SEMINAR AGENDA - MiLB™ Innovators SummitSEMINAR AGENDA monday, sept. 24 TIME EVENT LOCATION 9 a.m....

MiLBPromoSeminar.com @PromoSeminar | #MiLBPS

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SEMINAR AGENDA

MONDAY, SEPT. 24 EVENT LOCATION

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Registration Level 3 Foyer

9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Ticketing Summit,presented by Tickets.com Seminar Room (Grand Ballroom)

10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Summits Meeting Rooms 317, 318, 319

12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Lunch Level 4 Foyer

4 – 5 p.m. MiLB OPEN Session Seminar Room

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Happy Hour,presented by Hustle Cloud Ballroom Foyer (Hilton)

7 – 8 p.m. After Party,hosted by the Iowa Cubs The Riverwalk Hub

TUESDAY, SEPT. 25 EVENT LOCATION

7:30 a.m. MiLB CommUNITY Service Project Registration

Hilton Des MoinesDowntown 2nd Floor

8 a.m. Buses Depart for MiLB CommUNITY Service Project

Hilton Des Moines Downtown 2nd Floor


8:20 – 11:30 a.m.MiLB CommUNITY Service Project,

presented byMusco Sports Lighting

Meals from the Heartland

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Welcome Luncheon Level 4 Foyer

1:40 – 4 p.m. Seminar Presentations Seminar Room

4:30 – 6 p.m. Off-Site Tour Wells Fargo Arena

6 – 8 p.m. MiLB Mixer Wells Fargo Arena

Casual attire is suggested for all social events. | Schedule subject to change.The Executive Summit is open only to those who RSVP’d in advance.


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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26 EVENT LOCATION

7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Women in Baseball: Coffee & Connections Meeting Room 312/313

8 – 9:30 a.m. Trade Show Breakfast,presented by Jostens Trade Show Floor (Grand Ballroom)


9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Around the Horn Seminar Room

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Executive Summit Meeting Rooms 312/313,314, 315 and 321

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Seminar Presentations Seminar Room

11 – 11:15 a.m. Snack Break,presented by Quantcast Level 4 Foyer

12:30 – 2 p.m. Trade Show Lunch,presented by BDA Sports Trade Show Floor

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Predictive Index Workshop Seminar Room

3:30 – 5 p.m. Group Therapy Sessions Meeting Rooms 306/307, 308/309,316/317 and 318/319

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. MiLB Charities Social Trade Show Floor

THURSDAY, SEPT. 27 EVENT LOCATION

8 – 9 a.m. Trade Show Breakfast,presented by Jostens Trade Show Floor


9 – 11:45 a.m. Golden Bobblehead Awards Finalist Presentations Seminar Room

11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Keynote Seminar Room

12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Trade Show Lunch,presented by BDA Sports Trade Show Floor

1 – 4 p.m. Executive Summit Meeting Rooms 314, 315 and 321

1:15 – 2:15 p.m. Seminar Presentations Seminar Room

2:30 – 4:30 p.m. OPEN Sessions Meeting Rooms 306/307, 308/309,316/317, 318/319 and 402

5:15 p.m. Buses Depart for Ballpark Outing Hilton Des Moines Downtown Lobby

5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Ballpark Outing Principal Park

SEMINAR AGENDA

mon

day,

sept

. 24

TIME EVENT LOCATION

9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Ticketing Summit, presented by Tickets.com Seminar Room(Grand Ballroom)

10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Summits Meeting Rooms 317, 318 and 319

12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Lunch Level 4 Foyer

4 – 5 p.m. MiLB Open Session Seminar Room(Grand Ballroom)

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Happy Hour Cloud Ballroom Foyer (Hilton)

7 – 8 p.m. After Party, hosted by the Iowa Cubs The Riverwalk Hub

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

SCHEDULE


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community relations summit

emceeCOURTNEY NEHLSAssistant Director of Community Engagement, Minor League Baseball

Community Relations Summit Meeting Room 317

Courtney coordinates the MiLB Charities program, while also providing event support for the MiLB Promotional Seminar and Baseball Winter Meetings. Nehls works closely with members of the Special Events department, as well as Minor League Baseball’s Charity Partners and MiLB club personnel to grow program participation and reach department goals.


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10:05 a.m. | MiLB Charities Overview & DiscussionCourtney Nehls, Assistant Director of Community Engagement, Minor League Baseball

Courtney will briefly review what took place for MiLB Charities in 2018, discuss plans for 2019 and then open it up to the group to discuss industry best practices and how MiLB as a whole can better serve our communities. Attendees are encouraged to use this time to ask Courtney questions, brainstorm with each other and network with fellow community-minded executives.

