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Pressbox Newsletters Previous Editions Holiday Issue 2009
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First, Happy Holidays! In this issue we will interview with The Palace’s own Vice President of Sports & Events - Stu Mayer, Look at the Top 10 Local Sports Stories in metro Detroit, Volunteer Feature on Samaritan’s Feet event with the Pistons, our Fitness Feature on safe lifting and more!. Stu Mayer Vice President of Sports & Events for The Palace of Auburn Hills Interview
An inside look at the scope and evolution of the sports event industry with Stu Mayer, Senior VP - Sports and Events, The Palace of Auburn Hills. Interview by Kurt Kosmowski of Detroit Sports. READ FULL ARTICLE BELOW. Detroit Sports' TOP 10 2009 LOCAL SPORTS STORIES BIG DAY PREP SHOWDOWN TEAMS REPRESENT IN MHSAA PLAYOFFS Led by state Division 2 finalist Inkster High School, seven different teams from the 2009 Big Day Prep Showdown qualified for the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state playoffs. READ FULL ARTICLE BELOW. An inside look at the scope and evolution of the sports event industry with Stu Mayer, Senior VP - Sports and Events, The Palace of Auburn Hills. Interview by Kurt Kosmowski of Detroit Sports.
1.)Describe your start in the sports event business? Like so many others in the field, I played high school and college sports and thought it would be a great career to be involved in an industry I loved
 so much. I received a Masters in Sports Management from Ohio State back in 1978, interned with the Washington Capitals and the Capital Center and was fortunate to immediately latch on with the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden when my internship was ending. I got married in 1980, started a family and by 1983 I had moved upstate New York where I grew up to work at the Glens Falls Civic Center home of the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League. The Glens Falls Civic Center was the predominant arena in the capital district and the Adirondack Red Wings were the Detroit Red Wings' minor league affiliate. I had the opportunity there to run the business side of the hockey team, manage the building and book events. In the summer of 1988, I moved to Detroit to book the events at Joe Louis Arena, Cobo Arena and the Fox Theatre as Vice President of Sports and Entertainment for Olympia Entertainment. I worked with Olympia for the next 11 years. Since July, 1999, I have been Senior Vice President of Sports and Events at The Palace of Auburn Hills. 2.)What makes the Palace venue and organization an industry leader? It's a fabulous facility that continues to maintain it's state of the art status and international reputation as one of the most sought after venues in the world year after year. Palace Sports and Entertainment has a very hard working, dedicated and innovative staff that is constantly creating new ideas and marketing concepts to implement in our daily interaction with sports governing bodies, promoters, shows and the general public. The Palace is now over 20 years old but we have continued to maintain it's image as one of the world's best facilities for sports, concerts and other entertainment events.
3.)What are some of sporting events the Palace has been most proud to host? The 2007 NCAA National Wrestling Championships, many college basketball events including NCAA Basketball Regionals and First and Second Round tournament games, the Mike Tyson-Andrew Golata heavyweight fight on Oct. 20, 2000.
4.)What was your most rewarding sports event experience? There have been many great sports experiences in my career but I'd have to say developing the bid with the Detroit Skating Club and being awarded the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships made famous by the Nancy Kerrigan/Tanya Harding drama. Those championships were certainly rewarding and something I'll always remember. Since I've been at The Palace? Probably putting the Tyson-Golata fight together in front of a packed house on Oct. 20, 2000. It was a monumental task for our staff working with so many interested parties for an international broadcast. The building was electric that night.
5.)Tell us why Detroit makes sense as a location for sports events. Detroit has a national reputation as a great sports town - one of the country's very best along with New York, Boston and Philly. Detroit Metro Airport is a also a hub for Northwest/Delta so there are direct flights from everywhere in the country. From an NCAA event basis, having a great support network of Detroit Sports, the local hotel base and host institutions such as Oakland University, U of M and MSU make the whole process of conducting a large televised national sports event run smoothly.
