ON TRACK

The Host Committee’s sponsorship sales initiatives hit a new gear

By Hy Cotten

Thursday, July 29, 2010 - 11:41am

A thundering turnout of more than 120 North Texas CEOs highlighted the first event of its kind Wednesday evening at the SONY Lounge inside Cowboys Stadium.

The initial Orientation for the regional’s corporate leadership was unlike anything in previous Super Bowl history.

“It was historic,” said Bill Lively, President & CEO of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee. “CEOs from many of the largest companies in North Texas attended. That kind of response from that level of corporate leadership and expertise was remarkable.”

Host Committee members Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach joined Lively to make the presentation and inform North Texas’ top business leaders how they can actively participate in the area’s first-ever Super Bowl in February 2011.

The meeting punctuates the Host Committee’s ambitious, fund-raising approach that threatens to topple any previous Super Bowl record.

The Host Committee to date has procured $14 million in confirmed revenue from all sources — Founding Sponsorships, grants, sponsorships of less than $1 million, and contract driven revenue that was confirmed during the bid process when the game was awarded to North Texas.

Despite nationwide economic woes, Lively said, “We are pretty much on the schedule we thought we would be on in total revenue generation at the end of 2009. It’s hard to predict the mix of the revenue because we’ve never had a recession of this severity in our lifetimes, we’ve never had a Super Bowl here in the history of the region, and we’ve never had any kind of operation like this to make it all work.”

Lively later emphasized, “To have raised $14 million in total revenue, in this economy, with no track record and an infrastructure that became operative in January of this year, is really very remarkable. I feel very good about where we are.”

The goal, Lively said, is to nail down the Founding Sponsors by the end of this 2009 NFL season. Nine are confirmed, leaving six. But that’s not all.

“We’ve activated the second tier leadership program earlier than we anticipated and it’s worked out very, very well,” Lively said. “So, we might sell more of the ‘second tiers’ ahead of the Founders. We just don’t know yet.

“We do know that one of the obstacles in front of us that has been an undeniable resistance to urgency is the next Super Bowl (XLIV in South Florida at this season’s end). Until XLIV is played, there’s not a sense of urgency here. Our game is still one removed. Once we are on the clock, we expect to see even more interest than we’ve already experienced.”

Every Super Bowl Host Committee has conceded there’s a greater awareness in a region once everyone realizes the very next Super Bowl belongs to them. Until then, the entire North Texas region is invited to come aboard now.

“We’ve taken inventory of all the assets that we can award,” Lively said. “We have 45 sponsorships for the 45th Super Bowl, and they range from $1 million to $120,000. The reason they stop at 45 is, once we’ve confirmed those 45 sponsors at cost thresholds, we’ve allocated all of our tickets, all of our hospitality invitations and everything else that we have.

“We have no idea when we will hit that 45 because we’ve never had a game like this here before. It could be the second quarter of next year; it could be right before the game. We just don’t know. It’s hard to gauge it.”

Meanwhile, the Host Committee continues to enjoy great feedback and response from a region that loves its businesses and its football.

“The success that we’re experiencing right now is impressive,” Lively said. “We generated three sponsorships last week that are less than $1 million but that equate to almost $900,000. That’s not insignificant. And we are about to confirm another million-dollar sponsorship in the next few days.”

Lively gives full credit to two standing committees comprised of local corporate volunteers. One is the Sponsorship Development Action Team co-chaired by Mike Berry of Fort Worth and George Killebrew of Dallas.

“We have area business leaders, women and men, on that Team,” Lively said, “and they have been just tremendous in identifying corporations to be invited to become sponsors, making appointments, going on those appointments, following up on sponsorships. They have been extraordinary, and they’ll continue their support to the end. Their goal is to confirm not less than $5 million of sponsorships of less than $1 million. They’ve already got almost $1 million, and they’ve just started.

“The other committee, the Founding Sponsorship Final Phase Action Team, is just starting. It’s chaired by Charlotte Anderson and has 12 corporate leaders from around the region, and its goal is to confirm the six remaining Founding Sponsors. 

Their focus is entirely on the $1 Million Founding Sponsorships.

“When we get this group activated on December 1, they’ll work before the holidays, then crank back up in January. The goal is to sell those final six before we get too far into 2010. And I think we will.”

Large gatherings of civic-minded business leaders like the one Wednesday at Cowboys Stadium keep CEOs abreast of the Host Committee’s progress and goals.

Lively said, “We talked about the historic aspects — the size of the committees, the Council of Mayors, legacy aspects like SLANT-45 and the Youth Education Town, Taste of the NFL, the things that will linger long after the game is over, including a more united region.

“Response was really very gratifying because most of these leaders had not had any exposure to the Super Bowl, other than knowing its coming in February 2011.”

Coming indeed. And that February 2011 date? It’s not two years away. Once this next Super Bowl is played in Miami only three months from now, North Texas is on the clock. There’s going to be enormous interest throughout this country and worldwide to see exactly what kind of Super Bowl will be produced in North Texas.

All aboard who are coming aboard.