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In a vote conducted last month, before he was named CEO of Euroleague Basketball, Paulius Motiejunas was selected as the Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year.

Paulius Motiejunas chosen as EuroLeague's top Exec for record third time

In a vote conducted last month, before he was named CEO of Euroleague Basketball, Paulius Motiejunas was selected as the Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year.

This marks the third time, following 2017-18 and 2018-19, that Motiejunas has been thus honored, which is the most in the award's history. The voting process took place in early June and was based on his actions as Zalgiris Kaunas General Manager before and during the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, which culminated with the Final Four on Motiejunas’s home turf, Zalgirio Arena.

The Executive of the Year award honors the person and club whose management decisions have best exemplified the EuroLeague's commitment to excellence in all facets of club direction during the previous season. Among the categories considered before casting votes are sporting merits, fan experience, and marketing and communications. And under Motiejunas, Zalgiris excelled in all of those areas.

In addition to putting together a playoff team – Zalgiris finished the regular season in seventh place – Motiejunas sat atop an organization that met and surpassed all standards for ticket sales and advertising campaigns. And then all of European basketball descended on Kaunas for the Final Four and could take in firsthand the impressive job he has done there, which includes Zalgiris's state-of-the-art training facilities, its youth academy and the management of Zalgirio Arena.

Thanks to Motiejunas's leadership, Zalgiris has been able to remain a EuroLeague contender despite having a modest budget and playing in one of the league’s smallest markets. Zalgiris sold out 16 of its 17 EuroLeague home games and its average attendance of 14,801 was second highest in the league last season. Its revenue from its playoff home game against FC Barcelona was €1.4 million. More than 350,00 fans attended Zalgiris games in 2022-23 in all competitions, there are 2,500 people on the season ticket waiting list and 70 companies on the waiting list for VIP skyboxes.

The club's revolutionary partnership with Samsung created a Zalgiris limited edition Galaxy S23 smartphone, which featured exclusive protective cases and Zalgiris animations plus a revamped Zalgiris app. The phone and corresponding ad campaign reached nearly 8 million people in less than two months and generated an 80% bump in Zalgiris app users. The buzz about Zalgiris crossed borders, too. When the club re-signed Rolands Smits, it announced the move on billboards in Smits's native Latvia and invited Latvian fans to visit Zalgirio Arena for games, too.

The Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year has been awarded annually since 2005. The executive award recognizes those whose efforts build Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs into success stories. Mr. Porelli, who served as president of Virtus Bologna for more than two decades, was among the founders of ULEB and later its president. He passed away in 2009.

Euroleague Basketball clubs were quite busy and creative throughout the past season with special initiatives to engage their fans and larger communities in important ways.

Three of their most impactful campaigns were highlighted during the Euroleague Clubs Marketing Directors Meeting on Tuesday with the announcement of the Devotion Marketing Awards.

Fenerbahce, Efes, Paris win Devotion Marketing Awards

Euroleague Basketball clubs were quite busy and creative throughout the past season with special initiatives to engage their fans and larger communities in important ways.

Three of their most impactful campaigns were highlighted during the Euroleague Clubs Marketing Directors Meeting on Tuesday with the announcement of the Devotion Marketing Awards.

To become eligible for the awards, clubs were invited to present a marketing initiatives they had carried out in areas such as digital strategy, sponsorship activation, brand development and game presentation, among others.

### **Gold Award winner: Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul**

Fenerbahce made off with the top prize thanks to a series of efforts to improve the game-day and arena experience for fans while increasing ticket sales and creating a new revenue source for the future.

Those efforts included the opening of Turkiye's first basketball museum, dedicated to the club's men's and women's teams, which has already attracted nearly 30,000 visitors.

Fenerbahce also introduced its first-ever official mascot, the "Yellow Canary", to great fan acceptance. The mascot has 50,000-plus social media followers and up to 2 million views of certain videos.

