Brian Hess is back!

We are talking sports washing.

I thought I had a better grasp on the subject than I did. But Brian discusses the many ways that sports washing presents a challenge to sports fans in America, outside of the obvious ones.

We discuss the possibility of foreign investment in the NFL, LIV, and more. We also hit on the way that these investments can impact our policies as a country and harm our citizens.

I'm curious what your take is on the subject.

So send me a note at Dave@DaveWakeman.com and let me know.

Check out my website at www.DaveWakeman.com

Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

Come and hang out with me for the 'Fans for Life' workshop in NYC on September 4, 2024.

Totally redesigned and rethought.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fans-for-life-creating-and-keeping-todays-fans-tickets-902412549227?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=email&utm_medium=sparkpost&utm_campaign=postpublish

I loved this conversation because I totally got Sabrina Carrazzo worked up about teaching, women's sports, and helping international soccer teams enter the US market.

Sabrina and Asli Pelit teach a sports PR and communications class at NYU. They invited me to give a guest lecture earlier in the year.

I loved the way that Sabrina nurtured, challenged, and taught her students.

So I wanted to get her on the podcast and view it as a total win for all of us that she came on.

We discuss a bunch of great things such as:

• Women's sports and the current moment of growth.
• Bringing soccer teams to the US market.
• Technology.
• Teaching.
• Fandom
• Culture.
• And, a lot more

Totally great conversation!

Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

Come hang out at the BrewDog in SoHo on 2 July at 5 PM for a meetup. We can talk tickets and have a few pints. https://www.brewdog.com/uk/brewdog-soho

Join me for the 'Fans For Life' Workshop in NYC on September 4th.

I've rebuilt the workshop to reflect the current environment and we cover strategy, branding, sales, pricing, renewals, and more.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fans-for-life-creating-and-keeping-todays-fans-tickets-902412549227?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=email&utm_medium=sparkpost&utm_campaign=postpublish

My website is www.DaveWakeman.com

My guest today is Jason Velez from the Staten Island Ferry Hawks.

I've known Jason for a long time. So long that he has one of the OG Dave business cards.

So, it was great to catch up with Jason.

We hit on 3 big topics in this episode:

• Selling based on value
• Competing with bigger brands and bigger teams
• Unique promotions

We talk about the Ferry Hawks partnership with the Wu Tang Clan.

We talk about creating unique value.

We discuss why price isn't necessarily a driver of demand...and more.

2 July, I'm hosting a meet up in London at the Brew Dog in SoHo at 5 PM.

We can throw back a pint!

https://www.brewdog.com/uk/brewdog-soho

I'm hosting a brand new, freshen up version of 'The Fans For Life' workshop in NYC on September 4th, 2024.

As a good excuse to go see Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden.

You won't want to miss this because I'm going to pack in a ton of good ideas that will help you and your team sell more tickets in 2024 and 2025.

We will cover:

• Pricing
• Branding
• Strategy
• Sales
• And, more!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fans-for-life-creating-and-keeping-todays-fans-tickets-902412549227?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=email&utm_medium=sparkpost&utm_campaign=postpublish

Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter. https://talkingtickets.substack.com

Visit my website at www.DaveWakeman.com

Lauren Teague returns!

Lauren is the CEO of FanWgn. She has created an idea that is called "Second Fan Fashion" and it is very cool.

FanWgn ties together a few of Lauren's favorite things:

• Sports
• Fashion
• Tech
• Sustainability

In this episode, we talk about Lauren's career path and how she went from an employee to a sole business to a founder.

We hit on the importance of strategy. Se talk about fandom, entrepreneurial spirit, and the environmental challenges of fashion.

Lauren is working with Brian Berger on the Sports PR Summit that is happening in Chicago this year on June 17th. You get a full day of learning and you get to see the Cubs!

That's a winning day!

I'm mapping out the new, improved 'Fans For Life' for NYC on September 4th. I want to know what you want and need to know so let me know by responding in the poll that is going out in today's 'Talking Tickets' or by sending me an email at Dave@DaveWakeman.com

You will find me in London from 27 June to 7 July. I've got a few things going on, but mark your calendar for 2 July because I'm going to try and figure out a place to have some drinks and meet up with folks.

A 'Talking Tickets' meetup!

Check out my Live Nation antitrust case roundup in 'Talking Tickets'.

Visit my website at www.DaveWakeman.com

My guest today is Chris Pantani.

Chris is the GM of the NY Mavericks of the Professional Bull Riders.

