Three industry veterans today kicked off their new sponsorship development program called the 5 Star Sponsorship Academy at The Harvard Club in N.Y. The two-day workshop drew 50 attendees, each who paid $3,200 to attend the event organized by former MSG President SCOTT O'NEIL, Sutton & Associates Principal BILL SUTTON and former MLS Red Bulls President of Business Operations CHRIS HECK. Among the panelists participating in the event geared toward helping execs maximize sponsorship deals are NFL Senior VP/Sponsorship & Media Sales JOHN BRODY; IMG Senior VP & Global Managing Dir of Consulting DAVID ABRUTYN, NHL Senior VP/Corporate Sales & Marketing KEITH WACHTEL and JP Morgan Chase Head of Sports & Entertainment Marketing STEVE PAMON. The NBA has 10 execs attending the program while MLB has eight execs there. Other execs from NASCAR, the USTA, MLS, Clear Channel, CAA, and the WTA also are participating. “The response has been positive and now we have to deliver,” O’Neil said. “We are targeting the next big game hunter with very specific training for people in a certain place and time in their careers."
