Hello Christine,
I am writing on behalf of Stadium Manager to request retroactive approval for the following Marketing, Networking, and Travel & Entertainment requests and expenses incurred by Stadium Manager for the promotion of Non-NFL Events at Levi’s Stadium on behalf of the SCSA:
Public events
1. Meeting with Global Dance - 5/6/2022 – Total Spend: $685.05
2. AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium – 9/13 – 9/15/2022 - Total Spend:
$3,947.96
3. Pre-Event Dinner with Soccer United Marketing - 9/24/2022 - Total Spend: $219.81
4. Messina 50th Anniversary Pollstar Advertisement – 11/7/2022 issue – Total spend: $2,267.00
5. Shipping Supplies for Client Holiday Gifts – November 2022 – Total Spend: $76.71
6. Los Angeles Meeting with AEG Presents/Concerts West – November 2022 – Total Spend:
$1,114.78
7. Los Angeles Meetings with Live Nation, AEG, and LA Galaxy – November 2022 – Total Spend:
$558.13
8. Pollstar Live Conference Los Angeles, February 2023 – Requested Spend: $8,000
9. Gridiron Stadium Network Annual Member Meeting – 3/8 – 3/10/23 – Requested Spend: $6,000
10. Client/Prospect Meetings with Concacaf, Live Nation and Hard Rock Stadium - 3/23 – 3/25/23 – Requested Spend: $5,000
Special events
11. Meeting Professionals International Northern California Chapter Annual Conference & Expo (MPI ACE) – 4/3/2022 – Total Spend: $642
12. Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress (WEC) – 6/21 – 6/23/2022 - Total Spend: $3,134.44
13. Meeting Professionals International Northern California Chapter (MPINCC) Annual Gala – 7/26/2022 – Total Spend: $524.00
14. Unique Venues Marketing Campaign Package – ongoing from Sept 2022 thru March 2023 – Total Spend: $4,890
15. All Things Meetings Sales Event – 10/27/2022 – Total spend: $1,300
16. Connect Marketplace: Connect West - Conference Registration – 11/9- 11/10/2022 – Total Spend: $3,788.17
17. Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Convening Leaders Conference – 1/8 – 1/11/2023 – Total Spend: $2,013.91
The total requested dollar amount across these 19 opportunities is $44,161.96, all of which are within the FY22/23 annual budget approved by the Stadium Authority Board. With 7 ticketed and 56 non-ticketed Non-NFL events during the fiscal year to date, our events teams have been focused on the planning and execution of these events and have opted to submit these requests in one consolidated package to ease the administrative burden on our team and the SCSA Staff. These events and expenses are important pieces of our strategy to increase the SCSA profits from Non-NFL Events. Estimating individual ROI from these types of expenditures is subjective, given that many of them are focused on driving the Stadium brand into the marketplace, and building relationships with prospects and market participants. However, we are confident that the expenditures are important to driving SCSA profits – and the costs are reasonable given the gross profits of over $8 Million for Non-NFL Events through 12/31/2022 as reported in the Q3 YTD report.
The write-ups for each opportunity from our Head of Public Events and Director of Special Events are attached to this letter and will give you additional context about the nature of each of these requests.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can provide any additional information about these requests.
Thank you,
Brent Ghan
Manager, Accounting
Forty Niners Stadium Management Company
AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium
We write to request SCSA approval to enter into contract with The AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium, with respect to lead generation for Non-NFL public events. Our goal is to use this opportunity to support the Stadium Manager’s efforts in cultivating relationships within the live entertainment industry. These efforts have proven to be pivotal in enhancing public event revenue for FY22 and beyond.
The conference took place September 13
th - 15th at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, TN. The conference website can be found HERE.
https://events.sportsbusinessjournal.com/2022-sff/p/1
Sports Business Journal, in conjunction with AXS brings Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium to Nashville and taps into the city’s rich musical history and growing sports franchises.