10:45 a.m. | Start ‘Em Young: Engaging Your Community’s YouthHunter Horenstein, Director of Fan Engagement,Myrtle Beach Pelicans

In a tourist driven market, tapping into the local fan base is critical. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans have used programs such as the Playground Takeover and Little League Takeover as opportunities to bring the team’s entertainment directly to the community. In doing so, the team has used its most basic marketing tool – fun – to increase the size of the local fan base.

presentations and panels

11:15 a.m. | Creating Lifelong Fans through Community GoodwillRachel Whitley, Director of Community Relations,New Orleans Baby Cakes

We all issue donations to support non-profits in our communities. Why not put your donations to work for your organization? Rachel will discuss the dual power that experiences have on increasing the overall value of your donation to a non-profit and how those experiences can generate revenue for your team.


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12 p.m. | Charities Partnership PanelRachel Mark, Campaign Director, Vs. Cancer (Moderator)Jennifer Ashbaugh, Director of National Events, Big Brothers Big SistersMichael Branda, Manager of National Signature Events, The ALS AssociationJ.W. Cannon, Senior Director of Sports Alliances, American Cancer SocietyMelissa Harkavy, VP of Community Relations & Customer Experience, Las Vegas 51s

The Charities Partnership Panel will be an open discussion among both sides of an MiLB community-based relationship. Moderated by Rachel Mark, former MiLB executive and current campaign director of Vs. Cancer, the discussion will include best practices of building a relationship with community organizations, how to choose the right organizations and a Q&A session. Panelists will include representatives from the American Cancer Society, the ALS Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Las Vegas 51s.


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2:30 p.m. | 50/50 Fundraising: Building Excitement and CommunitiesBrittany Adamic, Customer Success Manager, 5050 Central

Brittany will explore the tools and tactics required to maximize revenue and the fan excitement generated from your 50/50 program based on industry best practices. Brittany currently works for 5050 Central and is the former raffle supervisor for the Toronto Blue Jays, who were recognized as the number one 50/50 program in major league sports.

3 p.m. | Outside the OfficeBreon Dennis, Vice President of Community Development, Frisco RoughRiders

Breon will discuss ways to get the front office involved to be great commUNITY leaders, in and out of the office. This will ensure that your impact on the commUNITY takes place year-round and not just during the season.

2 p.m. | Oklahoma City Dodgers Rookie LeagueMichael Byrnes, President and General Manager, Oklahoma City Dodgers

Michael will discuss how the Oklahoma City Dodgers developed a youth sports program in their community, which has had a far greater impact than they even imagined.


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operations summit

emceeANDY SHULTZAssistant Director of Baseball & Business Operations, Minor League Baseball

Operations SummitMeeting Room 318

Andy manages a number of facets of baseball operations within Minor League Baseball, including Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA) compliance, day-to-day operations of the Gulf Coast League, facility standards and the on-field uniform program. Shultz assists with the administration of the Dominican Summer League and serves as the administrator for the MiLB Umpire Training Academy. In addition, he manages the day-to-day building operations and facilities of the Minor League Baseball offices.


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10:05 a.m. | Building Your Brand for Non-Baseball Events to Generate Revenue All Year LongAndrew Chesser, General Manager,Quad Cities River Bandits

The Quad Cities River Bandits once were just another baseball team, putting on baseball games. But over time, they evolved into a year-round operation that generated revenue through various non-baseball events. Andrew will discuss how they got to where they are today, and the mentality Quad Cities has when it comes to creating separate branding for your team and your events.

10:35 a.m. | Iowa Wild Fan ExperienceBrad Allen, Director of Fan Engagement, Iowa Wild

This presentation will cover all aspects of what fans can expect at an Iowa Wild game, from the moment they arrive at the arena, to what they see and experience on the concourse and at the conecssion stands, to the in-arena entertainment. Brad will also cover the logistics of how the Wild staff manages all of these tasks.


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12 p.m. | Sustainability: Diving In, Then Learning to SwimDan Straley, Assistant General Manager of Facilities,Great Lakes Loons

Dan will share the variety of reasons that motivated the Great Lakes Loons to begin their sustainability efforts as well as the initial passion, hurdles and misconceptions they faced before eventually discovering their focus. This presentation will teach you that it is important to figure out what your focus should be, and know that every team could be different based on their specific circumstances, resources and needs.

11:15 a.m. | PBA Compliance and Facility StandardsAndy Shultz, Assistant Director of Baseball & Business Operations, Minor League BaseballJim Jarecki, Vice President, West Michigan Whitecaps

As part of the Professional Baseball Agreement, Major League Rule 58 (MLR 58) sets the standards for Minor League Baseball playing facilities. Gould Evans is an architectural firm contracted by Major League Baseball to inspect Minor League playing facilities. This discussion will review the Gould Evans facility visit process along with discussing capital improvements, LED lighting and other items.


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2 p.m. | The Business of Hospitality: Orchestrate’s PhilosophyPaul Rottenberg, President, Orchestrate Hospitality

For nearly 20 years, Orchestrate Hospitality has created memorable dining experiences in central Iowa. Join Paul to examine how he built some of Iowa’s most recognizable restaurant brands in Des Moines’ changing landscape. Learn how embracing the philosophy of hospitality can lead to greater success across your organization, with or without a restaurant.

