Comcast-Spectacor/McCormack Career Fair Case Study Competition

Fall 2016

INTRODUCTION

The City ofLas Vegas, Nevada has launched efforts to revitalize its downtown, with the help of more than $1.5 billion in government reinvestment. Voters have also cleared the use of $1.8billion in bonds to be put towards 77 separate redevelopment projects. Among the larger projects slated: a state-of-the art sports and entertainment enclosed stadiumlocated in Las Vegas for which construction will soon begin. This is your project. Las Vegas’s city manager expects the area will see a doubling in growth in terms of the tax base within the next five to 10 years, as the number of local residents and businesses grow which means more customers and growth for local businesses and venues.

Therefore, it is critical that the successful Proposer solidify the downtown sports and entertainment scene through a broad range of entertainment options that appeal to a variety of age groups and ethnicities. Through successful management of services, this outstanding venue will become the mecca of sports and entertainment that will appeal not only to the immediate community, but to sports and entertainment fans across the globe. The successful Proposer will establish downtown Las Vegas as the center of sports and entertainment. The successful Proposer will do the following:

●Be an economic driver and demonstrate community leadership;

●Provide our community with a first‐class facility which has programs and pricing structures for for-profit organizations to perform, promote, and encourage sports and entertainment;

●Encourage sports and entertainment activities for the benefit and enjoyment of all citizens, by:

1. Attracting events of the highest quality;

2. Providing a diverse schedule; and

3. Fostering thegrowthof the community

The City of Las Vegas is seeking an experienced, responsible and professional vendor with proven experience in management and operations to operate and manage what is currently being called the “Emerald Center.”You will need to rename the venue to something that will help achieve the goals stated above.

VENUE DETAILS

The venue will be located in Southern Las Vegas. Its capacity will be 85,000 seats, including club box, suite, and handicap seating. The venue will be able to convert basketball, concerts, soccer and football, and much more. There will be on-site parking (totaling approximately 15,000 spaces, including handicapped).

YOUR PROJECT

You represent a facility management company competing with several others to earn the rights to manage certain aspects of this brand new, state-of-the art venue for the next 3 years, with the option of up to 2 more 2-year contracts (maximum) based on overall performance. You will be presenting (hypothetically) to city officials, key stakeholders in the community, and potential pro sports tenants and leagues. The City of Las Vegas is seeking a Proposer to manage and deliver the following:

●Event/Talent Booking

●Ticket Sales

●Marketing and Advertising

●Customer Service

Facility operations/maintenance, security/crowd control, and financial management will be handled by the city. Food and beverage/concessions will be handled by a subsidiary of your company which operates independently. So, you do not need to focus on these areas (unless, of course, it is for advertising/marketing/promotions purposes).

IN ADDITION, the City of Las Vegas needs the Proposer to obtain a tenant Pro sports team, AND, execute a naming rights agreement and NAME the venue! It is ALSO extremely important to the city that the venue and the events that take place within it appeal to a diverse audience, both locally and beyond.

JUDGING

At 5:00PM on Friday, November 3rd each group must submit their written report.

The report should touch on the four areas the Proposer is asked to manage:

●Event/Talent Booking

●Ticket Sales

●Marketing and Advertising

●Customer Service

The report should not exceed two pages (double spaced).All sources must be cited in current APA format.

The first round of judging will be conducted via a blind pre-screening of all submissions. In this review, the groups will be judged based on their reports. The top six groups will be announced on Friday, November 4th. Only these five groups will advance to the final round of judging during the Career Fair.

The final round of judging will run alongside the Career Fair at 3:00 PM on Wednesday, November 9th. For this round, groups should come prepared with their PowerPoint presentation. Your company, whom you will tell the audience about, will create and present a response to Las Vegas’ Request for Proposal (RFP) covering the aforementioned services, and with the goal of earning this management contract. The presentation will be in PowerPoint and may consist of other visual aids.

All presentations must be a minimum of 7 minutes long and must not exceed 12 minutes. There will be 5 minutes after each presentation for the judges to ask questions.

The final judging panel will consist of two professors from the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management and an executive from Comcast Spectacor.

JUDGING CRITERIA

All groups will be judged using the following criteria:

●Business Feasibility (industry sound and realistic; ethical; measurable profitability potential for city) – 40 points

●Technical Feasibility (critical thinking, well-analyzed, and incorporates modern and relevant technology) – 30 points

●Creativity and Presentation (flawless, logical, teamwork, flow, strong intro and conclusion) – 30 points

PRIZES

All Entrants (even if not chosen to present):

  • Association of Diversity in Sport (ADS) lanyard

Top 6 Groups

●ADS Prize Pack (T-Shirt and lanyard)

Second Place

●$25 VISA gift card

●ADS Prize Pack

First Place

●$75 VISA gift card

●ADS Prize Pack

●McCormack Department of Sport Management Sweatshirt

**Note: Prizes will be awarded to EACH INDIVIDUAL participating. For example, each member of the first-place group will receive a $75 VISA gift card, a McCormack sweatshirt, and an ADS Prize Pack.

REGISTRATION & SUBMISSION

Submissions can be sent to . Please put “Case Study Submission” in the subject line.

Any questions should be directed to .