Renaming Continental

[Ninjahedge]

Delete this if it is already covered, but I did not see anything covering this specifically (or the Arena).

I heard they are having some sort of meeting or decision or something going on (today?) to decide what the new name/sponsor for CAA will be.



I just hope it is not Mary Kay. A pink arena would just NOT go over in NJ... ;)

[66nexus]

Delete this if it is already covered, but I did not see anything covering this specifically (or the Arena).

I heard they are having some sort of meeting or decision or something going on (today?) to decide what the new name/sponsor for CAA will be.



I just hope it is not Mary Kay. A pink arena would just NOT go over in NJ... ;)

The Meadowblands should just close. Xanadu construction and the new Jets/Giants construction, makes for an even more horrible M-land Arena experience. Whoever is going to put their name on an arena that's slated to close isn't going to pay much

[66nexus]

http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1190695067193000.xml&coll=1

[66nexus]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/10/izods_name_to_replace_continen.html

[lofter1]

Izod

Xanadu

More Fitting: Zasu Pitts :cool:

[TonyO]

Izod Center. I can't think of many names that would be worse than that. How about Banana Republic Center, or P.S. Gitano Arena.

[Ninjahedge]

They should have some brains and name it the "I" center and be sure to have a little gator vizible somewhere on the sign.

It is like the PNC BANK Arts center. Why couldn't it just be the PNCB Arts Center? Like we all need to hear "Bank Arts"? And Contenental AIRLINES Arena? That "Arlines" just made me crave flying somewhere any time I drove by on the Turnpike or 3.

Sometimes the best advertisements are the ones that people do not see directly. They have plenty of opportunities to blindly hammer in their product name. Buying a stadium and not being creative with the name is not one of them.

[JCMAN320]

Welcome to New Jersey Nets Basketball at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Marv Albert better start practicing.

[lofter1]

The Izod Test (http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=2765#_The_Izod_Test)


Figure 5. Izod test specimen and its position in the anvil.


http://info.lu.farmingdale.edu/depts/met/met206/izod2.jpg

[JCMAN320]

Meadowlands cloaks itself in a new image: Izod Center

Friday, October 05, 2007
BY MAURA McDERMOTT
Star-Ledger Staff

The Meadowlands arena named after an airline for the past 11 years has a new moniker: the Izod Center.

But don't expect to see crocodiles in the swamps -- the preppy icon of the 1980s has shed its famous green logo.

The Manhattan-based apparel maker was unanimously chosen yesterday as the arena's new sponsor by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the state agency that operates the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

Izod, which takes over from Continental Airlines as the sponsor, is "going to brighten up the arena and give it a fresh new look," with colorful, changeable images throughout the building, said James Minish, a selection committee member.

The Izod Center makes its debut at the Nets season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 31. The updated image comes as the East Rutherford facility faces intense competition from the new Prudential Center in Newark, which opens Oct. 25.

"This truly is a breakthrough," said David Jefferson, an authority board member. For those who predict the 26-year-old arena's death, "this sends a strong message that not only are we alive, but I think this takes us to the next level. It's huge," he said.

Izod beat out two rival clothiers: Fort Lee-based Southpole and rap mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's Rocawear.

The label will promote the Izod Center on a Times Square billboard; on trucks rolling through New York, New Jersey and Connecticut; and in an advertising blitz, said Brett Yormark, chief executive of Nets Sports and Entertainment, which lined up the three naming rights bidders.

Izod will pay $1.4 million cash for each of the next five years, according to the authority. Of that, $750,000 goes to the authority and the rest to the Nets. Izod also will provide marketing worth $600,000 and employee uniforms worth $100,000.

Southpole offered more cash -- $2.1 million -- but Izod's all-out marketing push made it a better deal, said Carl Goldberg, the authority's chairman.

The deal more than doubles the cash paid to the authority for the arena naming rights. Last year, Continental Airlines paid $1.3 million to the authority and Nets and Devils, the two teams that called the arena home. The authority received $340,000 cash plus air tickets worth $346,000, said Mark Stefanacci, the authority's chief operating officer. The Nets and Devils each received $268,000.

Continental backed out of its 11-year sponsorship deal after the building lost the Nets and Devils. The Devils are moving to the Prudential Center this season while the Nets will move to a new facility in Brooklyn in two years.

Experts said the naming rights deal will help with the clothing label's resurgence, said Howard Davidowitz, a national retail consultant.

"Izod is in the process of attempting to resuscitate their brand," which dropped off in quality and popularity after the 1980s, Davidowitz said.

With Yormark's guidance, Izod's marketing campaign could make a big difference to the arena too, said Marc Ganis, a leading consultant to the sports industry.

"He's such a superb marketer and understands the team, the arena and the market so well," Ganis said.

