katie wisdom capstone project final

CAPSTONE PROJECT Katie Wisdom

February 3, 2016

The University of Alabama

Sport Business Management

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Table of Contents

Section One: Career Documentation

Personal Information……………………………………………………………………………...........................3

Education……..………………………………………………………………………………………..........................3

Summary of Qualifications……….……………………………………………….......................................3

Related Experiences………………………………………………………………..........................................4

Honors and Awards……………………………………………………...…………........................................4

References………………………...…………………………………………………...........................................5

Cover Letter………………………………………………………………………....……………………………………….6

Thank you Letter…………………..………………………………………………………………………………………..7

Career Goals.......................................…………………………………………………………………………….8

Section Two: Professional Experience

Professional Experiences………………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Tide Pride Ticket Office Associate…………………………………………..…………………………………….10

Post Season Game Day Staff…………………………………………………………………………………………12

Alabama Baseball Operations Intern..…………………………………………………………………………..14

Section Three: Scholarship

Part A – Grant Proposal………………………….…………………………………………………………………….16

Part B – Projects……………….………………………………………………………………………………………….19

Olympic Training Facility Visitor Center……..…………………………………………………………………19

Facilities – The HEART Center…….…………………………………………………………………………………22

Marketing – TUSKaloosa Sport Marketing.……………………………………………………………………33

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Personal Information Katie Elizabeth Wisdom

(256) 412-‐9436

[email protected]

Education The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL

M.S. in Human Environmental Sciences – Sport Business Management, May 2016 GPA: 4.0/4.0

B.S in Human Environmental Sciences – Food and Nutrition, May 2015 GPA: 3.4/4.0

Summary of Qualifications Young professional offering experience in ticket sales, event management, and customer service. Highly motivated and enthusiastic about entering the sport industry in sales and operations. Offering a positive attitude, efficient work ethic and a strong desire to contribute to a team through problem solving and organization.

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Related Experiences Tide Pride Ticket Office, Office Associate (August 2012 – Present)

• Provided customer service through phone calls, emails, and in person at University athletic events

• Organized and distributed Tide Pride season tickets to all members, faulty/staff, letterman, and students

• Managed daily sales, will call inventory, and player pass tickets

Alabama Ticket Office, Post Season Game Day Assistant (December 2012 – Present)

• Assisted with game day operations at away game site • Distributed tickets to students and player families • Addressed game day issues and provided solutions to fans

Alabama Baseball Team, Baseball Operations Intern (January 2016 – Present)

• Assist with game day operations as visiting team liaison and media relations contact • Assist with recruit, VIP, and Alumni visits to stadium • Verify and collect information for player, staff, and VIP tickets • Prepare game charts and sheets as needed.

Honors and Awards Dean’s List Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015

Phi Upsilon Omicron Honor Society

Sigma Lambda Alpha National Honor Society

Day One Leadership Peer of the Year

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References Mr. Pete Heim

Director of Ticketing The University of Alabama Athletics

(205) 348-‐3513 [email protected]

Mr. Justin Gunter

Assistant Director of Ticketing The University of Alabama Athletics


Mrs. Beverly Chandler

Assistant Director of Ticketing The University of Alabama Athletics


Dr. Ken Wright

Professor and Director CHES Sport Business Management

The University of Alabama (205) 348-‐4705

[email protected]

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Cover Letter Katie E. Wisdom [email protected] 120 15th Street E Apt. 7207 Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 October 27, 2015 United States Olympic Committee One Olympic Plaza Colorado Springs, CO 80909 Dear International Games Manager, My name is Katie Wisdom and I am submitting my application for the International Games Intern for May to August 2016. While attending the University of Alabama to obtain my master’s degree in Sport Business Management I was able to visit the USOC in Colorado Springs during May 2015. While at the complex, I developed a love for the Olympic Movement and a desire to learn from the best in the sport industry. I am the ideal candidate for this internship because I am a motivated, organized, and passionate team player dedicated to the Olympic Movement. In the Sport Business Management program at UA I have developed skills to be an organized multi-‐tasker, a strong team player when multiple projects are going on at once, and how to collaborate effectively with different groups. I approach every problem with a passion to find a solution as quickly and efficiently as possible. Also, after four years at the Athletic Ticket Office, I have learned to be a strong communicator in customer service. Working with 80,000 annual season ticket holders has taught me patience and how to be detail oriented in every project I partake. These skills will allow me to be a beneficial component to the International Games team. As stated above, I am confident I possess the qualities of the best candidate for the International Games Internship. Please refer to my attached resume for more information on my recent experiences that have provided me with invaluable skills within the sport industry. I appreciate your time and consideration and look forward to working with you at the USOC in preparation to the upcoming Games. Sincerely, Katie Wisdom

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Thank You Letter Katie E. Wisdom 120 15th Street E, Apt 7207 Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 256-‐412-‐9436 November 10, 2015 Mr. Bob Askin Atlanta Braves – Turner Field 755 Hank Aaron Drive Atlanta, GA 30315 Dear Mr. Askin, Thank you for the opportunity to interview yesterday for the Ticket Operations Trainee Position. I enjoyed speaking with you and learning more about the program. I admire the passion you have for teaching and developing young professionals into future employees. I appreciate the time you took to discuss my background in ticketing and a potential future with the Braves. With a significant passion for sports and attention to detail, I believe I would mold in well with your team in Atlanta. I look forward to working and learning more about ticket operations and developing my professional experience with you and your staff in the future. Sincerely, Katie E. Wisdom

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Career Goals Six-‐Month Career Goal:

My goal within six months of graduation is to obtain a full-‐time position within a collegiate athletic department. Specifically, I would like to work with operations of a specific sport. I hope to build a foundation of skills to be successful in event management, operations, and athletic compliance. I will continue to learn to be an effective leader by following advice from my mentors and peers and be a positive component of my work environment. Five-‐Year Career Goal:

Over the next five years, I hope to travel outside of the SEC conference and experience other collegiate atmospheres around the country. I want to become a member of the sport industry that is irreplaceable based on my skill set, professional demeanor, and ability to relate to other professionals. I hope to work with a Division I baseball program in operations and continue to contribute with the team behind the varsity team. Using my skills and continuing grow as an individual I also want to give back to the UA Sport Business Management program by offering advice to future students on my journey through sports.

