Feburary 3, 2005—G2 Strategic and SRO, Inc announced today that they have joined forces in an agreement with Tennis Canada to develop strategies to increase ticket sales for Canada’s two premier professional tennis events.
Tennis Canada oversees two of the ten US Open Series tournaments in North America– WTA’s Rogers’ Cup (August 13-21, Toronto) and ATP’s Tennis Masters Canada (August 8-14, Montreal).
“These are two of the most important tournaments in North America,” said SRO CEO Doug Piper. “Our challenge will be to broaden the customer base of both tournaments with new ticket products and sales strategies that will appeal to families, young adults and businesses.”
G2 Strategic CEO Marshall Glickman added, “We are thrilled that Tennis Canada is our first client in professional tennis. We believe that the tournaments in North America and Europe can generate strong business results and sustained growth. Doug and I can offer tennis tournaments and organizations a new perspective, drawn from almost 40 years of combined experience in the U.S. and Europe. We want to play a significant role in shaping the future of professional tennis, so for us, this is a very significant agreement.”
Stacey Allaster, Tennis Canada’s Vice-President and Tournament Director said, “We are pleased to begin a consulting association with G2 and SRO. With the opening of the Rexall Centre in 2004 and the capital expansion to our Montreal venue, stadium sales are Tennis Canada’s top priority for revenue growth and we are confident G2 and SRO will provide expertise to take our business to the next level.”
About G2 Strategic
G2 Strategic LLC, provides global sports business solutions, addressing a broad range of issues and opportunities faced by the sports and entertainment industries. G2 stands for “Glickman Global,” as an acronym of its founder and CEO, Marshall Glickman and the firm’s focus on an international client base. G2 Strategic was launched in June, 2004 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Mr. Glickman is the former president of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and Oregon Arena Corporation, where he oversaw the $262 million Rose Quarter complex. He also has served as Chairman and CEO of Portland Family Entertainment, a firm he founded to develop a $38 million renovation to a historic 30,000 seat outdoor stadium, which was transformed to a modern, multi-purpose outdoor venue, while maintaining its old school charm. In addition, PFE acquired several minor league franchises.
Since 1995, Glickman has served as a consultant to a range of clients, including architects (Ellerbe Becket, NBBJ), sports franchises (Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors), construction companies (Clark Construction Group), developers (Bechtel) and leagues (Euroleague).
Now, with the launch of G2 Strategic, Glickman is focusing on formulating business development strategies for an expanding client base, which includes two European sports organizations – Euroleague, which is the top pan-European basketball league, and CSKA Moscow, the elite “Red Army” team of Russia.
About SRO, IC.
SRO’s expertise is focused on providing integrated strategic planning and execution in the areas of marketing, sales, communications, public relations and broadcast serving the sports, collegiate, entertainment, amusement and events industry.
Doug Piper, former National Hockey League senior executive, is CEO of SRO. Mr. Piper’s background includes being a full time employee of such major league franchises as the Portland Trail Blazers, the Utah Jazz, the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes as well as ESPN. Over the years, SRO clients have included the New York Mets, Dallas Stars, Madison Square Garden, the Edmonton Oilers, the Canadian Football League, Euroleague Basketball, the Western Hockey League, the CBA, Major League Soccer and the Buffalo Sabres to name a few.
In addition, SRO provides sponsorship management services to large corporate sponsors, facilities developers and managers and government bodies involved in sports as economic development tools.
For more information contact:
Marshall Glickman, CEO, G2 Strategic
(781) 772-1932
marshall@g2strategic.net
Doug Piper, CEO, SRO, Inc.
(503) 595-1900
dougpiper1@aol.com
Stacey Allaster, Vice-President & Tournament Director, Tennis Canada
(416) 665-9777
sallaster@tenniscanada.com