How to Integrate Sports Marketing and Sales Strategies in your Business

Sports celebrities draw big crowds, and crowds can mean big sales. That’s nothing new. But have you considered how sports might factor into your company’s marketing? Start formulating your game plan by attending a panel discussion featuring some of our community’s most savvy authorities on sports marketing.

Sponsored by Sales Marketing Executives International of Minnesota (http://www.smeiminneosta.org/), a panel with pros from the Vikings, Wild and Nash Finch Company will discuss How to Integrate Sports Marketing and Sales Strategies in your Business on Thursday March 25, 2010 at Winter Park. The event, which starts at 4:30, will include a tour of the Minnesota Vikings facility. SMEI Minnesota is the only internationally accredited sales and marketing chapter of Sales & Marketing Executives International in the state, and is targeted towards senior management in sales and marketing. This event is open to the public, but prior registration is required.

Featured panelists for this event will be Minnesota Vikings Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and Chief Marketing Officer Steve LaCroix; Minnesota Wild Marketing Director Wayne Petersen; and Nash Finch Company Senior Director of Marketing & Merchandising Maria Gallegos.

Gallegos, who plans and promotes marketing programs and services for more than 2,000 independent supermarket retailers, will describe how she has used sports figures  –  including former Olympian Natalie Darwitz and Minnesota Viking Linebacker E.J. Henderson –  to create successful special events that resulted in a lot of media coverage as well as big crowds.

LaCroix and Petersen will describe their teams’ marketing challenges, such as maintaining sellouts for every game, and explain how marketing a professional major league sports franchise may not be so different than marketing in your industry.
 
Go to http://www.smeiminnesota.org to register for this event.