Innovative Partnerships Group is honored to have been chosen as one of 2023 & 2024's Best Employers to Work for in Sports by Front Office Sports. We are proud to be included as part of this exclusive group of sports employers judged based on leadership, commitment to diversity and inclusion, employee wellbeing and more. According to the Front Office Sports, we were counted among the top %15 of companies out of 200 surveyed.
At Innovative Partnerships Group, we are committed to our partners to consistently produce innovative solutions and to our employees to foster individual growth. We nourish community and collaboration that cultivates innovation and allows our employees the freedom to optimize their own productivity and pursue their own creative instincts.
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to high-level projects at a young, but rapidly-growing company. We are looking for individuals that are willing to embody our culture and mission, embrace responsibility and progress with us to the next level.
Read more at the Front Office Sports website
From the Front Office Sports website about
Established in 2019, the Best Employers in Sports Award recognizes organizations across the sports industry that are doing the best for their employees.
ABOUT THE AWARD
Established in 2019, the Best Employers in Sports Award recognizes organizations across the sports industry that are doing the best for their employees.
Whether it’s great leadership, commitment to diversity and inclusion, employee wellbeing, or philanthropic/social endeavors, the Best Employers in Sports Award looks to recognize organizations who do right by their employees.
METHODOLOGY
Working with our primary research partner, Canvs, we developed a survey with a specific set of open-ended questions designed to uncover how employees truly feel about their employer and rate their likelihood to recommend to a friend or family member.
The ranking system consists of two categories of questions: closed-ended and open-ended. Closed-ended responses consist of single answer questions and an analysis of the percentage of employees within each company that engaged in the survey.
Canvs AI also analyzes the emotions behind employee’s open-ended responses and determines if they mention specific keywords. Responses are also searched for multiple specific keywords and phrases (such as leadership, equity, or opportunities for advancement) and analyzes the sentiment surrounding them.
Once the survey is complete, all responses are analyzed, datasets are normalized, and bespoke weighting is applied to each category to come up with a single score for each company. Companies with the highest scores indicate the Best Employers in Sports.
DaBella Becomes First Portland Timbers Jersey Partner Since 2011
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative Partnerships Group, a global leader in naming rights and sponsorships, was the agency of record for the new naming rights agreement between the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Portland-based DaBella, a home improvement services leader. The multi-year partnership marks the first-ever foray into sponsorship for DaBella.
Representatives from the Portland Timbers, DaBella and Innovative Partnerships Group gather for the jersey partnership announcement at Providence Park in Portland, OR
Innovative Partnerships Group was retained by the Timbers in March to secure the club's first jersey partner since its inception in 2011. DaBella's branding will be prominently featured on all home, away and specialty game kits and club apparel.
"We selected Innovative Partnerships Group because of their proven track record and their enthusiasm for this project, despite a relatively ambitious timeline," said Heather Davis, Timbers CEO. "IPG has a deep understanding of the sports and soccer landscape and a really talented team that delivers tremendous value for their clients."
As "Official Home Improvement Partner" of the Portland Timbers, DaBella aims to further strengthen its Portland community ties by supporting Stand Together Week, the Portland Timbers Community Fund, and all Timbers Youth Camps. DaBella will spearhead an exciting addition to the fan experience as well via "DaBella House," a semi-permanent, in-stadium structure, that will be the centerpiece of a new in-game, seat upgrade promotion called "Best Seat in the House."
"We could not be more thrilled to have this opportunity with the Timbers," said Donnie McMillan, Jr., DaBella Founder and CEO. "We did not view Innovative Partnerships Group as just a sales agency, but as a true business partner who helped our team understand the intangibles and non-traditional metrics that will allow us to substantially grow market-share and scale nationally."
Innovative Partnerships Group's executive team has a proven track record of assisting global sports property rights holders in generating billions of dollars in long-term naming rights and sponsorship revenue over the past 25+ years. Jeff Marks, CEO of Innovative Partnerships Group, noted, "This is a perfect example of how our company's Innovation Studio, a collaboration of business development, creative solutions, valuation and IP/asset creation, helped bring this deal together. It's a real testament to both the Timbers and DaBella of trusting our process and ultimately becoming an excellent match for one another."
According to Daniel Cassidy, VP of Partnerships for Innovative Partnerships Group, "We quickly noticed DaBella's Oregon roots and its commitment to local communities. But given its expanding national footprint, we persuaded DaBella on the power of MLS, its media partnership with Apple TV and the upcoming 2026 World Cup as a platform to leverage the jersey naming rights in top markets around the country."
