Phoenix CX: Le Hugh, LeBlanc, et La Ruse

[Llama19]

From today's (Jan 20) Arizona Coyotes Live Chat with Sarah McLellan

Q: any news on the new arena

A: Nothing new on arena. Team still seems to be doing its research to decide its options moving forward.

Source: http://wwwssl.coveritlive.com/embed...om/media/avitars/201511/phpfno6sucoyotes2.jpg

 

[OthmarAmmann]

From today's (Jan 20) Arizona Coyotes Live Chat with Sarah McLellan

Q: any news on the new arena

A: Nothing new on arena. Team still seems to be doing its research to decide its options moving forward.

Prescott Valley? They're looking for a new hockey tenant.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone...lley-events-center-files-bankruptcy/31957961/

 

[Killion]

... once again, options include:

1) Stay put through 16/17, continue weighing options.
2) Move to TSA if you can get the dates & cut a decent deal.
3) Move to War Vets... spend millions on reno's provided the NHL's ok with it.
4) Teams sold, Relo'd this June or June 2017.

 

[GuelphStormer]

... once again, options include:

1) Stay put through 16/17, continue weighing options.
2) Move to TSA if you can get the dates & cut a decent deal.
3) Move to War Vets... spend millions on reno's provided the NHL's ok with it.
4) Teams sold, Relo'd this June or June 2017.

the NHL should let us vote

 

[Llama19]

... once again, options include:

1) Stay put through 16/17, continue weighing options.

Unlikely...

2) Move to TSA if you can get the dates & cut a decent deal.

Just as unlikely...

3) Move to War Vets... spend millions on reno's provided the NHL's ok with it.

Very, very unlikely...

4) Teams sold, Relo'd this June or June 2017.

Very likely...

the NHL should let us vote

The fans already have...

 

[CasualFan]

Prescott Valley? They're looking for a new hockey tenant.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone...lley-events-center-files-bankruptcy/31957961/

Hah- the hock soars. golden link. thanks for posting that to the forum - hope your 2016 is off to a great start

 

[Whileee]

Prescott Valley? They're looking for a new hockey tenant.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone...lley-events-center-files-bankruptcy/31957961/

Hah- the hock soars. golden link. thanks for posting that to the forum - hope your 2016 is off to a great start

A refresher.... (http://watchdog.org/8400/glendale-arena-deal-consultant-named-in-fraud-lawsuit/)

Thomas Hocking and his company, TL Hocking & Associates, produced inflated revenue projections to secure financing for the 5,000-seat arena in Prescott Valley, according to the lawsuit filed in 2009 by investors who bought the $35 million in government bonds that paid for the project. The suit was filed after the arena failed to produce enough revenue to repay the debt, leading the bonds to be downgraded to junk status.

Luckily, Hocking's projections for Glendale were on much more solid footing...

 

[Llama19]

Hmmm...

Seems like IceArizona cannot keep its vendors from taking them to civil court...

CV2016-000033
Icearizona Hockey Co LLC v Mix 1 Life Inc

Source: http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/CivilCourtCases/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2016-000033

 

[TheLegend]

Hmmm...

Seems like IceArizona cannot keep its vendors from taking them to civil court...

CV2016-000033
Icearizona Hockey Co LLC v Mix 1 Life Inc

Source: http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/CivilCourtCases/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2016-000033

The point being??

IA is listed as the plaintiff in this case. So it appears Mix 1 hasn't lived up to a part of their agreement.

 

[Killion]

Hmmm...

Seems like IceArizona cannot keep its vendors from taking them to civil court...

CV2016-000033
Icearizona Hockey Co LLC v Mix 1 Life Inc

Source: http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/CivilCourtCases/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2016-000033

The point being??

IA is listed as the plaintiff in this case. So it appears Mix 1 hasn't lived up to a part of their agreement.

