The academy is designed to provide attendees with a competitive advantage through seminars covering effective sports marketing principles, as well as a forum for the exchange of sports marketing ideas, state-of-the-art technologies and effective networking opportunities with the leaders in the sports marketing industry.

Turner Broadcasting Network President Harvey Schiller, NASCAR’s Mark Dyer, and CBS Sports’ Keith Ritter are three of the many leaders in the sports marketing industry who will speak at the academy.

Others include top sports marketers from companies such as Valvoline, Yahoo, Gatorade, General Motors, GTE, Lifetime Television Network, NBC, the Collegiate Licensing Group and NCAA.

"The 1998 UK Sports Marketing Academy marked the beginning of a new era for the university," said Pierre Menard, director of the International Business and Management. "The 1999 academy will build on that foundation. The speakers and experts on this year's panel will offer the place to find what is on the leading edge of sports marketing."

"We believe that the Sports Marketing Academy will bring material recognition to our college and will open up a variety of new career opportunities for our students," said Richard W. Furst, dean of the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics.

Corporate, collegiate and high school marketing professionals are invited to attend the event. Enrollment is limited to 100 participants. The fees are $895 for corporate participants and $395 for collegiate and high school administrators and include meals, local transportation, social activities and educational materials.

The University of Kentucky Sports Marketing Academy is a joint project of UK’s Gatton College of Business and Economics, the UK Athletics Department, and Host Communications Inc., a national sports marketing firm.

Registration is currently being accepted by phone (800)284-6407, fax (606)257-3293 or via the Internet at http://gatton.gws.uky.edu/SMA/99brochure.html