The Nets have become proficient at securing major naming rights deals. The team's contract with Barclays for their Brooklyn arena is valued at $20 million a year. Now the team's parent company is launching a subsidiary that will help other sports facilities reach naming deals.

Nets executives said they targeted retailers because of the arena's proximity to Manhattan and Xanadu, a major retail and entertainment center set to open at the Meadowlands next year.

"It's an arm's throw from the fashion capital of the world," Yormark said.

Izod, a Nets sponsor, sought the naming rights because it lines up with the brand's sports-inspired image and its marketing to men, women and children, said Allen Sirkin, chief executive of Izod's parent company, Phillips-Van Heusen. Izod split with Lacoste -- which still uses the alligator logo -- in the early 1990s.\

"The match was very clear on Izod's part," he said.

The Izod deal also sets up yet another rivalry with the Prudential Center. Sirkin said he has friendly relationships with regional managers at Live Nation, the nation's largest concert promoter, and hopes to use those to bring shows to the Izod Center.

The Prudential Center is managed by AEG, Live Nation's chief rival. Its first season kicks off with 10 shows by Bon Jovi.

"This is not about competition with the Prudential Center," Goldberg said. "It's likely that both facilities will be able to go forward with their own programs, with their own successes."

The Meadowlands arena was first named for former Gov. Brendan Byrne.

"It's a good name and I wish them success," Byrne said yesterday. "The interesting question is what's going to happen to it, not what the name is going to be."

The arena's future looks bright, authority officials said. Upcoming events include Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen, Andrea Bocelli and a dinosaur show.

"We're filling more dates than we ever could have imagined," Goldberg said.


Staff writer Matthew Futterman contributed to this report.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

JCMAN Thought of the Day: Maybe the Izod Center and the Prudential Center can co-exist the same way the Wachovia Center and the Philadelphia Spectrum and still thrive and they are across the parking lot from eachother. Maybe this can work and be a win-win for New Jersey with Jersey taking in more events and more revenues.

It just might work.:)

[lofter1]

No more gator ... who knew?

Now it's just IZOD / IZ ...

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/31j4P650lWL._AA280_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Izod-Logo-Hat/dp/images/B000R8UPYG/ref=dp_image_0_0/104-9911233-8129558?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&img=0&color%5Fname=default)

[NYatKNIGHT]

Why get rid of the alligator? It was one of the most recognizable logos ever. I know someone who has that tattooed on his chest. Yes, it is the worst tattoo in the world, and he knows it - got it while drunk.

[lofter1]

LaCoste was sold off by Izod years ago -- and the gator went with it.

[Front_Porch]

says something about the economy that only apparel companies bid -- remember the tech deals -- Pac Bell Park, U.S. Cellular Field?

For that matter, remember Enron Field?

ali r.
[downtown broker]

[JCMAN320]

Arena makeover is looking sharp dressed in Izod

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN
Star-Ledger Staff

Remember that roommate who always complained about the mess in the living room and wanted the music turned down to barely a whisper after 10 p.m.?

Now remember how happy you were when he moved out? That's where the Nets are right now.

Sure, the Devils have moved into a gleaming, $375 million home in downtown Newark, but the Nets are making themselves as comfortable as they have ever been in what is now a home of their own at the Meadowlands.

Though the state owns the newly renamed Izod Center, the Nets are now the primary tenant and the premiere team in the building until their planned move to Brooklyn in two or three years. Take notice of the red-painted pillars with the 85-foot banners of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson tonight on the way into the season opener against the Chicago Bulls.

"The Devils leaving gives us a tremendous opportunity to leverage different areas of the building in ways we never were able to do before," Nets chief executive Brett Yormark said as he stood in a hallway outside the Devils' former offices at the Izod Center Monday.

Minutes before, workers had removed the Devils' logo from the wall outside the office, a single moving truck waited outside to take another load of stuff to the hockey team's new offices at Newark's Prudential Center.

But like an ex-spouse who doesn't bother waiting for the final divorce papers, the Nets have been redesigning and renaming the Devils' former stomping grounds all summer, mostly on their own dime, convincing companies to put their names and logos in sections of the arena in ways the Devils management never would have tolerated.

That hallway outside the Devils' old offices is now the World Yacht Passageway to the Dewar's 12 Winners Club.

Also, Yormark had the Nets tear apart the Devils locker room and somehow get rid of the stench from all those smelly hockey pads. The space is now a bar and dining lounge for buyers of premium group packages. Companies that buy 20 or more tickets priced at $150 can enjoy dinner and drinks in the lounge -- just steps from the Nets locker room -- throughout the game.

Another section of the locker room has become a corporate board room, where Yormark and Nets owner Bruce Ratner intend to entertain top clients and perspective sponsors.