Innovative Partnerships Group has extensive roots in soccer. The Timbers marks the seventh MLS jersey partnership for their executive team. Innovative Partnerships Group was the first AOR for the Canadian Premier League, working on founding league and jersey partnerships. and is currently the agency of record for FC Barcelona's Espai Barça project in a multi-year collaboration.
About Innovative Partnerships Group
Innovative Partnerships Group is a global leader in developing long-term, revenue-generating business relationships among the most prestigious professional sports team, entertainment properties and global brands.
The company has been recognized on several occasions in recent years by Sports Business Journal as one of the leading sports marketing agencies in this industry. Innovative Partnerships Group has its breakthrough Partnership Intelligence™ system that allows both properties and brands to maximize their return on sponsorship partnerships. For more information, visit www.ipg360.com.
SOURCE Innovative Partnerships Group
Innovative Partnerships Group (IPG360) is looking for a Business Development Coordinator to join our fast-growing, start-up at the intersection of sports, entertainment, real-estate and technology.
An innovative thinker, this individual will be working closely with the Managing Director / Partner and other executives of the company to organize executive calendars and support the Consultative Business Development studio to build effective processes for revenue generating initiatives for the Company. With strong instincts and a “get stuff done” mindset, this candidate will demonstrate an ability to proactively anticipate executive needs, promote collaboration between leadership and the team to drive efficiency throughout the organization, and galvanize business development activities.
Innovative Partnerships Group is a leading commercial consulting and analytics firm at the intersection of sports and entertainment and more. Our focus is on long-term revenue generation through partnership marketing. Our firm is a globally recognized organization that consults with prestige properties and as well as global brands to help maximize their sponsorship/partnership investments. We hold deep expertise in B2B partnerships, naming rights, foundational and sponsorship partnerships with a focus on sports and entertainment districts. We successfully execute on these partnerships through its proprietary Partnership Intelligence software that provides quantitative results for media and programs/platforms as well as the direct/indirect revenue potential for both properties and brands. Additional information is available at www.ipg360.com
At Innovative Partnerships Group, our core values are what bring us together and drive us to do big things for our partners. We commit to excellence for our clients, inspire, have fun, collaborate through leadership and always, act with empathy and respect. We are looking for the right individual to embody these values and communicate them to the future recruits.
To apply, send your PDF resume and cover letter to hr@ipg360.com.
Innovative Partnerships Group is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy or any other legally-recognized protected basis under Federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.
Innovative Partnerships Group is dedicated to providing team member with a workplace the is free of drugs and alcohol. While on Company premises, where during work time or non-work time, team members are prohibited from being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Innovative Partnerships Group is looking for innovative thinkers to join our 2026 Internship Program. Candidates must have a business-minded approach with a versatile skill set, strong instincts, and a ‘get stuff done’ mindset. Interns will have the opportunity to work closely with all Innovative Partnerships Group studios (Consultative Business Development, Valuation & Consulting, Creative Solutions, Partnership Solutions and IP & Asset Creation).
Our interns in the Consultative Business Development department will primarily support IPG’s CEO and Business Development team members in activities focused on lead generation, prospect research, proposal development, and outbound sales efforts. Additional time will be spent with the Account Management team where you will be able to learn from best-in-class professionals on how to build relationships with clients, develop strategies, and effectively plan, manage, & execute projects.
Innovative Partnerships Group is a leading commercial consulting and analytics firm at the intersection of sports and entertainment and more. Our focus is on long-term revenue generation through partnership marketing. Our firm is a globally recognized organization that consults with prestige properties and as well as global brands to help maximize their sponsorship/partnership investments. We hold deep expertise in B2B partnerships, naming rights, foundational and sponsorship partnerships with a focus on sports and entertainment districts. We successfully execute on these partnerships through its proprietary Partnership Intelligence software that provides quantitative results for media and programs/platforms as well as the direct/indirect revenue potential for both properties and brands. Additional information is available at www.ipg360.com
At Innovative Partnerships Group, our core values are what bring us together and drive us to do big things for our partners. We commit to excellence for our clients, inspire, have fun, collaborate through leadership and always, act with empathy and respect. We are looking for the right individual to embody these values and communicate them to the future recruits.
To apply, please send your PDF resume along with a written response to the following prompt to hr@ipg360.com
Applications for Summer 2026 are now open.
Please follow the instructions above to APPLY! We will also have a later start date available to accommodate for varying school schedules.
