Pro Sports MVP prides itself on the strong relationships we maintain with celebrities. We are often asked how we are able to provide celebrity appearances at some of the lowest costs in the industry— how we bring value to our clients.
Having the combined experience of decades in sports marketing, Pro Sports MVP has had the opportunity to build impacting and lasting relationships with a variety of celebrities across the country. As a result of both these relationships and the frequency with which we employ these celebrities, we are ultimately granted preferred pricing and the ability to negotiate based on our clients’ budgets.
Although celebrities often have a certain rack rate fee for the cost of an appearance, it is at most times negotiable— especially to a firm who utilizes them for multiple promotions, hospitality events and retail appearances throughout the year.
We have found that over the years, our clients will continue to renew business with us as a result of the value in cost of celebrity appearances that we are able to provide. Pro Sports MVP is fortunate to have working relationships with hundreds of sports personalities and athletes and even more privileged to be able to pass the resulting value on to our clients.
Posted by
Brian Lee on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 @ 11:27 AM
The Thanksgiving holiday is a time of year when many Americans travel home to visit family and friends. Pro Sports MVP was privileged to work with three Hollywood actors who chose to travel half way across the world to say thank you to their heroes this past November. Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Cassidy Lehrman (Entourage) and Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) flew to Kuwait to spend their Thanksgiving holiday with our deployed military service members. It was the actors’ first time participating in a goodwill tour and they all had a once-in-a-lifetime experience that they will never forget.
The soldiers were excited to meet these Hollywood ambassadors, take photos with them and get signed autograph cards during their visit. During some of the meet & greet events, military personnel would ask the celebrities questions about their experiences working with fellow actors like Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jeremy Piven or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Soldiers shared their favorite episodes of 30 Rock with Scott or asked Cassidy about the rumored Entourage movie. The actors stayed on base, had their meals with military personnel in the dining facilities and had the opportunity to experience a week of living as the soldiers do throughout their time in Kuwait.
The group visited Camp Patriot on Thanksgiving Day. Camp Commander LT COL Soukup welcomed the actors to the base and thanked them for their visit. He then let them know that their presence was requested outside for a promotion ceremony. Staff SGT Kaufman was being promoted to SGT First Class and he asked Kristanna to participate in the ceremony. Kristanna’s job was to pin SFC Kaufman’s new rank on his uniform. She followed tradition and punched SFC Kaufman in the chest and almost knocked him off his feet to the applause of his fellow soldiers. A big hug from Kristanna was all SFC Kaufman needed to ease his pain or embarrassment. The group toured the base that afternoon visiting an Army boat crew who were decorating their ship for the holidays. They also spent some time with soldiers whose responsibility was to prepare army vehicles from Iraq for inspection so they could be shipped back to the US. Kristanna and Scott talked with some female soldiers whose mission was driving trailers of heavy equipment from Iraq south into Kuwait. The base prepared a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and the actors dined with soldiers and sailors. Scott, Cassidy and Kristanna all commented that the tour was a Thanksgiving that they would never forget!
The advantages of featuring celebrity appearances at grand openings and promotional events are clear: you familiarize customers with your location, drive traffic to your store, and provide a great experience for members of the community which will ensure a positive association with your brand and outlet. However, an organization must be thoroughly prepared when implementing any celebrity appearances, or else you can have some unhappy customers, which completely defeats the purpose of investing in celebrities in the first place!
1. Communication is key. Ensure that the celebrity implicitly understands what is expected of them. They should be provided with concise directions including where to park and also who to contact upon their arrival. It is also crucial that the celebrity knows exactly what time to arrive, until what time they are required to stay and what their responsibilities are on site. Any other details, such as how many autographs are allowed for each person, should also be disclosed prior to the event. The host of the event should also provide a “one-sheet” with information about the organization and program.
