September MarketingMasters Luncheon Seminar

From Beijing to Chicago: Harnessing Olympic Marketing Potential

Chicago cleared another high hurdle last month in its quest to land the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games when it was named one of the four finalist cities vying for the honor. Now it has to convince the International Olympic Committee that Chicago is a better choice to host the Games than Madrid, Rio or Tokyo.

With this exciting development, marketers may find themselves wondering how their corporations can get involved and how the USOC helps partners develop and execute Olympic-focused marketing. Find out all this and more on Friday, Sept. 5, when Rick Burton, chief marketing officer of the United States Olympic Committee, keynotes BMA/Chicago’s first MarketingMasters luncheon seminar of the 2008-2009 program year at the Standard Club.

Introducing him will be Gordon Kane, who has consulted for Chicago 2016 on marketing and keynoted last year’s BMA kickoff luncheon along with Mark Mitten, his former Chicago 2016 marketing colleague.

A 30-year marketing veteran in the sports and entertainment industries, Burton will be addressing BMA’s luncheon fresh off his trip to the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where a delegation from the Chicago 2016 bid also has been in attendance as part of the IOC Observer Program.

In addition to delivering a report on the Beijing Games—and debuting an exciting wrap-up video—Burton will describe how he and the USOC marketing team help current and potential corporate partners activate and leverage their involvement in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Burton officially joined the USOC last October. Previously, he had been commissioner of Australia’s National Basketball League, and for the last five years he has been the chief moderator at SportAccord, an annual convention that brings together representatives from 100 international sports federations, including the IOC. It was at the 2008 SportAccord conference in Athens that the IOC announced the finalist cities for the 2016 Games.

In his day-to-day role at the USOC, Burton directs the committee’s Sales and Marketing Division. Specifically, he is charged with developing and implementing corporate sponsorship programs and working closely with USOC Chief Operating Officer Norman Bellingham to create the revenue streams necessary to support the USOC’s digital media initiatives.

Bellingham described Burton in a recent statement as someone who 'is known internationally for his innovation and understanding of the opportunities, challenges and trends facing the sports industry. That knowledge will be critical in shaping new marketing programs that fulfill the business objectives of our corporate partners.'

As for Chicago becoming a 2016 candidate city, Burton has said that landing the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games is not only a great opportunity for the city, but for sports in this country in general.

'If Chicago is lucky enough to win, then there’s your potential growth for 25-plus summer sports. That means we’re talking basketball, soccer, beach volleyball, canoe, kayak, wrestling, weightlifting, swimming, track and field, and others, so we can’t treat the Olympic Games like a single property,' Burton said in an interview with Sport Marketing Quarterly. 'If the Olympics possibly come back to the U.S., it’s going to be fantastic for all of those sports and will create the greatest surge, perhaps of sport engagement, with young people that we could see from any single property.'

Please note that, while BMA has rescheduled its luncheon seminars this year to occur on the first Thursday of each month, the September kick-off luncheon will be held on the first Friday of the month. To register for the Sept. 5 luncheon, go here, email Marla Schrager or call her at 312-943-8040.

About Rick Burton

Rick Burton, an internationally respected marketing executive with 30 years of experience in the sports and entertainment industries, joined the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as the organization’s Chief Marketing Officer on October 1, 2007. Burton previously served as commissioner of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Sydney, Australia, for four years prior to joining the USOC.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Burton directs the USOC’s Sales and Marketing Division, including the development and implementation of corporate sponsorship programs designed to deliver maximum return-on-investment to the USOC’s family of corporate partners. Burton will also work closely with USOC Chief Operating Officer Norman Bellingham in creating the revenue streams necessary to support the USOC’s digital media initiatives. He will also be a member of the USOC’s Chicago 2016 Integration Team.

As commissioner of the National Basketball League, Burton directed an expansion of the league to include 13 teams in three countries (Australia, New Zealand and Singapore). He also led the successful negotiation of a five-year television rights agreement with Fox Sports, through which the NBL doubled its annual revenue from television rights fees, and increased overall league revenue from non-licensee sources by 140 percent.

Prior to his tenure with the National Basketball League, Burton was the executive director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center in the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon, which was named by Sports Illustrated as the best sports management school in the country in 2002. While in Oregon, Burton headed up the Burton Marketing Group. He consulted or worked on behalf of global brands and sports properties including the National Football League, National Hockey League, USA Track & Field, Nike, Visa and IMG.

Burton started his career in the Syracuse University Athletic Department before becoming a sports reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard from 1978-1980. He joined the Miller Brewing Company in 1980, first in public relations and later brand management, advertising and marketing. After 12 years at Miller, Burton was named vice president at Clarion Performance Properties, a sports and entertainment marketing agency in Greenwich, Conn. His clients at Clarion included National Football League Properties (NFLP), Reebok, Sprint, Gillette and Universal Studios.

About Gordon Kane

Gordon Kane combines the discipline and structure of brand management with over 15 years of sports marketing experience with world-class sponsors and properties.

His marketing background includes an MBA from Kellogg and several assignments in brand management at Kraft.

Gordon held two key management positions within the Olympic family in the 1990s. He served as Director of Marketing and Brand Development for the USOC and Vice President of Olympic Properties of the United States (OPUS), encompassing both the Atlanta and Salt Lake City Games.

He has worked directly for properties such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, National Football League, NTRA, ATP Tour, The Los Angeles Marathon, Manchester United and clients such as Sprint, Chevrolet and Gillette.

He has most recently been a consultant for Chicago 2016, and is now working with area corporations to prepare for the marketing opportunities associated with Chicago potentially hosting the Olympic Games.