Originally published in Sports Business Journal.

Jeff Marks’ Innovative Partnerships Group has won an agency shootout to assist the Suns in selling title to the city-owned downtown Phoenix arena, per SBJ's Terry Lefton. The Suns own all their media rights, so the package could be reasonably customized. Sources said the team was going out with an asking price of around $9 million a year and seeking a minimum 10-year deal.

The venue opened in 1992 as America West Arena and has since had various nameplates, including US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena and PHX Arena. More recently, it's been called Phoenix Suns Arena, largely as a placeholder. The facility is undergoing a $230 million renovation, about 80% of which is completed, with the rest scheduled to be finished before the next NBA season.

Suns CRO Dan Costello said IPG's "ability to story tell" was key in the selection. "They really understood our vision,” he said. To date, that vision, supported by corporate sponsors PayPal and Verizon, has been one of positioning the arena as a tech hub, “showcasing innovation and serving the increasingly digital savvy fans,” Costello said. As a result of Arizona in April becoming the 26th state to legalize sports betting, the arena will reopen with a 6,300-square-foot sportsbook.

The Suns’ gaudy 51-win season, their best in more than a decade, should help sell the naming rights. Costello said it has already propelled the team to a league-leading number of new season tickets sold this year.

Read the full article at latimes.com

A new Shake Shack has opened inside of Dodgers Stadium and many Californians are asking themselves: Why not In-N-Out? In-N-Out is an LA staple while Shake Shack has it's origins in NYC.

The LA Times dug a little deeper on this question, and in doing so, found that In-N-Out has a reputation for not opening locations inside of sports venues. According to a quote from In-N-Out COO Denny Warwick: "Sponsorship of a major sports team, stadium or arena, isn’t a strategy that we have chosen to take advantage of."

If that doesn't sound definitive enough, LA Times spoke to Innovative Partnerships Group CEO Jeff Marks to get his take on the situation, who said that he doesn't pursue In-N-Out for partnerships at all.

“I haven’t called them in 10 years,” Marks said.

According to Marks, sports teams, the Dodgers included, would want to include the concession rights in a broader sponsorship deal that could include broadcast advertisements, social media promotions, stadium signage, hospitality suites and more. He said such deals typically cover multiple years and cost six or seven figures.

He said some restaurants fret over quality control in a ballpark setting. And, even as fans expect to pay a premium for ballpark food, Marks said some restaurants worry about negative reaction from consumers.

For more details, read the rest of the story at latimes.com.

Originally published in the Sports Business Journal.

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