"It's all about the aura of being where the players and the celebrities are," Yormark said. "It's like being a part of a club. We sell that."

Yormark and the Nets partners at Izod hope the changes help give the aging building a modern character it has been missing in recent years.

Allen Sirkin, president of Phillips Van Heusen, Izod's parent company, said he wants the arena to be more than just a billboard, which is why they are sprucing it up beyond putting their name on it.

"The most important thing is that we bring the center to life," Sirkin said.

To Yormark, that means giving his fans, especially the ones buying the most expensive seats, more reason to show up.

The former Devils franchise room, where owners used to congregate, is now the Tiffany's Franchise Room, which the Nets will use to entertain their special guests, such as Bruce Willis, who will be at the game tonight. Optimum Lightpath is the sponsor of another exclusive business club for premium seat-holders.

In the stands, the Nets have installed 32 so-called "loge box seats," which are seats with tables and personal television monitors located behind the south basket on the temporary risers.

Matt Durabian, assistant general manager of arena operations for the Nets, said complex electrical wiring would have made the seats too hard to maintain if workers still had to accommodate a hockey rink after every game.

"You didn't used to feel good about coming in here," Yormark said. "Now I think you will."


Matthew Futterman can be reached at

mfutterman@starledger.com


------------------

The place looked great tonight on opening night. The out side of the place was bathed in different color lights and images projected on the outside of the arena. It feels more like an event then in years past. The New Jersey Nets won in overtime too the place was electric!!! I look forward to many mroe games there. Go Nets!!!1

[JCMAN320]

Foundation laid for arena to survive 5 more years, Corzine says

Posted: Wednesday Oct 31, 2007 8:47 PM

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The foundation has been laid for the refurbished IZOD Center to survive at least another five years, Gov. Jon Corzine said Wednesday at a ceremony to rename the 26-year-old arena in the Meadowlands sports complex.

"It doesn't seem like a dying arena to me,'' Corzine said when asked about the future of the building that had been known as the Continental Airlines Arena since 1996.

The future of the arena, which opened with a Bruce Springsteen concert in 1981, has been in question for the past few years following decisions by the two major tenants to move out.

The New Jersey Devils of the NHL moved to Newark this season, and the Nets of the NBA plan to leave for Brooklyn for the 2009-10 season. Nets owner Bruce Ratner said Wednesday that the planned arena in Brooklyn probably would not be ready for the start of that season, however.

The IZOD Center is also the site of about 200 concerts and family entertainment events annually.

"I was in business for a long time, and a five-year time frame is really a planning cycle,'' Corzine said after the ceremony and before the Nets tipped off their season with a game against the Chicago Bulls. "We've laid the foundation for a successful five years, and we will be looking at this as a business decision as time goes on.''

Corzine was cautiously optimistic about the arena's future once the Nets move.

"I am not prejudging any of that,'' he said. "We will look at it as a business person would in any kind of analysis. For the next five years we are in pretty good shape. We can maintain most of that time (with) the Nets and the family entertainment schedules that we have today and, if we grow that, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic.''

George Zoffinger, chief executive of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, said the arena would turn a profit this year for the first time since 1996.

Clothing maker IZOD, best known for its sports shirts, was awarded the naming rights in early October. The division of clothing and apparel maker Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. agreed to pay $1.4 million each year over the course of the five-year deal.

IZOD was a sponsor of the Nets before being awarded the naming rights.

[JCMAN320]

New Jersey Nets CEO plays for the fans

Friday, November 2, 2007

By KEVIN G. DeMARRAIS
STAFF WRITER

http://www.northjersey.com/lib/get_image.php?story_id=7215934&image_size=f
PETER MONSEES / THE RECORD
Nets CEO and President Brett Yormark schmoozing before the team's season opener Wednesday night at the Izod Center.

Like the host of a giant party, Brett Yormark never slowed down, moving from guest to guest offering a firm handshake and a warm welcome.

As the president and chief executive of Nets Sports and Entertainment -- the corporate entity for the New Jersey Nets -- he has made it a priority to meet and greet as many of the season-ticket holders as possible.

"That's what I do," Yormark said Wednesday before the Nets home opener at the newly christened Izod arena. "I like being the host. I want to shake everyone's hand in the building."

It's all part of Yormark's strategy to make his paying guests feel appreciated, to make their visits "more than a game," as the team's marketing tagline goes.

The average price per season ticket is around $3,000, but courtside seats range from $14,432 to $77,792.

"Our goal is first and foremost to provide the best in class experience," the Franklin Lakes resident said.

"Fans should not only have a great experience, but should also feel they're getting value for their money," he said. "You retain your best customers by over-delivery. Providing our best customers with an experience they'll never forget keeps them coming back."