2. It’s all in the details. Thorough organization is a vital element to any successful celebrity appearance. You will need to plan where in the store the celebrity and autograph table will be set up, ensuring that the area can support a long line of customers. Along with the table, you should arrange one or two chairs for the celebrity and his or her representative. Make sure the background of the table is aesthetically pleasing so that the background of pictures looks nice. It’s also a good idea to set up a display with your logo so that the customer will forever associate that great experience with your brand! Stanchions should be set up to demonstrate where your customers can line up. Ensure that you have a sufficient number of pens, markers and sharpies; the standard colors needed are blue, black and silver. It is also nice to have a couple of waters available for the talent. Another small, but important touch is to request the celebrity wear a jersey or polo from his or her team, or with a hat or shirt with your company’s logo.
3. It must be a sign. When promoting the appearance in print, radio or television ads, it is important to communicate as much information as possible, including how many items each guest is limited to and the possible “cut-off time” for the line. You should always warn guests, that the line is subject to being cut off 30 minutes before the appearance ends, so if your event is 6-8pm, the line can be cut by 7:30pm. This way, they know they must arrive by that time if they are guaranteed to receive an autograph. This same tenet holds true on site. Be sure to include signs and posters in and around the autograph area which clearly communicate when the line is subject to being cut off and how many items each person is entitled to have signed.
4. Man up! On the day of the celebrity event, you should have a team of 3-4 people available to assist with the autograph appearance. One person should be designated as a “facilitator” that will stand between the guests and the celebrity. The facilitator will take any items brought by guests and pass them to the celebrity to ensure that all the celebrity has to do is sign his or her name. This is especially important as very well attended appearances. The second person should be the “line manager” who is responsible for monitoring the line, keeping track of how many people have gone through the line (and at what rate) and for cutting off the line if necessary. If the line is cut off, this person would need to stay at the back of the line and tell any latecomers (in the nicest way possible!) that if they choose to wait, they are not guaranteed to make it up to the table for an autograph and that the line has been cut. The third team member should be the “security guard”; he or she would stand near the celebrity table and be on hand in case of any overzealous sports fans! If a fourth member is available, he or she would serve as the “photographer”, taking photos with the guests’ cameras at their request.
5. Go with a pro. Celebrity appearances and autograph sessions can be overwhelming and intimidating, especially if you do not have a great deal of experience. When working with an agency, it should be expected that they send a representative to assist you with the appearance on-site. At Pro Sports MVP, we have a staff member at each and every event we procure who is on hand to assist in managing the appearance. We even bring the sharpies!
Over the past decade, I have been integrally involved in nearly a thousand events that have featured celebrity appearances including grand openings, hospitality events, corporate outings, consumer promotions, and fundraisers. In that time, I have witnessed wildly successful events as well as those that did not exactly bring down the house. Following are a few important keys to choosing the right celebrity or athlete for an effective celebrity appearance:
1. Focus on a focus group! You do not need to implement a formal focus group of a dozen members to learn who and what the people who make up your market are responding to. Ask family, friends and colleagues who live locally about their favorite teams and athletes from the past and present are. This will give you a better idea of the athletes that will likely capture the most attention in your region.
2. A little research goes a long way. If there are any particular athletes that you have an interest in securing for a celebrity appearance, be sure to spend a few minutes on-line to find out more about them. You will want to know about their affiliation with your area and ensure that there is a positive association. For example, people always love a hometown hero or a franchise player that was a fixture in your market for several years. On the other hand, you want to be sure he left the team on good terms and did not end up playing for your city’s despised rivals!
3. And the locals have it! When considering athletes for celebrity appearances, it is almost always more cost-effective to book a person who lives within driving distance to the event location. In addition to eliminating travel costs, celebrities are more likely to agree to participate in an appearance at a lower fee if the overall time commitment is minimal.
4. Call in a professional! We at Pro Sports MVP have decades of combined experience in the sports industry, specifically with celebrity appearances. We have an extensive network of athletes we work with who we know do a great job and treat our clients as priority #1. We also know through our connections and personal experience those athletes and celebrities that do not have the best reputation when participating in celebrity appearances. It is always best to consult a sports marketing company that can assist in profiling and securing celebrities and athletes that best fit with your company’s mission, the demographic of your prospective attendees and your budget.