2:30 p.m. | Importance of Being Smarter About Your F&B BusinessAaron Salsbury, Director of Partner Strategy, E15 Group

Your food and beverage business accounts for a substantial piece of your organization’s revenue and is a critical component of your fans’ experience. It also represents the largest number of “transaction points” for your fans. What can we learn from all this data? Aaron will walk through how a cutting-edge, data-driven approach can unlock revenue and fan experience opportunities, discuss how E15 is doing this with Minor League Baseball partners and offer some ideas on how you can be more analytical in your F&B business.

3 p.m. | Creating Your Food & Beverage BrandJeremy Zimmerman, Regional Director of Operations, Ryan Sanders Sports Services

The evolution of stadium foodservice over the past 5–10 years towards a more premium, restaurant-type of hospitality is forcing the industry to reinterpret how we touch our guests and how each of us “tell our story”. To that end, RS3 has taken a fresh perspective, completely redefining the definition of the term “branding” in Sports & Entertainment hospitality. Our comprehensive approach to “strategic hospitality” includes utilizing, and improving, even the most trivial and subtle of details in order to further market our own brand as quality cuisine, premium service

and corporate integrity.


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ticketing summitpresented by tickets.com

emceeMIKE LUTERANDirector of Ticketing, MLB Advanced Media

Ticketing Summit, presented by Tickets.comSeminar Room

Mike is in his 11th season with MLB Advanced Media and his 14th in the baseball industry. He manages six MLB clubs day-to-day ticketing needs and oversees all online Minor League Baseball ticket operations for MiLB.com. He started his career in baseball with the Newark Bears in the Atlantic League doing ticket sales/operations and sponsorship sales. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, Rachael, and two boys, Michael and Matthew. In additional to work and family, Mike is the executive director for the Congenital Heart Defect Coalition, supporting the CHD community, increasing public awareness and raising money for lifesaving medical research.


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9:40 a.m. | Not Your Father’s Ticket Service TeamChip Maxson, General Manager, Sacramento River Cats

Pop quiz: What’s the job of your ticket sales team? Right, to sell tickets–that’s it! Chip lost a lot of money thinking his sales staff should sell, service, renew and upsell their accounts just because that is what he did orking his way up in the sports industry. When he finally realized his foolish ways (surely, a millennial pointed it out to him) the Sacramento River Cats created a Membership Experience Specialist team (not a service team) that was focused on relational upselling, cross-selling and renewing accounts. This presentation will cover what Chip learned from the NBA, NFL and MLB that has brought the highest renewal rates in a decade, as well as brand new revenue streams that impact the entire organization.

10:20 a.m. | Selling to the Multicultural MarketMichael Byrnes, President and General Manager, Oklahoma City Dodgers

Michael will share how the Oklahoma City Dodgers implemented the “Es Divertido Ser Un Fan®” initiative into their market to maximize the opportunity.

9:05 a.m. | Ticketing Space Update

Pat O’Conner, President & CEO, Minor League BaseballMike Luteran, Director of Ticketing, MLB Advanced Media

Pat and Mike will give an update on the current state of the ticketing space, and its importance to the continued growth of the industry.


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10:50 a.m. | Making the Switch: Our Experience with Tickets.comTyler Parsons, General Manager, Lansing Lugnuts

As part of a complete overhaul of their vendor services, the Lansing Lugnuts made the switch to Tickets.com for the 2018 season. Tyler will go over why they did it, what the transition was like and their overall experience this past year.

11:30 a.m. | Data & Analytics PanelAndy Milovich, President and General Manager, Frisco RoughRiders (Moderator)Matt Levin, Director of Accounting & Data Analytics, Pawtucket Red SoxAaron Salsbury, Director of Partner Strategy, E15 GroupK.L. Wombacher, President and General Manager, Hillsboro Hops

Andy Milovich of the Frisco RoughRiders will moderate this panel, aimed at discussing all things data and analytics. There are many different approaches for accumulating and analyzing data, from in-house to third-party. The panelists will be able to touch upon each of these different strategies, and the challenges and successes they have seen from them.


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1:50 p.m. | Hiring, Training, and Retaining Sales Staff: Developing a Sales CultureAmy Venuto, Founder, Venuto Team Services

Building a sales culture is more than just buying a list and telling your sales reps to start making calls. Just as the consumer expects more today, so does the Millennial and Gen Z’er sales rep. Do not fight this. Your job is to adapt and manage accordingly. Amy will share hiring, training and retention practices that are excellent for all generations to help you build a stronger and more successful sales team. The result will be a more entrenched customer and employee base.

2:20 p.m. | Digital Marketing PanelBucky Heath, Head of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, Tickets.com (Moderator)Matt Slatus, General Manager, Aberdeen IronBirdsKim Stoebick, Director of Marketing & Promotions, Indianapolis IndiansAngela Olivas, Director of Marketing & Communications, El Paso Chihuahuas

Moderated by Tickets.com head of marketing & strategic partnerships Bucky Heath, this panel will provide attendees a glimpse into the digital marketing strategies and tactics sucessfully employed by leaders across the ticketing space. The panelists will weigh-in on how they have best utilized digital resources, technologies and platforms; where they have been most (and least) successful and key learnings attendees can apply to their own digital and social marketing campaigns.