The Nets can be a tough sell, despite their recent success. The team is scheduled to leave New Jersey in two years for Brooklyn if their yet-to-be-started arena is completed on time, and they compete in a media and fan market long dominated by the New York Knicks.

Neither seems to slow down Yormark, who came to the Nets almost three years ago after six years at NASCAR, where he helped build the stock-car racing enterprise into a major sports property.

Brooklyn will come, but "our desire and goal from Day One is that as long as we're going to be in New Jersey is to provide best in class experiences," he said. "We've done that."


Knicks and a niche

The results have been positive, with a retention rate "north of 80 percent," he said. "People are voting 'yes' with their wallets now."

Bruce Ratner, the team's principal owner, says the results are due to Yormark and his marketing innovations.

"I heard he was the best," Ratner said of his decision to hire Yormark in 2005. "And it turns out he is the best. He makes all the difference."

Even with fans praising the changes, Yormark is realistic enough to recognize that "some people will follow us to Brooklyn, some people won't."

Yormark, who grew up in Morristown and studied business at the University of Indiana, says he welcomes the competition from the Knicks.

"I love being the underdog; it makes us work harder and smarter," he said. "We're doing everything we can to become relevant, to promote like never before. We're becoming a regional team, with a sampling from across the river.

"We've effectively carved out a niche in the marketplace. We're definitely growing our fan base as we never have in years."

The key to that is "controlling our environment," he said. That includes just about everything, from the signage in the building to the Nets Dancers to the event staff.

"We're the first team to reach out to [the staff]," he said. "They're an extension of our family; they truly are."

The heart of the program is providing personalized treatment, hotel-inspired hospitality and unprecedented access to players and staff.

The team even hired an executive from Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Dashawnda Brown, to run its VIP Access & Experience Department.

The department's goal "is to bring a new style of mass personalization for our season-ticket holders, treating [each] as an individual, and learning more about their specific needs," team spokesman Barry Baum said.

That means the team segments season-ticket holders who use their tickets to entertain friends, business clients and family, offering different perks to each.

So the customer who comes with friends might welcome the chance to play basketball at the Nets practice facility, the business customer might want to purchase extra courtside tickets for clients, and the family buyers might take advantage of the opportunity to have a child pose for pictures with one of the players.


What the fans think

All season-ticket holders also get to share in a variety of other special benefits -- some for free, others at additional cost -- such as being picked to visit the Nets locker room during the game, invitations to an annual barbecue, bus trips to games in Philadelphia, birthday greetings on the scoreboards and entrance into one of several clubs.

"It's a great thing that they're doing," said Manny Carabel of Red Bank, a first-time season-ticket holder.

The "whole package" -- the atmosphere in the arena, the "non-stop food" in the All Access Club for entertaining friends (for an extra $35 per ticket per game) and the basketball itself -- is what attracted him.

And they have him seriously considering following the team to Brooklyn in two years.

But all the glitz -- including a "really cool" visit to the locker room with his family -- is not enough to persuade Howard Egenberg of Springfield to follow the team to Brooklyn.

"I'm not crossing two rivers," the seven-year regular said.

"But until their put a shovel into the ground, they're still the New Jersey Nets."

Service industry news appears Fridays. E-mail: demarrais@northjersey.com

* * *

The perks of being a fan

Nets season-ticket buyers are offered a broad menu of special benefits, both free and paid. Holders of the most exclusive seats have access to the Optimum Lightpath Business Club, while others may purchase membership in the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods lounge, or the All Access Club. At the latter, they pay $35 per ticket per game for unlimited food and beverages from 90 minutes before tip-off until the end of the third quarter. They also have the opportunity to rent the Back Stage Lounge for private parties of up to 30. Other benefits include:

• Discount parking

• Team will arrange for a favorite player to sign an item or to pose for a picture on the court before the game

• Extra courtside club passes for fans if they need one for a client, extra family member or friend

• Locker room visits during game for selected fans

• High-five line for kids to high-five players as they run on court

• Pregame visits outside locker room

• Chance to play basketball at the Nets practice facility

• Watch a road game in the players' lounge at the practice site

• Bus trips to Nets games in Philadelphia

• Opportunity to meet mascot/dancers

• Birthday parties and birthday greetings on scoreboards

• Invitations to meet-the-team event, draft party, annual barbecue and basketball event

• Visits to seats by executives to select accounts

• Annual rookie event to welcome first-year season-ticket holders to the Nets family

• Pregame photo ops at some games with Nets players or legends

The wooing actually starts before potential customers make a purchase.

Prospective premium season-ticket buyers are invited to a private fitting for an authentic personalized team jersey, and select prospects receive a blank red team jersey on a customized Nets hanger in a Nets garment bag with a personal note from CEO Brett Yormark.