I recently had the pleasure of working with a realtor group, one of our longest running clients at a major conference in southern California. We secured movie star and television icon, Tony Danza to participate in a series of integrated promotions.
The promotion and appearance were carefully customized by Pro Sports MVP in which our client was able to reach of the following demographics:
- Their clients
- Their prospects
- Their VIPs
Tony kicked of the day’s events at a private luncheon which was limited to 50 top clients who had the opportunity to meet with Tony Danza and have their pictures taken with him. He also personalized autographed items and interacted with all of the attendees. Everyone had a superb time.
Following the luncheon, Tony was escorted to the conference booth where he signed autographs for three hours. It was during this time, that all conference attendees were able to get a free autograph and if they so desired, purchase a glossy photo or cookbook where the proceeds were donated to a designated charity.
The goal for our client was to drive potential clients to their booth and get a chance to meet a celebrity but more importantly, have a chance to introduce themselves and their services to the prospects attending the conference. This was a homerun!
The final portion of this integrated promotion was a private reception for VIPs only. The reception was two hours in duration, and had all the amenities you would expect (great food, cocktails, and music). Tony was able to visit one on one with the VIPs not only for and autographs but also for a picture, conversation and stories from one of his famous television shows either Taxi or Who’s the Boss?
We have been working with this particular organization over the past eleven years and other personalities we have secured for them in the past include David Hasselhoff, William Shatner, Dara Torres and Sugar Ray Leonard. We foster our ongoing relationship by continuing to provide top-notch celebrities who are pleasant to work with and turnkey service including logistics, the production of event collateral and professional on-site event management. We look forward to working with them again in 2012!
It’s not uncommon for Pro Sports MVP to book speakers for conferences, meetings and company events. Dickie Vitale, Bruce Jenner or Desmond Howard, we always know our celebrity speakers will add a lot of excitement to events and whether our client is looking for fun and entertainment or information and motivation, we enjoy the challenge of finding just the right man or woman for the job.
Last month, Pro Sports MVP secured one of the NFL’s greatest coaches in history, Dan Reeves, to speak at the Armed Forces Recreation Network Conference (AFRN) in Atlanta. Coach Reeves is a huge supporter of the US Military; in fact, he let me know during our down time that the most rewarding thing he had ever done was participate in a goodwill military tour throughout Vietnam during his playing days with the Cowboys in the early 1970’s- and this is a guy that has been to a record-setting nine Super Bowls as a player and a coach. That says a lot about Coach Dan Reeves- a consummate professional, an engaging speaker, and truly a salt of the earth good guy that you just want to be around. As you may have guessed, he did an exceptional job for the AFRN (as always!)
Although we book speakers on a daily basis, the deal rarely comes with the opportunity to gain any recognition for Pro Sports MVP and what we do. We are usually set in the background, quietly working with our client to ensure that the appearance goes off without a hitch and that the speaker is well prepared. However, I recently had the chance to step off the sidelines and become that speaker myself, introducing Pro Sports MVP to a great group of military servicemen and women, contractors, vendors and Department of Defense personnel.
After the “vendor spotlight” as they called it, we had a line of people at our booth waiting to speak to us about our services. Men and women from military installations around the country and overseas inquired as to how we can help them provide entertainment for their soldiers, sailors and airmen. It was a very successful event and we thank the AFRN for their support!
Sports organizers, event organizers and nonprofit groups are often looking for ways to launch a promotion or stage a hospitality event using well-known personalities from the worlds of sports, Hollywood, television or music. But what’s the best strategy for such an effort, especially if your organization is on a tight budget?
If a group of any type chooses to design an event or promotion including one or more celebrities, its first priority should be to determine its goals and expected outcomes. And if the group chooses an agency to help put together the program, it should expect the outside consultant to develop and customize a promotion or event within the group’s budget parameters that meets and hopefully exceeds its expectations. The selected agency should then assemble a profiled list of appropriate celebrities- keeping in mind the client’s demographics, budgetary requirements and overall needs.
