901
USA

Phone: +1.415.461.5801 (same as before)
Fax: +1.415.461.5804 (same as before)
Web: www.SportsMark.com

Direct employee phone numbers also remain the same.

Please update your files to reflect our new address, which is located just a few miles from our previous location.

Commercial Hospitality Packages Approach Record Sales

As reported on FIFA.com

The commercial hospitality programme for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ has already hit record-setting levels with over USD 115 million worth of sales, and it is rapidly becoming the most successful hospitality programme in FIFA World Cup™ history..

SportsMark Hires Olympic Operations Director in Vancouver

SportsMark is pleased to announce that Pete Moore has joined our Vancouver office as Director, Olympic Operations.  An experienced event marketing professional, Pete has managed Olympic hospitality programs and operations since the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.  As SportsMark’s Director, Olympic Operations, Pete will manage our Vancouver-based account managers, in addition to playing a key role in overseeing our overall Olympic operations planning for our sponsor clients.

Bell Canada Awards Vancouver 2010 Program Management to SportsMark

We are pleased to announce that Bell Canada, VANOC's Premier National Partner for the 2010 Games, has awarded SportsMark the management of their full-service global hospitality management program. SportsMark's scope of work includes strategic hospitality program design and planning, integration of hospitality related information technology services and event production, staffing, and comprehensive logistics planning and execution.

MATCH Hospitality AG appoints SportsMark as its Exclusive Sales Agent for the USA for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Hospitality Programme

MATCH Hospitality AG, the worldwide exclusive rights holder of the FIFA Hospitality Programme until 2014, has appointed SportsMark Management Group, Ltd. as its exclusive agent for the USA for the sales of the Official Hospitality Programme of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

SportsMark Recognized as Top Event Company by Special Events Magazine

For the sixth year in a row, SportsMark is proud to be ranked in Special Events Magazine’s Annual “50 Top Event Companies” list. This year, SportsMark vaulted to the 14th spot on the list.

We are honored to have received this recognition and extend our gratitude to our valuable clients and world-class staff.

For more information, please see the September issue of Special Events Magazine:
http://specialevents.com/mag/50_top_event_companies_0911/

SportsMark Celebrates 10th Olympic Games in Beijing

The first airplanes carrying SportsMark’s clients’ guests are only days away from landing in Beijing, as the Olympic cauldron will be lit on August 8, 2008.  SportsMark’s operations, creative services, and IT staff are working tirelessly to put the finishing touches on each of our 11 clients’ corporate hospitality programs. With more than 15,000 guests venturing to Beijing under our management, SportsMark is working around the clock to ensure our tenth Olympic Games flows as seamlessly as possible

Nortel Teams with SportsMark for Vancouver 2010

SportsMark is proud to announce that Nortel has named SportsMark as their Olympic sponsorship consulting and activation agency for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.  SportsMark will be providing consultative services to Nortel, including strategic marketing, brand development, and corporate hospitality event planning. 

This exciting project will include development and design of Nortel’s overall brand positioning and strategy for their Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic partnership, comprehensive sponsorship activation planning, design support for the creative treatment and overall look and tone of the Olympic sponsorship, as well as hospitality program planning.

SportsMark Announces New Vice President

George Pollington has joined SportsMark as Vice President, Event Management & Hospitality. He will manage SportsMark’s Visa account team, overseeing the client’s wide ranging global portfolio of sponsorship events, including FIFA World Cup™, Olympic Games, Super Bowl, and The Kentucky Derby.

SportsMark Announces Executive Promotions

SportsMark is delighted to announce the promotions of the following senior leadership executives:

Steve Skubic has assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of SportsMark. Steve has been an integral part of our success and growth for the past 20 years and continues to foster strong relationships with our key clients, while simultaneously overseeing the day to day operations of the company. He brings leadership experience, a thorough understanding of our business and strong industry knowledge to ideally position the company for ongoing growth in the future.

Vancouver Office Welcomes Latest Additions

SportsMark’s Vancouver office is pleased to announce our newest team members, Jason Oberholtzer and Vanessa Carrington.

Jason has joined SportsMark as an Account Director to lead an Olympics-related consulting project for the City of Richmond. Jason comes to SportsMark from his recent position with the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee as Regional Director of Logistics. Jason's success in event management, sponsor services and marketing strategy ranges across some of the world’s premier sporting events, including several Summer and Winter Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup™.

SportsMark Honored as Sports Event Marketing Firm of the Year

SportsMark is honored to have been recognized as the 2008 Sports Event Marketing Firm of the Year at the inaugural Sports Business Awards presented by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, the two leading publications on the business of sports. The Awards took place in a live ceremony on Thursday, May 29th at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City.

New Employees Join Vancouver Office

SportsMark’s Vancouver office is pleased to announce the arrival of two new faces:  Dana Grant and Sarah Ayton. 

Dana has joined SportsMark as Account Director, Strategic Marketing with a focus on Nortel's Olympic program. She brings more than 10 years of experience in the sports marketing, entertainment marketing, and live marketing industries. Dana is no stranger to the Omnicom/Radiate Family, as she was Director of Client Services at GMR Marketing Canada for the past four years.  Currently residing in Toronto, Dana will relocate to Vancouver at the end of June.