In both cases, a star Nets player will sign the jersey.

-- Kevin G. DeMarrais

[JCMAN320]

NETS OFFER GOODY BAGS FOR GUESTS

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11042007/photos/biz041a.jpg
BEN GORDON
Scores a freebie.

November 4, 2007 -- THE Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Sundance Film Festival and the Emmy Awards have long handed out goody bags stuffed with valuable merch to the celebrities in attendance.

Now Allen Sirkin, president and COO, Phillips-Van Heusen, parent of the Izod brand, is adding New Jersey Nets games to the list.

Visiting players to the Izod Center, as the Nets' home is now known, will be handed an assortment of Izod apparel. The arena's goody-bag policy is believed to be the first of its kind in the NBA.

"It's all about being a good host, making the visiting players feel comfortable," Sirkin told The Post last week.

So Ben Gordonand the rest of the Chicago Bulls each walked away with an Izod polo shirt, sweater, hat, jacket, sports shirt and fleece top - in addition to the overtime beating handed to them by Jason Kidd & company.

"When we signed up, part of the presentation to the state (New Jersey) was that Izod was going to be more than a name on the building," said Sirkin, who noted that every performer at the Izod Center - be it Eddie Van Halen, Hannah Montana or Snoopy on Ice - will get the same type of goody bag.

Sirkin also won over the employees of the arena by tossing the old polyester uniforms they used to wear and handing out classy Izod jackets and shirts on the eve of its Meadowlands opening.

Article by Richard Wilner of the New York Post

[JCMAN320]

NETS TO PROVIDE SPECIAL OFFER TO STRANDED
BROADWAY THEATERGOERS THIS WEEKEND

50% Discount on Select Nets Tickets to this Weekend’s Games Upon Presentation of Unused Theater Tickets.....New Jersey Nets Basketball: 15 Minutes from Broadway

November 14, 2007

East Rutherford, NJ- With the on-going Broadway stagehands strike, the Nets are coming to the rescue of would-be theatergoers by providing them with a 50 % discount on a select ticket to the Nets’ two upcoming games at the IZOD CENTER: Friday, Nov. 16 vs. Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic and Saturday, Nov. 17 vs. Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat.

Would-be theatergoers are invited to display their unused theater tickets at the IZOD CENTER Box Office at which point they will be eligible for a special 50 % discount on select tickets. This offer is subject to availability on the day of the games. For more information theatergoers should call 1-800-7-NJ-NETS.

“We hope this special Nets ticket offer provides some solace and entertainment for theatergoers who were left out in the cold on Broadway,” said Nets CEO Brett Yormark. “In addition to basketball, we offer our fans a great entertainment experience, and we look forward to hosting the would-be theatergoers at the best show in town, only 15 minutes from Broadway.”

In an added salute to theatergoers, the Nets will honor their special 50 % discount ticket offer for this weekend’s games to anyone who displays a used theater ticket at the IZOD CENTER Box Office.

If the Broadway strike concludes before the start of the weekend, the Nets will still honor the ticket offer.

[millertime83]

and we look forward to hosting the would-be theatergoers at the best show in town, only 15 minutes from Broadway.”



15 minutes from Broadway? Who are the kidding. Maybe 25 minutes at 3am, but you're lucky if you can get 15 minutes even to Hoboken.

[lofter1]

I've recently heard a number of ads on the TV for events at the "IZOD Center" ...

It sounds better when spoken than it looks in print.

[JCMAN320]

The Nets head for carbon-neutral zone

Friday, November 16, 2007

By JIM WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER

The Nets, not the Boston Celtics, want to be the first NBA team to go green.

Nets management announced Thursday that it is developing a comprehensive plan to reduce the franchise's environmental impact.

The East Rutherford-based team's plans range from evaluating the carbon-dioxide emissions generated by flights to away games to buying non-polluting cleaning supplies.

Although several other pro basketball teams have announced plans to reduce their environmental impact, the Nets say their goal is to become the first NBA franchise to become "carbon-neutral" -- by offsetting all their greenhouse-gas emissions with measures that improve the environment.

"Every day you read in the paper about global warming and environmental problems," said Nets spokesman Barry Baum. "We just felt that we had a responsibility as a franchise to take action as soon as possible."

Beginning with tonight's home game against the Orlando Magic, the Nets will hold six "green nights" at the Izod Center to publicize their environmental efforts and show fans what they can do to help.

Tonight's theme is waste reduction. The Nets will make public-service announcements during the game, and staff from the state's Bureau of Recycling and Planning will be on the concourse to provide information.

According to Pamela Lipp, president of E4, the environmental sustainability consulting firm hired by the Nets, the biggest environmental impact a pro sports team can have is to influence its fans.

