Month: September 2024
LINKEDIN: Kirta Carroll, President, Legends Global Merchandise named a 2024 Sports Business Journal Game Changer!
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL: Game Changer Kirta Carroll – Legends
Longtime marketing pro Kirta Carroll oversees Legends’ extensive merchandise business, but she didn’t have a direct path to the sports world, first working across industries as varied as health care and luxury fashion. That was until 2011, when Carroll landed at Foot Locker.
Carroll was initially tasked with guiding Foot Locker’s then-nascent efforts with female consumers. She developed marketing strategies and helped roll out custom product launches, including a collaboration between Puma and Rihanna, that ultimately produced record revenue for Foot Locker’s women’s division.
“Hitting that milestone was a really proud moment,” Carroll said. “It was hard, and it took external factors, internal factors, sort of getting the team to believe that we could do it. And being really strategic around how do you grow a segment of the business that is underperforming?”
Carroll spent over a decade at Foot Locker before departing for Legends in August 2022. In leading the Legends Global Merchandise team, comprising more than 1,700 employees around the globe, Carroll oversees relationships with organizations including FIFA, PBR, the PGA and Real Madrid.
She also negotiated Legends’ recent acquisition of AdPro Sports, which strengthened the company’s wholesale and licensing efforts, and led the launch of Legends’ proprietary e-commerce platform. Next up, Carroll is focused on further developing efforts to provide more support for the burgeoning women’s sports space.
“How do we give women’s sports the sort of accelerator that they need from a commercial revenue standpoint?” said Carroll. “We’re starting to see it in some of the partners that we have. … But to me, there’s a lot of upside yet to be had for women’s sports in general, so helping to build that goal forward is something I’m supporting and passionate about.” — Chris Smith
LINKEDIN: The future is bright for our Legends 2024 Class of Rising Stars!
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL: Legends builds out largest ever Fan Shop for Solheim Cup
By Josh Carpenter
A consistent theme in women’s golf in recent years has been to try and elevate all facets of the game to the same levels experienced by men’s players. From major championship courses to TV windows to shot-tracking data.
This week in Virgnia, the merchandise pavilion at the Solheim Cup is more evidence of that trend.
The Solheim Cup Fan Shop, which is being handled by Legends, spans 10,000 square feet, the largest ever for the event. While not at the same scale as some of the men’s tournaments — the PGA Championship pavilion this year was 50,000 square feet — the structure at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club gives off a big-event feel.
“Our goal here was to partner with the LPGA on what’s the most electrifying event in women’s golf,” said Mike Quirk, the chief commercial officer for Legends Global Merchandise. “We go into all of our relationships just trying to paint that picture for them and extend the story or the brand.”
Legends first signed with the LPGA in the spring of 2023 to manage e-commerce sales as well as the merchandise buildout for the Solheim Cup.
“As women’s sports continues to grow, so are the things that are connected to it,” Quirk said. “The size of the tent warrants the level of the event and the attendance they’ll see this week.”
The pavilion this week is being staffed with about 50 volunteers, four college interns and around 10 Legends employees. Brands inside include Dunning, Imperial, Summit Golf Brands/Zero Restriction for the U.S. team and Ping for the Europeans.
Other collaborations include Malbon Golf, Barstool Sports, Lululemon, G-Fore and New Era.
Merchandise is available for both European and U.S. teams, as well as event-specific items and accessories themed to the Northern Virginia and DC areas.
“It connects with the state of Virginia but also with the global presence of the Solheim Cup,” Quirk said. “It’s trying to do both. You’ve got the Solheim brand and the global presence it has, but then also trying to work in the local flavor.”
PRESS RELEASE: ASM Global Opens First All-Electric Conference in the Country Setting a New Standard for Sustainable Meetings and Events
ASM Global, the world’s No. 1 development, full-service venue, and live-events company, has opened the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center (IDCC), the first fully electric conference center in the U.S. With its innovative design and commitment to eco-friendly practices, this new state-of-the-art facility represents a significant advancement in sustainable event hosting and economic development for the region.
The first fully electric conference center in the United States, IDCC meets the performance standards for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Commercial New Construction. It aligns with Ithaca’s Green New Deal aimed to reach community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, as well as ASM Global Acts, the company’s social equity and global sustainability commitment.
“The opening of the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center is an exciting milestone for our community,” said Suzanne Smith Jablonski, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Local
Development Corporation. “After 10 years of creative and innovative collaboration amongst community partners, this versatile venue redefines sustainability for meetings and events. We are grateful to all the stakeholders who shared and supported our vision for this important tourism economic development project, expected to drive nearly $150 million in new direct and induced spending in our community over the next twenty years.”
The Center’s sustainability features include an all-electric, full-production kitchen, air-source heat pumps for space heating, cooling and domestic hot water, energy-efficient lighting, a robust composting system, and an efficient recycling program. The catering menu includes a minimum of 35 percent plant-based options, promoting healthier and more sustainable dining choices. Single-use items have been eliminated, leftover prepared food is repurposed in the Center’s Green on the Go retail store to minimize waste, and fryer oil is reused as fuel for sustainable practices.
Dan Hoffend, Executive Vice President, Convention Centers, ASM Global, said, “Ithaca Downtown Convention Center sets a new bar in meetings and conventions as the first all-electric convention center in the United States. We are thrilled about it being part of ASM Global’s worldwide portfolio and setting the example for the events industry. A key economic driver to the local community, it’s what’s next in sustainability and future-ready venues on the national and global scale.”
IDCC features over 15,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a Grand Ballroom, an Executive Boardroom, up to 12 flexible bi-level meeting rooms, trade show and pre-function space, with nature-inspired color palette and murals of the local scenery. It is steps away from the Ithaca Commons, a vibrant pedestrian mall known for its lively atmosphere and eclectic charm and offers easy access to the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes region.
Kathy Taylor, Ithaca Conference Center general manager, ASM Global, said, “As a resident of this community, I could not be more excited for the opening of this much-awaited gem. Its versatility allows us to bring a wide range of events to Ithaca and introduce their attendees to this amazing region all while showcasing true environmental responsibility and meaningful change.”