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3 p.m. | Future of Ticketing: What We Should All Be Thinking AboutJoe Choti, President & CEO, Tickets.com

Tickets.com’s president and chief executive officer Joe Choti will discuss the future of the ticketing space.


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video production & design summit

emceeJ.D. DAVISDirector of Marketing, Corpus Christi Hooks

Video Production & Design SummitMeeting Room 319

J.D. joined the Hooks, first as the director of ballpark entertainment, in the fall of 2012 after working with the Quad Cities River Bandits for his first two season in professional sports. With a background in theatre and video production, Davis has found a home in sports marketing and promotions. When away from the ballpark, Davis enjoys spending time with his wife, Hilary, playing guitar and trying every taqueria in south Texas.


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10:05 a.m. | Five Ways to Constantly Improve Your Ballpark ExperienceKent Shelton, Manager of Production & Promotions, Springfield Cardinals

We all have different resources, budgets and backgrounds, but here is one thing we have in common…room to improve. No matter how good we get, we can always be better. These five principles can help us take our ballpark experience to the next level.

10:30 a.m. | Keeping Your Sponsors (and Sponsorship Team) HappyScott Ciaccia, Director of Game Entertainment,Harrisburg Senators

Do you find times where the sponsorship team oversold a promotion or may have promised more than you can handle? During this session, Scott will discuss ways that have helped reduce the amount of confusion that can sometimes happen in the off-season between production teams and sponsorship teams. In addition, he will go over some basic graphic design and video production ideas that will increase the value of the sponsorship element without having to put in more work than you can handle. At the end of the day, we want the sponsors, the sponsorship team and the production team to all go home happy.

presentations


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presentations

11 a.m. | Getting More from Less: Tips, Tricks, Resources and More to Help Save Your SanityBen Love, Director of In-Game Entertainment & Promotions, State College Spikes

Ben will share tips, tricks, resources and more to help you create more high-quality content with less. Learn to maximize what you already have on hand to create high quality productions while still balancing that tight budget. He will share some of the different tools, practices and methods that will help you create more while saving your sanity.

11:45 a.m. | Building Your Brand Consistency Brian Gundell, Principal and Creative Director, Brian Gundell Graphic Design Co.

The best brands in sports all have something in common: strong visual identities created through solid brand consistency. This goes beyond having a great logo set (though of course that helps), but more importantly, every piece of communication and collateral is well designed and fits within a strategic brand and campaign vision. Over the course of this presentation, Brian will cover what it means to have a strong visual identity, as well as tools, tips, and tricks as to how to build that out in an effective and efficient way.

12:15 p.m. | Making a Major League Production on a Minor League BudgetDominic Repper, Manager of Promotions & Entertainment, Clearwater Threshers

Dominic will discuss how the Clearwater Threshers create a fun, family-friendly experience in their ballpark while operating within an MiLB budget. He will share best practices, production resources, ways to uncover talented staff and which production tools can be both cost and budget effective. All of this will help you be able to put on a Major League show in your Minor League Baseball parks.


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iowa wild video & production tour

2 p.m. | Iowa Wild Video and Production Tour (at Wells Fargo Arena)

Brad Allen, Director of Fan Engagement, Iowa Wild

Attendees will head over to the Wells Fargo Arena for a tour of the Iowa Wild’s video and production space and learn about the processes and equipment that the team utilizes.

Photo courtesy of Catch Des Moines.


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miilb open session

ModeratorTODD “PARNEY” PARNELLVP and COO, Richmond Flying SquirrelsPresident, Montgomery Biscuits

MiLB OPEN SessionSeminar Room

The MiLB OPEN Session is your opportunity to learn about upcoming MiLB initiatives, offer insight and feedback and ask questions of the MiLB office.

tues

day,

sept

. 25 TIME EVENT LOCATION

7:30 a.m. MiLB CommUNITY Service Project Registration Hilton Des Moines Downtown 2nd Floor

8 a.m. Buses Depart for MiLB CommUNITY Service Project

Hilton Des Moines Downtown 2nd Floor

8:20 – 11:30 a.m. MiLB CommUNITY Service Project Meals from the Heartland

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Welcome Luncheon Level 4 Foyer

1:40 – 4 p.m. Seminar Presentations Seminar Room

4:30 – 6 p.m. Off-Site Tour Wells Fargo Arena

6 – 8 p.m. MiLB Mixer Wells Fargo Arena

tueSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

SCHEDULE


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tuesday, september 25

emceeBRAD TAYLORVice President and General Manager, El Paso Chihuahuas

Since his arrival in the Sun City, Brad has witnessed the groundbreaking of Southwest University Park, helped oversee the construction of the ballpark and led the charge as the El Paso Chihuahuas successfully launched their brand on Oct. 22, 2013. Under Taylor’s guidance, the Chihuahuas have become a top-selling brand in Minor League Baseball, a feat that includes the top social media ranking (more than 220K followers across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn & YouTube) out of 160 teams.