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Professional Experiences

The University of Alabama Tide Pride Ticket Office Office Associate Rolltide.com

The University of Alabama Post Season Game Day Assistant Rolltide.com

The University of Alabama Baseball Baseball Operations Intern Rolltide.com

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Tide Pride Ticket Office, Office Associate I am currently employed as a part-‐time staff member at the Tide Pride Ticket Office on

campus at The University of Alabama. Over the last four years I have contributed to the Ticket

Office by working in the office daily and working at all athletic sporting events, that are

ticketed, on campus. I have sold tickets, organized and distributed will call, worked with

compliance at player pass and with recruits, exchanged tickets for ADA seating, and traveled to

away game sites to facilitate game day ticket pick-‐up.

On a daily basis within the ticket office, I answer the phones to offer excellent customer

service to all season ticket holders, members of the public, students, faculty/staff, and

letterman. I work with Paciolan ticket software to manage accounts for our patrons and sell

tickets. I do projects to help facilitate the organization and preparation of upcoming seasons by

organizing patron information, gathering previous seat locations, and producing spreadsheets

to distribute to supervisors.

During football season I work with the Ticket Office at Bryant-‐Denny Stadium to ensure

a smooth and pleasant atmosphere for our patrons to get into the game. Over the last three

years it has been my primary responsibility to manage ADA exchange on game day. Also, I

assist with recruit entry and player pass distribution to ensure compliance with NCAA

regulations. At these gates we must follow guidelines so that our players remain eligible

throughout the season and their family and friends can participate on game day.

While football is the busiest season for the Ticket Office, we also provide quality

customer service for Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Baseball, and Softball throughout the

year. Basketball and Gymnastics are two premier winter sports with a tremendous fan base.

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Preparation and game day for these two sports requires great attention to detail and

organization. I called patrons to complete season ticket renewals and verified post season

tickets in the event that our teams would participate. Baseball has been my primary sport for

the last two years. I called every season ticket holder for the sport during the transition to the

Hoover Met and back to campus over the last two years. I made it my goal throughout the

season to retain as many season ticket holders as possible.

Throughout my time at the Ticket Office I have developed skills in communication,

customer service, time management, organization, and computer technology. I have gained

knowledge in organization, processing, and facilitating a successful athletic event. Throughout

my game day experience I have learned to efficiently communicate and problem solve in

difficult situations. I hope to apply these skills to all future endeavors throughout the sport

industry.

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Post Season Game Day Assistant During my time at the Ticket

Office, I have been given the opportunity

to travel to all away games and post-‐

season contests. Working at away game

sites has allowed me to learn the intricate

details of taking the office on the road

and maintaining an organized

environment. Learning these tactics has

given me a foundational skills set to further my experience in ticketing and operations.

In 2012, I worked the BCS National Championship in Miami at student ticket pick up on

the day of the game. We distributed ticket first come, first serve to students who had

purchased tickets over the last month. This process taught me skills to remain calm in a

stressful situation and maintain an organized work area so that no materials were lost during

the process. The following two years I worked in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl for UA as a

bowl game and then as a playoff game. At each I was responsible for student pick up, public

will call, and player pass distribution. All of these tasks required great attention to detail,

organization, and time management. In addition to these events I have worked SEC

Championships, the Cotton Bowl, and prepared for the National Championship in Arizona,

which were all high stress situations. I was able to develop a system for myself and fellow

works to maintain efficient progress to get ticket distributed as quickly as possible. Dealing

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with short time frames, the holiday season, and multiple games at once, I learned time

management and task delegation to complete our projects quickly.

In 2013, I had the opportunity to work with the Ticket Office in Birmingham, Alabama at

the NCAA Gymnastics National Championship meet. During this three-‐day event I was

responsible for distributing tickets for all teams that participated in the contest. Each day was a

different list of teams and a different group of people to communicate with. I learned attention

to detail and how to communicate with people of all walks of life.

Learning new skills to deal with people outside of the Alabama

family allowed me to see that every fan loves their own team and

to respect the culture that they are use to working with. No two

departments operate the same so being flexible was key.

Finally I have had the option to work with Softball over the

past four years as they have hosted NCAA Regionals and Super

Regionals at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. At these

tournaments I was responsible for game day ticket sales, player

pass entrances, and reprinting game tickets for patrons. Working

with such a dedicated fan base taught me loyalty to a cause and

flexibility to go wherever the need may be. Overall, I have gained knowledge in management

skills for leading a team, organization and time management, and marketing and selling

multiple events at one time. Having these skills will be valuable in leading a team in the future

to any championship season.

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Alabama Baseball Operations Intern

During the spring of 2016, I am learning a new side to athletics through the operations

department with the Alabama Baseball team. Transitioning from the Ticket Office into a

department that focuses on only one sport will teach me to focus on more minuet details. As

an intern, one of my major responsibilities is providing game day operation support throughout

Sewell-‐Thomas Stadium. I will function as a visiting team liaison for each home series in

coordinating their arrival and departure from the stadium, communication between their team

and our officials, and navigating Tuscaloosa while the team is in town. Acting as the liaison will

teach me skills in communication and event management because they will rely on me to be

their line of communication for the duration of their stay on campus.