Indeed so TL. Mix1 is the Defendant, Coyotes LLC the Plaintiffs but... it still reflects badly on IA, the organization. This deal was signed back in November 2014 with the usual LeBlanc fanfare, mix1 (a junior entry in the protein shake & energy drink category) signing on as sponsor to the Coyotes Club Level Seats (ticket ID, GRA signage etc etc) along with sponsors to external charity functions under the Coyote umbrella geared towards amateur hockey. When announced, no dollar figures were mentioned (as per usual with IA & their sponsorships, be it outbound or inbound) however, it couldnt have been much as mix1 is a "junior", a startup, then as now with very limited retail distribution in an already crowded market, and without the backing or heft of a Red Bull, Pepsi, Cadbury-Schweppes or whomever. Very much a small-fry. A wannabe, just like LeBlanc & company pursuant to big league ownership & the idiot theater the league has forced one & all to endure....

LeBlanc cant sell "real sponsorships" so he winds up giving things away, doing deals with charities for no cash support or very little, signs low end deals with companies like mix1 who not surprisingly cant pay their invoices when their deal with the Coyotes fails to deliver the kinds of impact & rewards theyd hoped to have received. It was a gamble, a gamble by mix1, a gamble by LeBlanc. He had to have known that. If he didnt, like other matters pertaining to the running of that franchise & the building then he should have known. No one, absolutely nobody in that business signs a high dollar sponsorship deal with a junior sponsor without doinga lot of due dilly with a heavy down & strict terms for what is essentially an intangible with no real measurement of return unless they themselves are completely delusional. Absent any checks & balances, this is what happens. More embarrassment for the franchise. The real details will emerge through the court, and even if they win a judgement? Good luck collecting from a junior in that category with no domestic overhead or holdings worth much of anything at all.. You lie down with dogs, dont be surprised if you wake up with fleas.

 

[Major4Boarding]

Is it contractual... as in wanting out of naming rights or sponsorship? This partnership is barely over a year old

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA — mix1 Life, Inc., (OTCBB: MIXX) and The Arizona Coyotes announced today a long-term partnership agreement. As part of the deal, mix1 will be designated as the Exclusive Nutritional Drink of the Arizona Coyotes.

The partnership will formally go into effect immediately, with the Coyotes’ exclusive suite level club being renamed “mix1 Clubâ€. mix1 Club will be prominently featured with new brand integration including entry and directional signage leading guests into the club and the club’s interior, as well as on tickets and passes required for club admission. In addition, mix1 will be integrated into arena signage, radio broadcasts, paw patrol sponsorship, and will sponsor Arizona Coyotes youth sports programs to build awareness of its brand through community involvement.

“We are very pleased about our new partnership agreement with mix1â€, said Coyotes Co-Owner, President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc. “mix1 is the perfect partner to secure the naming rights to our prestigious suite level club in Gila River Arena and participate in many other branding opportunities. mix1 is a brand that produces and promotes great tasting natural nutritional products and a healthy lifestyle. Our partnership will raise awareness about their brand and their nutritional drinks with all Coyote fans.â€

 

[Llama19]

Is it contractual... as in wanting out of naming rights or sponsorship? This partnership is barely over a year old

The company itself is a start-up, LeBluster(tm) dealing in baby-steps, once again...

Reuters Information on the company

Source: http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MIXX.PK

Company web site: http://www.mix1life.com/

Product placement picture at the arena: http://www.mix1life.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/mix1-arizona-coyotes.jpg

Mentioned in Arizona Republic article [CEO Salary - $90,000 Chairman and CEO Cameron Robb]: http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone...8/arizona-executive-pay-record-high/28688267/

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Indeed so TL. Mix1 is the Defendant, Coyotes LLC the Plaintiffs but... it still reflects badly on IA, the organization.

Come on, K... how does it reflect badly on IA and the org that a signed sponsor defaulted? It's not like IceArizona misrepresented mix1 in this case. This sort of thing happens in sports ALL THE TIME. I used to work in motorsports marketing and, especially in this particular consumer sector, this is not a rare occurrence. There's a ton of money in energy drinks and each company wants to be the next Monster or Red Bull, so they go out and pursue sports sponsorships because that's the quickest road to big exposure; lots of these companies bet big on this, and when the sponsorship doesn't lead to immediate success they find they have overextended themselves. The entity who offered the sponsorship then sues to get the promised revenue and moves on to find the next sponsor.