During the 2014 inaugural campaign, the Chihuahuas garnered national attention for their logo, merchandise, promotions and attendance. The Chihuahuas’ Bark at

the Park Promotion was named MiLB’s Promotion of the Year (the second time in Taylor’s career; the first was for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 2009) and raised more than $20,000 for local animal groups. The Chihuahuas sold out 72 percent of their home games (48 of 67) and averaged 8,100 fans per game at Southern University Park, drawing more than 548,000 total fans in 2014. Southwest University Park was also named the 2014 Ballpark of the Year by Ballpark Digest and Baseballparks.com. With the success of the Chihuahuas inaugural season, Taylor was named a Pacific Coast League Executive of the Year finalist.

Taylor has been instrumental in Southwest University Park’s success as one of El Paso’s premier venues. Since its opening, the ballpark has been home to two professional international soccer matches, IBF Featherweight Boxing, the annual El Paso Marathon, the 2015 Gildan Triple-A Baseball National Championship game, Way Out West Country Music Festival and next year’s 2019 Triple-A Baseball All-Star Game. The ballpark has also been a venue for business conferences and expos, 5K community races and company galas, to name a few.


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1:50 p.m. | Punching Above Your Weight: Competing for Attention and Fans in a Major League MarketK.L. Wombacher, President & General Manager,Hillsboro Hops

The Hops moved from one of the smallest markets to a large metro market and faced many challenges to compete for relevancy with major sports teams in the area. K.L. will focus on some of the small and larger things the team did to compete for fans, disposable income and media attention. Much of this is focused on mindset, culture and being razor focused on where to invest money in the operation. Lessons from operating a team in Yakima provided a good background on being efficient when spending limited resources to build a financially stable franchise in Hillsboro.

2:20 p.m. | Merchandise, Per Caps and BrandingRaj Narayanan, General Manager, Lake Elsinore Storm

The Lake Elsinore Storm have not only consistently maintained, but increased their per caps. Raj will discuss the Storm’s philosophy of intertwining their merchandise and their brand. Here’s a hint. Have a plan and choose wisely!

presentations


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2:50 p.m. | The Corporate Sponsor Sales Process and Common Mistakes Made by SalespeopleRyan Grant, President, Iowa Wolves

Before joining the Iowa Wolves of the G-League, Ryan worked on both the buyer and seller side of the sponsorship process. He will discuss the concepts he has learned to approaching successful partnerships sales, along with some of the mistakes he made along the way.

3:20 p.m. | You CAN Handle the Truth: The Importance and Impact of Staff SurveyingDonna Kirby, Vice President of Operations,Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Are your employees satisfied, or are they engaged? What’s the difference, and how do you know which category each part of your team falls into? Donna will discuss the importance of hiring the right staff, measuring your staff’s engagement and how surveying your staff results in bottom line wins.


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off-site tourwells fargo arena

4:30 p.m. | Iowa Wild Arena Tour

Todd Frederickson, President & Alternate Governor, Iowa Wild

Attendees will have the chance to tour the Wells Fargo Arena and go behind-the-scenes of an American Hockey League operation. At the conclusion of the tour, Todd will speak about the idea of trying to be the “most major minor league team operation possible.”

Photo courtesy of Meythaler Photography.

wed

nesd

ay, s

ept.

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TIME EVENT LOCATION

7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Women In Baseball: Coffee & Connections Meeting Room 312/313

8 – 9:30 a.m. Trade Show Breakfast, presented by Jostens Trade Show Floor (Grand Ballroom)

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Around the Horn Seminar Room (Grand Ballroom)

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Executive Summit Meeting Rooms 312/313, 314, 315 and 321

10:30 a.m. – Noon Seminar Presentations Seminar Room (Grand Ballroom)

11 – 11:15 a.m. Snack Break, presented by Quantcast Level 4 Foyer

12:30 – 2 p.m. Trade Show Lunch, presented by BDA Trade Show Floor(Grand Ballroom)

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Predictive Index Workshop Seminar Room(Grand Ballroom)

3:30 – 5 p.m. Group Therapy SessionsMeeting Rooms 306/307,

308/309, 316/317 and 318/319

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. MiLB Charities Social, presented by Musco Trade Show Floor(Grand Ballroom)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

SCHEDULE


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wednesday, september 26

emceeALLAN BENAVIDESGeneral Manager, Eugene Emeralds

Allan has completed his ninth season as general manager of the Eugene Emeralds, and his 14th season in professional baseball. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1999, he worked for four years as a junior talent manager in Hollywood.