6.)What has changed the most over the years in the sports event business? When I started out in the business in the late 70s, you really only had a publicity department, season and group tickets and marketing. To generate additional revenue and adapt to a changing world, it has evolved to the point where now all professional and amateur/college sports teams have sponsorship departments, broadcasting/multimedia, suite and club sales and services, special club memberships and hospitality departments. Plus the way we communicate has changed from traditional newspaper, television and radio ads enhanced via websites, e-mail, facebook and other social mechanisms to help get your message out. Also, the interest level in some sports has changed through the years. For instance, fifteen years ago, there was tremendous interest in figure skating nationally. You put most anything involving figure skating on sale and it did great business. Unfortunately, we can't say that today. Hopefully, the Olympics in Vancouver this winter will rekindle the fan support nationwide. Also, outside of the NFL, it's tougher to make ends meet with sports teams today. Far more distractions and options for entertainment dollar than 20 years ago. You also see far fewer people or businesses investing in minor league sports clubs. The trend 15 years ago was to buy a minor league hockey team, lacrosse team, indoor soccer, indoor football team, etc.. Most of those teams and associated leagues have long since folded. It's tough to stay out of the red and sustain the fan and sponsor interest after the first couple years when the honeymoon is over and your team isn't winning championships.
7.)How do you work with Detroit Sports to bid on and host events? Over the years, I have developed a good working relationship with Dave Beachnau and his staff at Detroit Sports. Collectively, we look to
 determine what sporting events could make sense to bid on for our market and, in our particular case, The Palace of Auburn Hills. We work with local hotels for housing and rates requirements, host institutions if it's an NCAA event, gather spec information, marketing plans, projected ticket prices and, among other things, develop or assign responsibilities of the parties. The venue routinely handles a good deal of the event marketing and most building issues, ticketing and staffing and Detroit Sports handles many of the details related to the hotels and outside of the venue issues. 8.)What key trends do you see in the future for the sports event industry?
Attending sports events are discretionary income. More than ever now with the economy as it is, we have to continue to go the extra mile to provide an experience for our guests that make attending a sports or other entertainment event worthwhile for invested time and money. With television's high definition technology, it's more challenging than ever to entice someone to attend a "live" sports event. Win or lose, it is extremely important that the fan feel like they had a great experience, had fun and would come back again - soon. There is also a trend for smaller, secondary markets now getting in the mix and bidding on national or regional sports events - not just the larger cities that have active, aggressive venues and sports commissions or convention bureaus. Also cities are seeking sports events that have a primary reputation as a great tourist city - such as Orlando, Las Vegas and Tampa, Florida (who will host the Frozen Four in 2012).
[Top of Page] Detroit Sports' TOP 10 2009 LOCAL SPORTS STORIES Let the debate begin…announcing Detroit Sports’ top 2009 local sports stories;
Detroit’s Ford Field will be home to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (formerly the Motor City Bowl) on Saturday, Dec. 26, at 1 p.m. with Mid-American Conference championship runner-up the Ohio University Bobcats taking on the Marshall Thundering Herd of Conference USA. The game will be shown live on ESPN.
 The 2009 clash marks the fifth time that Marshall has played in the bowl beginning in 1997 with consecutive appearances through 2000, with victories against Louisville (48-29), BYU (21-3) and Cincinnati (25-14).
Ohio boasts 12 All MAC-team players and also an alumni base of more than 120,000 within a five-hour drive. The Bobcats play an opportunistic style of football leading the nation in turnovers forced coupled with a top-15 ranking in blocked punts.
With a new sponsor in Detroit-based Little Caesars®, the former Motor City Bowl is expected to receive a fresh infusion of marketing support and community outreach that will raise the national profile of this prestigious Detroit-based event.
Tickets are available on-line and by phone from Ticketmaster and also at the Ford Field box office.