Another duty that I am assigned during this internship is to ensure cooperation with the

Ticket Office for all complimentary tickets to each game. With my experience in the Ticket

Office, I know the proper procedure for obtaining the player pass list, designating manager

guest tickets, and ensuring recruits receive the proper tickets for their visit. Ticketing for

players, staff, and recruits must remain compliant with NCAA regulations, so I will be

responsible for see that our players do not hinder their eligibility. For this task I will gain

knowledge in NCAA regulations and compliance for division I baseball.

Throughout the season we will host many alumni and significant donors that come visit

the new Sewell-‐Thomas stadium. With the renovations, the operations department will be a

critical part in portraying the importance of funding the stadium and continuing our program’s

success. I am gaining skills to build relationships with donors and ensure they are happy with

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their investment in our baseball program and answer any questions they may have regarding

the upgrade. I have lead tours through the stadium to show off the improvements made to the

facility. These new features will enhance recruiting and future teams that play at Alabama.

Finally, throughout the season I will serve as an assistant to the Director of Operations in

Baseball, the coaching staff, and managers on game day. I will prepare charts and game sheets

as needed and gather information for staff to facilitate a smooth transition into game day.

With the new stadium it is important everyone knows where things are located and the right

people get to where they need to be in a timely manner. Learning to be efficient in time

management and have great organization skills will allow me to be a beneficial part of the

program. During the post game events, I will assist with media relations as they speak with

coaches and players about the game. Performing these tasks will allow me to gain knowledge

in public relations and event management.

Assisting in any capacity to the success of the baseball program is my goal this semester.

I will gain skills and knowledge to be an effective communicator and provide excellent event

management. Having this

time to learn from

professionals in the sport

industry will give me skills

in communication,

management, operations,

and funding.

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Grant Proposal

ACT funding for Tuscaloosa County area Schools

Audience: Tuscaloosa county businessmen and women, Tuscaloosa county sophomores, juniors, and first semester seniors, parents.

Title: ACT for TCS

Purpose: To obtain sponsors for Tuscaloosa county area high school students who cannot afford to take the ACT for their college application. These sponsors will provide funds for students to take the ACT twice a year (once in fall for seniors) until their desired score is reached.

Funding source and amount: We will reach out to local businesses within the Tuscaloosa County limits to sponsor students for $100.00 per student per year. They can sponsor as many students as they’d like throughout the year. An additional $100.00 sponsorship per student would provide study prep materials.

Local Businesses to address: Credit Union and banks, florists, bakeries, physicians, veterinarians, clothing stores, book stores, restaurants, insurance companies, Alabama power, furniture stores, car dealers, churches, fitness centers, construction companies, funeral homes, hospitals, music stores, real estate agents, and radio/TV stations.

Needs Assessment: High school students who aspire to attend college will have multiple fees to pay in order to be eligible to submit their application. Fees can include entrance exams, study preparation, application fees, freshman deposits, and school supplies.

Introductory – Please accept this letter as a request to become a sponsor for the “ACT for TCS” sponsorship program. We are currently developing a program for Tuscaloosa area sophomores, juniors, and first semester seniors to apply for a sponsorship to take the ACT college entrance exam. Our goal is to sponsor these students in order to make them eligible to apply to the college of their choice without the burden of paying testing fees. We are hoping to develop a network of local businesses to support these students and benefit their future education. We

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believe your support of “ACT for TCS” will help us reach all Tuscaloosa high school students and offer them the opportunity to continue their knowledge into higher education. With your help, we can demonstrate to these students how much their community is committed to helping them build a bright future.

Problem Statement – The purpose of “ACT for TCS” is to provide Tuscaloosa area high school students with funds to take the ACT college entrance exam twice a year starting their sophomore year. On a national average, high school students take the ACT at least twice and up to three times before applying to colleges. Studies show a 57% increase in scores after testing a second time. Students should be able to focus on their education without the burden of financial struggles and this sponsorship program will allow them to do that. By providing this annual funding, students can prepare for the ACT without worrying about the fees and leading to better scores.

Project Details – Tuscaloosa County area has approximately 4,000 sophomores, juniors, and seniors with aspirations of attending college within the next four years. As previously stated, “ACT for TCS” will fund these students to take the ACT exam twice a year, each year if desired, until they reach the score they want. Funding will be provided by local Tuscaloosa businesses that can sponsor an individual student, club, team, or group. No maximum limit will exist on how much can be given, but we ask that each sponsor provide at least $100 a year to cover the cost of one student’s exam fees. Additional funding will go towards study materials made available to all students through their high school guidance counselor for check out. We will visit each of the four Tuscaloosa county high schools in August to discuss this opportunity with the students and their parents. We will provide a list of test dates and locations for students to choose from in order to best accommodate their situation. The students will be allowed to test once in the fall and once in the spring with this sponsorship. Seniors will be allowed to test once in the fall. Students will send out Christmas cards to sponsors to show their appreciation and, if desired, can provide updates on testing and college acceptances to their individual sponsors. We value the education every child receives in primary and secondary education and want to give them the opportunity to continue that education at a higher level at whatever school they desire.

Evaluation/Personnel – We will evaluate “ACT for TCS” with a yearly statistical analysis of students test scores each May. We will be able to see how many students took the test that year and if these new resources improved their scores and participation. Our goal is to allow 2,000 students to test within the first two years. A volunteer will be available to students and parents at each school to answer any questions. Three members from the agency will handle all sponsorship funds and allocate them to students when necessary. We will be at each

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Tuscaloosa area high school (Brookwood, Hillcrest, Holt, and Tuscaloosa County) twice a month to allow students to sign up for the ACT in the library and enter the payments from the sponsors.