In December 2004, Allan chose to divert from his entertainment career path and move into sports. His interest in sports has always been fan-focused with an emphasis on unique and affordable family entertainment. He has taken an active role in the community and currently sits on the boards of the Emerald Valley Boys and Girls Club, the Ted Norman Memorial Baseball Complex and is the President-Elect of the Eugene Executives Association. Unbelievably, Allan is the regining Shall We Dance champion.

Allan is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He enjoys spending downtime on the lake with his family and watching his son, Christian, wakeboard.


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7:30 A.M.Meeting Room 312/313

Last year, Coffee & Connections was added to the agenda as an opportunity for attendees to gather before the day’s events to network with women in the industry. This year, kick off your morning by attending a two-hour event that will allow ALL registered attendees to openly discuss the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of women in the baseball industry, as well as share ideas on how to promote gender inclusion in your own organization. Breakfast will be served at this event.

women in baseball:coffee & connections

Attendees of the 2017 Women In Baseball: Coffee & Connections event.

7:30 a.m. Networking Breakfast

8 a.m. Welcome Remarks by Pat O’Conner, President & CEO, Minor League Baseball

8:05 a.m. Keynote by Andrew Chesser, General Manager, and Jacqueline Holm, Assistant General Manager, Quad Cities River Bandits

8:25 a.m. Tug-of-Words Interactive Workshop by Vincent Pierson,Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Minor League Baseball

9:05 a.m. Round Table Discussions


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presentations and Panels

10:35 a.m. | Linda, Linda, Listen to Me... The Latino Market: Do You Want Their Money or Their Loyalty?Allan Benavides, General Manager, Eugene Emeralds

Marketing to a Latinx demographic requires more action than ad dollars. The answers for your Latinx efforts lie in your community, not in your front office. The Eugene Emeralds engaged with local Latinx leaders to discuss the challenges facing the local community. Through these engaged interactions with a variety of community leaders, the Emeralds created Los Monarcas de Eugene brand. Allan will share how they developed Los Monarcas, their implementation plans and the future of their Latinx outreach.

11:15 a.m. | In-Season Ticket Package Renewals: Having 2/3 of Your Season Ticket Members Renewed by Labor DayC.J. Johnson, President and General Manager, Winston-Salem Dash

The Winston-Salem Dash have found that in-season ticket package renewals allow their sales team to address customer service issues while their season ticket members are still attending games. Through detailed planning, strategic timelines and effective customer perks, the Dash can start renewals in July and attain 66 percent package renewals by the end of the season. Free your sales team up to focus on new sales by renewing your customers while baseball is still fresh in their minds!


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11:40 a.m. | Digital Marketing PanelMike Luteran, Director of Ticketing, MLB Advanced Media (Moderator)Mike Lorenc, Head of Industry — Sports & Ticketing, GoogleMorgan Mitchell, Senior Account Executive, QuantcastTBD, Facebook

Moderated by MLB Advanced Media’s Mike Luteran, this panel will discuss the world of digital marketing through the eyes of industry experts. Representatives from Facebook, Google and Quantcast will discuss how teams can drive ticket sales and adapt to the evolving world of digital marketing.

presentations and Panels


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predictive indextraining

2:15 p.m. | Climbing Trees: Would You Rather Train a Horse or Hire a Squirrel?

Cindy Moran, Partner and Senior Strategist, MVP-Results

Organizational success depends on building strong teams. With so many players, staff, volunteers, sponsors, etc., understanding and leveraging strengths can make or break your events and your budget. Your people are your brand! Training is easy when people have the right behaviors and abilities from the start. In this unique, interactive and fun session, you will:

• Learn about your unique behavioral traits and identify your strengths.• Understand how to harness the ‘power of people’ to create teams.• Identify analytics to inform peoples’ decisions.• See the actual data from the Minor League Baseball office.


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group therapy sessions

COMMUNITY RELATIONSMEETING ROOM 306/307

3:30 p.m. | Beyond the Diamond: Cultivating a Service-Minded Front OfficeCassidy MacQuarrie, Director of Community Relations, Charlotte Knights

At its very core, Minor League Baseball is founded on community. Teams are expected to put boots on the ground to do more good and to do it often. Beyond it being a requirement or an excuse to get out of the office, how are organizations inspiring employees to put stake in their community? In this session, attendees will discuss the opportunities clubs offer their staff to give back and how they can develop that a step further to grow their commitment to philanthropy and cultivate their personal passions.

OPERATIONSMEETING ROOM 308/309

3:30 p.m. | LGBT Engagement: Pride Nightand BeyondVincent Pierson, Director of Diversity & Inclusion,Minor League Baseball

The goal of this session will be to discuss challenges and highlight strategies and best practices for engaging the LGBT community in different markets. Establishing a Pride Night is a great example of engagement. Attendees will also explore effective ways to create genuine relationships beyond a single promotional night.


