Sept. 25, 2014 CLEVELAND - The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced today that it will oversee the day-to-day operations of the National Association of Athletic Ticket Sales & Operations (NAATSO), beginning immediately.
"We'd like to welcome NAATSO to the NACDA umbrella of associations," stated NACDA President Jim Phillips, vice president for athletics and recreation at Northwestern University. "We felt as though NAATSO's purpose aligned with NACDA's mission by providing educational and networking opportunities in the area of ticketing, which has become a vital component of the overall athletics department revenue stream."
NAATSO is led by President Troy Kirby, director of ticket operations at UC Davis, as well as 1st Vice President Carrie Neville, director of tickets at Cleveland State, 2nd Vice President/Treasurer Jason Martin, director of ticket sales at Ohio State and 3rd Vice President/Secretary Matt Harper, general manager at Oregon.
"Ticket sales and operations in college athletics has not been provided with an adequate voice by fellow administrators until today. NAATSO's inclusion into NACDA allows college athletic ticket professionals of all kinds to have an opportunity to ensure their growth within their field, as well as create mentoring opportunities for those considering revenue generation as their calling," said Kirby. "The NAATSO board has a vision of helping deliver those types of opportunities through curriculum, networking and engagement beginning at the 2015 Convention in Orlando."
The purpose of NAATSO is to foster the highest possible professional and ethical standards, while providing ticket professionals a broad range of professional advancement opportunities. NAATSO's mission is to improve the overall understanding and effectiveness of selling, management, operations, pricing and development while upholding the ideals of higher education.
"We are excited to bring NAATSO on as the next member of the NACDA affiliate association umbrella," said NACDA Executive Director Bob Vecchione. "There was an obvious void in ticket sales and operations professional development opportunities, and we are more than happy to provide an educational platform for this ever growing segment of our industry."
NAATSO's Convention will be held in conjunction with the NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week, June 11-18, 2015.
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 50th year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 11,000 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 5,500 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 15 professional associations and three foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