Budget/Future Funding – The proposed budget for this scholarship is $20,000 to support as many students as possible. Each ACT costs between $39.50 and $59.50 depending on the type of exam the student is taking. $100 supports one student to take the exam twice and we welcome you to sponsor as many students as you would like. Our agency will sponsor the first 20 students at $100 per student for the first 5% of the budget. The transportation and advertisement costs for representatives to travel around town will be approximately $1,000 for the year, which will be provided by the agency as well. This will consist of traveling to local businesses and schools ($700) and providing pamphlets with information for students and forms to fill out for sponsors ($300).

Contact Information – If you have any questions about our proposal or are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact me (Supervisor name) at any time between 8:00AM and 8:00PM by phone (987-‐654-‐3210). Please contact us by August 31, 2015 if you are interested for this school year. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to hearing from you in the future!

Sincerely,

ACT for TCS

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Project: Olympic Training Center – Visitor Center During the month of May, I had the opportunity to visit the Olympic Training Center in

Colorado Springs. Their staff designed a project for our teams to develop a new venture for

their visitor center. My team decided to base our visitor experience around the life of athletes

that lived at the training center and highlight past Olympic winners from the United States. The

visitors would start their journey in the museum highlighting past, current, and future

Olympians through pictures, live videos, and learning their story. While browsing through the

museum we will collect contact information from each visitor in order to build an email

database to keep them updated with news about the Olympics. Next, they will be led into a

waiting area where they will receive a specific athletes name and an iPad. As they are led

through the training facility they will learn the story of their athlete and the sport they compete

in.

Furthermore, at each building there will be a spot to scan in and learn what their athlete

does in there and what their training regime is for the day. Finally, at the conclusion of the

tour, each visitor will visit the Walk of Olympians where the sidewalk is dedicated to past

Olympians with their name, handprint, sport, and award. There will also be a station set up in

front of a green screen for visitors to have group pictures taken with Olympic props on the

award podiums. We wanted to encompass the entire day in the life of an Olympian and let

visitors experience life as an elite athlete. Through our ideas, we hoped to give the Visitors’

Center a new way to generate revenue and continue to welcome visitors on a daily basis.

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Project: Facilities – The HEART Center

For my Facilities class, our group was asked to design an athletic center for the World

Games to use when they come to the Birmingham area. We wanted to build something in

Tuscaloosa that could not only house the diverse sports that the Games would bring to town,

but also be an asset to the Tuscaloosa community. Our center focuses on overall health, not

just being another gym for working out. Citizens in the area can join our center and experience

health and wellness in a whole new way.

Mission Statement The H.E.A.R.T. Center will provide Tuscaloosa with an elite, technologically advanced, and family friendly wellness center. This facility will be the beacon of health for para and able body patrons that Tuscaloosa has always needed. We will provide a new vision of exercise that will be beneficial to anyone that has a willingness to better his or her health!

Elevator Speech The H.E.A.R.T. Center is more than just a gym. It’s a facility to experience sport at the world level. It will be a spotlight on the Tuscaloosa riverfront, showing the growth of this city, and its commitment to wellness and World Sport.

Target Audience The target audience of the H.E.A.R.T. Center will be children of all ages, young and older adults, active sport athletes, sport enthusiasts, city tourists, wounded warriors, able and disabled persons, and athletes from around the world. Our facility will be able to accommodate 5,000 patrons and guests at a time. The anticipated attendance for events will be between 7,000 to 8,000 guests at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. Short Term Goal:

• To provide a World-‐class facility to successfully host exhibition/competition events as well as aid the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. Our facilities will be capable of hosting multiple events i.e. Water Skiing, Sumo, Canoe Polo, Dance Sport, and Orienteering.

Long Term Goals:

• To provide a world class training, wellness, nutrition, and rehabilitation center for the community of Tuscaloosa

• Create a positive healthy living lifestyle that will impact the community of Tuscaloosa • Increase awareness of the positive effects of nutrition and healthy eating

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• Increase productivity in sport through the use of state of the art technology such as Catapult and SAP

• Make Tuscaloosa the standard for sport training and the rehabilitation of Para and Wounded Warriors

Facility of Merit Name: H.E.A.R.T Center Health, Exercise, Active, Results, Training Location: Tuscaloosa River Market, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Population: 90,468 for Tuscaloosa, Alabama based on 2010 US Census Sport Opportunities: World Sports – Sumo, Dance Sport, Water Skiing, Canoe Polo Mission Statement:

The H.E.A.R.T. Center will provide Tuscaloosa with an elite, technologically advanced, and family friendly wellness center. This facility will be the beacon of health that Tuscaloosa has always needed. We will provide a new vision of exercise that will be beneficial to men/women, young/old, and anyone that has a willingness to exercise!

Special Offering:

Water skiing, living roof with spa and therapy center, ski diving room, rock climbing wall, archery, ballroom dancing, beach area, canoe polo, crossfit, dance sport, putt-‐putt golf, orienteering, sumo, scenic walking trail, tug of war, virtual cardiovascular adventure, wrestling, MMA, karate, yoga room, and Zumba.

Climate:

Average high 76.3 degrees F Average low is 53.6 degree F

Facility Size: 4 Level facility Cost per square foot -‐ $94.65 Square footage of facility – 116,170 Cost of Facility – $16,553,000 Cost for Activities and Equipment: $6,739,000

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Policies and Procedures Manual This manual will address concerns that may arise at the H.E.A.R.T Center. The following would be included:

• ADA Compliance • Attire • Cell Phone Policy • Code of Conduct • Drug Free Facility • Emergency/Crisis management • Employment • Equal Opportunity Environment • Guest Policies • Health emergency/Injury • Holidays and Closings • Locker Room Etiquette • Membership and Member Policies • Member and Guest Entry • Personal Training Policies • Risk Management and Harassment Protocol • Severe Weather Protocol • Standard Operating Procedures

Patron Membership

Membership fees are due at the 1st of each month. Individual -‐ $20 Family (4) -‐ $70 Family (6) -‐ $100

Patron Entry Each member will have a key card to swipe in when entering the facility. Replacement cards can be made at the front desk for a $3 fee.