At Ulker Sports and Event Hall, the club raised ticketing revenue by 70% in part by creating new courtside seats near the team benches and creating a "Kid Club" that hosted more than 5,000 children this season.

Fenerbahce also filled its EuroLeague home games with a variety of colorful shows, introducing closed-area "flame" and "co2" technologies for the first time in Turkiye.

### **Silver Award winner: Anadolu Efes Istanbul**

Efes, last season's winner, came in second place this time for its efforts to find homes for the countless domestic pets, farm animals and strays displaced by the devastating earthquakes that struck southern and central Turkiye on February 6 of this year.

In what is surely a first, Efes called attention to their plight by bringing some of the surviving dogs to a VIP lounge at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall during a EuroLeague game by collaborating with partner Pet Taxi to safely and comfortably transport the traumatized animals from across the country.

Efes general manager Alper Yilmaz adopted a dog himself while TV celebrities and Social Media influencers supported the project by going to the arena with their own dogs. More than 200 news articles were published in the media about the project, reaching approximately 4 million people, while 10% of the fans at the game registered with Efes partner Pawder, an animal-friendly app, to adopt a surviving dog.

### **Bronze Award winner: Paris Basketball**

A newcomer to the EuroCup this season, Paris Basketball, took the third prize with a unique initiative, playing one of its games at the famous Philippe Chatrier court at Roland Garros, home of the French Open tennis grand slam tournament. Organization of the event took 10 months to cover all the different technical and operational challenges, which the Paris club managed in-house with 30 staff members helped by 170 volunteers from various university partners.

The game also debuted the club's partnership with Give Vision, whose technology allows people suffering from blindness to follow the game live at the stadium using infrared glasses. More than 10,000 people attended the game, which was broadcast live and broadly covered in French and international media. What's more, 14% of the attendees became new ticket buyers for future club games.

**Congratulations to the winning clubs, and to all the others who submitted outstanding entries!**

Euroleague Basketball clubs were quite busy and creative throughout the past season with special initiatives to engage their fans and larger communities in important ways. Three of their most impactful campaigns were highlighted during the Euroleague Clubs Marketing Directors Meeting on Tuesday with the announcement of the Devotion Marketing Awards.

The 2023 and 2024 Sports Business MBA classes met in Kaunas, Lithuania for their fourth and second in-person sessions, respectively. The MBA candidates received a warm welcome from Vytautas Magnus University's Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management, Rita Bendaraviciene, and then went for a walk around the brand-new university campus, which includes state-of-the-art classrooms and libraries located in the heart of the city center.

The 2023 and 2024 Sports Business MBA classes met in Kaunas, Lithuania for their respective fourth and second in-person sessions. The MBA candidates received a warm welcome from the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management of Vytautas Magnus University, Rita Bendaraviciene, and went for a walk around the brand-new university campus with state-of-the-art classrooms and libraries located in the heart of the city center.

2023-24 MBA Classes meeting in Kaunas!

The 2024 class listened to presentations from the Lithuanian National Sports Agency Director, the Sports Department Directors of Kaunas and Vilnius Municipalities and the Head of eSports and Gaming at Lithuanian Football Federation, while they also participated in a Q&A session with EB Institute Alumni and the Executive Director of the Lithuanian Basketball League.

The students also presented their midterm papers under the supervision of the module leaders and heard the first lectures of the upcoming modules, namely in the areas of Sports Management, Sports Economics and Finance and Sports Law and Governance.

Zalgiris Kaunas and its president, Paulius Motiejunas, once again opened their doors for the Sports Business MBA students, who had the chance to listen to the club’s senior management and a take a behind-the-scenes tour of one of Europe’s best basketball arenas.

With the 2023 class already present, both groups visited the recently built Olympic swimming pool and several sports facilities in Kaunas, before ending the day with a friendly basketball tournament at the university’s sports center, where the students played together with a group of wheelchair basketball players and learned about the general rules and characteristics of the sport.