The program lineup will examine the fundamental challenges and opportunities ticketing, team, and facility executives face on a day-to-day basis. Through in-depth content, attendees will learn from industry leaders the latest trends, emerging revenue opportunities, and best practices. SportTechie, will also host a technology module that will dive into the latest in-venue and ticketing technologies.
In addition to the new insights and ideas presented through the content, attendees will have the opportunity to build relationships with attendees through the many networking events held throughout the three days.
Beyond the content provided during the three-day seminar, Stadium Manager will use this opportunity to secure meetings with new contacts in the live entertainment industry in order to amplify lead generation for future public event initiatives.
We are requesting authorization to incur charges of $3,947.96 to cover registration fees, travel expenses and potential client entertainment for one Stadium Manager employee.
Dues and Subscriptions/Registration Fees: $1,395.00
Attending Conferences, Events, Client, and Prospect Meetings: $ 2,063.28 Networking and Entertainment: $ 489.68
Total: $3,947.96
Meeting with Global Dance
The Stadium Manager successfully secured a meeting with the promoter, Global Dance in Las Vegas on May 6th. This promoter represents several artists, some of which have shown interest in elevating their tours to stadiums in 2023 and beyond. This promoter is also heavily ingrained in the music festival business, which continues to be a rapidly growing model in the live entertainment industry. Stadium Manager is continuously seeking out added content, building relationships with promoters, and understanding all revenue generating verticals in the live entertainment industry. Securing this meeting is advantageous for future public event business.
We are requesting authorization to use $685.05 in funds to cover travel expenses for one Stadium Manager employee. The funds are currently available and fall under “attending conferences, events and client/prospect meetings” in the FY 22/23 SCSA budget for Public Events.
Pre-Event Dinner with Soccer United Marketing
The Stadium Manager requests authorization to use available networking and entertainment funds to cover costs associated with hosting Soccer United Marketing’s Promoter for dinner on September 23rd, prior to the Mexico vs. Colombia match. This is the first soccer match Levi’s Stadium has hosted since the COVID-19 pandemic. Soccer United Marketing continues to be a valued partner with the Stadium Manager. Our goal is to use this opportunity to support the Stadium Manager’s efforts in strengthening the existing relationship with Soccer United Marketing to secure additional public events in 2023 and beyond.
We are requesting authorization to use $219.81 in funds to cover client entertainment. The funds are currently available and fall under “networking and entertainment” in the FY 22/23 SCSA budget for Public Events.
Messina 50th Anniversary Pollstar Advertisement
The Stadium Manager requests authorization to use available dues/subscriptions/registration funds to cover costs associated with placing an ad in Pollstar Magazine. For over 40 years, Pollstar has provided the most up-to-date, relevant, and useful data available for the global concert industry. This publication delivers an unmatched archive of live entertainment data, a focus on editorial excellence, and the most powerful metrics of entertainment success available.
The 1/3-page ad will be used to highlight Levi’s Stadium and congratulate industry veteran, Louis Messina of Messina Touring Group on his 50th anniversary in the business. Louis Messina is one of the most influential promoters in the industry, and throughout the years has brought countless acts to Levi’s Stadium. Messina’s portfolio consists of Kenny Chesney, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, along with a multitude of compelling artists. The Stadium Manager has secured Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift for 2023 and is in engaging in conversations with Messina Touring Group on additional shows for 2023 and beyond.
We are requesting authorization to use $2,267 in funds. The funds are currently available and fall under “dues and subscriptions/registration fees” in the FY 22/23 SCSA budget for Public Events.
Client Holiday Gifts
The stadium manager purchased shipping supplies (boxes, tissue paper and shipping tape) in order to send promoter holiday gifts to show appreciation for their partnership and continue to cultivate the existing relationships. The gifts were Levi’s Stadium branded wine glasses that were purchased by the 49ers (not the SCSA) for other organizational business partners. There was unused inventory, so these items were provided to the SCSA by the 49ers at no cost to send to business partners. The SCSA is only paying the shipping cost.
