October 14, 2008:

First of all I am pleased to announce that I will be the last President in a caretaker role and to expect elections at the Conference in Cleveland October 28-30, 2009. I believe that the organization is now on solid ground and that we should begin conducting business in a more traditional manner.

That being said let me share my priorities with you for the upcoming year. First of all, I am going to play to my strengths (and not to my numerous weaknesses) and impact the organization in the best ways I know how. The first way that I am going to be very active (along with our new leadership team) is in creating a much higher level of involvement and interaction with industry practitioners. I am not going to force this interaction, merely provide access to those members of SMA that would like to develop closer industry ties to enhance their research, teaching and possibly consulting activities. As a way of developing this higher level of interaction, I am going to establish a professional networking/mentoring program with industry professionals. Interested SMA members will complete an application that details their areas of interest (research focus, course content and experiences sought) which will then be matched with industry practitioners who have agreed to participate in the program. The initial mentorships will be established for the period of one-year – after which time the relationship should be strong enough to endure on its own merits if both parties have an interest in doing so. My hope in doing this is to bring attention to the talented research we are capable of producing by hopefully aligning researchers to work with practitioners on addressing the problems and concerns faced by the industry as well as showing alternatives and trends to be considered as the industry moves forward. Much like traditional scientific research focuses on conditions and problems – it is my opinion that our research can do the same and provide better opportunities for funded studies and media attention related to the results of those studies. Look for an application for this program to be emailed to each SMA member sometime before then end of 2008.

Secondly, I want to hear from each of you about what is important to you about SMA and how you feel we can work together to make it better. As with any organization, SMA was initially the vision of a small group of people who worked to formalize that vision into the SMA. I am asking each of you to help contribute to this vision by letting your officers know how you feel, suggesting changes, sharing input about the annual conference, willingness to chair committees and most importantly your interest in pursuing a leadership role in SMA. Please email me your thoughts and suggestions to wsutton@bus.ucf.edu.

My next item to be addressed is to identify a top-notch key note speaker for SMA VII to be held in Cleveland, Oct 28-30, 2009. As we have almost a full year before our next conference, I want to make sure that we have someone viable that will not only attract a significant attendance, but will also have a message that will challenge us, inspire us, inform us and most importantly lead us to ask bigger and better questions about ourselves and our industry as we move forward. In a related matter, I would also like to hear any thoughts about what could make this next conference our best ever in terms of academic content and presentation, industry insight, interaction and viewpoints and engaging and FUN social activities and events.

Finally I want to thank you for this opportunity to serve you. As I approach the “twilight” of my career, I think it is important to give something back. I have been extremely fortunate to have enjoyed some exceptional opportunities and have been able to work at institutions that have encouraged my duality as an academic and a practitioner – giving rise to coining the term “pracademic” to describe myself. As I assume this role, I remember being given the opportunity to serve as President of NASSM many years ago. In reflecting back upon this opportunity and my tenure, I lacked the experience and the maturity to be an effective leader and vowed that I would never assume the leadership of another organization until I felt ready to do so. I am ready and excited to lead this organization for the next year – and look forward to a tenure marked by a participatory management style and lots of input and suggestions from you as we prepare to shape an SMA that will play a much more visible role in the sport marketing industry.

Thank you for your support- but most of all for your anticipated increased involvement and interest in SMA.

Best

Bill Sutton