SportsMark Client Bank of America to Rally Nation Behind U.S. Olympic Team

Bank of America, the official bank sponsor of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, launched America's Cheer™, a new grassroots campaign that provides an opportunity for all Americans to cheer on the nation's finest athletes as they prepare to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

SportsMark Wins Excellence in Marketing Award

We are honored to announce that the San Francisco chapter of the American Marketing Association recognized SportsMark with the 2008 Excellence in Marketing Award.  This award, which is presented to a small Bay Area company whose 2007 marketing campaign generated exceptional results with a far-reaching impact, recognized SportsMark’s sponsorship management and activation work to support The Hartford’s NCAA Corporate Partnership. 

For more information about The Hartford’s 2007 NCAA Corporate Partner program, please go to:

> Case Study: Global Sports Event Management

SportsMark Recognized in Event Marketer’s IT List

SportsMark is proud to have been named one of Event Marketer Magazine’s top 100 agencies in the May issue of the magazine.

Here’s what they had to say about us:

“Few agencies can handle total hospitality at the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup, but after its 10th Olympic presence in Beijing, SportsMark is heading to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games and is preparing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg. Its Super Bowl XLI hospitality program for CBS execs was first-class all the way with private jet travel, dinner with chef Emeril Lagasse, a beach party with Prince and deluxe yachts. Sounds like a rough life.”

For more information, please visit:  http://directory.eventmarketer.com/agencyitlist/home

We are very honored to have received this outstanding recognition.  Many thanks to our terrific clients and exceptional staff.

SportsMark Wins Ex Award

We are proud to announce that SportsMark won the industry’s coveted Ex Award for Best B-to-B Hospitality Event Element by Event Marketer Magazine for our work with CBS on their 2007 Super Bowl XLI corporate hospitality program.  The winners were just announced on stage at the Ex Awards Gala held in Chicago, as part of the 2008 Experiential Marketing Summit. 

According to Event Marketer, the Ex Awards were judged by a panel of senior-level brand-side event marketing experts. Judges looked for “evidence of campaigns that show clear strategic thinking, innovation, and effectiveness. Winners will have succeeded in reaching out and ‘touching’ the hearts and minds of the target audience.”

For more information about the hospitality program and special events that we produced and managed for CBS during the 2007 Super Bowl weekend, please go to:> Case Study: CBS - 2007 Super Bowl XLI

New Employees Join SportsMark

David Wright has joined SportsMark as an account manager on the Festival Network account. Dave comes to SportsMark from IMG, and brings significant event management experience with him. Most recently, he managed The NFL Experience at the 2008 Super Bowl. Dave will be focused on developing and coordinating the corporate hospitality and VIP programs at ten Festival Network music festivals over the next six months.

Carolyn Bouchard has joined SportsMark headquarters as our new receptionist. Carolyn is a graduate of the Universidad Icesi in Colombia, South America and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She brings business, marketing, and finance experience to her new position, helping to keep our office running efficiently.

SportsMark Recognized as Sports Business Award Finalist

We thrilled to share that SportsMark has been named one of three finalists for the top Sports Event Marketing firm award, as nominated by SportsBusiness Journal for their inaugural Sports Business Awards. The winners will be announced on May 29th during the Sports Business Awards Gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City.  More than 450 entries were submitted to the SBJ editorial committee for consideration in 11 categories.

SportsMark Client, The Hartford, Launches Racing Partnership

The Hartford and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) will launch a partnership for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sponsorship and other marketing efforts will be used to connect The Hartford's auto and homeowners’ products to legions of racing fans. SportsMark is the sports marketing agency of record for The Hartford and is consulting with CGRFS to activate the sponsorship.

For more information and to read the full press release, please go to: > The Hartford web

SportsMark Execs Share Beijing Insight in SBJ

SportsMark’s Director of Olympic Operations, Walter Dobrowolski, was featured in an article in the February 18th issue of SportsBusiness Journal. The article, entitled “Hospitality programs a different world in China”, explores the challenges of planning and staffing corporate hospitality programs at the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Among the top challenges discussed are staff training and the scarcity of event tickets. SBJ subscribers can read the article through the following link: > SportsBusiness Journal web

SportsMark President Steve Skubic was named one of the “Five People to Know” for hospitality programs at the Beijing Olympic Games in the same issue of SBJ. “Five questions with Steve Skubic on Beijing” can be found at the following link. After logging into your SBJ subscription, go to: > SportsBusiness Journal web

Promotions Announced within Senior Management Team

We are very pleased to announce two well-deserved promotions in Operations: Sari Shapiro has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Olympic Operations. In addition to Sari’s current responsibilities related to directing and overseeing all of SportsMark’s Olympic operations planning, development and on-site execution, Sari’s new position will include operations consulting with sponsors and Olympic Organizing Committees who are interested in SportsMark’s Olympic expertise on various elements of program design and management.

SportsMark Announces New Employees

We are excited to announce the following new members of the SportsMark team:

Robin MacDonald has re-joined SportsMark as an account manager on the Bank of America account.  Robin will be managing Bank of America’s Fantasy Camp program, which includes NASCAR and MLB experiences, as well as several U.S. Olympic events.  Robin brings a wealth of event management expertise to the account team, as well as experience and familiarity in working with Bank of America’s various corporate lines of business.