For the class of 2023, it was also the culmination of a unique learning experience, where they defended their final master's thesis in front of a commission. After successfully graduating, the students collected their caps and gowns for the graduation ceremony in the Zalgirio Arena amphitheater, where they received their respective diplomas.

2023-24 MBA Classes Interviews

Vincenzo Di Giuseppe, from Italy, was feeling grateful after the graduation ceremony: “I’m really happy right now! I’m feeling that I’m terminating a long journey. It has been tough, hard, but it has been a great experience! I would do it again 100 times over.”   

Spaniard Javier Barcala was already looking ahead to his future: “Now with this MBA, I have more knowledge in the industry and a great network of professors, speakers and colleagues, so that will be very useful for my future career."

While Gabriel Hoyos, from the United Kingdom, shared his best moments from the 2022 edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four: “It was my first Final Four, which was coincidently my first EuroLeague game that I’ve actually been able to attend in person. It was incredible! Anadolu Efes Istanbul lifted the trophy, although I’m a Real Madrid fan, so that hurt a little bit. But it was a great experience overall, spent with great friends. I’ll take that memory with me for the rest of my life!”  

Two Sports Business MBA classes gathered for one more week 

The Sports Business MBA sixth edition opens in Barcelona

The 2022-24 edition of the Euroleague Basketball Institute's Sports Business MBA, delivered in collaboration with Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania, began late last month with the students of the MBA visiting the Euroleague Basketball headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, for the first in-person session. This year's class features a diverse and truly enthusiastic group of students from across Europe, North America and the Middle East. 

The full-week session included introductions to the study program and the six online modules presented by Vytautas Magnus University professors. It also featured presentations delivered by the Euroleague Basketball executives who spoke about a wide range of topics such as stakeholders in sports, partnerships activations, commercial strategy, sustainability, business intelligence and analytics, business operations and club services, digital and content marketing, communication governance and legal, events sports production, and basketball operations. The week also coincided with the European Week of Sport #BEACTIVE campaign where students participated in physical activities during a team-building session.

Lucie Schepens, France, digital project manager, Scallion DS:

"This week we already gain a lot of knowledge into the Euroleague Basketball ecosystem. So for me coming from outside of the industry was a lot of input to take in."

Simon Kellerman, Germany, ticketing manager, FC Bayern Munich Basketball:

"The first week was really great, we did a lot of interactions, a lot of discussions, a lot of interesting people. We exchanged also after class, and I already got a lot of input which I hope I can implement at FC Bayern Munich Basketball so I can help improve and develop the club."

Olajide Ojuawo, legal counsel-regulatory compliance, FIFA

"The chemistry so far has been great. We all have a passion for sports. That links us together from the beginning and then that love for sports, coming from different nationalities and academic backgrounds, bring that all together. It has been really fun, educational and a great experience so far."  

Students will now start the first academic semester of online learning with the professors of Vytautas Magnus University, guest academicians and industry experts before meeting again in Kaunas, Lithuania, for the second in-person session, where they will defend their term papers and receive presentations from the senior management of EuroLeague club Zalgiris Kaunas.

The winner of the Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year Trophy for the 2021-22 season is Alper Yilmaz, General Director of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, who has garnered the award for the second consecutive year.

Efes's Yilmaz repeats as EuroLeague Executive of the Year 

Yilmaz was selected for the award by his EuroLeague peers as the best executive for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign that finished with his team lifting the trophy as only the fourth back-to-back champion in the Final Four era. Yilmaz and Efes succeeded by keeping the roster virtually intact for a span of four consecutive seasons during which the team reached the maximum of three Final Fours. 

The Executive of the Year award honors the person and club whose management decisions have best exemplified the EuroLeague's commitment to excellence in all facets of club direction during the previous season. Among the categories considered before casting votes are sporting merit, fan experience, and marketing and communications. As more proof of the club's success both on and off the court, Efes was recognized with Euroleague Basketball's Gold Marketing Award earlier on Tuesday. Among the reasons Yilmaz's peers chose him for the award were his efforts to keep a championship roster together and the club's attendance records for the post-pandemic period. 

