Premiere Global Sports makes its mark

Corporations are true believers in the marketing power of sports because regardless of today’s economic conditions, people are attending sporting events in record numbers. College sports fans are as excited as ever, following their favorite teams to major bowl games, key conference match-ups and national rivalries.

Amid this burgeoning sports marketing landscape, Premiere Global Sports (premieresports.com) stands ready to accomplish its single objective; Build a fully-integrated event marketing and hospitality platform focused on delivering once-in-a-lifetime sports experiences to corporate, consumer and collegiate customers.

Premiere branding

Today, Premiere Global Sports operates three business divisions – Premiere Corporate Events, Premiere Sports Travel and Premiere College Sports – each designed to handle one of the “big three” market segments – corporate, consumer and collegiate (see box, opposite page).

The Premiere Global Sports family also includes four ancillary divisions – Premiere Sports Alliances, Premiere Golf Experiences, Premiere Athlete & Celebrity, and GoTickets.com – that handle the company’s cross-market core competencies in sports marketing services, golf hospitality, athlete and celebrity appearances, event management and event ticketing.

“To date, we’ve built Premiere Global Sports by acquiring best-of-class entities in their own field,” says Chris Brennan, President and CEO, Premiere Global Sports, based in Chicago. “Now, by adopting a consistent ‘Premiere’ brand and structure, we are better positioned to deliver a consistent marketing message and premier service across the globe.”

Premiere Global Sports, previously known as North America Sports Media, Inc., was launched in 2005 as a holding company by Pfingsten Partners, L.L.C., a Chicago-based private equity firm, and Brennan. Since then, the company has woven together a series of key pieces to deliver its product to the corporate, consumer and collegiate markets.

The process began in 2006 with the acquisition of New York-based TSE Sports & Entertainment, a full service event marketing company. Next, the company acquired North Carolina-based Premiere Sports Travel, a consumer sports travel company, and Gotickets.com, an online secondary ticket provider specializing in sporting and entertainment events. The latest addition, in April 2008, was Dodds Athletic Tours, the nation’s leading full-service “official” collegiate sports tour provider – with more than 40 client schools, including leading schools from the Big 10, Big 12, ACC, SEC, PAC 10, Big East and other major conferences.

“Our component parts create a dynamic, seamless organization,” Brennan says. “And in doing so, we’ve constructed a large, dedicated vendor network, one with strong relationships in every area, including transportation, hotels and venues. When you combine established vendor networks and industry knowledge you get the best vendors at the best prices, which, in turn, means the best service and the best value for our clients.”

Premiere turnkey service

As a fully-integrated platform, Premiere Global Sports offers a one-stop experience for clients. Premiere Global Sports has centralized procurement, event staff and hospitality services to provide efficient and customized solutions for clients at the best value.

“Today’s world is sports-centric,” Brennan says. “The large Fortune 1000 companies, as well as their smaller counterparts, want to create an image and tie themselves to sporting events, to connect a brand or company name with a positive experience. To do that, hospitality is an option they should consider. And we help them every step of the way.” Based on recent history (as well as the deep, successful histories of its acquired companies), Premiere Global Sports has compiled impressive early numbers. For example:

- In 2007, 100,000-plus passionate fans and corporate customers enjoyed Premiere Global Sports experiences at the best global events in sports … the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, The Masters, Kentucky Derby, BCS Championship, Final Four, MLB All-Star Game, British Open, U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Rugby World Cup and many more.

- Premiere Global Sports has 150-plus active Fortune 500 clients, with a 95 percent client retention rate.

- Over the past five college football bowl seasons, Premiere Global Sports has managed 70-plus “official” college bowl tours, involving 20-plus BCS Bowls, 150-plus charter flights and 35,000 football fans.

- Since 2003, Premiere Global Sports has delivered a true “experience of a lifetime” to more than 10,000 avid golf fans at golf’s major tournaments.

Having accomplished such milestones, the move to the Premiere Global Sports brand reflects the company’s continued efforts to expand and scale efficiencies in price, service and activation for its clients.

Premiere strategy

Premiere Global Sports was founded on a series of basic core principles and has grown by acquiring companies that share these principles, including:

- Market leader (“Best in Class”)

- World-class customer service

- Dedicated management team

- Passionate workforce

“Part of our acquisition strategy has been picking companies that fit with our principles and operating philosophies,” Brennan says. “Another important part of the strategy is picking companies that brought the right assortment of complimentary services to the table.”

As a result, Premiere Global Sports today is able to serve clients in event marketing, sports travel, hospitality, B2B promotions and event ticketing. In particular, the company has positioned itself to service the fastest-growing segment of the sports sponsorship landscape, specialized sports tour travel and hospitality.

“Companies continue to expand the use of hospitality as a form of direct relationship spending,” Brennan says. “That means tying the experience of an event to the company’s brand/product and using that as a vehicle to connect with key customers, distributors, venders or employees.”

Brennan explains that in order to effectively “activate” sponsorships, most companies spend roughly two times the original cost of the sponsorship, so return on investment is critical. Plus, hospitality, always an element of sponsorship, is more often than not a growing percentage of those activation costs.

“Today, when you are spending money on sponsorship, you must activate it smartly,” he says. “One way to do that is through a successful hospitality program.”

Creating a truly memorable experience may be difficult to measure, but will produce results.

“If you send a client or a customer to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics, that’s going to be a great once-in-a-lifetime experience that will pay dividends. Don’t forget the company time and personal exposure you and your employees will have with that client or customer while you are at the event.

“If successful, that supplier or customer will provide you with repeat business, grow incremental revenue and introduce you to new customers,” Brennan says.

That central tenet – that sports sponsorship dollars alone aren’t enough to get the best bang for the buck (an integrated approach to activation is required for success)– drives Premiere Global Sports.

“Despite economic conditions, consumers continue to view and attend the major sporting events, and that makes the value and exposure of these sponsorships and hospitality extremely worthwhile,” says Brennan. “You could say that hotel rooms, transportation/air fare, corporate hospitality gatherings and related experiences are becoming as important as the event.”

Premiere looking ahead

Moving forward, Premiere Global Sports will continue to seek out potential acquisitions and other opportunities such as partnerships and strategic relationships that augment its current core competencies. With a unified brand in place and a passion for sports, Premiere Global Sports will continue delivering once-in-a-lifetime experiences to corporate, consumer and college clientele.

Whether it’s a Fortune 1000 player looking to maximize their sports sponsorship dollars, a golf fan who wants to plan the trip of a lifetime to the Masters, or a college booster who wants to follow his school to a January bowl game, there is one thing all three clients can count on – a Premiere Global Sports experience.