Guests Each member is allowed one guest per day. Guests may pay $5 fee to participate in classes.

ADA Compliance The H.E.A.R.T. Center will comply with all ADA regulations as listed on ADA.gov and will bring in an ADA Specialist to inspect the facility.

Attire Members may wear athletic gear, t-‐shirts, sweat pants, tennis shoes, and headbands. Close toe shoes required.

Personal Belongings Lockers will be available for member for a daily ($2) or monthly fee ($20). If purchased, you may bring your own combination lock.

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Locker Rooms Locker Rooms are first come first serve. Please be respectful of those around you and keep the area neat and clean. For any concerns or malfunctions, please report to front desk.

Lost and Found Located at the front desk Food and Drink

No food allowed within athletic areas. Drinks allowed in closed sports bottles only. Gatorade/PowerAde/Water available at concession stand.

Prohibited substances Absolutely no alcohol, smoking, tobacco, narcotics, or weapons allowed on site. Membership will be terminated immediately.

Cell Phones and Electronics Cellphones may be on floor but only on vibrate. Bring headphones if you want to listen to music during workout so you do not disturb other members.

Equipment Please clean equipment after use. Wipe down all benches, bars, and seats. If broken, please report to front desk. If you are unsure of how something works, find a personal trainer, first session is free!

Service Animals Service animals are welcome! Just check them in at the front desk. Video Surveillance and Security

The entire facility is under video surveillance for your protection. Security will be on site all hours. If you need them, use them!

Facility and Event Budget

Budget Total: 32,248,917.54 Facility (55%): $22,574,242.28 Events (45%): $9,674,675.26

Facility: $15,853,000 Activities: $6,634,000 Total: $22,487,000

Event 1: $3,731,000 Event 2: $5,432,000 Total: $9,163,000

Cost per square foot:

116,170 square feet for H.E.A.R.T Center $136.46 per square foot

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Building Project Worksheet

Classrooms -‐ $200,000

Instructional offerings – staff training and meetings, certification training, group fitness discussions, marketing meetings, World Game event planning committee meetings.

$490,000

Multipurpose Room -‐ $650,000

The multipurpose room will be divided in order to accommodate two sports at a time or multiple competitors of one sport at a time. Mats will be removable to transition between different sports throughout the week. Storage for equipment will be located directly outside the room for easy access.

Hardwood floors, removable mats, mirrors

Sumo -‐ $145,000

Dance Sport -‐ $95,000

Tug of War -‐ $98,000

Wrestling/MMA/Karate -‐ $354,000

Zumba -‐ $5,000

Ballroom dancing -‐ $195,000

Mid-‐size Fitness Center -‐ $1,550,000

The Fitness center will house the weight room and cardiovascular machines along with space for guests to participate in CrossFit. There will be impact rubber flooring installed to accommodate weights and equipment moved across the floor. This flooring will also prevent injury from slipping.

CrossFit -‐ $41,000

Therapy, Rehabilitation, Performance, and Spa Center -‐ $750,000

The Spa center will house an area for patrons to go and relax and recover after a workout or physical activity. We will have trained staff on site in order to direct guests to the best services for recover. We will have an in house spa along with our own athletic trainer to give advice on how to recover best from exercise.

Yoga – Holistic Health Room -‐ $145,000

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50-‐Meter Swimming Pool -‐ $4,250,000

The indoor swimming pool will be divided for use throughout the day. It will be available for recreational use in the morning and late afternoon. Specific activities like canoe polo and indoor water skiing will take place on most days from 10AM-‐2PM based on desire to participate. Guests can try out these new sports indoor before taking on the Black Warrior River outside.

Canoe Polo -‐ $275,000

Water Skiing w/ ski boats -‐ $255,000

Anti-‐Gravity Room -‐ $1,250,000

The anti-‐gravity room will be used for indoor Sky Diving. This experience is one like no other facility offers in Alabama. Patrons will be able to experience sky diving in a safe and controlled environment 7 days a week!

Construction Documents

Level 3 – 2nd floor

• 21,500 sq. ft. Two Court Gym with Track • 7,300 sq. ft. Fitness Center • 3,400 sq. ft. Locker Room (2) • 4,500 sq. ft. Multipurpose Room • 20,200 sq. ft. Pool • 100 sq. ft. Janitor Closet (locate in center

of rooms) • 2,800 sq. ft. Multipurpose Storage (next to

big room)

Level 4 – Spans the height of all three levels

• 10,000 sq. ft. Living roof on top • 45,000 sq. ft. Anti-‐Gravity Sky diving area

(50ft tall) • 2,500 sq. ft. Rock Wall (40 ft. tall) • 15,000 sq. ft. Therapy/Spa center on roof

Level 1 – Outdoor

• 10,000 sq. ft. dock with 3 slips • 5,000 sq. ft. Boat House

Level 2 – 1st floor

• 1,380 sq. ft. Classroom • 2,300 sq. ft. Office Suite (3) • 2,500 sq. ft. Lobby • 250 sq. ft. Vestibule • 300 sq. ft. Concessions • 250 sq. ft. Restroom (2) • 140 sq. ft. Family Changing Room • 3,500 sq. ft. Mechanical Space • 500 sq. ft. Electrical • 100 sq. ft. Janitor Closet • 1,200 sq. ft. Control Desk • 250 sq. ft. Ramps (2)

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WOW Technology SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products) Technology:

• Manage Team: Gain a unified view of each player and the overall team across all teams within a club by consolidating game, training, medical, injury, and contractual data scattered across the organization. Improve communication between all rolls in team operations.

