June 29, 2011
K-State athletics department nationally honored
The Kansas State athletics communication and fan experience and sales departments recently received honors from their national organizations for excellence in 2010-11 during their respective national conventions.
The fan experience and sales department earned two awards, including a first-place honor and a runner-up effort, for its work during the 2010-11 athletics season from the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators. The department took home top honors in the season ticket sales campaign category for its men’s basketball campaign to increase season ticket holders and revenue from the 2009-10 season to the 2010-11 season. The campaign included implementation of a prioritized season ticket waiting list for new ticket holders, a large format postcard mailed to all 2009-10 men’s basketball season ticket holders and Ahearn Fund members, and a renewal advertising plan that integrated e-mail, direct mail, phone calls, video and a website splash page.
The silver award garnered by the department came in the new revenue-generating idea category, which was for the K-State Athletic Business Partners initiative. The new program was created to assist and make the process easier for companies to order packages that included Ahearn Fund membership and season tickets for all ticketed sports. Businesses that joined the program were rewarded with gifts that included K-State display flags, window decals and items autographed by the head coaches.
Scott Garrett, assistant athletic director for ticketing and fan strategies; Joni Smoller, director of fan experience and sales; Adam Holste, assistant ticket director, Drew Claassen and Sarah Laha, fan experience and sales assistants, accepted the awards during National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators' 20th annual Convention, June 16-18 in Orlando, Fla.
The athletics communications department also received numerous accolades from the College Sports Information Directors of America for outstanding publications work in 2010-11. The department earned national runner-up finishes on four separate publications which included: the men’s and women's basketball media guides, the volleyball media guide and the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl media guide. The cover of the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl media guide garnered “Best Cover” honors for all postseason media guides. The K-State Athletics Communications department also saw the football media guide notch a fifth-place national finish and top honors in District VII.
In addition to the accolades received for the media guides, a number of K-State’s posters received recognition as well. The posters for the K-State baseball and women’s golf teams finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the spring poster contest. Joining those posters were the women’s tennis poster with a top-15 finish and the men’s golf poster with a top-25 ranking.
The baseball and women's golf posters as well as the cover of each of Kansas State's media guides were produced by Ron Cook, director of graphics design. The top-10 finishes by the baseball and women’s golf posters marked the eighth and ninth time in the last four seasons that a K-State sports poster designed by Cook was judged among the Top 10 nationally.
Over the last five years Kansas State's publications have reached impressive heights in national judging with 18 media guides earning Top 5 national honors and 29 being named among the top three in the district. The men’s basketball media guide was written and designed by Tom Gilbert, assistant athletics communications director, while the women's basketball media guide was written and designed by Randy Peterson, assistant athletics communications director. The volleyball media guide was written and designed by David Wiechmann, assistant director of athletics communications. The football guide and the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl media guide was written and designed by Kenny Lannou, director of athletics communications, and Ryan Lackey, assistant athletics communications director.
National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators awards
- Season Ticket Sales Campaign – Gold (Men’s Basketball Season Tickets)
- New Revenue Generating Idea – Silver (K-State Athletic Business Partners)
College Sports Information Directors of America publication awards
- 2010 Pinstripe Bowl media guide – Second in the Nation, “Best Postseason Media Guide Cover”
- Men’s Basketball media guide – Second in the Nation, Best in District VII
- Women’s Basketball media guide – Second in the Nation, Best in District VII
- Volleyball media guide – Second in the Nation, Best in District VII
- Football media guide – Fifth in the Nation, Best in District VII
- Baseball poster – Seventh in the Nation
- Women’s Golf poster – Eighth in the Nation
- Women’s Tennis poster – Top 15 finish in the Nation
- Men’s Golf poster – Top 25 finish in the Nation