Featuring a who’s who of speakers, the 10th annual IMG World Congress of Sports will be held at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami March 30 through 31.
“It seems like just yesterday that Paul Tagliabue was kicking off our inaugural World Congress at the Waldorf Astoria,” said Richard Weiss, publisher of SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, which is presenting the event. “We’re thrilled to take the 2011 program back to Miami which was the site of one of our most memorable World Congress events.”
Among the initial speakers the morning of March 30 are Stacey Allaster, Chairman & CEO, WTA; Scott Blackmun, CEO, USOC; Donald Fehr, Executive Director, NHLPA; David Levy, President, Sales, Distribution & Sports, Turner Sports; Peter Moore, President, EA Sports; Sarah Robb O’Hagan, President, Gatorade North America, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Sports Nutrition, PepsiCo; and Mike Tirico, Play-by-Play Commentator, Studio and Radio Host, ESPN.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig will deliver the keynote address at 9:30 a.m.
That momentum will be sustained with the following sessions:
• The New Face of Team Ownership: Strategies and Ideas to Build Franchise Value and Move the Industry Forward – Presented by Merritt Paulson, Owner & President, Portland Timbers; Stephen Ross, Owner, Miami Dolphins; and W. Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz, Chairman, Chicago Blackhawks.
• Sports Media Co-existence: League-owned Nets and Traditional Nets – Presented by Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President, Business, MLB; John Collins, COO, NHL; Brian Rolapp, COO, NFL Media; John Skipper, Executive VP, Content, ESPN; and Adam Silver, Deputy Commissioner & COO, NBA, among others.
• The In-venue Experience: Developing a Technology Strategy and Fan-centric Focus that Keeps Them Coming Back – Presented by David Holland, Senior VP and General Manager, Cisco Sports and Entertainment; Tery Howard, Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Miami Dolphins; David Samson, President, Florida Marlins; Eric Woolworth, President, Business Operations, Miami Heat; and Michael Yormark, President & COO, Florida Panthers.
• Sponsorship Value and Innovation: The New Realities of Sports Marketing – Presented by Jeff Dubiel, Vice President, Pepsi Sports Marketing, Pepsico N.A. Beverages; Michael Lynch, Head of Global Sponsorship Management, Visa; Greg Via, Global Director, Sports Marketing, Gillette/P&G and Mark Wright, Vice President of Media, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Anheuser-Busch.
• The Champions: Reflections and Forecasts From Pioneers and Innovators in Sports Business – Presented by Val Ackerman, former President, WNBA, & former President USA Basketball; Deane Beman, former Commissioner, PGA Tour; Barry Frank, Executive Vice President, IMG Media; Bill Rasmussen, founder, ESPN; and Alan Rothenberg, founding Chairman, MLS; Chairman, Premier Partnerships.
• World Congress at 10: Top Speakers from the First Nine Years Look Back and Move Forward – Presented by Don Garber, Commissioner, MLS; Leo Hindery, Managing Partner, InterMedia Partners; Jeremy Jacobs, Owner/ Chairman/Chairman & CEO, Boston Bruins/NHL Board of Governors/Delaware North Companies; Tim Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG; George Pyne, President, IMG Sports & Entertainment; and Tom Shine, Senior Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing Worldwide, Reebok International.
• International Sports: Opportunities and Challenges Abroad – Presented by Peter White, Co-Chair, Global Sports Media & Entertainment Group, DLA Piper and will feature Alexander Medvedev, President, Kontinental Hockey League; Chris Parsons, Vice President, International, NFL; Fernando Soler, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, IMG Tennis and other top executives from the international sports scene.
• The CMO Perspective: Why Sports Continue to Provide the Marketing Platform We Need – Presented by Kevin Kelso, CMO, Farmers Insurance; Tony Pace, Senior VP, CMO, Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust; Bea Perez, CMO, Coca-Cola North America; and Rob Victoria, CMO, Foxwoods Resort Casino, among others.
• At a Crossroads: The State of Labor/Management Relations in Professional Sports – Presented by Bill Daly, Deputy Commissioner, NHL; Philip D.M. de Picciotto, President, Octagon; Howard Ganz, Partner, Proskauer; Jeffrey Kessler, Partner – Global Litigation Department Chair, Dewey & LeBoeuf; and Michael Weiner, Executive Director, MLBPA.
To find out more, visit http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Conferences-Events/2011/2011-IMG-World-Congress-Of-Sports.aspx.