On October 20, 2009, hundreds of volunteers assisted with this process at the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit. At this event, volunteers and the Detroit Pistons, washed the feet of 1,500 children and provided them with a new pair of shoes and socks! It was an experience like no other! "I am so grateful for the servant heart and spirit of all our volunteers that made it possible for Samaritan's Feet to Impact over 1,500 Detroit residents in need with NEW athletic shoes and a message of hope at the Boll YMCA in October", said Manny. Samaritan’s Feet is excited about coming back to Detroit on December 12, 2009 to distribute 1,000 more pair of shoes to those in need. The event will take place at Greater Emmanuel Church of God in Christ in Detroit. To learn more about Samaritan’s Feet, visit www.samaritansfeet.org. [Top of Page] FULL - FROZEN FOUR® UPDATE In April of 2010, Ford Field in Detroit will again debut a dynamic new stadium configuration for an NCAA® championship event when the men’s ice . Detroit Sports’ and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) will serve as co-host institutions for the NCAA® Men’s Frozen Four®. Detroit Sports’ own Sean Krabach is the Director of the Detroit Local Organizing Committee. The Men's Frozen Four® has been hosted five times in Detroit as the NCAA® Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship (before its current name of “NCAA Men’s Frozen Four” became a commonly-known term). Detroit’s Olympia Stadium hosted the 1977 and 1979 championships, while Joe Louis Arena in Detroit hosted the 1985, 1987 and 1990 championships.
[Top of Page] Coach Deromedi’s words have an important impact in the weight room as well—a huge number of injuries happen when the lifter is fatigued, both mentally and physically. Concentration begins to waiver, the body nears exhaustion and the potential for injury increases exponentially. Recent injuries in the weight room to college football players (who had qualified spotters present) only underscore the importance of safe lifting habits.
Everyone is familiar with the need for spotters when performing certain exercises, but less is understood about the role that rep selection plays in safe lifting. Simply put, as the reps go down, the potential for injury goes up. The question is, how important is it for the lifter to attempt a 1-repetition maximum lift? Two rep max? Does it serve any purpose (outside of competitive weightlifting or powerlifting competitions) for lifters to attempt these lifts? I’d argue that the risks outweigh the benefits. It’s possible to train for form and function without ever dipping into riskier weight ranges.
 Perhaps most critical to consider—what purpose is being served by each movement being performed? Make sure your training program improves the performance and the body in general. Leave the ego at home—it has no place in the gym.
Big Day Prep Showdown Teams Represent in MHSAA Playoffs Led by state Division 2 finalist Inkster High School, several teams from the 2009 Big Day Prep Showdown qualified for the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state playoffs. Inkster made an improbable run to the playoff finals including a stunning road victory that ended Steubenville (OH) High School’s 68-game home winning streak. In the championship game at Ford Field, a banged-up star Inkster quarterback Devin Gardner was unable to lead Coach Greg Also in Division 2, Detroit Martin Luther King who opened the season in the Big Day Prep Showdown against Division II Muskegon, qualified for the MHSAA playoffs, but came up short against a strong Redford Thurston team, losing 29-18 in the Pre-Districts. Muskegon advanced to the District where they dropped a 26-19 decision to Lowell. Division 1 Ann Arbor Pioneer, who opened the season with a heart stopping 35-32 win over Inkster in the Big Day Prep Showdown, advanced to the Division 1 Regional’s where they dropped a 60-24 loss to Canton. Following a tough season-opening loss to Hudsonville in the Big Day Prep Showdown, Lake Orion made a strong regular season run but was stymied by a late-season loss to local rival Clarkston, followed by a season ending 17-7 loss to Clarkston in the Division 1 Pre-Districts. Other Big Day Prep Showdown teams in the MHSAA playoffs included Adrian, who advanced to the Division III Regional’s on the strength of a 30-20 District victory over fellow Big Day Prep Showdown team Chelsea. Adrian then fell to Dewitt 31-14 to end their playoff run. |
hockey Frozen Four® is played. It is expected that the Men’s Frozen Four®, to be held April 8-10, will set a record for championship event attendance and will draw tens of thousands of visitors to Detroit to create an economic impact of more than $10 million. Tickets are available by visiting the Ford Field box office, calling Ticketmaster at 800/745-3000 or by visiting 
Carter’s Vikings past Lowell, who won the final game and state championship 27-6.