Yilmaz, 47, spent six seasons as a player for Efes at the start of the century. As a shooting guard, he also suited up for Turk Telekom Ankara, Tofas Bursa, Beykoz and Erdemirspor as well as the Turkish national team. After retiring as a player in 2009, Yilmaz was appointed Efes's sports director and was promoted to general director in 2015. 

The Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year has been awarded annually since 2005. The executive award recognizes those whose efforts build Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs into success stories. Mr. Porelli, who served as president of Virtus Bologna for more than two decades, was among the founders of ULEB and later its president. He passed away in 2009.

Yilmaz is the fourth man to win the Porelli Trophy for the second time and just the second to do so in back-to-back years. The other three were Marco Baldi of ALBA Berlin (2009 and 2015), Jose Antonio Querejeta of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2005 and 2016) and Paulius Motiejunas of Zalgiris Kaunas (2018 and 2019). This is also the third time the trophy has gone to an Efes executive, with club president Tuncay Ozilhan having received the award in 2013. 

For the first time in three years, club executives in communications, business, marketing and ticketing from across the continent met face-to-face at the Euroleague Basketball Institute Annual Workshops in Barcelona this week to trade ideas about how to continue dynamizing the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fan experience now and in the future.

Business, media club execs together again at EBI Workshops

Architects who build bridges between stakeholders and fans, the club executives arrived in great numbers and spent two days brainstorming about the best ways to give current and future fans the best of everything from a competition in which every game matters.

The media directors gathered first to hear from Euroleague Basketball executives about the competition's post-pandemic rebound in audience and revenues and to plan how best to turbo-boost the many digital connections between the league and the fans.

"It was great to have a face-to-face meeting. For two years, we unfortunately had a mandatory break and had to meet virtually," Ilker Ücer, Media Director, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, said. "We can see that EuroLeague has a strategy to grow the product, and we as clubs have our own, too, but the most important part is to combine our strategies to grow the EuroLeague product. We are trying to do the best on the communications side to have the fans understand the meaning of this game and this organization. The digital side is the main focus, and we, as clubs, need to help the EuroLeague in this digital communications partnership."

Almost 50 marketing, business and ticketing directors arrived next and were updated on the many ongoing data collection and analysis tools available to them through Euroleague Basketball, as well as the creative resources to turn that knowledge into actionable offerings for their fans.

The first featured presenters were two EuroLeague Basketball partners who are global leaders in their fields: Nielsen Sports, in sports measurement and analytics, and Seven League, in digitization strategy.

"The speed of change we have to face on a daily basis is insane," Seven League chairman and founder Richard Ayers explained. "But success in that ever-changing world has incredible benefits for your business, your club and your sport. Technology is advancing the connections between fans and sport. Fans demand a voice. They are going to new meeting places, and they want us there."

The discussion continued with details of Euroleague Basketball's newly enhanced data infrastructure suite, which allows creating and delivering content across platforms to pinpoint audience segments, giving clubs the tools to tailor what they offer both longtime and prospective fans, especially young ones.

"After a long season, it's good to meet each other, to exchange ideas, to see new projects, and to see how EuroLeague is supporting us, not only during the season, but all the time," Roberto Bottali, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager, AX Armani Exchange Milan, said. "What I understood from today is that we have to understand how to engage our fans, not only on game day, but during the rest of the week. And we have to work together to understand how to widen our audience and reach the younger generation."

Separate ticketing and marketing sessions filled the rest of the agenda as each group drilled down on how to make going to the arena for EuroLeague games more special than ever, in the first instance, and how to synergize the shared interests of sponsors and fans, in the second.

"For every EuroLeague team and every ticketing director, this exchange is very important to see and hear what the other clubs are doing," Lutz Heck, Ticketing Director, FC Bayern Munich, said. "Today, we met together and created a customer journey in smaller groups and got all together at the end. It was very interesting... We can learn from each other."