Budget category: Networking and Entertainment
Requested spend: $76.71
Pollstar Live Conference
The Pollstar Live conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA from February 21 - 23, 2023. This is the industry’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals and the flagship event for Pollstar magazine, the leading trade publication for the global live entertainment industry. With over 30 years of history, the Pollstar Live Conference offers three (3) days of compelling discussions led by visionaries in the live entertainment business beginning with Production Live, a full day dedicated to production and transportation in live events, followed by Pollstar Live, including the Annual Pollstar Awards celebration. https://www.pollstar.live/website/38746/
Stadium Manager will use this conference as a key networking opportunity to cultivate relationships within the live entertainment industry. Attendance at this particular conference is instrumental in order to stay at the forefront of crucial decision makers that manage major artists and their touring schedules.
We are requesting authorization to incur charges up to $8,000 to cover registration fees, travel expenses and client entertainment for up to two Stadium Manager employees.
Budget category: Dues and Subscriptions/Registration Fees: $2,000.00 Budget category: Attending Conferences, Events, Client/Prospect Meetings: $4,000.00 Budget category: Networking and Entertainment: $2,000.00 Total: $8,000.00
Los Angeles Meeting with AEG Presents/Concerts West
The Stadium Manager successfully secured a meeting with the promoter, AEG Presents/Concerts West in order to discuss deal points, routing timelines, and securing a 2023 concert.
Stadium Manager is continuously seeking out added content, building relationships with promoters, and capitalizing on all revenue generating verticals in the live entertainment industry. Securing this meeting is advantageous for future public event business.
Budget category: Attending Conferences, Events, and Client/Prospect Meetings Requested spend: $1,114.78
Los Angeles Meetings with Live Nation, AEG, and LA Galaxy
The Stadium Manager successfully secured meetings with the concert promoter Live Nation as well as international soccer promoter AEG/LA Galaxy in order to discuss deal points, routing timelines, and securing additional shows and matches for 2023 and beyond.
Stadium Manager is continuously seeking out added content, building relationships with promoters, and capitalizing on all revenue generating verticals in the live entertainment and international soccer sector.
Securing these meetings is advantageous for future public event business.
Budget category: Attending Conferences, Events, and Client/Prospect Meetings Requested spend: $558.13
Gridiron Stadium Network Annual Member Meeting
The Stadium Manager requests authorization to use available funds to cover travel expenses and client entertainment for two Stadium Manager employees to attend the Gridiron Stadium Network annual member meetings from March 8 - 10, 2023 in Nashville.
The Gridiron Stadium Network was established to create awareness and to promote the assets of its member stadiums. Today, the GSN represents 15 NFL facilities, working to optimize opportunities and expand the use of each member’s state-of-the-art facilities for new sports, entertainment, public and private events. The GSN assists its members with attracting and developing events on either a single or multiple facility basis. From sold out concerts and sporting events to smaller, more intimate shows and conferences, GSN members are dedicated to providing the best experiences for audiences, artists, third party, corporate and community partners.
Stadium Manager will use these meetings as a key networking opportunity to cultivate relationships within the sports and live entertainment industry. Attendance at this conference is instrumental in order to stay at the forefront of industry trends, best practices, and to remain relevant within the network of stadium managers.
Budget category: Attending Conferences, Events, and Client/Prospect Meetings and Networking/Entertainment
Requested spend: $6,000
Additional details can be found HERE
Client/Prospect Meetings with Concacaf, Live Nation and Hard Rock Stadium
The Stadium Manager has successfully secured meetings with Concacaf (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football), Live Nation, and Hard Rock Stadium from March 23 - 25, 2023.
Ensuing the 2023 tournament is a newly formed men’s club tournament, CONMEBOL Copa America which will be played in the United States throughout the summer of 2024.
The Stadium Manager intends to use this meeting to build on the foundation of the existing relationship with Concacaf’s Head of National Teams Competitions and the Director of Competitions. The magnitude of the upcoming 2024 summer tournament is significant. As the venue selection process evolves it is essential for the Stadium Manager to present Levi’s Stadium as a top contender as a host site.