Innovative Partnerships Group’s team of consultants, data analysts, and marketing scientists have been on the cutting edge of partnership valuation for brands and monitors the trends in the sponsorship industry. We have performed dozens of naming rights and sponsorship valuations, and over the past 12-18 months have had many clients, industry leaders and decision makers note there was a massive void in the market on data and trends related to credit unions and sponsorship.
This inaugural “Sponsorship and Naming Rights Survey” is the first time that a company has taken an in-depth look at sponsorship, naming rights trends and best practices to help credit unions maximize their sponsorship investments and understand critical best practices when negotiating and executing partnerships. The results provide benchmarking research and actionable insights to decision makers who support and influence future partnership marketing activities.
More than 135 million people are now members of credit unions in the United States, up 44% from a decade ago. More telling, however, is credit union assets have more than doubled during that same period to $2.19 trillion. Overall credit union marketing budgets have exceeded asset growth levels, but are still relatively low compared with major financial service companies. And yet credit unions are one of the fastest growing sponsorship and naming rights categories in the industry for sports teams and universities due to expanding partnership efforts.
Committing significant portions of marketing budgets to sponsorships is new for some organizations. All survey participants reported that sponsorships have been added to their marketing programs within the past 20 years. As budgets have increased, credit unions have sought non-traditional forms of media to reach out-of-home audiences while complementing existing social/digital marketing channels. As credit unions become larger and more comprehensive financial institutions, their mass appeal has opened new avenues for marketing and partnerships.
PARTICIPANTS
This survey was conducted from April to July, 2023. Twenty-three (23) credit unions provided in-depth responses about their sponsorships and naming rights partnerships, representing a diverse group of credit unions both geographically (across 15 states in all regions of the country) and economically. Many credit unions, including some in the survey, have been expanding fields of membership and altering charters to drive growth. Notably, six of the credit unions surveyed made a change to their fields of membership within the past year.
KEY FINDINGS
The results of the inaugural study uncovered a demand for sponsorships and naming rights by credit unions. Participants look for metrics and qualitative/quantitative results to help them maximize their significant investments in sponsorship and naming rights as a percentage of their media/marketing mix. Measurement is a challenge to credit unions who typically look at traditional media channels like digital, social, OOH, radio and TV/broadcast for data.
MARKETING
Overall, typical budgets ranged up to $20 million annually. Traditional paid media accounts for less than 50% of marketing expenditures for the vast majority of those surveyed. The majority of credit unions allocate 26-50% of marketing budgets to sponsorships and an even higher percentage consider sponsorships to be a “very” important part of the overall marketing mix. This is because sponsorships offer a mix of traditional paid media advertising along with affinity marketing.
When asked about views on sponsorship asset categories, media assets were ranked highest among respondents with assets greater than $1.5 billion. Intellectual property was the most polarizing category. It was ranked highest and lowest by four credit unions each among the 14 credit unions with $1.5 billion in assets or more. That reflects the importance of tailoring partnerships to satisfy individual marketing objectives.
In contrast, small credit unions (those with less than $1.5 billion in assets) ranked intellectual property rights as the most important and media assets as least important.
Among individual asset categories, exclusivity ranked highest despite two credit unions giving it the lowest score possible. It was nearly universally recognized as the most effective element to drive return on sponsorship dollars. Other powerful assets were social media, promotions, on-site activations and public relations.
SPONSORSHIP
Sports is the dominant category among the types of credit union sponsorships, followed by universities, non-profits and venues. philanthropic efforts and community events.
For sports, collegiate teams are the most frequent partners for credit unions. While athletics represent one of the highest affinity groups with broad appeal, there were significant numbers of deals with student bodies and alumni associations. Alumni associations may be a potential group for credit unions to target within a university as these organizations can offer memberships that align with credit union demographics and offer penetration outside its hometown market.
MEMBERS & EMPLOYEES
We asked credit unions to assess their members’ and employees’ awareness of their sponsorships. Credit union members need a high level of engagement with their institutions given their local community ties and niche membership groups. Large national banks and other financial institutions may have a more difficult time establishing an authentic connection with consumers.
The results show that credit unions have a lower awareness than what is deemed to be reasonably acceptable in sponsorship measurement. There is an opportunity to strengthen sponsorship activation and measurement programs to more adequately measure the unaided brand awareness of sponsorship which is one of the most critical elements of sponsorship.