• Develop Players: Quickly convert mountains of scattered player data into insight – increasing player availability, reliability, readiness, and performance.

o Collect geospatial data gathered by visual and tracking systems, such as sensors and cameras

o Calculate athletic and tactical performance attributes to enable real-‐time tactical evaluations.

o Flexibility define and add individual performance attributes and tactical evaluations • Engage Players: Discuss relevant team and player performance information on a mobile

platform that facilitates communication between managers and players. o East to use for players, managers, and coaches o Secure exchange of valuable insights o Ability to keep players closer to the action and better informed at all times

• Other Options: E-‐commerce, Ticketing, Point of Sale, Customer relationship management, Etc. • Used by NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, Yankees, 49ers, McLaren, FC Bayern Munich, and many more…

Catapult

• This technology much like SAP can detect athlete risk, readiness, and return to play, but it can also detect the athlete’s speed, velocity, stride frequency, and work capacity.

• Inertial Movement Analysis provides vital micro-‐movement information that GPS and cameras can’t capture.

• While Catapult and SAP share similarities such as player readiness, risk, and return to play, SAP offers specific team analysis, giving teams an immediate tactical advantage.

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Week of Event/Game Confirm Supervisors/volunteers Confirm Translator Contact Police Department to schedule police and traffic officers Confirm parking for reserved players, officials, and media. Confirm handicap-‐parking arrangements Get signage for facilities and parking Confirm food trucks and area to park Confirm medical and ambulance service Check with marketing and promotions on activities Confirm all auction and raffle items Confirm names for V.I.P wristbands Confirm bands Confirm officials and confirm checks Confirm fireworks and fire marshal Meet visiting competitors, answer any questions Confirm SAP technology Order t-‐shirts and giveaways Book booths

Event Master Plan

Event Management and Operations

Prior to Event Turn on all technology (T.V., iPads, simulators) Set out giveaways Set up merchandise tables Set-‐up entrance signs and prop doors open Put volunteers in place Greet officials, escort to locker room, and pay During Event Check game attendance numbers Monitor crowd Check with Police Department needs Monitor restrooms, trash, and cleanliness Release Supervisors Post Event Release Volunteers Keep public away from athletes and VIP for media Check with facilities to ensure post-‐game breakdown Report/ Summary Recap on the good, the bad, and ugly

Pre-‐Season Schedule on master calendar Identify any schedule conflicts Book bands Meet with marketing and media relations Meet with Orienteering group and schedule Sokol Park Book Amphitheatre Meet with Parking services, officials, handicap, athletes, media etc. Meet with Security Services Meet with Food Truck Companies Meet with Medical and Ambulance Service Make signage for amphitheater and parking Meet with Dance Sport, Sumo, Canoe Polo, and Water Skiing governing bodies Meet with Fire Marshall and Firework specialists Pre-‐order fireworks Secure wristband admission bands Meet with all facilities Plan fundraising activity Ensure SAP technology and meet with SAP Representative Book cleanup crew Book translator

Day of Event Security check Charge radios for event staff and volunteers Conduct walk through of facilities Check set up of parking Check with marketing on materials Confirm all good on fireworks Staff meeting Volunteer meeting

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Schedule of Events 2017 Event Friday-‐ Saturday There will be television monitors placed strategically throughout the event with subtitles of the five major languages. Translator help booth will be strategically placed to assist patrons throughout the event as well. Giveaways will be passed out consisting of sunglasses, stickers, and bracelets. World gear merchandise will be available for purchase. Steel City Pops available for free as well. Raffle tickets sold throughout the weekend Silent Auction going on throughout the weekend

Friday 6-‐10 p.m. There will be 10 booths (2 for each sport) with information on each sport and athletes available. World Champions will be available for a meet and greet and photos. Simulators will also be near there booths for interaction and learning how to be a participant in each game for the whole family 2 local bands will play throughout the night: Velcro Pygmies, Rolling in the Hay

Saturday Exhibitions: Orienteering: 8-‐9 am Water skiing: 8:30-‐10 am Sumo: 9:30-‐10:30 am Canoe Polo: 10:30-‐11:30 Dance Sport: 11:00-‐ 12:00 Lunch Break: 12-‐1 pm Competition Dance sport: 1-‐2 pm 2 minutes per team-‐ 45 minutes Orienteering: 2-‐6 pm 4 hours max (duration of competition time) Canoe Polo: 3-‐5 pm Sumo: 4-‐6 pm Dance Sport: 6-‐7 pm Award Ceremony with Trotline 7-‐10 pm

• Raffle ticket winners announced • Silent auction winners claim prize

Fireworks will conclude night: 10 pm

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2019 Event Friday-‐ Sunday There will be television monitors placed strategically throughout the event with subtitles of the five major languages. Translator help booth will be strategically placed to assist patrons throughout the event as well. Giveaways will be passed out consisting of sunglasses, stickers, and bracelets. World gear merchandise will be available for purchase. Steel City Pops available for free as well. Raffle tickets sold throughout the weekend Silent Auction going on throughout the weekend

Friday 6 – 10 pm Location: Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre World Game Gear T-‐shirts (1,000 comfort color t-‐shirts Sweatshirts) Booths for sports (2 per sport) Simulator (295,000 a system, 2 per sport) Meet and Greet Headline speakers: World Game Champions Other VIP guests Alabama Shakes Concert