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PROMOTIONSMEETING ROOM 316/317

3:30 p.m. | Promo Night 2.0: Building on a Successful Promo Night from Last SeasonPaul Krenzer, Director of Ticket Operations,Daytona Tortugas

You’ve finally done it! You’ve created a promotion that you can hang your hat on, but what’s next? How will you utilize the attention you’ve garnered from that night to build a bigger and better promotion in year two? In this session, attendees will discuss expanding on their success and identifying areas that they can improve to take their promotion to the next level. Together, attendees will examine the creation of a promo experience that is sponsor-friendly and that everyone wants to be a part of…baseball fan, or not.

SALES & MARKETINGMEETING ROOM 318/319

3:30 p.m. | Digital Marketing StrategiesJacqueline Holm, Assistant General Manager,Quad Cities River Bandits

Digital media is ever-changing and if you’re looking for fresh ideas on how to utilize it to sell tickets, monetize promotions and relate to your fans, join this discussion!


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COMMUNITY RELATIONSMEETING ROOM 306/307

4:15 p.m. | Community Outreach Beyond Traditional GivingRachel Whitley, Director of Community Relations,New Orleans Baby Cakes

Donation requests are like laundry—am I right? Sometimes it feels like that’s ALL we’re ever doing to support our communities! The truth is, we all have powerful assets outside of traditional giving. In this session, we will discuss other creative programs and ways our organizations can have positive impacts on the communities that we call home.

OPERATIONSMEETING ROOM 308/309

4:15 p.m. | Partnering with Your Local University to Help Create Your Next Best Promotional Night and Find Future Employees

Clint Huntrods, Director of Des Moines Sport & Recreation Management Program, University of IowaAnna Jensen, Director of Office and Field Experience, University of Iowa

The goal of this session is to discuss existing relationships your organization has with local universities and consider what possibilities exist to take that relationship to the next level. We will identify the key components of a successful internship program and what that looks like in action over the course of the student engagement from both the student, university and organization perspective. We will also unearth best practices and brainstorm new ways your team can take your local college engagement to the next level to attract the greatest talent while serving your community, team and stakeholders. New ideas and ways to engage your local college will allow for new business ideas to be generated, internship and job pipelines to be filled up and will lead to your organization becoming further embedded in your local state and community culture.


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PROMOTIONSMEETING ROOM 316/317

4:15 p.m. | A Good Problem to Have: How to Keep a Returning Sponsor’s In-Game Promotions Fresh David Ratz, Manager of Promotions & Special Events, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

It’s a great feeling when you’re heading into the offseason and all of the between-inning sponsors are signed up to return next year. You know you’re doing something right when you don’t have to find new clients to sponsor shenanigans between innings, but what do you do when the same client wants the same games two and three years in a row? How do you keep the games and entertainment fresh when the client loves what they have? This session will focus on how to keep things fresh when a paying client wants to keep things the same.

SALES & MARKETINGMEETING ROOM 318/319

4:15 p.m. | Strategies for Increasing Season and Group Ticket SalesJason Mott, General Manager, Peoria Chiefs

Increasing season and group tickets sales is the lifeblood of every organization. The sales world is ever-changing and in this session, attendees will discuss ways to increase season and group sales heading into the 2019 season. Bring your successes and ideas and let's sell some tickets.

thur

sday

, sep

t. 27

TIME EVENT LOCATION

8 – 9 a.m. Trade Show Breakfast, presented by Jostens Trade Show Floor(Grand Ballroom)

9 – 11:45 a.m. Golden Bobblehead Awards Finalist Presentations Seminar Room(Grand Ballroom)

11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Keynote Seminar Room(Grand Ballroom)

12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Trade Show Lunch, presented by BDA Exhibit Floor

1 – 4 p.m. Executive Summit Meeting Rooms 314, 315 and 321

1:15 – 2:15 p.m. Seminar Presentations Seminar Room(Grand Ballroom)

2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Open SessionsMeeting Rooms 306/307,

308/309, 316/317, 318/319 and 402

5:15 p.m. Depart for Ballpark Outing Hilton Des Moines Downtown Lobby

5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Ballpark Outing Principal Park

thurSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

SCHEDULE


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thursday, september 27

emceeGABE SINICROPI JR.Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations, Williamsport Crosscutters

Gabe serves as the vice president of marketing & public relations for the Williamsport Crosscutters, the short season Class-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. In that role, he oversees all sales, marketing and promotional activities of the club.

The 2018 season marked Gabe’s 26th full-time and 33rd overall in professional baseball, all of which have been in the New York-Penn League. His full-time baseball career began with the Geneva Cubs in 1993, and he moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 1994 when the club relocated there.

In 2017, the Cutters debuted over $4 million in renovations to BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, the 2nd oldest MiLB stadium operating in the U.S. In addition, they teamed

up with MLB and Little League® Baseball to host the first-ever MLB Little League® Classic between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals in a regular-season game televised on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. It marked the first regular-season MLB game played in a Minor League ballpark in over 80 years. The event returned to Williamsport this past August as the Philadelphia Phillies hosted the New York Mets.

Gabe was named the New York-Penn League Male Executive of the Year in 2011 and 2017. In addition, he was honored with the league’s Hon. Robert F. Julian Award for Community & Baseball Service in 2014.

