BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fenway Sports Management (FSM), a global sports marketing firm that specializes in partnership sales, consulting, and the creation of unique and memorable events and experiences, today announced several promotions and new hires to support the expansion and growth of the agency’s Fenway Park Special Events team, the business unit responsible for developing, producing and executing all high-profile major events at Fenway Park, the iconic home of the Boston Red Sox. Fred Olsen was promoted from senior director to vice president, Kathleen Harrington from senior manager to assistant director, while Brett Miller joined the team as coordinator of Special Events.
As vice president, Olsen, who has been a core part of the FSM team for more than a decade, leads the Special Events team, directs the department’s strategy and vision, and is responsible for developing new event initiatives that drive revenue, increase visibility and showcase Fenway Park’s versatility as a premiere event venue with the capabilities to host a wide array of high profile events. He and his team have significantly increased both the volume and caliber of Fenway Park‘s special events over the past seven years.
Harrington reports to Olsen and in 2015 spearheaded the return of the Irish sport of hurling to Fenway Park for the first time in over 60 years. She is responsible for managing operations for all high-profile ballpark-wide events as well as procurement of new event opportunities and concepts. As coordinator, Miller helps with the planning and execution of events, serving as the operations manager for college and high school football programming. Also key to the success of Fenway Park Special Events are Director of Business & Government Affairs Claire Durant and Asian Business Development Specialist Mikio Yoshimura. Durant is responsible for the annual Movie Night event and assists with operations for ballpark-wide events including hockey and football. Yoshimura provides key event sponsorship and media relations support.
As part of its expanding role, the Fenway Park Special Events team will also be responsible for growing the business by identifying opportunities to produce and promote events in other venues, with an initial focus on bringing event franchises they have successfully hosted at Fenway to other ballparks, stadiums and arenas across the U.S.
“From day one our ownership group has been committed to restoring the tradition of Fenway Park playing host to a broad spectrum of non-baseball events and a community gathering place. This commitment has challenged us to be bold in our efforts to bring the very best in competitive sports and entertainment to our fans,” said FSM Managing Director Mark Lev. “Central to that is having the right team with the experience and expertise to produce a wide array of diverse, high-profile events that provide an unmatched experience, while operating under the inherent constraints of a 105-year-old-ballpark,” continued Lev. “Fred and Kathleen have been integral to our success in delivering on that challenge, while dramatically increasing both the scale and profile of our annual event calendar and building a special events team that is the most talented and dynamic in sports."
Over the past three years, Olsen and his team produced a number of marquee events, many of which received extensive international exposure and recognition. The 2015 event line-up marked the return of American football to Fenway Park for the first time since 1968 with the Shamrock Series featuring Notre Dame vs. Boston College along with four of the region’s longest-standing high school football Thanksgiving rivalry games. Ireland’s ancient Gaelic game of hurling also returned to Fenway Park for the first time since 1954 in the form of the AIG Fenway Hurling Classic, which drew close to 30,000 fans, far outpacing expectations.
In 2016, in partnership with the United States Ski & Snowboard Association, Fenway Park hosted Polartec Big Air at Fenway, perhaps the most audacious event in its storied history. An officially sanctioned U.S. Grand Prix Tour stop, the two-day event featured the world’s top free skiers and snowboarders competing on a 140-foot high snow ramp, nearly four-times the height of Fenway’s famed Green Monster and drew close to 30,000 fans.
2017 kicked off with the fourth installment of Capital One Frozen Fenway – a two-week hockey and skating festival that attracted more than 40,000 fans to witness the best collegiate hockey in the region. The event featured two Hockey East men’s college hockey doubleheaders, various college and high school games, and the “Frozen Fenway Winter Party on Ice” with internationally known ice dancing competitors and performers.
Building off the success of 2015, the 2017 fall schedule featured the Fenway Gridiron Series presented by Your Call Football, including three Collegiate Division I Football games held on November 10, 11 and 18. The AIG Fenway Hurling Classic and Irish Festival returned this year on November 19, with senior hurling teams from Dublin, Galway, Clare and Tipperary competing. Also announced today, the 135th Harvard and Yale football rivalry game will be played at Fenway Park on November 17, 2018. The game marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 clash between the two schools, which famously ended in a 29-29 tie. All told, these unique special events at Fenway have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact to the City of Boston and surrounding regions.
About Fenway Sports Management
Fenway Sports Management
(FSM) is a global sports marketing firm that specializes in partnership
sales, consulting, and the creation of unique and memorable events and
experiences. A wholly owned subsidiary of Fenway Sports Group, FSM is
part of an elite family of properties that includes some of the most
storied names and venues in all of sports, including the Boston Red Sox,
Liverpool Football Club, New England Sports Network and Roush Fenway
Racing. For further information, visit www.fenwaysportsmanagement.com.