Saturday Exhibitions: SAP technology generating data, trajectory, and statistics Orienteering: 8-‐9 am Water skiing: 8:30-‐10 am Sumo: 9:30-‐10:30 am Canoe Polo: 10:30-‐11:30 Dance Sport: 11:00-‐ 12:00 Lunch Break: 12-‐1 pm Semi Finals Competition Orienteering: 1-‐5 pm 4 hours max (duration of competition time) Water Skiing: 2-‐4pm Canoe Polo: 3-‐5 pm Sumo: 4-‐6 pm Dance sport: 6-‐7pm 2 minutes per team-‐ 45 minutes Blake Shelton Concert: 7-‐10 pm

Sunday Announcement of preliminary standings and flyover: 12-‐1 pm Competition Finals Orienteering: 1-‐5 pm 4 hours max (duration of competition time) Water Skiing: 2-‐4pm Canoe Polo: 3-‐5 pm Sumo: 4-‐6 pm Dance sport: 6-‐7pm 2 minutes per team-‐ 45 minutes Award Ceremony with Maroon 5 Concert: 7-‐10pm

• Raffle winners announced • Silent Auction winners claim prize • Fireworks: 10 pm

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Project: Marketing – TUSKaloosa Sport Marketing

During our Marketing class, we were asked to design a marketing campaign for A-‐Day,

gymnastics, and softball. The University was looking for new ideas to help promote these

sporting events and we were tasked with coming up with ways to generate a higher attendance

rate for the coming seasons. Our group decided to stick with tradition and revamp many

activities that currently take place. This way our ideas would be cost effective while bringing a

new energy to each event and draw a dedicated crowd.

TUSKaloosa Sport Marketing

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Strengths

• Showcases upcoming team and talent • The University of Alabama is a football fan

base/school

Opportunities

• New team analysis on upcoming season • Team autographs • Preview for new season ticket holders

Weakness

• Weather issues (tornadoes) • Inter-‐squad competition; may not be exciting for fans

to watch • No tailgating

Threats

• Baseball & softball are in-‐season • Tornado seasons • Player injuries may occur before season actually

begins

FOOTBALL

Strengths

• Fast-‐paced sport, constantly changing events • Loyal fan base, strong attendance rate • Consistent start times, low ticket

OPPORTUNITIES

• Good atmosphere for groups/birthdays • Create different themes for each meet • Autograph signing/Meet & Greet with gymnasts

throughout the season

WEAKNESSES

• Young age group of fans • Coach Duckworth rebuilding fan relationships

Threats

• Competing with Baseball and Softball for ticket sales • Tailgating at right field in baseball

GYMNASTICS

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths

• Loyal fan base • Team-‐fan relationship, traveling fans • Low ticket prices

Opportunities

• Between inning promotions and activities • Bring back alumni players • Pregame entertainment • Team/fan interaction in off season

Weaknesses

• Limited chair back seats • Small stadium capacity • Low attendance rate for weekday games

Threats

• Competition with Baseball and Gymnastics • Weather • Female dominant sport, no professional league

SOFTBALL

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Friday Activities

At 5:30 pm, we will host a BBQ at Walk of Champions. We will only extend the invitation to our season ticket holders, our players, and our coaching staff. Coach Saban will present a 10-‐minute speech followed by a silent auction displaying Alabama memorabilia and donations from our prominent local businesses. We will also provide VIP for Special Olympics participants so they are provided the opportunity to meet players, take photos, and receive autographs from our players.

At 9:00 pm, we will host another event, Midnight Madness, located at Coleman Coliseum. Our invitation will extend to our season ticket holders, our faculty, our staff members, and our student body. We will start the event by presenting our starters for the upcoming scrimmage, followed by a special performance by our Million Dollar Band. The event will wrap up with the upcoming season promo (highlight) video.

FOOTBALL A-‐DAY

Saturday Activities

At 11:00 am, we will provide a various amount of activities for our community to participate in leading up to the afternoon scrimmage. We will open up the event by presenting our upcoming captains. Due to Autism Awareness month, we will provide a special tent at the front of Denny Chimes for our special guests. There will also be a section specifically for our kids to indulge in physical activity. We will also have a green screen located at Bryant Denny steps for fans to participate in photos taken in player’s official uniform gear.

At 2:30 pm, we will kick-‐off the scrimmage. Some in-‐game activities include a raffle between our autism kids, which will determine who participates in the coin toss. To build autism awareness we will also provide trivia for our audience to interact with on a technology standpoint. At halftime we will have a special performance from our Special Olympics guests. This will be a modified mini-‐scrimmage of touch football between the Special Olympics guests. To wrap up our scrimmage we will present our guest coaches and previous captains from our recent seasons.

Objective for A-‐Day

Our goal is to provide our Alabama football fan base an opportunity to enjoy activities surrounding a two-‐day event. We have joined together marketing strategies to increase attendance and fan experience for pre-‐game and in-‐game participation from fans.

Implementation and Control

• Fliers – printed one month prior to A-‐Day and distributed the weekend before • Press Release – to local newspapers with Alabama related football stories • Roster – provide information of the team and coaches who are going to attend the various

activities of the day

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Target Audience

This season for gymnastics, we will target Tuscaloosa area high school students, UA, Stillman, and Shelton State students, and other Alabama season ticket holders. Gymnastics has typically been a young girls sport and we want to introduce the sport to a broader fan base. We will target these groups with interactive participation at each meet, promotions, and special ticket pricing.

iBeacon Technology

iBeacon is a mobile app that listens for signals from beacons in the physical world around it. Beacons and the mobile app communicate through Bluetooth. We will use Beacons to deliver push notifications to smart phone users to designate winners of upgraded seats, giveaways, contest participants, and other prizes. The devices will be installed on all seats in Coleman Coliseum in order to pick up signals from individuals’ phones when they arrive at their seats. Based on where fans are seated or located throughout the Coliseum, different Beacon signals will be activated.