In addition to the Concacaf meetings, Stadium Manager has secured a meeting with the Chief Operating Officer of Live Nation Global Touring. Live Nation remains a valued client and in order to maximize the current efforts in securing global touring acts, in-person meetings are crucial.
Along with the client meetings, the Stadium Manager has also secured a meeting with the Public Event team at Hard Rock Stadium. As the event industry evolves, connecting with stadiums who have a robust slate of public events provides an immense amount of value to stay informed of best business practices.
The Stadium Manager requests authorization to use available funds to cover travel expenses and client entertainment for one Stadium Manager employee to travel to Miami for the associated meetings.
Budget category: Attending Conferences, Events, and Client/Prospect Meetings and Networking/Entertainment
Requested spend: $5,000
Additional details regarding CONMEBOL Copa America can be found HERE
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress (WEC) MPI is the association for people who bring people together . It leads the world in professional development that advances the meeting and event industry and the careers of the people in it . They “connect the connectors ” so they can produce experiences and events, increase business opportunities for suppliers and offer education and professional development to its members.
San Francisco will be the host city of MPI WEC 2022, scheduled from June 21st – 23rd. WEC is a global event that is considered the “ expert event for event experts ”. WEC sets the standard for the hospitality and events industry in education and networking and will be attended by national and international event planners who source events. Networking opportunities include exploring the tradeshow floor, setting sales meetings and appointments, attending networking breakfasts /lunches as well as special events hosted for MPI and PCMA members.
The Levi’s Stadium Special Events sales team would like to attend this event to network with local and national event planners focused on corporate, association and social markets with a goal of generating potential new pa rtnerships for Levi’s Stadium. This conference takes place every year, in various cities around the U.S. so depending on the location, attending the event can get expensive. With this year’s conference taking place so close to Santa Clara, it’s a unique op portunity to connect with local and national planners and avoid the extra travel costs.
We are requesting approval to register two sales team members at the discounted rate (MPI member rate) of $1,375.00 for attendance to the conference. In addition to the registration fees, we would like to provide the staff with hotel accommodations to maximize their time spent at the event, budgeted at $2,000 (inclusive of hotel fees and parking) total.
Total event expense: $3,134.44
Non-NFL Events Marketing Budget – Special Events
- Budget Category: Events, Conferences, Client Meetings More details on the event can be found here:
https://www.mpi.org/wec
Meeting Professionals International Northern California Chapter Annual Conference & Expo (MPI ACE) - $642.00
MPI is the association for people who bring people together. It leads the world in professional development that advances the meeting and event industry and the careers of the people in it. The y “connect the connectors ” so they can produce experiences and events, increase business opportunities for suppliers and offer education and professional development to its members.
MPI Northern California Chapter (NCC) hosts an annual conference and expo for its over 500 members called ACE. The one -day conference is scheduled for April 3 rd, 2022 at Oracle Park in San Francisco. ACE continues to educate members on current and changing trends in the hospitality, meetings, and events industry. Educational sessions include current trends in contracting, event health and security, selling new markets and event design and trends, to highlight a few opportunities. This event will be attended by suppliers, third party meeting planners and corporate events professionals. Networking opportunities include exploring the expo, setting sales meetings and attending networking breakfasts/lunches as well as special events hosted for MPI NCC members. Levi’s Stadium Special Events clients such as Kaiser Permanente (TPMG), Prestige Global, AMAZE’ Events and PRA will be in attendance. This is an added opportunity to connect and continue to build client relationships in a professional atmosphere.
The Levi’s Stadium Special Events sales team would like to attend this event to network with local event planners focused on corporate, association and social markets with a goal of generating potential new partnerships for Levi’s Stadium.
We are requesting approv al to register two sales team members at the discounted MPI member rate of $600.00 as well as parking to attend the conference for $42.
Total event expense not to exceed $642
Non-NFL Events Marketing Budget – Special Events
- Budget Category: Events, Conferences, Client Meetings
More details on the event can be found here:
https://www.mpi.org/chapters/northern-
california/education-events/event/2022/04/05/130default-calendar/race-to-ace-2022
Meeting Professionals International Northern California Chapter (MPINCC) Annual Gala Event Date: July 26th, 2022
With over 500 members, MPINCC is one of the largest MPI chapters in the world. It consistently produces dynamic and original programs geared to the unique needs of the Northern California meetings industry.