We talk about bull riding and why there is now a professional bull riding team representing New York City.

I find out that there is a long history of professional bull riding in NYC.

We also talk about the makeup of bullriding, the history of the sport, and the ambition going forward.

Chris shares how his experience at Goodyear has helped him be in a good position to lead a team in PBR.

We talk about sponsorships and activations. We hit on rooting for a sport that has a history of being individually driven...and a lot more.

Make sure you join me in NYC on September 4th for 'Fans For Life: Creating and Keeping Today's Fans!'

Re-invented for 2024.

We will talk about things like:

• Lifetime Fan Value
• Brand Codes
• Strategy Before Tactics
• Discounts are for Dummies
• Feeding the Content Funnel

And, more.

Get my newsletters, find my store, and read my blogs at my website: www.DaveWakeman.com

Make sure you rate and review the podcast on your favorite platform. And, share this episode with someone that will benefit!

Thank you for spending time with me and don't hesitate to send me a note to say hello at Dave@DaveWakeman.com

Today is the 200th episode of 'The Business of Fun' podcast!

You didn't think I would not have something special prepared, did you?

I will share some lessons learned and some things I'm thinking about and paying attention to.

You can come work with me in NYC on September 4th, 2024...I've recreated 'Fans For Life' for the current world we live in.

Find out what I'm up to by visiting my website at www.DaveWakeman.com

Please, share the podcast and review it. These things help.

Talking Tickets: https://talkingtickets.substack.com

The Business of Value: https://businessofvalue.substack.com

My guest today is Solene Jimenez.

She is Head of International Development for arenametrix. www.arenametrix.com

This is Solene's first podcast appearance and we had a good time.

Of course, she didn't tell me it was her first podcast until we'd finished recording. I like to make the first podcast appearance fun and easy for folks.

We talked about culture especially from Solene's unique experience of being from France living abroad, working for a French company, returning to France, and now focusing a lot on North America.

She offers up some unique takes on how you have to understand different cultures to build relationships, develop a sales pipeline, and grow a business.

All of them are relevant as my business is more global and you might have a similar situation.

We discuss how Solene approaches bringing a personal touch to a tech business and a lot more.

Visit my website where I am going to be posting some upcoming workshops, happy hours, and events in:

• London on 2 July
• NYC in September
• Melbourne and Sydney in November

If you are this far and you haven't signed up for 'Talking Tickets' what's going on with that?

You can get that newsletter here: https://talkingtickets.substack.com

Yesterday, I had a guest post from Bryan Ralston on group sales and I want to know what else you would find valuable.

You can let me know by sending me an email at dave@davewakeman.com

I have a good conversation for you today with Alasdair Crawley from FanBase.

We had a great time talking about sports business including:

• Why sports business is at a crossroads.
• The challenge of getting the basics right.
• Data v. research
• Balancing the short term and long term in fanbase building.
• The power of experience...

And, much more.

I'm going to be on tour this year...

On sales will be available on my website in a few days, but you are a listener of the podcast so I want to let you know first.

I've rebuilt 'Fans for Life' for 2024 and it is better than ever.

I'll be hosting two sessions:

• Wednesday, September 4, 2024 in NYC.
• Tuesday, 19 November 2024 in Melbourne.

Obviously, these sessions coincide with the 2024 Pearl Jam world tour...but if they didn't, what would I even be doing?

I'll get the full details up in the next few days, but we are going to cover things like:

• Developing insights and understanding of the market using free and publicly available data.
• How to balance pricing, brand, and sales to achieve the maximum impact of your fan building efforts.
• Establishing your brand so that your fans have an identity to latch onto.
• The fan lifecycle and how to understand that so you can maintain a relationship with your fans, even in down times.

And, more...

Send me a note with the city you are interested in and I'll do a pre-sale for 'The Business of Fun' listeners...

Dave@DaveWakeman.com

I'll also be in London from 28 June to 8 July...

A mix of business and pleasure with the Pearl Jam concert at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, The National at Crystal Palace Park, and, hopefully, Wimbledon.

But I also want to set up a time for us to get together and have a pint or a drink. Let's tentatively schedule it for 2 July, Tuesday.

Thank you for being here and listening.

I want your voice to be a bigger part of the podcast going forward. So send me your questions, ideas, guest suggestions, and other feedback...on social media, in the Slack Channel, or via email.

Get 'Talking Tickets' if you don't already at: http://TalkingTickets.Substack.com