Sinicropi has served as a public address announcer for the Little League® World Series since 1998, being assigned to the LLWS World Championship Game for 18 of the last 21 years.

He serves as a board member of the Williamsport/Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Lycoming County Visitors Bureau. Gabe is also a member of the Board of Directors for AAA North Penn and the Hope Enterprises Foundation. Previously, he served as a long-time board member of the Lycoming County United Way and has been a member of Kiwanis for 31 years.

Prior to his fulltime baseball career, Sinicropi was a program director and morning air personality for WECQ-FM (CQ102), Geneva, New York, from 1984–1991. He also served as the Geneva Cubs public address announcer from 1986–1992.

Born and raised in Seneca Falls, New York, Gabe spends his free time collecting vintage toys, pop-culture antiques and baseball cards and memorabilia.


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thursday, september 27

keynoteDWIER BROWNActor, Author and Speaker, Field of Dreams, among many others

Seminar Room | 11:45 a.m. | Making Magic in the Movies and in Baseball: Twins from Different Mothers

Among the dozens of films Dwier worked on, Field of Dreams was the most difficult. There was a drought in 1988 and the corn just wouldn’t grow. Can you imagine what the classic American baseball movie would have looked like if Kevin Costner and the ghost players had magically walked out of…knee-high corn? Then there were the equipment failures. Weather problems. Scheduling headaches. Sound familiar? Sometimes the lengths we will go to entertain people makes us question, “is it worth it?” Dwier will help explain why it is.


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presentations

Seminar Room | 1:15 p.m. | Your Transformation from Baseball Club to Live Entertainment EnterpriseJ.J. Gottsch, Chief Operating Officer, RS3 Sports & Entertainment

Is your owner asking for more revenue? Are your sponsors and suite holders looking for more value in their partnership? You’ve only got so many MiLB regular season games you can host, so what do you do with the remaining 295 days a year? Non-traditional events are a great way to add revenue, and value, to your club. This presentation will help get you started on your path to becoming a live entertainment enterprise.

Seminar Room | 1:40 p.m. | Ben There, Done That: A Milestone Season on the RoadBen Hill, Writer, MiLB.com/Ben’s Biz Blog

Once again, MiLB.com’s Ben Hill spent too much of his summer visiting Minor League Baseball ballparks. And, once again, he’s here at the Promotional Seminar bringing you all the highlights from his season of travel. Ben has now been to every active Minor League stadium in a professional context, a feat that took him nine seasons to accomplish. Clearly, he deserves to be honored in bobblehead form. Perhaps you should even name your children after him.


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open sessions

OPEN Sessions are the epitome of open, active engagement amongst peers where the ideas are flowing. Broken up by department/responsibility (i.e., promotions, social media, new media & marketing, sponsorships, ticket sales, video production & design), each session will allow colleagues with the same responsibilities to come together and discuss what matters most to them. OPEN is an acronym for Ongoing Professional Engagement Network, which means we hope that these conversations will continue year-round. Make sure you join the “MiLB’s Ongoing Professional Engagement Network (OPEN)” group on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

2:30 P.M. | PROMOTIONSMEETING ROOM 316/317

Nate Kurant, Director of Promotions, Charleston RiverDogsSteve Richards, Director of Ballpark Entertainment, Round Rock ExpressJamie Stone, Director of Marketing & Promotions, Lakewood BlueClaws


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open sessions

2:30 P.M. | SOCIAL MEDIA, NEW MEDIA & MARKETINGMEETING ROOM 308/309

Jason Estes, Director of Marketing, Wilmington Blue RocksAngela Olivas, Director of Marketing & Communications, El Paso ChihuahuasMatt Sutor, Director of Marketing & Communications, Durham Bulls

2:30 P.M. | SPONSORSHIPSMEETING ROOM 318/319

Ryan Moore, General Manager, Myrtle Beach PelicansLydia Rios, Vice President of Marketing & Sponsorship, Trenton ThunderChristina Toler, Director of Corporate Sales, Indianapolis Indians


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2:30 P.M. | TICKET SALESMEETING ROOM 306/307

Jenna Byrnes, Senior Vice President, Oklahoma City DodgersBrian Radle, President and General Manager, Kannapolis IntimidatorsAmy Venuto, Founder, Venuto Team Services

2:30 P.M. | VIDEO PRODUCTION & DESIGNMEETING ROOM 402

Amy Johnson, Manager of Creative Services & Production, Biloxi ShuckersKent Shelton, Manager of Production & Promotions, Springfield CardinalsEmily Williams, Director of Marketing, Sacramento River Cats

open sessions

SEMINAR AGENDA - MiLB™ Innovators SummitSEMINAR AGENDA monday, sept. 24 TIME EVENT LOCATION 9 a.m....

Documents

Transcript of SEMINAR AGENDA - MiLB™ Innovators SummitSEMINAR AGENDA monday, sept. 24 TIME EVENT LOCATION 9 a.m....