Another key stakeholder group is the credit union employees. The majority of those surveyed indicated that employees are aware of partnerships, although the numbers decline slightly when asked if employees are positively impacted. Many of the sponsorship deals are focused and aligned with marketing goals and employee benefits are a secondary consideration. About half of those surveyed leverage partnerships through volunteerism, tickets, etc. This may be an underutilized area of partnership activation, which has been traditionally focused on brand awareness.
Activations are an additional cost for partnerships that must be considered to maximize value. Most credit unions dedicated 50% or less of a sponsorship fee to activation.
NAMING RIGHTS
About two-thirds of those surveyed have at least one naming rights partnership. Credit union services are included in rights deals, but credit unions frequently offer more robust financial services. Exclusivity, which is usually a key component of deals for larger categories such as automotive and beverage, is important for credit unions - but only half of those who have naming rights partnerships include category exclusivity in the “credit unions” category for all deals while others include it in some of the time. The numbers decline for the broader banking category and financial services category designations.
BEST PRACTICES
Looking forward, credit union marketing executives are constantly looking for new ways to engage consumers. Media is a fragmented industry, but it’s possible to leverage different media channels combined with on-site activations and digital/mobile banking offerings to provide robust partnership opportunities. In addition, rights holders in emerging markets or with access to unique demographics that align with credit unions should seek ways to partner. Lastly, although the responsibility to measure a partnership could fall on both parties, credit unions desire better metrics that can be delivered more frequently to measure effectiveness.
To register for the 2024 Credit Union Sponsorship Survey, or to request a copy of the full Executive Summary, please email Jeff Dimond at jdimond@ipg360.com.
*Innovative Partnerships Group served as the third-party administrator of the survey and held participants’ data in the strictest confidence. The questions in this survey were reviewed by a Steering Committee made up of executives from a select group of credit unions in order to ensure accuracy, relevance, and ability to make an impact for those participating.
Municipalities
City of Charlotte
The City of Charlotte is looking to undertake a number of large, city-defining initiatives, including an Innovation Park and a mixed-use District within the downtown core of the city. Bringing the right partners to the development is key in the District’s long-term success. Innovative Partnerships Group conducted an analysis on the commercial viability of assets within the city, specifically within the mixed-use Sports and Entertainment District around the Hornets’ new training center.
Bison World (Jamestown, North Dakota)
Innovative Partnerships Group was engaged by the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation to create a viable commercial sales strategy and roadmap for Bison World, a planned “destination attraction” and the first theme park centered around Bison, America’s national mammal. Located in Jamestown, ND (“Buffalo City”), Bison World is scheduled to open in 2026 and the theme park is expected to become a tourism gateway for the state with a variety of high value assets for new Naming Rights and Founding Partners.
Sports Clients
Portland Timbers Front of Jersey Sponsorship
Innovative Partnerships Group was retained by The Portland Timbers for their most coveted asset – the Front of Jersey sponsorship – for the first time since its inception. Innovative Partnerships Group also worked with the Timbers in 2017 to renew its existing jersey partner and have been actively leveraging its creative studio over the last few months to re-skin custom videos to highlight how new brands can fully integrate with the team. The Timbers have historically been one of the most successful teams in MLS and are pushing for a playoff spot this year. With Lionel Messi providing unprecedented excitement and attention, and MLS’s increased distribution through AppleTV, the Timber’s platform has never been more valuable.
ocV!BE/Anaheim Ducks Development
The Anaheim Ducks will be part of a new, groundbreaking sports and entertainment district that will redefine 100 acres of Anaheim to become the epicenter of Southern California lifestyle activity. Innovative Partnerships Group has been selected to generate long-term commercial revenue for ocV!BE and its numerous planned music venues, parks, dining, hotels and office spaces. The 2028 Olympic Games will host volleyball events at ocV!be, and we are thrilled to be part of this influential project in our own backyard!
The Valuation & Consulting team’s Data Insights & Reporting division just completed its first survey focused on naming rights and sponsorship for the credit union industry. The genesis of this particular survey resulted from our work with several credit unions where we found that, despite the hundreds of credit union sponsorship deals, there is very little accurate information on trends and best practices in this sector. We worked closely on the questionnaire with a Steering Committee made up of executives from a select group of credit unions to ensure accuracy, relevance, and ability to make an impact. It is the first time that a company has taken an in-depth look at sponsorship and naming rights to help credit unions maximize their sponsorship investments and understand critical best practices when negotiating and executing partnerships.
