Brad Sorgen was an Event Marketing Specialist at STIHL and managed the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series. This is a throwback interview from the spring of 2012, Brad answered some questions about both himself and the Series. Enjoy!
When and how did you first get involved with The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series?
I was lucky enough to attend the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series US/World Championships when they were held in Virginia Beach at the oceanfront. I had been a fan for years watching the action on ESPN and was really interested in the events – though I admittedly had no real understanding of the sport. This was before I knew that STIHL also had its headquarters in Virginia Beach as well. After a few days of the competition I was hooked and made it my mission to learn more about the sport and to somehow get involved. It took me a few years but when the opportunity arose in October 2007 I applied for the position at STIHL. I was privileged to have been selected to the position and started in January of 2008.
What is the most challenging part of running the Series? The most rewarding aspect?
Being the organizer of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series is a very complex role. You have to be event promoter, PR manager, logistical coordinator, travel agent, sponsor procurer, video editor and equipment manager. Oh, and I also do announcing at a lot of the events. Combined with the fact that I also manage sponsorships and trade shows for STIHL, it’s a constant exercise in organization to keep each event separate and make them all as successful as possible. It helps having a great team working with you that has countless years of experience working at the events. We all love the sport and want it to grow, and I take that with me to each event we attend. This makes it exceptionally rewarding as I feel the passion of the fans and try to interject my own excitement at every competition we host.
Do you have a favorite moment from the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series?
I actually have two favorite moments of my time with the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series. Watching Martin Komarek break the world record in the stock saw at the 25th anniversary competition in 2010 in Salem, Oregon was one of my favorites. Not only is Martin probably the nicest guy that I have ever met, he is exceptionally passionate about the sport. I don’t think I have ever seen someone so excited and it was certainly infectious. He was so pumped up that he even hugged Dale Ryan when he jumped off the stage.
Another favorite was when I was fortunate enough to travel to the World Championships in 2011 in Roermond, Holland with the US team. Though my main job was to help the team get around the country, I felt more like a coach helping to represent his country. I don’t think I could have yelled any louder when the team finished 3rd place in the relay events and was able to take the podium as medal winners. I was truly proud to be there representing my country, even if it was just as a chaperone.
I was lucky to be a competitor at the beginning of the Collegiate STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series Championship and it has helped me tremendously to develop as a competitor. I have also seen first-hand the impact is has had in the development of many other young competitors. What growth and excitement have you seen around the country as a result of hosting the qualifiers at the collegiate conclaves every spring?
It’s funny as I have been going through some of the old footage recently and I can’t believe how far we have come. The college events were once held in a field with a 50×50 arena surrounded by cordoning tape. Now we have a stage at each event, indoor venues with sound and lighting, and are now bringing pro athletes to participate in the competitions. The excitement grows each year and we are seeing larger and larger crowds for what was traditionally a largely unknown event. I think the growth is going to continue and the next few years will make the events even more exciting to be a part of. The collegiate athletes have come a long way as well. In the past 5 years we have added a discipline (the standing block) and reduced the time limits from 3 minutes to 2 per heat. Each year we are seeing the times drop around the country and the students interacting more with the pros (whether on site or traveling to their home to train).
STIHL has done a tremendous job of promoting lumberjack sports in Europe. Although I’ve never been there to experience it first-hand, I understand that the European crowds are some of the most enthusiastic in the world. Why do you think that the Europeans fans have taken so passionately to the sport? Are there any plans to introduce some of the show elements from the European Series into the US?
The Euro events are great. You have to remember that at an event there you can have anywhere from 3 to 9 countries all within driving distance from the venue. That means that national pride can really shine. STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series events all follow the same system but we are always looking for ways to improve them and good ideas can come from anywhere. My counterpart in Germany, Paul Sumalowitsch, and I are in constant communication on how we can implement each other’s ideas across the pond. Take the relay event for instance. We used to do them here in the states as an extra attraction and stopped. Europe started doing them, and after seeing the success, we reinstated them at our national championships to take advantage of regional pride.
It has been exciting to see the enthusiasm of the European fans for the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series. Our event here in the states used to be the only venue for international competitors, but since 2005 over 20 countries have joined and started their own national Series events. Lumberjack sports is a real novelty in Europe. Here in the states we have been airing the Series for over 25 years, and there are large competitions around the country that have a history that go back over 50 years. Something we are excited to see is the energy in our regional Pro-am events. College sports always has a higher level of enthusiasm then pro sports, and our STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series is no exception. By combining the pro and collegiate events we are seeing bigger and more involved crowds and that is great for the sport.
With the introduction of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series on the Outdoor Channel, will we be seeing any changes in the format of the television program?
The move to the Outdoor Channel has been significant for us. For the first time in our history we have actual destination programming in a regular time slot. We can now tell our fans to watch the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series each Sunday at 4pm. But we are also still involved with the ESPN network. Our collegiate Series continues to air on ESPNU. So with airings on Outdoor Channel, ESPNU and Tuff TV the Series is getting more exposure across more platforms than ever before.
2012 will mark the first year in the history of the US STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series where only competitors from the United States will be able to compete. Can you explain the rationale behind the change in the format?
Moving away from hosting international competitors in the US Series was one of the toughest decisions we have ever had to make for our Series. We started the Series here in the States with the goal of finding the world’s best overall lumberjack athlete. The international athletes contributed immensely to the growth and success of our competition. As the Series continued to grow worldwide, however, and with the success of the first STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® World Championships in 2005, we saw an opportunity to create actual international Series events and make the World Championships the showcase for international talent. It also provided us here in the U.S. the opportunity to focus on developing the future American athlete. Hosting international athletes was great for the event, but it didn’t allow us much room to provide the next generation of U.S. athletes a chance to break in to the big leagues. The format we have now puts us in line with every other international sporting event that takes place – country championship and then world championship.
Do you have any advice for show organizers trying to obtain sponsors and venues for their own competitions?
We believe the key is to look at it as a partnership and not a sponsorship. We want to build a relationship with our sponsors, venues and participants that finds the right formula for success for everyone. You have to develop a strategic partnership that works with the event and the sponsor respectively and the key is communication. An open dialogue based on desired outcomes allows all the parties to work together and develop a winning strategy. Another thing we do is limit the number of partners we have. This runs counter to events like NASCAR where you can have literally hundreds of sponsor logos in a small space. By focusing on fewer sponsors and involving them at a higher level, we find that we can deliver a product that is better for us and better for the sponsor then if we had 20 or so small sponsors. The other advice I would give is to look outside the limits of the sponsorship itself. We coordinate all kinds of activities with our sponsors RAM Truck and Carhartt Workwear at a corporate level (B2B) – national promotions, in store displays with their products, online give-aways. The goal is a seamless integration of the two brands across all aspects of our marketing. Bottom line is that to get a sponsor, keep a sponsor and grow a sponsor, you have to help them reach their marketing goals and show them tangible return on their investment. If you walk into a meeting and say for XXX dollars you get XXX banners without doing any homework on the company or asking the how they define success, they most likely will say thanks but no thanks. You need to understand your partner and work with them to build a custom sponsorship that helps them get more value from your event.
What is the future of the US Stihl Timbersports Series? Are there plans for any changes in the near future?
The future is really looking bright. Something we are excited about is the growth of our social media network. Our YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/stihltimbersportsfan ) is now airing “Classic Cuts” where fans can catch some of the best moments of our past events. And with conversations, contests, and information being shared on our fansite (www.stihltimbersports.us) and facebook page, there is more opportunity to interact with this sport we all love so much. We’re proud of our past, and really excited about our future and I can’t wait to bring the action to our fans around the country.