Among the executives who took in multiple sessions of the workshop, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv CEO Edli Marcus emphasized the objective of engaging fans in compelling ways that transcend the fact that in every game, one team must lose, and after every season, there is only one champion.

"The most important thing is to try to sell tickets, advertising, sponsorships and content as experiences to be part of the team, unrelated to the team success," Mr. Marcus said. "When we collect and share new ideas here, it's a benefit for all of us, because we are not competing. We compete in the games, but not in the business. In business, we all have the same targets."

The annual EuroLeague ELPA Player Representatives Meeting took place in Barcelona on Thursday, bringing one player from each Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club together with Euroleague Basketball executives to discuss relevant issues ahead of the new season. Held at Euroleague Basketball headquarters, the meeting offered an opportunity to show players the direction the competition is heading for in the 2023-24 season and beyond.

ELPA player representatives meet with Euroleague Basketball executives

The annual EuroLeague ELPA Player Representatives Meeting took place in Barcelona on Thursday, bringing one player from each Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club together with Euroleague Basketball executives to discuss relevant issues ahead of the new season. Held at Euroleague Basketball headquarters, the meeting offered an opportunity to show players the direction the competition is heading for in the 2023-24 season and beyond.

Euroleague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga was the first person to take the floor, welcoming everyone to the meeting.

"It is no secret that last season was one to remember," Bodiroga said. "More fans than ever filled our arenas, more eyeballs than ever watched our games and the content around them on television and digital platforms. On the court, you delivered a top-class experience with what was arguably the most competitive season in EuroLeague history.

"We want to listen to all your ideas and thoughts. We want to help you about any doubt you may have and we want to support you with your initiatives, because players are the true protagonists of the game and your opinion matters. I wish you all a successful and healthy season."

Euroleague Basketball sports director Ibrahim Erkan addressed players about the biggest change in the competition system: the Play-in Tournament, set to take place after the regular season and before the playoffs. He also talked about calendar rules and how double rounds are set to avoid games on consecutive days, among other restrictions.

It was the first meeting of this kind for new Officiating Director Daniel Hierrezuelo, who introduced a couple of new features to help players before and during the season. A number of referees will meet with all EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup teams before the season starts to make sure everyone is in the same page. Another new feature is that referees and team captains will briefly meet on the court before each and every EuroLeague game. In those meetings, questions about rules and any other pertinent information may be covered, and players will be reminded to play within the spirit of the rules and with appropriate sportsmanlike behavior.

"Probably some of you are happy because you are not meeting me on the court, but this is understandable," Hierrezuelo, who recently retired from refereeing, joked in his presentation. "I just arrived three months ago but I will put all of my effort to teaching my partners in a good way to help you, on and off the court. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any problems of any kind."

The players received a breakdown of the competition's fan engagement through television, social media and digital avenues, showing where the largest and most active fan bases are, and in which countries' TV audience and online viewers are growing. This was followed by a presentation on how fan growth and interest in the EuroLeague has developed in the last five seasons, with all-time records being broken in attendance and social media hits.

Also discussed was how EuroLeague is making an effort to put players in the forefront, offering a high-quality platform to promote them. A Quarter with Kyle Hines and The Player's View with Jake Cohen and Michael Roll were some of the examples. Cohen and Hines were present in the meeting, representing Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, respectively.

"I think Euroleague has done a great job of doing this and including the players and making the players feel like their voices are able to be heard," Hines said. "The meeting with the referees is very important because we are all on the court at the same time. So I think the relationship that we have with each other, it will help improve the game, help improve the overall performance of the game, the appearance of the game. So it's very important that we are able to establish this connection with the referees."

Euroleague Basketball also wanted to emphasize and reinforce its commitment to maintain the integrity of its competitions, and gave players instructions on what to do if they suspect integrity is being compromised.

