Close to 200 key executives from William Morris Endeavor and IMG met last month for a leadership retreat designed to make introductions and connections across the many divisions of the merging companies.
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WME-IMG co-chief executives Patrick Whitesell (left) and Ari Emanuel attended the retreat.
Photo by: AP IMAGES
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Roughly 75 percent of the invitees were from IMG, while the other quarter of invitees came from the WME side. WME partners Droga5 and RED Interactive also participated.
Those inside the company described the three-day conference as an “important cultural moment” as executives from the two companies seek ways to work together. Among the divisions of WME-IMG represented were the IMG Academy, art and commerce, college, consulting, communications, finance, events and media, fashion, golf, tennis, human resources, IT, joint ventures, legal, licensing, models, and sales and marketing.
The IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., hosted the retreat.
WME-IMG co-chief executives Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell have said that developing more ways for the two companies to work together has been a focus in the aftermath of the $2.4 billion acquisition of IMG last December. Both Emanuel and Whitesell attended the retreat and played integral roles in the programming.
Dr. Michael Gervais, a psychologist who works with athletes and executives on how to thrive under pressure, also spoke to the group.
In WME presentations to its lenders earlier this year, it described IMG as a company that had grown in silos. Not only does the new WME-IMG expect to find cost savings by removing those silos and consolidating offices, it also expects to operate more efficiently through improved communication and collaboration.
The leadership retreat represented one of the first and most formal attempts to spur conversations across divisions since the acquisition.
Smaller retreats across WME and IMG business units are being planned for next year. In fact, the London-based events and media division, which was formed by bringing several divisions into one earlier this year, held a retreat last week.
In addressing the group, Emanuel spoke at length about “developing a culture of trust,” according to those executives who were there.
He also expressed his desire to turn two great companies into “a legendary company.”
At the retreat, several events were designed to make introductions. One was a town hall-style meeting. Executives from a variety of divisions were selected to talk about their businesses. Another was a form of speed dating, where executives moved from one conversation to another every few minutes. They were encouraged to meet as many people as possible in a 45-minute time frame.
Other cross-departmental groups talked through challenges they face, while those across from them offered ideas that might connect their divisions.
WME has held these types of retreats annually as a way to create more opportunities for collaboration across divisions, the company said.
Other longtime events, such as “Walk the Walk,” a work day dedicated to community service, and several smaller inter-office town hall meetings, have been held with WME and IMG employees as a way for colleagues to meet.
WME’s next retreat will be its annual get-together in Southern California in January.