The Nets have hired The CarbonNeutral Co. to calculate the team's overall carbon dioxide emissions and devise a game plan to reduce and offset those emissions.

Other front-office initiatives include improving energy efficiency, recycling and water consumption, as well as establishing green purchasing policies for office supplies.

"This is another way for the Nets to beat the Knicks this year," said Doug O'Malley of Environment NJ, a non-profit advocacy group.

"It's not news when a team tells fans to recycle, but it is news when a team goes carbon- neutral for all travel," O'Malley said. "That's significant."

E-mail: wright@northjersey.com


7222028

[JCMAN320]

Report: Izod Center will turn a profit in '08

by Maura McDermott/The Star-Ledger Thursday December 20, 2007, 5:04 PM

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2007/12/large_izod1220.jpg
Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger
The Izod Center in East Rutherford.

Now that the Devils hockey team has moved to Newark, the Izod Center is expected to start turning a profit as soon as next year, according to the state agency that operates the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

The Izod Center - formally known as the Continental Airlines Arena - will likely see a $2.4 million profit next year, compared to its $8 million loss in 2006, according to a report released in its final form today. The arena is expected to break even this year.

The report by the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority included several arguments in favor of keeping the Izod Center open. Some Newark and Essex County officials have said the East Rutherford facility should shut its doors after the Nets expected departure in 2010, to cut down on competition with the new Prudential Center in Newark.

Based on the authority's research, there's reason to believe both venues can succeed, said Pamela Miller, who headed the committee that produced the report.

The Izod Center employs 80 full-time and 1,500 part-time workers, according to the report. It is the third-highest grossing venue in the nation, according to a Billboard magazine chart distributed by the authority today.

The authority also released its budget projections today.

The agency's horse-racing business has continued its downward slide, with the Meadowlands racetrack's losses projected at $2.7 million this year and $5.5 million next year.

The authority recently opened an off-track betting facility in Woodbridge which is expected to turn a $2.9 million profit. The agency expects to open one or two more off-track betting venues in the next year, and state officials are reviewing a plan to support the horse-racing industry over the next three years, said Dennis Robinson, the authority's newly appointed chief executive.

[JCMAN320]

Biz Buzz: That telemarketer sure knows basketball

Friday, March 14, 2008

When Kiki Vandeweghe signed on earlier this season to become special assistant to New Jersey Nets President Rod Thorn, he told the organization he was willing to help the team however he could. No one figured that would include making sales calls for tickets.

And yet, as the Nets muddle through a less-than-mediocre season, Vandeweghe, Thorn and even head coach Lawrence Frank and his staff are about to start dialing for dollars. Each will make up to five calls a day through May 30.

With the Nets kicking off their early bird season ticket renewal campaign, Chief Executive Brett Yormark is literally using every member of the organization to help fill the arena.

"It sends the fans the message that we care, that we're different," Yormark said. "We've always told the fans they were part of our inner circle, but I think getting a call from a team executive or a coach offering to answer any questions takes it to another level."

Vandeweghe, a former star player in the NBA and general manager of the Denver Nuggets, said he's looking forward to his first sales calls.

"The thing I love about the Nets is it's a family, and everyone is doing everything here," he said.

-- Matthew Futterman

[OmegaNYC]

So he's not going to the Knicks? ^^^

[JCMAN320]

Nope, those were all rumors. Rot in hell Knicks!!

[JCMAN320]

NEW JERSEY NETS BECOME FIRST NBA TEAM TO GO CarbonNeutral ®
Wednesday, Mar. 19 2008
Only major pro sports team to earn industry’s most rigorous CarbonNeutral® Accreditation

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – With their ongoing commitment to “greening” the franchise through a company-wide environmental strategy, the Nets have become the first major professional sports team to be accredited as CarbonNeutral®.

To achieve this position, the Nets plan to lower their carbon footprint by focusing on improving energy efficiency, recycling rates, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and establishing green procurement policies for the materials the Nets use on a regular basis. To get to net zero CO2 as these changes begin, the Nets are purchasing guaranteed and verified carbon credits that support renewable energy projects around the world.

In January, the Nets launched ‘Netsgogreen.com’ as an educational resource for Nets fans to learn about energy conservation, global warming, sustainability, recycling, air quality, forestation, renewable energy, greener cleaning products, policy and legislation, key green terms, and water conservation.

“Being carbon neutral is an important step as we change our own behaviors and lead the way in environmental and sustainable initiatives in the sports industry,” said Nets CEO Brett Yormark. “We have a social responsibility to do our part to combat climate change, but it also makes business sense as well. Achieving CarbonNeutral accreditation is a milestone in our environmental strategy and we will continue to set an example in sustainable development when we move to our new home in Brooklyn, the Barclays Center.”