Hiring celebrities for your events can have numerous potential benefits:
Celebrities bring excitement to an event or promotion
Any time members of the public have an opportunity to interact with a celebrity, they get excited about the experience, which then creates the “sizzle” that groups are looking for when they make the investment in a celebrity in the first place.
Celebrities add credibility to an event or promotion
If a celebrity commits to a particular event or promotion, there is an inherent sincerity and trustworthiness for the event organizer. And added bonus comes if you can bring in a celebrity who is well known through other national entities for being a spokesperson or the face of an organization. In that instance, your organization benefits from other branding already associated with that celebrity.
Celebrities help increase or maximize attendance at a particular event
Hiring a celebrity can help drive traffic to an event. To help bring this benefit home, you may choose to implement a pre-event client mailing to let current and prospective clients and attendees know that they can come and meet the celebrity you have chosen. This will reinforce to your clients your commitment to do something unique and special.
Celebrities can help motivate those who attend or volunteer at an event
When a celebrity is used as a keynote speaker at an event, it will often motivate employees to work smarter and more efficiently in reaching the company’s goals.
That encompasses just some of the benefits that organizations can derive from utilizing the draw of sports and entertainment figures. In my next article, I will address how to maximize the return on investment when featuring a celebrity at your event.
Regardless of your particular sales management style, Sales Meetings held off-site once a year can be very productive and powerful for both the leadership and the organization. That said, “Motivation” can be the deal breaker for whether the meeting is measured successful or not!
For motivational success, hiring a notable talented Keynote Speaker (someone outside your organization) is the difference most organizations are looking for. A keynote speaker brings a fresh bold new message that is in unison with management. In addition, a speaker changes the dynamics of the meetings usually captivating and grabbing the attention of attendees. In some cases, it is critical for keynote speakers to address in a non-sales manner, giving way for greater appreciation for sales teams and the challenges that they handle.
Hiring a notable athlete is a great way to introduce a speaker to attendees that helps capture and foster attention to the message. Athletes are a phenomenal resource to add that dynamic you must have in a sales meetings. Athlete’s are perfect in delivering winning messages and addressing the importance of the team. After all, who else knows how to play the game….and win!!
Sales Meetings need to be focused addressing core organizational “Sales” topics and especially goals. They must be Professional, Powerful, and Persuasive. Keynote Speakers add a tremendous opportunity to increase the dialog and participation of attendees.
As anybody who works in the sports-event industry knows, there are many time the old adage, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” comes into play. But how much better is it to take the same situation and apply the old familiar saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” instead?
Whether in marketing, event management or the world of celebrity representation, being prepared and on top of things also means being flexible, adaptable and creative when new and better opportunities present themselves. And this includes the times when you’re combing all three- such as the marketing of your sports event by incorporating a celebrity appearance. Here are some key points for event organizers looking to incorporate a celebrity into their event, tour or program:
Try to match the celebrity’s interest to help fit your agenda
In a unique opportunity several months ago, actor Joe “Joey Pants” Pantoliano (The Sopranos, The Fugitive, Midnight Run) was interested in participating in one of our goodwill military programs that we have trademarked Ambassadors of Hollywood Tours. Under the proposal Pantoliano would be joined by other actors to visit the troops in Afghanistan, participating in autograph/photographs sessions, hospital visits and bas tours.
Pantoliano has also communicated to our office his desire to deliver his message about combating and dealing with mental illness and depression from which he has suffered over the last several years. He felt there was a strong need to share his personal travails with military personnel, revealing and disclosing his story in the hope of hiving them come forward when they require help.
While we were excited to work with him, the entertainment themed tour did not seem the appropriate platform for him to share his important message. Unfortunately, Pantoliano was unable to participate in the Ambassadors of Hollywood Tour due to his production schedule. Ironically, though, what we thought at the time was the end of what could have been a fruitful, humanitarian and long-term relationship took a completely different turn.
