The Vanguard

Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Sports

Wyc Grousbec, co-owner of the Celts made an appearance.

"Close your eyes and imagine two of the most important people in your life, it can be; a teacher, a parent a sibling or a co-worker. Now I bet you I can tell you one thing that all these people have in common…they did not do it for the money." "Passion!"And trusting yourself were the key points to Wyc Grousbeck's (CEO of the Boston Celtics) key note address and could be seen in all the participants at the 2nd annual Business of Sport Conference at MIT (Saturday February 9th 2008).

Many people have chosen sports because of the fame and money but those that are most successful and at their peak performance are doing something they love to do. This can be applied to all careers whether its accounting/finance, IT, marketing or IDCC.

The Conference featured many notable speakers who touched upon many of the emerging topics in the Business of Sports. Other panel discussions throughout the day included Venue and Stadium Management, Brand Revenue Management, Baseball, Basketball and Football analytics.

Wyc's started his message off with a video (which those who have attended a Celtics game this season have seen, KG ends it by yelling). The video brings upon a sudden rush of adrenaline and intensity and in it is a quote by Paul Pierce "I get my energy from the building."

The building; how to build it, what it should look like, where to build and financing the building are all very important factors that go into planning a venue. The second discussion panel featured Tim McManus (AECOM), Dennis Robinson (NJSEA), Tim Romani (Romani Group), John Wetzell (TD Banknorth Garden) all of whom have planned sport venues.

"We are in the happy business" is Dennis Robinson's view on the purpose of creating venues "We are here to create a venue where people can be happy and be emotionally connected." "When building a building you need to be a fan first and an owner second as you need to figure out how you are going to be a good neighbor (Tim McManus)." The building needs to be a part of the community and help the area prosper.



How popular is the team is what drives many business decisions executives which are faced with. But how do you put a value on a brand such as a sports team. Determining how much a team is worth also correlates to its players. Kristen Bernert (WNBA, Sam Kennedy (Redsox), Lou DePaoli (Atlanta Thrashers, Hawks), Jon Hickey (Mullen Marketing) discussed how they create value within their sport or team.

Continued...

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