Mark Armitage, President US, The CarbonNeutral Company said: “We are delighted that the Nets have made this crucial step in committing to becoming greener. The CarbonNeutral Company is fully supporting them through the CarbonNeutral program by offering them expert advice on how to reduce their carbon footprint through internal changes and through carbon offsetting, and supporting them on how to effectively communicate this good work to their staff, suppliers, players and fan base.”

NOTES TO EDITORS/REPORTERS/PRODUCERS

Calculations:
CO2 is traded internationally in metric tonnes – all figures provided are in metric tonnes.

The Nets have chosen to support the following projects for their carbon offset program:

Kotmar Waste Heat Recovery in India
This project captures waste heat at a steel plant and uses it to produce electricity which is subsequently fed into the local grid. The project has generated emission reductions of 74,263 t CO2 equivalent between 2004 and 2007, verified and certified to the Voluntary Carbon Standard.

Sichuan Province Hydro Power in China
This project bundles four small run-of-river hydro power stations in Sichuan Province, western China. The project displaces electricity generated by fossil-fuel power plants and will generate emission reductions of an estimated 360,000 t CO2 equivalent between 2006 and 2012, verified and certified to the Voluntary Carbon Standard.

Rhine-Ruhr Waste Gas Power in Germany
This project captures methane from three abandoned coal mines in Germany. Methane is 21 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. The project will generate emission reductions of 385,500 t CO2 equivalent in 2006 and 2007.

Solar Water Heating Systems, Southern India
This project promotes the installation of solar water heating systems in the Indian state of Karnataka. SELCO, the organisation behind the project, is a two-time winner at the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy. The systems will generate emission reductions of an estimated 78,000 t CO2 equivalent between 2007 and 2013.

The CarbonNeutral Company is the world’s leading carbon offset and climate consulting business, working with over 300 businesses and 50,000+ consumer clients.

CarbonNeutral® is the registered trademark of The CarbonNeutral Company (TCNC) and is the leading brand mark and quality standard for action on climate change. Permission to display the CarbonNeutral mark is only given to clients of TCNC when CO2 emissions have been measured and reduced to net zero through a program implemented in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. This Protocol assures quality of offset projects, carbon footprint assessments and communication and is regularly reviewed by an Independent Advisory Group. The ‘audit trail’ includes an annual independent verification of CarbonNeutral programs – from contracts with carbon offset partners through to contracts with clients and everything in between.

The CarbonNeutral® accreditation awarded to the Nets signifies that the emissions associated with the Nets commuting, business travel, premises and company vehicles have been calculated in accordance with the WRI/WBCSD GHG protocol and an equal number of carbon credits have been purchased on behalf of the Nets to neturalize these emissions.

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Preseason Games in Europe for Nets

New York Times Article
Published: March 27, 2008

The Nets will be one of four teams to open their preseason schedule in Europe next fall, as part of the N.B.A,’s effort to market itself overseas. They will be joined by the Miami Heat, the New Orleans Hornets and the Washington Wizards.

The Nets and Heat open the NBA Europe Live tour in Paris, at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy, on Oct. 9. They play again in London, at O2 Arena, on Oct. 12. The Hornets play the Wizards on Oct. 14 in Berlin, at the new O2 World Arena, and close the tour Oct. 17 with a game in Barcelona, Spain, at the Palau Sant Jordi.

Unlike in years past, the teams will not hold their training camps abroad.

With next fall’s games, the N.B.A. will have played 48 games in 18 European cities the last two decades. The league staged seven games last fall, drawing more than 75,000 spectators and 10.3 million viewers.

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http://www.theo2.co.uk/index.php
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NYTimes.com:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/sports/basketball/27opener.html?_r=2&ref=basketball&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

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Nets go green with first carbon-neutral game

by Rudy Larini/The Star-Ledger Monday March 31, 2008, 4:02 PM

The New Jersey Nets and British financial services company Barclays PLC are teaming up Tuesday night to host what will be a National Basketball Association first -- a game in which all of the energy consumed by both teams and their fans in traveling to and operating the IZOD Center in East Rutherford will be offset by carbon emissions credits for energy-saving projects in Europe and Asia.

"Tomorrow's game will be the first game in NBA history to be carbon neutral," said Julianne Waldron, the Nets' chief environmental officer.

"Green Night," as it has been dubbed, also will feature several environmentally-friendly groups that will be on hand in the IZOD Center's concourse areas to provide information for fans.

"The goal is to really educate fans and get them involved," Waldron said.

The event is part of an initiative the Nets launched last fall, Netsgogreen.com, to make the basketball team a more "green" franchise through energy-conservation measures that include retrofitted lighting and improved recycling in the arena.

