As we begin a new year, I wanted to share a few items from our newsroom that I hope will be helpful to you. As always, please let me know if you have questions, thoughts or comments.
> IN-DEPTH LOOK: Our 2016 editorial calendar is posted on our website and offers the clearest indication of what our coverage plans are for specific issues during the year. Our In-Depth topics are generally covered through multiple stories looking at various trends and big-picture storylines in sports. Upcoming topics include a look at the fan experience on Feb. 8, trends in sports sponsorship on Feb. 22 and a look at new elements in ticketing on Feb. 29. If you want to pitch us a story idea, angle or subject/source, feel free to email our In-Depth editor David Bourne at dbourne@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
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FISCHER
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> EDITORIAL TEAM: We are frequently asked by readers for guidance about which reporters cover what topics and the best way to pitch news and story ideas. Here is an update that may be useful. First, because of the activity and interest in and around e-sports, we have formally added that area of coverage and assigned that beat to Ben Fischer in our New York office. Ben joined us in May from our sister publication the New York Business Journal, and e-sports will join his other beats of Olympics, action and endurance sports. So if you have a pitch on this dynamic beat, shoot him a note at bfischer@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
Another relative newcomer to the editorial staff is Adam Stern, who was shifted from SportsBusiness Daily to SportsBusiness Journal and will cover motorsports, lacrosse and western sports. He can be reached at astern@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
For your files, here are the complete beat assignments and specific areas of focus. Each writer can be reached through the general email format of firstinitiallastname@sportsbusinessjournal.com. But before reporters get testy with me for exposing them to bland story pitches, remember that our currency is in news — both in exclusive news and in news value. Keep that top of mind when reaching out.
BEN FISCHER (New York office):
Olympics, action and endurance sports, e-sports
ERIC FISHER (New York office):
Baseball, ticketing, social/digital/print media, fantasy sports
DANIEL KAPLAN (New York office):
Football, tennis, finance
BILL KING (Charlotte office):
Special projects and profiles, boxing/mixed martial arts, educational programs
TERRY LEFTON (New York office):
Sports sponsorship, marketing, advertising
JOHN LOMBARDO (Chicago office):
Basketball, golf
LIZ MULLEN (Los Angeles office):
Agents, labor, boxing/mixed martial arts (with King), horse racing
DON MURET (Charlotte office):
Facilities, mixed-use, design, construction, concessions
JOHN OURAND (Washington, D.C./New York office):
Media/social media
MICHAEL SMITH (Charlotte office):
College, high school sports
ADAM STERN (Charlotte office):
Motorsports, lacrosse, western sports
IAN THOMAS (New York office):
Hockey, soccer
> IN AND OUT OF YOUR OFFICE: Do you have an interesting workplace? Do you have a unique office in design, through mementos or for what it says about you? If so, let us know so we can consider it for one of our most popular back-page features, In The Office, which takes a visual look at the creative, cool or simply unique work spaces in the industry. Also, are you doing something outside of the office and away from work that you care to share? Our Out Of The Office feature looks at some of the hobbies and activities of our readers — from their workouts to their culinary exploits. If you’re brave enough to pull back the curtain, or want to show off your work space, please email Rob Knapp at rknapp@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
> EVENT PLANNING: As we start a new year, we also start a new slate of events and industry conferences. Our schedule so far for your planning purposes is:
■ NASCAR/Daytona Rising Motorsports Marketing Forum: This is the second part of our Motorsports Marketing Forum and the one-day event will include an exclusive look at the $400 million renovation of Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
■ CAA World Congress of Sports: One of our most popular events hits L.A. Live on April 13-14, and confirmed speakers include 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch; two of the most innovative owners in sports, the Warriors’ Peter Guber and Joe Lacob; CAA President Richard Lovett; and SAP Chief Executive Bill McDermott.
■ Forty Under 40: Our 17th annual celebration of some of the top achievers in sports business will be held on Thursday, April 14, at L.A. Live. We are actively reviewing more than 500 candidates for recognition this year, and those who are selected will be informed early next month. Look for the full class to be publicly announced in the Feb. 22 issue of SportsBusiness Journal and their stories featured in the April 4 issue.
■ Sports Business Awards: The year’s marquee awards event, whose guest list includes some of the most influential people in the business, has become a must-attend event and will be held Wednesday, May 18, in New York City. We’ve revised the category lineup this year, including the addition of three new categories. The submission deadline closed last week, so be on the lookout for the nominees to be announced in early March.
■ Intersport Brand Engagement Summit: We head back to the Windy City on June 1-2. Gatorade CMO Morgan Flatley will kick things off at our new host hotel in Chicago, the Westin Michigan Avenue. And a tradition continues as we head to Wrigley on Tuesday night, May 31, as the Cubs host the Los Angeles Dodgers.
■ LeadDog/Omnigon Thought Leaders Retreat: Our two-day retreat at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island, S.C., returns, and the invitation-only event is open to any previous recipient of our Forty Under 40, Game Changers, Champions or Lifetime Achievement awards. If you have been honored through one of these programs, you will definitely want to attend this popular and thought-provoking event set in a casual environment.
■ Spring to fall: Please note, this year the Veritix Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium will be held Sept. 20-22 in Minneapolis. Attendees will have an opportunity to tour the Vikings’ new U.S. Bank Stadium and other facilities. Stay tuned for additional details.
Remember, if you want to pitch a panel idea, topic or speaker, you can always reach out to me or our Conference Group Managing Director Jim Sullivan at jmsullivan@sportsbusinessjournal.com. To get more information or register for these events, you can always visit www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Conferences-Events.
I hope this helps your planning for the first half of 2016, and I hope to see you in our pages or at an upcoming event. If I missed anything, shoot me a note.
Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
