The National Sports Forum is the “largest annual cross gathering of the top team sports marketing, sales, promotions, and event entertainment executives.” The sports industry as a whole comes together to learn from one another in this three day networking event. The Forum includes members of the NFL, MLB, NSL, NHL, NBA, and Minor Leagues, all eager to learn from one another and apply new methods to their teams!
Levy Recognition has been working with sports teams across the spectrum since we opened 50 years ago, so we loved the opportunity to get to know new teams and new people.
This year’s National Sports Forum was held in Portland and drew in over one thousand executives! Thirty-two breakout sessions, eleven Sunday workshops, four super panels and tons of networking events created an event we would recommend to anyone connected to the sports industry.
Not only does the Forum create the perfect networking and learning environment, but they work to recognize those making a difference in sports organizations. As the Official Trophy Partner, we created a total of twenty-one trophies for the Forum: eight Stylus Awards, four Arrowhead Awards, three Gateshead Cups, five Declaration Awards, and one Sammy Award. The Case Cup competition is held for students who are just starting their professional careers in sports. It is a 24-hour competition designed to simulate the real world, fast-paced environment of working in sports. The ADchievement Awards is one of the only sports-specific awards and honors the best advertising campaigns in eight categories. The Stylus Awards and Arrowhead Awards are awarded to the winners of the ADchievement competition. The SAMMY Award stands for Sales Advertising Marketing Management Idea of the Year. The award is granted to an organization that not only had an innovative, new idea, but also generated phenomenal results from that idea; such as increased ticket sales, gaining more sponsorships, and developing new deals.
The winners of this year’s awards were:
ADchievement:
Overall Award of Excellence: Milwaukee Brewers
Best in Print: Sacramento Kings
Best in Alternative Media: Houston Rockets
Best in Sales Collateral: Charlotte Hornets
Best in In-Stadium/ In-Arena: Cleveland Cavaliers
Best in Out-of-Home: Philadelphia Eagles
Best in Television: Oakland Athletics
Best in Social/ Mobile Media: Utah Jazz
Best in Internet/ Web-Based: San Francisco 49ers
Case Cup Winners:
First Place: Ohio University
Runner-Up: George Washington University
SAMMY winner:
Milwaukee Brewers
As not only a sponsor, but a vendor at the NSF, Levy had a fabulous time! We want to thank NSF for their hard work in creating an event that pulls in sports organization from all genres. Here’s to next year’s adventures!
To see all the fun from this year’s event, head over to NSF’s Facebook page!