"I have been to a few of these \[meetings\] now and it's great to see the progress that the league has made, and I think it's because of the cooperation of all the people involved," Cohen said. "I think it's a big reason why the EuroLeague has progressed the last few years; the participation, the cooperation of all the parties involved, between the league, the teams, the players and the fans. When we all get together try to work for something better, it's great what we can do."

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The annual EuroLeague Coaches' Meeting was held in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, which gave the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague head coaches the opportunity to sit down with Euroleague Basketball representatives to converse about several topics before the new season gets underway. The meeting took place at Euroleague Basketball's headquarters, as the coaches were able to see the roadmap the competition has set as we enter the 2023-24 season.

EuroLeague head coaches meet with Euroleague Basketball executives

The annual EuroLeague Coaches' Meeting was held in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, which gave the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague head coaches the opportunity to sit down with Euroleague Basketball representatives to converse about several topics before the new season gets underway. The meeting took place at Euroleague Basketball's headquarters, as the coaches were able to see the roadmap the competition has set as we enter the 2023-24 season.

Euroleague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga and CEO Paulius Motiejunas were the first people to take the floor, welcoming everyone to the meeting.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome you here. Thank you for coming. We have this meeting to talk about and reflect on the last season, and also to discuss the present and to talk about our future. It's not a secret that we are coming off one of the most competitive seasons in the history of the EuroLeague," Bodiroga began. 

"It's a great pleasure to have you all here before the season," added Motiejunas. "I know myself how difficult it is for you to travel and leave your teams in preseason, so we really appreciate you all being here." 

Next, the introduction of the new play-in tournament was brought up by Euroleague Basketball Competitions Senior Director Diego Guillen d'Arlot de Saint-Saud, who also discussed the season calendar.

New Euroleague Basketball Officiating Director Daniel Hierrezuelo had the chance to meet the coaches away from the court for the first time in his new role, too. Hierrezuelo explained some of the new changes that have been made, particularly in relation to how referees will be assigned moving forward. 

"I want to share with you the vision for the next three years. Talking about the project, we want to achieve our own identity and improve referee quality," stated Hierrezuelo.

Understandably, the coaches want to be on the same page as the referees in order to avoid any tense moments during the season, which makes meetings such as these so important. 

"I think it's crucial. I think every day, every year and every season, we can get better in that regard," commented EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach Ettore Messina. "There have been changes in the officiating department and, like every change, it brings excitement, curiosity and definitely energy."

EuroLeague Head Coaches meet in Barcelona

Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball Marketing and Communication Senior Director, presented to all coaches in attendance a breakdown of the competition's fan engagement through television, social media and digital avenues, which were all all-time records. From there, the coaches themselves offered some thoughts on some potential changes and new features.

This meeting gives the coaches a unique opportunity to offer their thoughts to representatives of Euroleague Basketball, which allows them to better understand the current situation of the competition, as well as the picture moving forward.

"I think it's very, very important," noted Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach Erdem Can. "We coaches see each other, yes, but especially talking about the common topics for the EuroLeague season, \[it's crucial\] not just to get better as an organization but also to show the sense that we want to get better as basketball: talking about the rules, how to develop that, communicating with the referees' department, communicating with the administration department."

Last season was arguably the most competitive season in EuroLeague history, which goes to show the excellent work being done not only by Euroleague Basketball but also the clubs, the coaches and the players. For Real Madrid head coach Chus Mateo, the EuroLeague is the best it has ever been.

"I think there is no competition like the EuroLeague right now. A sport competition like this is very tough to win. It's very tough to reach the final. It's very tough to reach the playoffs," said Mateo. 

"It's good to know that the teams are going to start from zero and run to try to reach one of the positions which can give you the opportunity to be involved in the Final Four. It's great to know how many teams are going to fight. The last EuroLeague \[season\] was an unbelievable competition, not only for our team but for all the teams and for all the fans."

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