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Mallards Owner Lencheski To Address 2009 Sports Management Conference

November 9, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


MOLINE, Ill. (November 9, 2009) - The Quad City Mallards, proud International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced today that Mallards owner Chris Lencheski will speak tomorrow at the 2009 Sports Management Conference in Toronto, one of the premier sports marketing conferences and an event attended by industry leaders from across North America.

Lencheski will join NFL Canada Managing Director Dan Quinn, Bauer Hockey Inc. Chairman Graeme Roustan and National Hockey League Players Association Acting Excutive Director Mike Ouellett in a panel discussion on "Building Your Brand: innovative strategies for raising product awareness and increasing your market share."

"I'm honored to be invited to speak at the 2009 Sports Management Conference," said Lencheski. "There has been a lot of interest in our business model with the Mallards and especially in our sponsorship initiatives and I'll also have a chance to share what I've been doing in NASCAR in terms of marketing."

Lencheski, who in addition to owning the Mallards is also Chief Executive Officer of Phoenicia Sport & Entertainment and has a lengthy and successful history as a NASCAR team owner, will be the first NASCAR owner to speak at the conference.

The Mallards' Coors Light Ice Row Cold Pass, which provides access usually limited to a select few- including pre-game locker room access- is widely considered to be at the forefront of sponsorship opportunities in sports.

The Coors Light Ice Row Cold Pass is one of several innovative initiatives implemented by the Mallards that have drawn plaudits from nationally respected sports business observers. Both the Ice Row Cold Pass and the Mallards' Hardee's Biscuit in the Basket promotion have been lauded by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Hardee's Biscuit in the Basket promotion saw the Mallards become the first professional hockey team to place a sponsor's- Hardee's- logo in the goal. Free Hardee's biscuits are awarded to fans in a randomly selected row for each goal scored by the Mallards at the i wireless Center; fans in the entire section receive free biscuits if the Mallards score at least four goals.

The widely respected Sports Marketing and PR Roundup blog says of the Mallards' efforts:

"...under new owner Chris Lencheski [The Mallards] have sought to redefine how minor league hockey brands and markets itself in an area where minor league sports can be king. From locker room access for fans to a great new in-goal Hardees promotion...sure to be copied by others...the Mallards are providing a steady flow of information to media, creating compelling new partnerships and promotions, and making the team a must see for fun ...They have created media partnerships with a junior reporter program, and found every possible way to connect to the community to drive interest the Mallards are taking every step possible to give fans and business partners a reason to support their efforts on and off the ice. The result...will be a better, stronger brand, a quality family experience and good exposure to the sport for all involved, not to mention programs that could become even more of a best practice for arenas and their teams as they are for their baseball colleagues and their fields in the summer. Rocket science? Not at all. Understanding the marketplace, what attracts brands and how to communicate that experience to the media and to the fans? Absolutely."

Among those attending the conference, which began today, are leading figures from the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the NHL, a host of broadcast and cable television networks and other major sports enterprises from across the continent.

The Mallards play road games Friday in Fort Wayne and Saturday in Bloomington before returning home for a rematch with Bloomington Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. The first 1,000 fans through the doors for that game will receive a free Mallards official game puck courtesy of Major League Texting. In honor of Veteran's Day, tickets to that game are available to active military personnel and veterans for the special discounted price of just $9. Discounted tickets are available to fans who purchase their seats in person at the i wireless Center box office.

The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. through the end of the second period. Tickets for Sunday's game and all remaining regular season Mallards home games are also available at Ticketmaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from November 9, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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