"We're going to be cutting our utility costs and lowering our monthly bills," Waldron said. "It's extremely important not only as a business strategy, but as a social strategy. We're trying to give back to the community that's given to us for so many years."

Waldron said she expects the "greening" of the team to follow the franchise when it moves into its new arena in Brooklyn, a move now planned for the 2009-10 season.

"I believe this will be our strategy for years to come," Waldon said. "This is part of who we are."

The Nets partner in the "Green Night" is Barclays, the British financial conglomerate that has reached a 20-year, $400-million deal with the Nets for naming rights to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

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Nets, T-Mobile team up for playoffs

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
BY JOHN BRENNANSTAFF WRITER

The Nets, who have turned seasonal sponsorships into an art form, have made T-Mobile their partner for this year's NBA playoffs.

Here's the unique part: the Nets aren't even in the playoffs, which began on Saturday and will continue into mid-June.

So how did Nets Chief Executive Officer Brett Yormark manage this one, which is believed to be a first in professional sports?

"We have had a relationship with T-Mobile for some time, and our thinking has been how we can 'Stay Connected' with our fans, so that of course blends our business with theirs," Yormark said, referring to the cellphone company's corporate slogan. "The first 30 days of the playoffs are always a crucial time for us to interact with our fans, get season tickets renewed, and obviously push for new ones."

The short-term sponsorship is "right below a six-figure deal," a club official said.

T-Mobile will get exposure during this period on the team's Web site, njnets.com, as well as press releases and e-mail campaigns. The first promotion is a pitch to season-ticket holders who can renew this week and get 25-percent-off gift cards for purchases made at Calvin Klein or Izod stores through May 15.

A playoff viewing party at Manhattan's ESPN Zone is expected to include coach Lawrence Frank and club President Rod Thorn, who can listen as Nets fans bemoan the franchise's first absence from the postseason since 2001. Plans also are in the works for a visit by the Nets Dancers and mascot Sly to the Johnny Rockets restaurant at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and a chance for some season-ticket holders to play in a 3-on-3 tournament at the Nets' practice site in East Rutherford.

The Nets also make sponsorship deals for the summer and for the preseason each October.

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Nets to offer free gas to new season ticket holders

The Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New Jersey Nets plan to give away more than $250,000 worth of free gas to new season ticket holders.

The Nets will give back 10 percent of the total ticket price in the form of gas cards to fans who buy a season ticket through June 26.

"As gas prices continue to soar, we are simply giving our fans what they deserve , a break," said New Jersey Nets CEO Brett Yormark. "This is our way to give back to our fans and to make sure they have a great summer heading into next season.

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Proposal floated to turn Izod Center into giant film studio

by Russell Ben-Ali/The Star-Ledger
Friday October 03, 2008, 9:06 PM

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_stadiu3.JPG
William Perlman/The Star-Ledger
The Izod Center in East Rutherford.

A proposal by members of the Bergen County Film Commission to turn the soon-to-be shuttered Izod Center into one of the largest movie production studios on the East Coast drew the ire of local politicians today.

The idea drew accusations of closed-door meetings and nefarious intent, adding a new chapter to a feud that erupted last year when Newark opened its own competing arena just miles away.

"Newark politicians have been clamoring for the closure of the Bergen arena for years so as to eliminate competition for the Prudential Center," an angry East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella said in a prepared statement. "I am afraid that this seems to be just an underhanded way to accomplish their goal."

The future of the Izod Center, the Meadowlands home of the New Jersey Nets, has sparked fiery debate since the team announced plans to move to Brooklyn. The team has pushed the move to the new Barclays Center back to at least 2010.

But the talks are particularly passionate in Bergen County, where the East Rutherford sports complex provides hundreds of jobs.

A release accused county politicians in Bergen of agreeing to fund a study that could lead to the shutdown of the arena, although one freeholder denied that is the case.

Carlstadt Councilman Joseph Crifasi added, "Where was the public meeting at which the movie studio idea was discussed? Or was this some idea cooked up in private by people who want to get the county into the movie business?"

Actually, the idea was floated by commission members at a film festival in Rutherford as a way to increase the number of films produced in New Jersey.

Bergen County Freeholder Bernadette McPherson, a liaison to the Bergen County Film Commission, confirmed that some members of the commission have floated the idea and are hopeful the state could study the matter.

"There is merit to doing a feasibility study," said Tom Meyers, head of the Bergen County Film Commission, which encourages filmmaking in Bergen County. The group promotes Bergen County as the birthplace of American cinema.

A proposed rail link to the Meadowlands could give the arena site an advantage over other smaller studios in New Jersey, according to Steven Gorelick, executive director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission.

"We think the concept is exciting," he said. "The location is very suitable. It would bring hundreds of part-time and full-time jobs. But obviously it has to be contingent on the facility becoming available."