Tao of Sports Podcast Troy Kirby

Deandra Duggans is working to merge the gap between brand and fans, by invoking a new sense of what that relationship means in the digital and traditional media world. Duggans shares about her time in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, trying to play music that the players like, but also that the fanbase will accept. Duggans then talks about her move out to Las Vegas, helping the Aces at a time where a sold-out situation each night leads to new brand initiatives to ensure that the fan base is always growing. Duggans was interviewed while speaking at the annual college athletic director conference (NACDA) and provides her thoughts on DEI marketing.

As NAATSO time in Las Vegas hits, it's a visit with Justin Rogers, who oversees the revenue generation aspects of Boise State Athletics as "Resource Development." While that title is a bit new on the landscape, the role features many old school interests such as ticket sales, marketing and gift development. Rogers shares his viewpoint of capturing the elusive fan as athletic department revenue generation cycles increase. Rogers also talks about his passion for ensuring that each person who steps foot onto Boise State's campus creates a lifelong interest in the school and athletic department.

Andrew Rubinstein left the world of professional sports and group ticket sales to join the ranks of the annual fund at a remote university with Division I hockey in the state of Michigan. Rubinstein shares his choices, how he interacts with potential and current donors using technology such as Zoom, and embraces the idea that there's a longer play at stake when speaking to someone about the school. Rubinstein's background also includes several professional minor league hockey stints, where he learned from the different aspects of selling tickets, including a short time in Tucson with the Roadrunners. Rubinstein is also a budding politician, so he's getting used to having an earful about how to fix every situation imaginable, including those outside of his control.

It's been more than a minute since Garrett Nolan came on the podcast, way back in 2015 on Ep. 449. Nolan was a working stiff for one arena back then, but is now on his own, helping various platforms and partners achieve their revenue goals through his expertise. Nolan talks about his journey from being employed by one venue to his own independent consultancy, which includes concerts, casinos and comedy clubs. Nolan has his own views on ticket bots, their relevancy in the marketplace and what the primary market can do to hinder them altogether.

Craig Cugno has had his work cut out for him, because as much as he wants to have two winning college basketball teams, it means that he has to work that much harder to get their off-site arenas filled up each, eight times a year. Good problems to have. Cugno discusses his start in minor league baseball, selling minor league hockey, then going to the University of Rhode Island athletics, before the University of Connecticut. At the end of it all, Cugno still focuses on the idea that group sales and training matters above all else, because success on the field or court can be fleeting, but good sales techniques will stay forever.

It's been over 11 years since Paul Fruitman came on the podcast. The Canadian sports executive has ventured from ticket sales to corporate to now looking at brand insights for the sports space. Fruitman talks about what changed and what hasn't since that time, and how everything matters now to a brand, less on what is in the stadium, but what eyeballs exist outside of it.