Meet Christie Lenox, Our Community Member of the Week

Name: Christie Lenox

Job: Senior Manager, Events & Marketing

Company: Valero Alamo Bowl

LinkedIn: Christie Lenox

In 140 characters or less, tell us who you are and how you got to where you are today.

Oklahoma girl with a big city heart and big sports dreams who loves the outdoors. Found my way through continuous learning, collaborating and making new connections.

What’s one trend in media or marketing that you’re buying or selling?

Buying: Data analytics and market segmentation. We are continually looking at our data, how can we collect more data, and then how to speak to each group in a meaningful way.

How do you define engagement?

Engagement can happen in a variety of ways. It could be through product demos, retweets and comments on social media or buying a ticket to a game. It could also be someone stopping to watch a commercial or listen to an advertisement. People choose whether they want to engage with your brand further. Money and time are the two most significant ways that fans tell you what is important to them, so if you are getting either of those things, pay close attention.

What’s the project or campaign that you’re proudest of? Why?

One of my all-time favorite projects was when we created the first-ever Wii Olympics at Nintendo. It was a massive project that required participation from almost every department within the organization. We were able to utilize our partnership with Six Flags as well as a Wii Sports Resort Mall program that was running at the time for qualifiers.

The finals activation in LA was two weeks long, we flew in winners from across the US to compete in a finals on our main stage with Mario and Luigi. The champions won a gold Wii Remote and Nintendo branded wrestling championship belt. Shawn Johnson was our celebrity spokesperson and she led Will Fit classes outside our tent for several hundred people. It took a lot of work, but as with any program, it was so fun to see it come to life.

What are you working on right now? Any exciting future plans that you’re able to share?

I am a member of the Women in Sports & Events (WISE) National Committee for their mentoring program, WISE Within, and the digital team. We are starting to plan out all of our content that will begin in January, which is National Mentoring Month, then our Speed Mentoring Roundtable events will take place in March followed by the official start next April of the 6 month mentoring program in chapters across the country. As a former mentee, I found the experience to be incredibly valuable and am still in contact with my mentor, 9 years later.

As a connected fan, what’s the best piece of sports content that you have recently consumed?

I know these have been mentioned already, but Nike and the Dream Crazier series of ads was amazing. Every time I watch one of the videos I get goosebumps and am so inspired to lace up my tennis shoes and go for a run.

Back in April, HBO and the Game of Thrones asked people to tweet at them and tell them your greatest strength. They would reply and reveal your fate in Westeros. The responses were so entertaining to read and it was all so authentic to the brand.

I also love the bite-size pieces of content featured in the Gist, Front Office Sports and Hashtag Sports newsletters. Each gives you enough information to know what’s going on in the latest news stories with the opportunity to dive in deeper where you want.

What’s been the biggest high and low of working in sports?

High: The excitement of witnessing the triumph and joy in sports firsthand and being part of the production on the field. You just never know what you will be asked to do at any point. During my time at Major League Soccer, I was asked to carry the trophy out onto the field for the first-ever SuperLiga Finals. It was a unique opportunity to participate in the show in an unexpected way.

Another critical high is the people I have been fortunate to work with and the relationships I have been able to build around sports. Some of my closest friends and longest relationships are with current and former colleagues I have worked with in the sports industry.

Low: Lack of diversity at the top, lack of training, long hours & missing holidays.

What’s one element of the sports industry that you’d like to see change?

Sports has the power to change lives, bring people together, and create a positive impact in this world. How can we best take advantage of this opportunity to help make the world and our local communities a better place?

I would love to see the industry build up women’s sports more. More media coverage, more female head coaches, more women in top executive positions, more sponsors willing to spend money on women’s sports.

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