MIT Sloan Sports Business Conference: Panels

Overview

Agenda

Sponsors

Speakers

Press Room

Travel & Logistics

History
2007 Keynotes
2007 Panels

2007 Panels

To see details on one of the panels from the inaugural 2007 MIT Sloan Sports Conference, please click the link below.

Sponsorship
Fan Management
Personnel Decisions
Media Rights
League Management
Minor Leagues
Sports Technology
Basketball Analytics
Career

Panel: Sponsorship

DESCRIPTION

This panel will include a discussion of the models used by teams, leagues, companies, and players in securing corporate sponsorship deals (e.g. stadium naming rights, arena signage, shoe and clothing contracts). How do you determine which deals to pursue and which to ignore?

PANELISTS

Ann Marie Dumais, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Nielsen Ventures, is a 15+ year veteran across various Nielsen owned companies. Nielsen is a global information and media company with leading brands in marketing information (ACNielsen) and media measurement and information (Nielsen Media Research.) Her current responsibilities include launching and marketing innovative new marketing services for the media and entertainment industry. Most recently, Ann Marie has been working on several ground-breaking sports sponsorship measurement tools that enable both buyers and sellers of sponsorships to better plan, optimize and execute. These new services, including Sponsorship Scorecard^TM and FANLinks^TM, reside within the Nielsen Sports division. Nielsen Sports, a division of Nielsen Media Research, specializes in creating best practices for the sports sponsorship industry. Nielsen Sports is a founded on a heritage and commitment to providing information that is results-oriented and objective for both buyers and sellers of sports sponsorships. www.NielsenSports.com

Jon Hickey is Senior Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing for Mullen. Jon, the former vice president of marketing with the Boston Celtics, joined Mullen in May 2005 to guide the agency’s sports and entertainment marketing practice. He instantly expanded Mullen’s relationships with General Motors Cardmember Services and Progress Energy, to strategically optimize their respective partnerships with NASCAR, NCAA College Basketball, MLB and the NHL. Jon and his team also developed LendingTree’s sponsorship of the PGA Tour and other sports investments as well as supporting the growth of the LPGA Legends Tour.

Prior to the Celtics, Jon, a 15-year industry veteran, was with Digitas, where he led sponsorship and promotion campaigns for General Motors, Delta Airlines, Charles Schwab and AT&T. Jon has a BS in Marketing from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA from Bentley College.

Kristin Kohler most recently served as the VP of Global Product/General Manager for Fila, the athletic apparel and footwear brand. Hired in March of 2004 to help drive the Fila brand turnaround, Kohler led the global apparel and footwear product teams while simultaneously being responsible for a part of the USA business, including sales to department stores and trend boutiques. With over 12 plus years in the athletic footwear and apparel industry and senior management experience with two successful brand turnarounds, Kohler is a key product leader within the industry. With experience at a variety of brands such as ASICS, Reebok adidas, and Converse, Kohler has extensive knowledge of the apparel and footwear industry and is known for her enthusiastic and inspirational leadership style as well as her strategic and decision-making skills. Working both creatively and analytically, she is a brand and organization builder, a problem and process solver. Kohler earned an MBA from Harvard, a Masters of Science from BU, and graduated cum laude from the University of Vermont.

Kristen Kuliga Kristen Kuliga, a native of Assonet, Massachusetts, currently oversees the celebrity services and K Sports departments of Paid, Inc. in Boston, MA. She is responsible for the development of the music artist business and the representation and marketing of NFL players as well as management of special events. Previously, Kristen was the founder and principal of K Sports & Entertainment, LLC until November of 2004 when her company was purchased by Paid, Inc. She was the first woman to negotiate a starting NFL quarterback’s contract, having negotiated Doug Flutie’s original $33 million contract with the San Diego Chargers. She also negotiated the subsequent restructuring and his deal with the New England Patriots and his current broadcasting deal with ABC Sports and ESPN. Kristen currently represents 10 NFL players and free agents. In addition, her team oversees the marketing and endorsement business for many other NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball players.

Kristen has also negotiated complex sponsorship and endorsement contracts with companies such as: NIKE, Reebok, MCI, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, ESPN, Papa Gino’s, McDonald’s, MBNA, Sports Illustrated, Sun Life Financial, Dunkin Donuts, and Motorola. In the entertainment marketplace, she oversees new client development for Paid celebrity services and has negotiated online brand marketing and website licensing agreements with music artists, including, Aerosmith, Patti Labelle, Keith Lockhart, the Cars, DMC (from Run-DMC) and Rockapella.

Prior to opening K Sports & Entertainment, Kristen worked for a venture capital firm that invested in sports and entertainment corporations and held positions as General Counsel and Vice President of Athlete Marketing at Woolf Associates, a full-service sports management and marketing firm. She is a cum laude graduate of both the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1991) and Suffolk University Law School (1994).

MODERATOR

Dr. Kim Blair is the director of MIT’s Center for Sports Innovation. Enabling innovation at the intersection of technology and sports, Dr. Blair brings over a decade of experience utilizing advanced technologies to enhance all aspects of the sporting experience. As the founder of the consultancy Sports Innovation Group LLC, and the Founding Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Sports Innovation, Dr. Blair leads the development of new products as well as technologies for sport performance analyses from early formulation of product concepts to final prototype design and testing. Many projects are award winning, including MIT departmental awards, conference best paper awards, and international ispo Academic Challenge design awards. Dr. Blair’s work enjoys extensive media coverage, including features in Forbes, The Boston Globe, Outside Magazine, and GQ, and programs by CNN, The Discovery Channel, NPR, and local network affiliates.

Dr. Blair provides a wide variety of consulting services to the sports industry, including leading product development projects, conducting performance testing of existing and prototype products, and creating innovative concepts aimed at enhancing the experience for sports spectators. As a member of the board of advisors for emerging companies, Dr. Blair provides expertise on business and strategic planning, technology assessment and development, strategic alliances, and raising capital. He also serves as an expert witness in patent infringement cases.

A recognized expert in innovation and sport technology, Dr. Blair has spoken at the Lemelson Foundation, the Boston Museum of Science, IDEAS Boston 2004, The International Congress on Technological and Social Innovation in Sport (Spain), The University of London, Loughborough University (UK), the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association International Business Intelligence Series and Sport + Technology Convergence conference, and the MIT Center for Innovation and Product Development. Dr. Blair is a technical advisor for the United States Olympic Committee, and a member of the Golf Digest Academic Advisory Panel.

Dr. Blair’s background includes lecturing in the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, as lead instructor for a capstone experimental projects course, co-developer of a junior level advanced dynamics course, and instructor in a graduate structural dynamics and vibrations course. Previously, Dr. Blair was a senior scientist and management team member at an organization applying aerospace analysis techniques to the fields of biomechanics and computational chemistry. He also served as an aerospace engineer at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

His professional affiliations include the International Sports Engineering Association, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Sound and Vibration, the AIAA Journal of Aircraft and the Journal of Sports Engineering.

An accomplished athlete, Dr. Blair puts sports products to use, having competed in more than 75 triathlons, including the US National Championships, World Championship Qualifier, and the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. He is the past president and member of the board of directors of Team Psycho, a New England-based elite triathlon club composed of top age group and professional triathletes.

Born and raised in Nebraska, Dr. Blair earned a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nebraska. At Purdue University, he earned an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 2005, The University of Nebraska awarded him an Alumni Achievement Award.