TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

During a typical game-day, what are some of the things that your external relations team takes care of that the average person might not realize?
When the doors to Alumni Arena or UB Stadium open on a typical game day, most of the activities that you see, often involve our office. These include ticket sales, ticket takers, ushers, merchandising, promotions, event operations, student programming and communications. It is our job to ensure that people that visit UB have a great fan experience.

During the summer, Alumni Arena was given a facelift. What are some things a Bulls’ basketball fan can expect to find at the revamped Arena this year?
It was exciting to see the changes made to Alumni Arena over the summer. In terms of fan experience, the new chairback seats give students, as well as our fans, the opportunity to watch games from improved chairback seating. The large bullhead and revised floor layout helps to brand our University's athletics mark. The Bulls logo on each end of the bleacher section also aesthetically adds to the look. The Stephen Walsh Basketball Complex located on the second floor of Alumni Arena has provided our basketball programs the opportunity to enjoy improved office space, while also providing new offices for our softball, volleyball and External Relations departments.

Another new addition to UB athletics is shopubbulls.com. What are the benefits of shopping at shopubbulls.com for fans?
For many years, people have requested a fan site in which apparel could be purchased with the UB Bulls mark. Since opening in September of 2004, shopubbulls.com has received tremendous response from our fans and it's exciting to see so much Bulls apparel and jerseys at our games. Shopubbulls.com was a collaborative effort between the Division of Athletics and the UB Office of Alumni Relations. With a major marketing push scheduled for 2005, we hope that shopubbulls.com will be a favorite stop for all the latest Bulls gear and apparel.

With the men’s basketball team at 5-2 and predicted to finish first in the Mid-American Conference East Division, how have ticket sales been for basketball this year?
Last March, our sales group met to begin to develop a marketing strategy to capitalize on the tremendous success of our basketball program. The arena renovations also provided us the opportunity to showcase our new facility and further develop a fresh, new marketing plan. This year's season ticket sales campaign was extremely successful, almost doubling our base from the 2003-2004 season. It was also encouraging to see how our faculty and staff have embraced the program, and this year our group developed specific campaigns to market on campus.

The men’s basketball team, at the end of last year, ran off 12 wins in its last 15 games and the fans followed. What was it like to see the UB community start to really embrace a UB athletics team?
Last March was really a special time on our campus. The thing that sticks out in my mind was the way the Western New York community and the University at Buffalo campus as a whole embraced our playoff run and filled Alumni Arena. When I read the papers the next day to discover that we had three times more fans at the Buffalo game than in any other Mid-American Conference market, it was a validator and gave indications that this could be the turning point for the program.

To kick off this year, UB’s football team played Syracuse to a sold-out UB Stadium. As part of the external relations group that brought in Jim Kelly, Van Miller, Bruce Jenner and Lee Ann Womack for the game, what was it like to see that kind of event at the University at Buffalo, knowing it’s the first time the stadium ever sold out?
Our External Relations team spent a tremendous amount of time planning the Syracuse game and the pre-game Salute to America celebration. With the game being played on 9/11 and the first-ever sell-out of UB Stadium, this game provided a unique opportunity to create a promotion that both celebrated the first-ever sell-out of UB Stadium and tastefully recognized the significance of the day. After the appearance of Van Miller, Jim Kelly, Bruce Jenner, and Lee Ann Womack, the Air Force fly-over put the finishing touch on a memorable pre-game show.

In 2001, you were named the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators/Host Communications Division I-A Marketer of the Year. What were some of the events and even the day-by-day things that happened to help you and your staff earn that award?
The NACMA Division I-A Marketer of the Year Award was extremely gratifying for our group and illustrated the tremendous amount of work that the External Relations team provides the Division of Athletics. We were collectively recognized for the non-traditional ways in which we promote our programs through marketing and special events. Our commitment to student attendance through the creation of a Student Relations Coordinator and commitment to women's marketing through a Marketing Coordinator for Women's Athletics, helped to benchmark jobs within the External Relations field which I believe will be evolving positions across the country.

As someone who was born in Canada, maybe you can help us with this. What is a toque? Why do people need them?
Finally, something easy. A toque is really a Canadian term for a knitted winter cap. As far as why you would need them in Canada, you fill in the blanks. Of course, there are a lot of Canadian terms that people in the United States may not be able to recognize. In Canada, what people would normally call a sofa is called a chesterfield. Napkins are often referred to as serviettes. A fish fry is called fish and chips. Should I go on?

As a Maple Leafs hockey fan, what do you think it’s going to take to get the NHL out of its current lockout?
At a recent sports dinner, I heard former NHL star Dale Hawerchuk describe it this way. Have you ever been in a game of street hockey and a ball has hit the post, but the other team believes it went in? At some point, one of the teams has to make a concession in order for the game to continue. I'm positive at some point the love of the game will prevail over any financial conditions facing the hockey world. As Garth and Wayne would say from Wayne's World, "game on."

What has been your favorite moment at the University at Buffalo?
Obviously, the recent Syracuse football game stands out in my mind as one of the best moments at UB thus far. Of course, the Northern Illinois basketball playoff game last year was another moment in which the entire Western New York Community and our University came together to support the Bulls. It's hard to sum up my experience in terms of a best moment, but I will say that it is great when I am out talking to people and they mention UB as a great place to watch a game and an incredible value for their entertainment dollar. Helping to create that environment for any professional is extremely rewarding and it's good to know that our group had a little something to do with that.