Rebel Marketing department has been through rough times

Steve Carp

Friday, March 27, 1998 | 9:09 a.m.

Steve Stallworth can't get the image out of his mind.

A woman is leaving a football game at Sam Boyd Stadium decked out in UNLV gear, lugging two turkeys she won in a promotional giveaway. Apparently she had a good time, even though the Rebels had lost in overtime to San Jose State, 55-48.

"We need more people like her," Stallworth, the former UNLV quarterback who heads up the school's sports marketing division, says admiringly.

But there's another image Stallworth would like to erase from the memory bank. UNLV is playing Eastern Michigan in a three-quarters empty Thomas & Mack Center during the first round of the Preseason NIT.

Although the Rebels win, the attendance that night -- 4,692 -- was reminiscent of the Rollie Massimino Era when the Rebels would play the likes of Adelphi to thousands of empty red seats.

The decision was made not to include the NIT game in the Rebel basketball season ticket package. People who assumed they had tickets to the game learned they didn't and opted to stay home.

Such is the roller coaster ride that is UNLV's sports marketing division. In the two years it has existed, it has been through its share of ups and downs.

One day, the "Rebel Experience" at Sam Boyd Stadium is lauded as a progressive step in the right direction. The next, Stallworth and his department is taken to task for a bogus promotion during a timeout that has a buxom woman attempting to catch a beach ball dropped from the Thomas & Mack rafters so she can win a cellular phone.

One instant, there are reports of record revenues. The next, longtime scholarship donors are railing over the cost of their seats being raised, in order to comply with the school's "equitizing" plan -- where everyone pays the same value for the same seat.

"There are always conflicts in marketing," Stallworth said. "I have no problem with making mistakes as long as we're going 100 mph. I'd rather do that than sit on our hands and do nothing."

Unique setup

Unlike most schools where the athletic department is in total control of its sports marketing operations, UNLV has entrusted the Thomas & Mack staff to handle sales, ticketing and promotions for its football and men's basketball teams. The remaining sports remain under the athletic department's direction.

When athletic director Charles Cavagnaro came on board three years ago, there wasn't much of a sports marketing operation in place within the athletic department. The T&M, however, had an operational department working for years and after talking to Thomas & Mack director Pat Christenson, Cavagnaro agreed to let the arena handle the athletic department's two major sports.

In return, the athletic department was guaranteed a minimum of $3.5 million in revenue from ticket sales plus a percentage of corporate sales. Cavagnaro estimates close to $5.5 million will make it into the athletic department's coffers this year.

"The resources were there and we would have been crazy not to take advantage of it," Cavagnaro said.

Christenson also believes it's working.

"The athletic department was facing a situation where costs were going up and it had to find a way to meet those costs," Christenson said. "Our revenues had to meet the cost of doing business."

Before the sports marketing department was formed, the T&M and the athletic department would vie for the same corporate dollars and individual donors.

Now, one entity does all the pitching and it's a smoother operation.

"The proof is in the pudding," Cavagnaro said. "There was an opportunity to use the Thomas & Mack's strengths and it's $5 million in projected revenues, at least, to the (athletic) department."

Money in, money out

It costs money to bring in money and Stallworth's department's budget is close to $1 million. That includes salaries for his marketing people, sales staff, VIP and broadcast services and sports information.

However, consider how the estimated $5.5 million in revenues was achieved this year. The scholarship donor program, which had been in existence long before the sports marketing concept was implemented at UNLV, raised $4.5 million, up from $3.9 million the year before.

There's little doubt the success of Bill Bayno's basketball team had much to do with the increased interest. Throw in the extra revenue generated by the equitizing program and you have the lion's share of revenue.

Subtract that from the $5.5 million and you have approximately $1 million in additional revenue. But given the department's budget is nearly $1 million, you're spending virtually as much as you bring in. So where is the great increase in revenue?

Stallworth said sports marketing is paying its bills while putting the athletic department in a debt-free environment. He points to the $140,000 in corporate sales as a positive which the athletic department gets without lifting a finger.

"We're hitting or exceeding our projections in most cases," he said. "We're constantly looking for ways to generate money and we've had clients and customers step up to the plate."

Still, the deciding factor is the scholarship donor program. Without it, UNLV would be dead in the water, something no one denies. To that end, Christenson and Stallworth are emphasizing better services for the school's most valued customers and making sure their needs are met.

Tone it down

The marketing team also is responsible for the promotions at Rebel basketball games.

Some, like the "Saturn Shootout" where a fan has to make four shots from various spots on the court within a minute for a chance to win the use of a car for a year, are very popular. Others aren't as well-received.

"Any time you bring bodies on the floor, it's a hit-or-miss proposition," Stallworth said. "We're constantly evaluating our promotions to see what works and what doesn't."

After receiving several complaints about the woman and the "Powerball Drop," Cavagnaro told Stallworth and his people to tone it down.