One way we will use iBeacon is to upgrade fans seats. Beacons will pick up when fans have sat down, and after the first rotation select fans will be chosen to move to more premium seats based on qualifying factors. Another way to use iBeacon is interacting with the student section. We will send push notifications to select students in the student sections to participate in contests, trivia, and other activities throughout the meet to win prizes.

In-‐Game Fan Activities

Along with iBeacon technology, we will activities after each rotation while the gymnasts are warming up. There is a four-‐minute warm-‐up period between rotations where we can do trivia questions and other contests with students and fans. For example, they will have a chance to win UA gymnastics gear, concession stand vouchers, and gift cards. Throughout the meet we will also use the UA gymnastics twitter to interact with fans. During trivia questions, fans will be able to tweet in their answers and see them displayed on the big screen.

GYMNASTICS

UA Student Engagement

Throughout the week students will have a chance to win prizes for that week’s meet by participating in an on campus scavenger hunt. We will place items around campus for them to find and redeem at the meet. Clues and hints will be posted on Twitter and Instagram for students to follow. Different campus organizations will be able to sign up for specific meets and be student VIP’s. They can reserve front row seats for their members and participate throughout the night in events. Also, we will coordinate with Greek organizations that want to add gymnastics as a way to receive PanHellenic points.

Tuscaloosa Area High Schools

We will target local high schools for each of the six home meets to be school of the week. They will have access to tickets for their respective week as a group. This will allow students to the campus they may be considering for college and experience a collegiate sporting event. The high school with the largest attendance will get tickets to NCAA Regionals hosted by UA at the end of the gymnastics season.

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Objectives

•To increase ticket sales by the end of the 2016-‐2017 season. •To enhance the stadium atmosphere through fan-‐involvement tactics during non-‐

conference/week-‐day games. Expanding Stadium Capacity

Attending games throughout the week may be a reoccurring inconvenience, especially for families with small children. To make weeknight games more appealing to families, kid-‐friendly activities will be provided three hours prior to the first pitch, leading up to the start of each weekday game. These activities will include face painting; bounce house, and games such as corn hole and Ping-‐Pong.

The grass area surrounding the stadium will be utilized as space for fans to watch the games. The tickets prices would be cheaper than the lowest ticket prices of in-‐stadium seats. In addition, fans that occupy this section would be able to view the game on a nearby big screen and have access to the concession stands.

Overall Fan Experience

In efforts to enhance the overall fan experience, their attention must be captured as much as possible from the beginning to the end of each game. Various trivia games that incorporate the program’s history and distinctive facts would be featured between each inning per game. Fans would then be able to send in their answers by tweeting with a specific hash-‐tag within the allotted timeframe. The fans’ responses would then appear on the big screen collectively in percentages followed by the correct answer(s) revealed.

SOFTBALL

“Hold up Your Fours”

Like the football team, we want to incorporate “Four” into gymnastics. This is a sign from the fans and the team that it is time to give it everything you’ve got and finish strong. Floor exercise is typically the most anticipated event of the night as well as being the fourth, and last, rotation. We want all of the fans to stand and hold up four fingers during warm ups leading into this rotation to show support for the athletes to finish strong. This act will draw an intimidation factor towards the other team and get the fans involved in the ongoing action.

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Fan Appreciation Week

During post-‐ season, a fan-‐appreciation week will be established to increase fan loyalty among season ticket holders. A lunch with the softball team sponsored by local food companies will be held for ticket holders, Alumni, as well as friends and families. The luncheon would be catered by one of the following: Dreamland, Full moon, or Jim & Nicks.

iBeacon Technology

Although the attendance for UA softball games has been among the highest of all teams across the country since 2008, there is still room for improvement. In efforts to increase attendance within the Brickyard seating sections, iBeacon technology would be utilized to randomly select attendees sitting in the Brickyard for prizing such as free tickets in the Brickyard seating section to one or more games that are anticipated to have lower attendance (i.e. weekday, non-‐conference games) as well as free food coupons to be used within the stadium.

Autographs

Students and fans will have the opportunity to meet and acquire autographs after each home game from the “Players of the Week.” Giving the crowd a variety of players each week and allowing a chance to reward players for showing excellence either on the field or in the classroom.

Dollar Wednesdays

Promotions-‐ “Dollar Dynasty”. On each Wednesday home game, attendees will be able to purchase a pre-‐selected food item (determined by the sales/operations department prior to) for $1 with a purchase of another item by using the specified promotional code at the time of purchase. The promotional codes will appear on the big screen continuously throughout the game.

Theme Night

Each of the four weekday home games will entail a theme that fans will be encouraged to take part in through UA softball’s social media accounts prior to each game. The themes will feature a catch phrase or word based on the softball program’s pillars. Those who participate in the specified theme by showcasing the theme while at the game will be chosen randomly for prizes, which may include items such as memorabilia, apparel, or a gift card from local retail stores/restaurants.

Student Night

UA Student Night is an event that would also be held in the off-‐season in efforts to further develop the relationships between the softball team and the UA student population. The event would include facility and stadium tours as well as a batting contest among attendees in which an autographed bat or ball would be the prize. This event would also consist of free chick-‐fil-‐a and a pregame speech about the upcoming season by Coach Murphy with an introduction of the team and staff.

Stadium Tours

Throughout the off-‐season, local middle and high school students will be able to view the Rhoads stadium tour and watch practice on dates and times implemented upon the approval of the softball program.