Tuesday, December 2

7:30
Exhibits Open
Registration
Continental Breakfast hosted by

8:30
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Richard Weiss, Publisher, SportsBusiness Journal

8:45
The State of Motorsports: What's Around the Turn
Changes in the economy are forcing leagues, teams, promoters and,of course, sponsors to re-examine the sport from many angles. There are new business models to evaluate, green initiatives to consider and multiple mediums available to distribute content. During this roundtable discussion, you will hear from a cross-section of leaders in the motorsports world, including Antron Brown, NHRA Top Fuel Driver; Joie Chitwood, IMS; Jed Drake, ESPN; Jay Frye, Team Red Bull Racing; Al Johnson, Aflac; and David Zucker, Petty Enterprises. They will discuss what they are doing to keep the sport going strong and their ongoing efforts to engage and expand the fan base. 

9:45
Featured Interview: Brian France
After taking the reins at NASCAR in 2003, Brian France has revamped the points system; initiated a diversity program; expanded the NASCAR footprint by adding tracks in new markets; and secured a long-term television contract and new series title sponsorships for both the NASCAR Sprint and Nationwide series. That growth has not come without its challenges. In this one-on-one interview, France will discuss his successes and his continuing efforts to move the sport forward into the future while protecting its legacy, preserving its fan base and grappling with the challenging economic climate.

10:15
Networking and Refreshment Break

10:45
Case Study: Coca-Cola: Brand Alignment
Coca-Cola has a significant brand presence in a number of motorsports series. In this session, you will hear from Ben Reiling as he summarizes the Coca-Cola Company broad motorsports platform. He will outline the strategies surrounding the brand alignment for the various motorsports series, including retail, media, online and at-track activation strategies.

11:30
B2B: Building Relationships That Grow Business
Better known for its consumer sponsorship models, motorsports has also proven to be an excellent forum for building business-to-business relationships. You will hear from executives involved in some of the most successful B-to-B programs in the motorsports arena. Shelly Eddy, Cintas; Steve Gaffney, Sprint; Jonathan Gibson, Penske Racing; Greg Gruning, Indy Racing League; Mike Kelly, PVH; and Kari Taylor, Office Depot, will share their successes and insights on how to best leverage the sport in the B-to-B world.

12:30
Luncheon hosted by

2:00
Featured Interview: Tony George
After a 13 year split between the IRL and the CHAMP Car Series, open wheel racing in the U.S.this year under one sanctioning body the IndyCar Series. In this one-on-one interview, Tony George who orchestrated the unification, will discuss the formation of the new league, the new media deal for the series, the leagues efforts to use ethanol fuels and his hopes for the future of open wheel racing.

2:30
Motorsports Sponsorship: Exploring the Value
With a tightening economy, the pressure to prove the value of sponsorships is more intense than ever and the need for a clear demonstration of ROI has never been more urgent. In this session, you will hear from, Brian Gallagher, Jim Beam; Tamera Green, GMR Marketing; Darren Marshall, rEvolution; Jim McCoy, Nationwide; Jim O'Connell, NASCAR and Daryl Wolfe, ISC, as they discuss the factors they consider when developing marketing strategies. Why they select particular sponsorships, how they develop methods of measurements for ROI and ROO, the cross promotional opportunities they explore and much more.

3:30
Networking and Refreshment Break hosted by

 4:00
The View From the Booth: A Unique Perspective
In this session, you will hear from NASCAR Cup Champion and team owner Rusty Wallace along with NASCAR team owner and former NBA star Brad Daugherty, both analysts for ESPN. They will be joined by Larry McReynolds, SPEED and Kyle Petty, TNT Analyst and current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, as they discuss their involvement in motorsports through the years, ranging from ownership to competition to their roles as racing analysts.

 5:00
Cocktail Reception hosted by

Wednesday, December 3

 8:30
The Motorsports Industry: A Tactical View
As a follow up to the Forum’s opening panel, you will hear Jay Abraham, NASCAR Media Group; Mark Dyer, Motorsports Authentics; Steve Lauletta, Gannasi Racing Teams; Chris Lencheski, SKI & Company; Mike Tatoian, Dover Motorsports; and Brian Wolfe, Ford Motor Company, discuss how the 2008 season has affected their businesses, the trends they are tracking and how they plan to gear-up for the 09 season.

9:30
Featured Interview: Eddie Gossage
Known for his creativity and his courage to try almost anything, Eddie Gossage is widely considered one of the most innovative speedway managers in motorsports today. He played a vital role in the creation of the Texas Motor Speedway, considered one of the premier motorsports venues in the world. Under his direction, the speedway continues to attract large crowds for all the major series that compete at the track. In this one-on-one interview, he will share his thoughts on promoting and managing a motorsports facility.

10:00
Networking and Refreshment Break hosted

10:30
Case Study: AMP Energy: A Year in Review
AMP Energy blasted onto the NASCAR scene in 2008 with the high profile lead sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr.s No. 88 Mountain Dew AMP/National Guard Chevrolet along with their sponsorship of the Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. As one of the most talked about sponsorships in 2008, many marketers are following the Mountain Dew AMP program for lessons learned from a first year in the sport. John Stamatis and David Dzanis will discuss the brand's marketing strategies and activation employed in their inaugural year on the circuit and their view on the successes and the challenges of the past year.

11:15
Driver Sponsorships: Creating the Successful Mix
Ken Cohn, Millsport and Bill Glenn, The Marketing Arm, will provide a brief overview from the motorsports Davie Brown Index (DBI) to kick off the session.
Aligning a brand with a driver is a complex equation involving a myriad of variables such as driver personality, market profile, on-track performance, availability, cost and ultimately, ROI. How do brands the right drivers? What do drivers want from their sponsors? How is success evaluated on both sides? You will hear from Al Giombetti, Ford Customer Service Division; Rod Moskowitz, Motorsports Management; Michelle Potorski, Gillette; Bob Tasca III, Funny Car Driver; and others.

12:15
Forum Concludes