As members of MPINCC, Levi’s Stadium Special Events becomes part o f an organization dedicated to the success of the events and hospitality industry both local and global. MPINCC provides opportunity for networking and business growth, industry education , certification and marketing opportunities through sponsorship.
MPINCC hosts an annual gala to recognize chapter member’s, volunteers, and leaders for exemplary participation with the organization. The annual gala is attended by suppliers and planners from the Bay Area. Attendees gather to support the chapter and its members, network for business opportunities and amplify brand recognition.
This year, a member of the Levi’s Stadium Special Events department is nominated for the award of “Member of the Year”. We are asking to have our team attend the Gala to network w ith clients both prospective and current, support our local MPI Chapter and celebrate the recognition of our team member.
We are requesting approval to register four team members , 2 members and 2 non -members, for an amount of $524.00. This budget includes early bird pricing for registration before Friday, July 15 th.
Total: $524
Non-NFL Events Marketing Budget – Special Events
- Budget Category: Events, Conferences, Client Meetings A link has been provided for more information:
MPINCC Celebration 2022
Unique Venues Marketing Campaign Package:
Unique Venues is a marketing organization committed to bringing together one of a kind event venue with meeting planners who are looking for something new. Unique Venues represents thousands of non- traditional properties throughout the United States and Canada for a variety of both traditional and nontraditional events. Event venue types include stadiums and arenas, colleges and universities, conference and business centers and historical venues.
Unique Venues offers a multitude of marketing products including a magazine, website, lead generation marketing as well as educational conferences. During the pandemic, Unique Venues became a leader in online education and support for event planners, administrative professionals, human resource professionals. They supported the entire hospitality industry by providing free education and forums to learn, share ideas and support health and wellness to an industry that was decimated by the pandemic. Because of the good work and support Unique Venues provided the industry, the industry has in turn supported them and has grown their viewership, database and partners.
Our currents partnership with Unique Venues has provided over 50 qualified leads in the last 8 months (January 2022 – August 2022) and over 560 profile views (reported through the Unique Venues website.) The leads have been added to our Special Events prospecting database and the profile views continue to amplify Levi’s® Stadium as a first-class meetings and events venue on a national level.
Levi’s® Stadium has worked with Unique Venues to develop a compressive package to fit within the marketing budget tied to digital and email marketing for 2022. The package includes two separate email campaigns sent to 48,000 planners throughout the U.S. and Canada before March 31, 2023, an expanded profile on the Unique Venues website (including top tier positioning), and a Google campaign to target holiday bookings. The total spend for this package is $4,890. As a result of a nurtured and collaborative partnership between Levi’s® Stadium Special Events and Unique Venues, a fee of $2,395 for top tier website listing has been waived. Total package value: $7,285.
The climate of the event industry has changed, and clients are booking events within a shorter window than ever before. Looking ahead we plan to use one email campaign for the upcoming holiday season, and another in late winter to focus on 2023 bookings. Although the climate has changed, the need to gather for meetings and events is growing stronger and “unique venues” like Levi’s Stadium are the focus for many planners who are looking for indoor/outdoor venues with a special “wow” factor.
Non-NFL Marketing Budget: Special Events
Budget Category: Event Expenses/Advertising
Spend Request: $4,890
Connect Marketplace: Connect West - Conference Registration Connect Meetings is a leading resource for events professionals looking to source events, network and continue their education. Connect Meetings brings together the most active planners, suppliers and experts across multiple meetings and events industry markets. At these conferences, event professionals connect with peers, learn from experts, and participate in a “Hosted Buyer” program which is a series of one-on-one meetings between planners and suppliers.
Connect West is a conference hosted for planners specifically interested in California, Arizona, and Nevada as event destinations. This year Connect West will take place in San Francisco on November 9 th – 10th.
