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Cendyn Ovations attended the National Sports Forum Annual Conference at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta, GA from February 9th to February 11th. The National Sports Forum is a gathering of professionals across the sports industry including teams, leagues, venues, agencies, and vendors. It’s a time to come together and discuss best practices and new ideas across a range of topics that affect the sports and events space.
Daily Activities
The days were filled with breakout sessions, panel discussions, and keynote speeches that covered a range of topics centered around Sponsorship Sales & Partner Activation, Marketing & Fan Engagement, Ticket Sales & Service, and Business Development.
Other special activities included “Tech Tanks” allowing companies to showcase some of the new technology in the events space with a voting committee deciding a winner in each of three flights: Ticket Sales & Strategy, Corporate Partnership & Brand Activation, and Marketing & Fan Engagement. The Case Cup Competition allowed students to gain real world experience while competing in a 24-hour case study against other students and judged by a panel of experts.
Arthur Blank on Fan Experience
The highlight of the event was the “Fireside Chat” with Arthur Blank, Owner and Chairman of AMB Sports and Entertainment. AMB owns and operates the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FC, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mr. Blank discussed a range of topics surrounding his background and experience in building AMB into the renowned organization that it is.
One of the most interesting topics was the stadium’s success in lowering concession prices to some of the lowest in professional sports with the fan experience in mind. This was done without reducing great food and beverage options already available. Many other teams and venues have since adopted a similar model.
Each evening wrapped up with a trip to some of the newest and most impressive venues around Atlanta including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena and Gateway Center Arena at College Park.
The Impact
The NSF was a great way for Cendyn Ovations to learn more about the happenings in the sports market and how those updates and changes can affect the corporate partners we work with in the ticket management space. We look forward to the next chance to interact with others in the industry!