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The trade side of the Blackhawks, like the player roster and front office, has arguably emerged from the pandemic.
Danny Wirtz and Jaime Faulkner’s 2020 takeovers as CEO and business president, respectively, led to a lengthy internal review and reorganization. The organization is finally entering a new era of stability as the 2022-23 season begins, and the changes made this season will begin to bear fruit.
“We’re very excited about the team we have in place,” Faulkner and Wirtz told the Sun-Times on Wednesday.
Five of the six vice presidents who make up the Hawks’ new business leadership team — Erin McVerry (Brand), Jamie Spencer (Revenue), Matt Gray (Strategy and Analytics), Marcus LeBeouf (General Counsel), Shara Meisinger (People and Culture) and T.J. Scatm (Finance) – Joined the organization in 2021 or 2022.
Structurally, too, the Hawks have made changes. Their April 2021 acquisition of the Rockford IceHogs brought them together as a longtime AHL affiliate. They also integrated the operations of Fifth Third Arena, their community skating and practice facility, into their corporate structure.
“[In doing so]We identified people who were more talented, but we identified that we had some duplication in what we were doing, and we identified opportunities and gaps where we didn’t have enough resources or capacity,” Faulkner said.
Sources confirmed the hawks had a significant turnover in some areas this winter, but Faulkner said most of the turnover was natural and voluntary.
“We also had some very talented people with us in those three. [Stanley] The mugs, which are part of the original construction of this organization, she says, ‘I’ve been there, done that, and I don’t have the energy to do it again.’ There are many of us who say, “Oh, I don’t have the skills and abilities you want.” Covid as well [prompted] A lot of people in sports to rethink what they want to do.
On the other hand, the Hawks have significantly expanded certain departments that Gray oversees, such as the strategy and analytics team.
The analytics team in the hockey operations department has grown from two to six employees, with several additions from the Cubs. The analytics team in Business Operations has grown as well, working with some of the same data and technology used by hockey analysts — such as the new “NHL Edge IQ” data set that includes player and puck tracking — but analyzing it in a different way. .
“I think we’ve gone from having the smallest analytics and strategy team in the league to the largest,” Faulkner said. “There was no group [previously]. There are probably one or two people who are not even given the resources they need to do their jobs well.
“Now, any big decision we make for the organization, they are involved. [Their data has] They have announced our new ticket packages. Informed pricing decisions. … It has informed how we think about corporate partners, how we identify brands with similar values that help each other’s businesses.
On the sales front, the Hawks have been delighted with the response to their new ticket membership programme, including ticket price reductions for 84% of seats.
While crowds at the United Center are smaller this season than they have been in more than a decade — the Hawks’ expected on-ice struggles make that inevitable — season ticket renewal rates have exceeded expectations.
And the extra space will allow the Hawks to host more large groups together through group sales and special promotions, separating seven classes (306 to 312) at the end of the 300 level.
“It’s something we haven’t been able to offer before,” Faulkner said. “If the youth hockey association wants to bring their families and their children, sometimes it can be up to 1,000 people, we have to sprinkle them everywhere. It’s not that interesting when we can put them relatively close together. … Hopefully it’s more visible because it’s there [will be] There’s a lot of noise going on in that room.
The end result is that the Hawks are “not worried” about their corporate earnings outlook even as they embark on a long-term rebuild.
“All metrics look great,” Wirtz said. “It’s also an investment stage for us, so hopefully over time revenues will grow and our profit picture will look a little bit better.”
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