In our workplace, we continue to be intrigued with the message the Pantoliano was emphatic about sharing. Our challenge then was how could we make it work?
Keep special ideas on the back burner and always consider: “Who wants it? Who needs it”?
After much internal discussion and research, our agency determined that the military servicemen and women overseas did have a strong need for Pantoliano’s insight, recommendations and information. The occurrences of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other mental diseases are well-documented in the military community and we felt strongly that Pantoliano could play a role in helping our deployed and returning soldiers. Having coordinated more than 150 tours to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, we decided to present this concept to the military and possibly tie it into National Suicide Prevention week in early September.
Our concept was that we would build the “product”, hoping in turn someone would want it. After receiving preliminary interest from our military contacts, we presented them with the concept that we would secure the participation of Pantoliano as well as a model/actress who also was passionate about the cause, and a medical expert in the field of mental illness. We conceived that this trio would host seminars to present Pantoliano’s message to the military as well as screening of his new film, “No Kidding, Me Too!” We also knew we needed to assemble press and marketing tools that would go along with the tour- items such as an educational brochure, an autograph card, question cards, media kits and the like.
Build your product with a diverse group of participants and secure commitment from the client
After present the Stomp the Stigma Tour concept to the military, the captivated by it and quickly gave their blessing to support the endeavor. This type of “visit” to our troops had never been done before and everyone agreed that there was a need for the program. Pantoliano remained passionate about helping us organize and coordinate the tour, as well as personally participating in it. He recruited model/actress Lisa Jay to join the excursion; we added the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Robert Irvine, to guarantee we would have a diverse group of individuals to whom all facets of the military could relate in one way or the other.
The “Stomp the Stigma Tour” visited Iraq and Kuwait from August 31 to September 9, 2009 and was a huge success. Other “expeditions” are sure to follow.
The lesson learned here is that if you have a valuable “product” but also a situation where the “nut doesn’t quite fit in the bolt”, be open to new ideas and concepts that can utilize and sell that particular idea. In this case, we were fortunate and successful with Joe Pantoliano’s initial interest in making a difference and kept the idea alive. While he did not participate in our original tour, with flexibility, creativity and perseverance we were able to develop a program specifically for him and a product that we felt would work well of the military. This same type of flexibility can helps sports-event organizers hoping to use a celebrity to help market their own events.
There is no greater way to attract the public to your brand new store than to offer something, (or someone in this case!), that they need, want or just have to have. Whether for a single entity or one of hundreds of locations, presenting a celebrity appearance is a great way to introduce a store, restaurant, fitness center or any other retail venue to a new market. Athletes and celebrities have considerable appeal to consumers of all ages and featuring appearances at your grand opening event is an effective and economic way to bring in customers and create a unique and positive experience that will promote repeat business.
Oh, so that’s where it is!
Providing potential customers with a compelling reason to attend your grand opening event is crucial. They familiarize themselves with your location and the store itself. Once they know where you are and how to get to you, in all likelihood they will be back- especially if they have a great experience…
I might as well pick up some dog food!
There are some customers that will make the trip because Little Johnnie or Susie really wanted their baseball glove autographed. But Mom and Dad are pretty adept at multi-tasking. Chances are, once you have customers in the store, they are going to buy something. Whether it’s a meal, a gym membership, or a new TV, the higher your grand opening attendance, the higher your sales will be.
Wow, I love this place!
Cliches exist because they are true… you only have one chance to make a first impression! It is crucial to make your grand opening truly “grand”. Featuring appearances by professional athletes and celebrities creates a very personal and memorable event for attendees. Those attendees will recognize that your venue was where they enjoyed that experience. The positive association they have with your organization immediately bolsters brand loyalty and repeat business.
Of course, with any marketing effort, celebrity appearances take some planning. Please continue to read on in the coming weeks for my blog series about choosing the right personality, organizing on-site logistics and maximizing your return on investment.
Nicole Burdett