Twenty-three (23) credit unions of various asset and member size completed the survey. The results provide meaningful benchmarking results, research and actionable insights to decision makers who support and influence future partnership marketing activities that had not been typically captured for this important industry sub-sector. It is clear that the rise in sponsorships and naming rights for credit unions is one of the fasting growing sponsorship categories in the U.S. It is even more evident that participants are continuing to look for metrics and qualitative/quantitative results to help them maximize their significant investments in sponsorship and naming rights as a percentage of their media/marketing mix.
Measurement continues to challenge credit unions who typically look at traditional media channels like digital, social, OOH, radio and TV/broadcast for data. More than 50 percent of credit unions indicated that they do not engage a study measuring the impact of their partnerships on members or plan to do so within the next 12 months. For the first time, credit unions now have a mechanism to value sponsorship similarly to these other media mix options by creating a custom model that quantifies how the different media/non-media assets drive revenue/profit.
Innovative Partnerships Group recently created a subdivision within its Valuations & Consulting team called Data Insights & Reporting. This new group will enhance the value proposition to both brands and properties by providing access to proprietary information that is both customizable for the brand while designed for public dissemination. Our goal is to help the naming rights and sponsorship industry with cutting edge research, tips and insights on long-term business partnerships that can spark thought leadership.
Our initial strategy is to focus on analysis, trends and best practices in sponsorship within specific industry sectors. After completing an initial survey of credit unions, our team will explore new surveys through the following verticals in the upcoming months – Healthcare, EV, Energy and/or FinTech – with the goal to create new marketing vehicles (e.g., blogs, podcasts, client profiles etc.) that showcase Innovative Partnerships Group’s best-in-class services and range of expertise.
Innovative Partnerships Group has been luxury electric car manufacturer VinFast’s Agency of Record, creating and supporting their Sponsorship Valuation & Strategy, since the beginning of 2022. In preparation for their U.S. launch, we worked alongside Vingroup to host exclusive, elite tours of Vietnam. These VIP trips included memorable experiences of Vietnam’s culture, private tours of the state-of-the-art EV plant, and test drive opportunities.
VinFast began its first foray into building partnerships in the U.S. last year when it announced that it would become the first-ever naming rights partner of the IRONMAN U.S. Series starting in 2022. Along with the naming rights, VinFast also became the title partner for the IRONMAN World Championship and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Innovative Partnerships Group has worked with VinFast behind the scenes to bring these two companies together.
VinFast has taken its next steps into the U.S. market with the groundbreaking of its first electric vehicle manufacturing facility spanning 1,800 acres in Chatham County, NC. The company chose this location after the state offered a $1.2B incentive package with the hope that the investment would create 7,500 new jobs. VinFast aims to produce 150,000 vehicles per year at the plant.
Going Public
In August VinFast made another big step in its growth into the U.S. market when it made its debut on NASDAQ. The company opened its shares at $22, but those numbers rose sharply, and at the end of the day, they closed at $37.06. VinFast CEO Madame Thủy spoke to CNBC on the company’s decision to go public: “It’s a big milestone for us to be listed in the U.S. The listing is going to open access to the capital markets for us in the future.”
As VinFast continues to grow, Innovative Partnerships Group is working closely with Madame Thuy in supporting fleet sale opportunities across the U.S. The goal for the remainder of 2023 into Q1 2024 will be to continue the positive brand recognition and grow the consumer and corporate electric vehicle sales verticals.
Times Square, one of the most iconic sites in the world, has never seen anything like TSX. A first-of-its-kind entertainment venue located in the heart of the Big Apple. TSX is creating one of the most ambitious mixed-use developments in all of New York City. In a multi-year relationship, Innovative Partnerships Group was selected as TSX’s exclusive agency of record for sponsorships and naming rights and has created a unique platform to build out some of the largest global partnerships in the entertainment industry.
TSX launched its permanent main stage on July 18, 2023 with one of the largest events ever held in Times Square. The surprise concert by superstar Post Malone was the highest attended live performance in decades. Post Malone said during the show, “This is the coolest venue in the f–king universe.” His social media followers clearly agreed, as his TSX post garnered a whopping 600,000+ likes on Instagram while the video of his performance generating billions of impressions. For more information on this epic moment, see the article on Billboard.
Anchored by the Hilton Hotel’s new flagship brand, Tempo by Hilton, which opened in August, TSX is becoming the epicenter of entertainment, staging the world's biggest pop culture moments and serving as a new and innovative way for artists and brands to reach fans around the world.
Global buzz has already begun with these pop culture-defining moments in 2023:
Innovative Partnerships Group is excited to be working with TSX to re-define the entertainment industry.