"I think we have to have a blend of the corporate and the college," Cavagnaro said. "Some things work. Some don't. But I think we've learned from the mistakes and I feel comfortable that we're providing a good blend of the traditional and the new."

That means more time for the UNLV pep band as well as the "Rebel Girls" dance team and cheerleaders. The band may have started a new tradition as the fans have come to sing along during the playing of "Viva Las Vegas."

"We don't do anything without Charlie's knowledge and approval," Stallworth said. "He brought some things to our attention during the basketball season and we made the necessary adjustments."

Fun experience

A lot of sports marketing's efforts have come in football. The centerpiece of those efforts is the "Rebel Experience" at the stadium.

Christenson and community relations head Terry Cottle were watching a couple of years ago when Wisconsin brought thousands of fans to Las Vegas. They saw that having a place for fans to congregate, eat, drink and have fun made the game more enjoyable.

Part of the Sam Boyd Stadium parking lot was converted into an area where fans could listen to live bands, buy a beer, sit at a table and hang out. There were interactive games for kids.

Local businesses got involved and the area became a hot spot on game day -- even with a football team that finished 3-8.

There also have been quality giveaway items at both football and basketball games. Fans have walked away with caps, thermal mugs, notepad cubes and photo cubes. At the final football game, 1,000 turkeys were given away.

Just over 6,000 showed up for that Nov. 22 game with San Jose State, which meant one out of every six people who attended the game left the stadium with Thanksgiving dinner.

Coach Jeff Horton is appreciative of the efforts on behalf of his football program. Even the attempt to sell 10,000 season tickets at $35 a pop which petered out in the summer (netting just 3,500) wasn't a wasted effort.

"I look at it as 3,500 more tickets we had than if we had done nothing," Horton said. "From when I came here five years ago to where we are today, we've come a long way.

"We've got our (1998) posters and schedule cards out already. We're trying to market football. The "Rebel Experience" has been great. I think they're trying. And as a coach that's all you can ask."

Others shortchanged?

Such isn't the case with the school's Olympic Sports. Stallworth's department is not mandated to assist with baseball, soccer or volleyball, though there has been a recent attempt to sell baseball season tickets through the department.

Baseball coach Rod Soesbe looks out at Wilson Stadium from his office window at the Lied Athletic Complex and wonders what can be done to get more people out to watch a team which has been nationally ranked this year.

"There are people who would love to come out and watch us," Soesbe said. "We need to do a better job of getting them out. We should have 2,000 here every game."

Soesbe said between youth baseball and senior citizens, Wilson Stadium shouldn't be a sea of empty red seats.

"I've paid twice to bring people here from Sun City (Summerlin) and they had a great time," he said. "We got a bus for them, drove them out here, gave them a seat, a media guide and a soda and some popcorn and they loved it."

Soccer coach Barry Barto wonders how a city with 15,000 kids playing youth soccer can be oblivious to the local university's team. His answer is right in front of him.

"We have a sports marketing group at the Thomas & Mack," he said. "Let them manage sports marketing for all the teams or take that money and give it to the coaches and let them market their own teams."

Barto actually did that a few years ago. He hired someone part-time to help him get youth soccer groups out to Peter Johann Field and also solicit national and local businesses to become Rebel soccer sponsors.

The result was crowds over 1,000 and extra revenue for the program. However, that option disappeared when Jim Weaver took over as athletic director in 1992 and it hasn't changed under Cavagnaro. But changes may be forthcoming.

"I have been disappointed in our lack of success in Olympic Sports marketing," Cavagnaro said. "We've got Steve's people helping with women's basketball for next year and we may try to incorporate more teams if it works."

Future plans

One thing about marketing is that it's not an exact science. You can expect more tinkering over the summer with new ideas emerging in the fall.

Stallworth said a "Rebel Value Card" will be distributed to all season ticket-holders providing discounts on goods and services. There's also talk of a card that would give fans points, much like a casino slot club promotion, that would apply toward discounts on UNLV merchandise.

The basketball team's visibility in Southern California was revived thanks to Fox Sports West 2 televising games from the Thomas & Mack to Los Angeles. That will continue next season. There also may be a local Spanish broadcast of Rebel basketball home games.

Stallworth said the "Touchdown Club," which had local fans acting as ticket reps to get friends to buy those $35 football season tickets, will be brought back. The goal remains to sell 10,000 of those tickets.

You may see fewer corporate sponsors and fewer on-the-court promotions as the school tries to find the right balance for presenting college basketball in the '90s.

"Sure, things have fallen through the cracks at times," Cavagnaro said. "But we've learned from our mistakes. We're trying and we're working together."

Christenson said: "Anyone will tell you you're going to fail once in a while. But to combine all the cynergies we have here, I truly believe this is a concept that works and everyone benefits from it."

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