The Challenge: In 2009 the PGA TOUR approached Spectrum Sports Management with a unique challenge.  How do you take one of the oldest and most prestigious professional golf tournaments in the world, with an international title sponsor and turn the tournament around to create excitement, increase the gate, and generate relevance in the most competitive sports market in the world?

The Solution: To start, the PGA TOUR hired Spectrum Sports Management President, Mike Bone, to partner with Los Angeles sports and business icon Jerry West, to build a new management team, find and negotiate a new Official Charity partner, and build a complete sales team.   Within two years the Northern Trust Open had more than doubled sales, increased the gate over 10%, increased awareness and coverage in the local and regional press and saw the tournament voted Tournament of the Year among all Championship Management Tournaments.  The management team that was created went on to add sales and market share for Northern Trust Open for their management business.

The Results: After five years of managing and implementing the turn-around, The Northern Trust Open had realized continual year-over-year growth, added new sponsors, increased attendance, increased charitable donations to surpass $2 million dollars and the title sponsor renewed their commitment to the tournament under a multi-year deal.   Most importantly, the work had re-established the Northern Trust Open and the PGA TOUR as a must watch, must attend event in the Los Angeles market.  

The Challenge: Disneyland Resort was attempting to bring the very successful platform of running events from Orlando out to the Anaheim Resort to help drive hotel room nights and park ticket sales and to expand the unique opportunity to be part of running inside the Parks and experience the World’s greatest entertainment company in an endurance event.

The Solution: After the first half marathon weekend was launched and established, Spectrum Sports Management was hired to help nurture and grow the platform of events. During our tenure, the weekend’s expanded to four days of activities and three events covering a 5K, 10K, and half marathon. We established policy and procedures that negotiated between the industry standards and the very high level expectations of one of the worlds greatest brands. Through our management we realized tremendous growth.

The Results: After successfully managing the planting of the very first half marathon weekend, Spectrum Sports went on to be part of the runDisney team that helped create and establish three more half marathon weekends with well over 100,000 participants throughout the year. Two of these half marathons were annually in the top 5 largest in the state. This resulted in creating busy weekends for the Parks, and created a “must-do”, bucket list, run for every runner in the Western United States.

The Challenge:  In 2011 Special Olympics International approached Special Olympics Southern California to consider hosting the quadrennial Special Olympics Summer World Games in Los Angeles.   Would Los Angeles be able to host the event, bring in new sponsors, new excitement and showcase the athlete and artistic talents of the Intellectually Challenged population to the local, regional, national and international market and sports fans?

The Solution: Spectrum Sports was approached during the formation of the Bid Committee and brought into the team to lend some perspective and experience in event management, building the right team, sponsorship consulting and to secure the bid.  We went to work by visiting Greece as part of the Site Selection Committee to view and learn from the 2011 Special Olympic Summer World Games and then brought that experience back to Los Angeles to continue the bid process.  Shortly after Los Angeles was awarded the bid and the Executive Committee was established, Spectrum Sports Management was one of the first hires of full time staff – but instead of one person, the Board brought in our entire company and all of our top people to help organize and manage the Games.

The Results: By the time that the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games took place, it had grown into the largest sporting and humanitarian event in the World in 2015. Out of five athletic hubs of events, Spectrum Sports managed two hubs and 9 of the 21 sporting events.  This included the most dynamic venue of the Games with the City of Long Beach closing and opening streets every day.   The events were pulled off flawlessly, ESPN covered the events internationally, and the Games went on to set a new standard of excellence within Special Olympics International.