Over the two days, event planners will gather to meet with suppliers to plan future events in the Western U.S. Event Planners and industry suppliers will be matched up in a curated appointment system, providing each participant with quality time to connect on specific needs by removing the vetting process from the meeting itself. Event Planners with prospective business are pre- qualified and bring open RFP’s in order to participate. Past and current corporate participants include companies such as Stryker, First Republic, Amazon, REI Corporate, Visa, Intel, Gilead, Polycom and Alpha Graphic Corporate.
Levi’s Stadium Special Events is requesting approval to register one Sales Manager for Connect West to participate in the hosted buyer program, network with industry leaders and participate in continued education in hospitality and event sales. The cost of registration for this conference is $3,450, not including travel expenses. Connect West is a two-day conference so additional expenses will include a one-night hotel stay along with per diem food and beverage and other pre-approved travel related expenses.
Non-NFL Marketing Budget: Special Events
Budget Category: Events, Conferences, Client Meetings
Requested Spend: $3,813.74
Website provided for additional information:
https://www.connectmeetings.com/
All Things Meetings Sales Event – October 27th, 2022
Levi’s Stadium has participated as an exhibitor at All Things Meetings since 2018. All Things Meetings is an events industry networking program that hosts approximately 300 qualified Bay Area and Silicon Valley event planners, corporate event professionals, independent planners, and destination marketing professionals. Over 100 venues and industry suppliers exhibit at the event with the goal of connecting with planners and event professionals on future business opportunities. Compared with other sales and networking events hosted in the Bay Area, All Things Meetings typically has a high volume of qualified planners interested in sourcing unique venues like Levi’s Stadium.
After attending All Things Meetings in 2021, Levi’s Stadium Special Events received two leads which resulted in $238,000 in booked revenue. In addition to the event bookings, we received inquiries from companies such as Nasdaq, Stanford Healthcare, PayPal and Western Digital and continued outreach and communications with contacts from All Things Meetings.
This year’s All Things Meetings reception and trade show will take place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View California. The cost of registration for this event is $1,300 which includes an exhibitor table and access to the planner attendee list, which becomes a valuable outbound sales tool.
Total event expense not to exceed: $1,300
Non-NFL Events Marketing Budget – Special Events
- Budget Category: Events, Conferences, Client Meetings
More information on All Things Meetings can be found here: https://www.allthingsmeetings.com/
Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Convening Leaders Conference:
As part of PCMA’s membership of over 10,000 event professionals and students, members gain premium access to provocative executive-level education, face-to-face networking and business intelligence. Member engagement takes place online and in person with PCMA on a global level, as well as locally through one of the 17 chapters in the United States, Canada, and Mexico or regional networks in EMEA, APAC, and Latin America.
Each year, PCMA hosts their Convening Leaders Conference. This year Convening Leaders 2023 will focus on new ideas in the event industry and actionable pathways to meet challenges, offering peer-to-peer exchanges to fully understand industry expectations to deliver a high impact result. The days and evenings include various research and networking opportunities as well as leading-edge educational seminars to support the growth and development of the attendees.
The Levi’s Stadium Special Events department would like to send the lead Sales Manager this year as both a sales networking opportunity and an professional development opportunity. The Sales Manager is a member of the Northern California Chapter of PCMA partners and will be included in education, peer-to-peer networking, community outreach, professional recognition, and many other opportunities for members. PCMA’s Northern California Chapter serves 200+ members from San Francisco Bay area, Silicon Valley, Monterey Bay, Sacramento and Central Valley.
The cost to attend this conference would be absorbed in the 2022 Special Events Sales & Marketing budget under the category “Events, Conferences, & Client Meetings.” No additional budget dollars are being requested.
A link has been provided for additional information:
https://northerncalifornia.pcma.org/
https://conveningleaders.org/
Dates: January 8-11th 2023
Total: $2,013.91
Registration Costs: $724
Estimated Travel Expenses: $1,289.91 (airfare, hotel, meals) Special Events Budget Category: Events, Conference, Client Meetings