Behind the Business of Sports

It’s impossible to overstate the value of having a centralized data warehouse and a data system that flows into one place.
When they’re adopted, they provide an immediate financial impact and enable you to remain nimble when change is the only constant.
So, what’s it like to implement a data system? And what do you need to know about maintenance, building a team around it, and driving adoption?
Our all-star panel features:
Ryan Bishara, Executive Vice President of Revenue & Strategy at Los Angeles Football Club 
Peter Wiggum, Director of Business Strategy & Analytics at Seattle Sounders FC 
Kris Knief, Vice President of Strategy & Innovation at Foley Entertainment Group
(And a surprise appearance from Dan Smith, Vice President of Customer Strategy & Success at KORE Software)


Join us as we discuss:
Establishing and implementing data systems and the processes around them
How to drive adoption
How to scale a BI team and where to focus their time
Skill sets you need to break into the industry



Mentioned during the podcast:
Questions? Email Adam and Jordan at [email protected] 



Tap into more sports and entertainment insights by subscribing to Behind the Business of Sports on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Behind the Business of Sports in your favorite podcast player.

As the clock winds down on 2021, it's time to look back at the challenges, the innovations, and the surprises we saw in the industry over the past year, and forecast what we can expect in 2022. 
Today’s all-star panel features three fan engagement experts from KORE Software: 
- Noelle Fanella, Product Manager 
- Sohil Gala, Director of Data Science & Consumer Analytics 
- Dan Smith, VP of Customer Success & Strategy 
Join us as we discuss: 
- The importance of having a single source of truth 
- Interesting partnerships both from an activation and a company alignment standpoint 
- Upcoming challenges for 2022 
- The skill sets needed to succeed in the industry 
Mentioned during the podcast: 
- Top 4 Sponsorship Activations in 2021 
- Questions? Email Adam and Jordan at [email protected] 
Tap into more sports and entertainment insights by subscribing to Behind the Business of Sports on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Behind the Business of Sports in your favorite podcast player.

The last yar and a half saw a heartbreaking lack of live sporting events. 
So savvy venues and marketers utilized an array of virtual options to keep fans totally up to date on their favorite teams. 
Now that in-person experiences are possible again, our guests are blending live experiences, virtual events, and creative online content into a seamless campaign. 
In this episode, we’ll examine the evolution of event venue marketing, and increasing fan engagement in a post-pandemic world with three of the industry’s most vibrant leaders. 
Today’s exciting panel features: 
- Jessica Vella, Director of Sales, Tours, and Events at Legends SoFi Stadium  
- Keira Emerson, VP, Chief Strategy Officer at St. Louis Blues  
- Mark Simmons, Senior Director, Business Intelligence at Nashville Soccer Club  
Join us as we dive into: 
- Upgrading stadium tours into a unique fan experience 
- Optimizing organic content through influencers 
- Increasing customer loyalty with premiere hospitality 
- How virtual events drive traffic to your online store 
- Truly useful advice for aspiring industry professionals 
Tap into more sports and entertainment insights by subscribing to Behind the Business of Sports on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Behind the Business of Sports in your favorite podcast player.

BI and analytics are having a moment.

Back in 2017, only 20% of organizations said they had a BI department. But as technology has developed and skill sets have broadened, BI and analytics are now becoming essential to the success of any sports or entertainment organization.

In this episode, we’re going to give you a view into how BI/Analytics departments are run in three different organizations at different stages of their BI evolution.

Our pro panel includes:

- Kari Innes VP of Business Intelligence at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment

- Kyle Buckhardt, Sr. Dir. of Business Intelligence at New York City Football Club (NYCFC)

- Jacob Rosen, Dir. of Business Strategy and Analytics at Memphis Grizzlies

We discuss:


- The evolution and makeup of the BI department


- Showing the value of data and strategy


- Transitioning from the customer journey to the fan journey


- Where the industry is heading next

Tap into more sports and entertainment insights by subscribing to Behind the Business of Sports on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Behind the Business of Sports in your favorite podcast player.

Here’s the million dollar question for match day: How do you get the fan to download the app?

Recently on Behind the Business of Sports, we talked with three experts about establishing your brand for your stadium, your app, and your match day experience: Harrison Kim, Senior Director of Business Strategy at Austin FC; Jonathan Martinez, Vice President, Revenue Planning & Analytics at Las Vegas Raiders; and Kendall Tyson, Vice President, Strategy & Business Intelligence at Seattle Kraken.

What we talked about:


- The strategic use of surveys & fan willingness to respond


- All things mobile app strategy


- Building brand with creative technology


- Sponsorships that build community

For the entire interview, tune in to Behind the Business of Sports on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Behind the Business of Sports in your favorite podcast player.

Sports and entertainment organizations are beginning to welcome fans back into venues.
What variables and uncertainties do they need to consider to operate safely post-pandemic?

In this episode, we interview Corey Ruff, VP of Business Analytics at the Chicago Bears, David Elgin, VP of Analytics at the Atlanta Hawks, and Drew Lindly, Senior Manager of Corporate Partnerships at the City & County of Denver, about the logistics behind opening stadiums up again.

We also discuss:

- How their marketing teams are communicating with fans.

- Processes they improved on while they were shut down.

- Innovative solutions they developed during the pandemic.

- How vaccines factor into planning.

For the entire interview, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.

When you work in the sports business, you hear a lot of amazing stories…

And it would be a crime not to share them.

That’s why here at KORE Software, we’re launching Behind the Business of Sports — a podcast dedicated to bringing together guests from various areas of the entertainment industry, as well as brand leaders, to discuss, collaborate. and advise each other on best practices.

In this episode, Adam Grow, Chief Operating Officer, and Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager, introduce the show and detail what you can expect from the Behind the Business of Sports podcast.

Don’t worry, we never have an off-season: You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to the Behind the Business of Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Behind the Business of Sports in your favorite podcast player.