The only sports entities this doesn't happen to are the top-tier ones who have massive war chests, a thick portfolio of b2b synergies, and premier-level profiles in their operating space.

I'm all for giving IA crap for being stupid, and there are so many opportunities to do so, but turning this mix1 thing into a chance to call them out is like Sarah Palin blaming her kid's domestic violence charges on Obama-induced PTSD.

 

[Killion]

I'm all for giving IA crap for being stupid, and there are so many opportunities to do so, but turning this mix1 thing into a chance to call them out is like Sarah Palin blaming her kid's domestic violence charges on Obama-induced PTSD.

.... dont giver her or anyone else any ideas TFP. Not a bad alibi actually. So much for "Hope" and "Change" huh?... At anyrate, yes, its a highly competitive sector populated by a lot of Moon Shot Artists who as you correctly point out... do indeed make promises they cant keep... What appears to have gone down however is that IA gave away a choice category with the Club Seating platform to a very junior sponsor... My question being "who zoomed who" then? Did mix1 try to write checks with their mouths that their Fanny's couldnt cash or did IA "over-promise & under-deliver"?... the sponsorship effectively a complete & utter waste of $$$ for so small a player. Strikes me as being a combination of both, "shared delusion". Both parties culpable. Desperate times sometimes makes for strange bedfellows. ..... IA desperate to be "seen" to be doing all they can with sponsorship signings yet this one like the rest all smoke. I remember when that was announced, no financials, a junior in the protein/energy drink sector, at the time realizing c'mon here, thats not a Big League sponsor. Quick look at that companies profile all you need to know. The only solid sponsorship transaction IA inked was the naming rights deal to the arena which was motivated by a number of reasons other than just profile & name recognition well outside the norm unique to Arizona and essentially a "laydown" situation for LeBlanc & Co. If someones going to boast about "our extensive knowledge" in the the field of sports marketing & promotion the way Anthony did & still does then trots out these sponsors & deals that are more in keeping with the operators of a Single A Baseball Club or Underwater Hockey Tournament organizer then ya, they need to be called out on it.

 

[Fugu]

Tough crowd in here.

 

[Llama19]

.... dont giver her or anyone else any ideas TFP. Not a bad alibi actually. So much for "Hope" and "Change" huh?... At anyrate, yes, its a highly competitive sector populated by a lot of Moon Shot Artists who as you correctly point out... do indeed make promises they cant keep... What appears to have gone down however is that IA gave away a choice category with the Club Seating platform to a very junior sponsor... My question being "who zoomed who" then? Did mix1 try to write checks with their mouths that their Fanny's couldnt cash or did IA "over-promise & under-deliver"?... the sponsorship effectively a complete & utter waste of $$$ for so small a player. Strikes me as being a combination of both, "shared delusion". Both parties culpable. Desperate times sometimes makes for strange bedfellows. ..... IA desperate to be "seen" to be doing all they can with sponsorship signings yet this one like the rest all smoke. I remember when that was announced, no financials, a junior in the protein/energy drink sector, at the time realizing c'mon here, thats not a Big League sponsor. Quick look at that companies profile all you need to know. The only solid sponsorship transaction IA inked was the naming rights deal to the arena which was motivated by a number of reasons other than just profile & name recognition well outside the norm unique to Arizona and essentially a "laydown" situation for LeBlanc & Co. If someones going to boast about "our extensive knowledge" in the the field of sports marketing & promotion the way Anthony did & still does then trots out these sponsors & deals that are more in keeping with the operators of a Single A Baseball Club or Underwater Hockey Tournament organizer then ya, they need to be called out on it.

Next thread title: Phoenix CXI: A Delusion Not Shared

Sidebar - Yahoo article on company's 'issues' with short sellers of its stock : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ceo-president-mix1-life-addresses-120000125.html

 

[The Feckless Puck]

My question being "who zoomed who" then? Did mix1 try to write checks with their mouths that their Fanny's couldnt cash or did IA "over-promise & under-deliver"?...

I am 99% sure that it was the former. I have notebooks full of documentation from similar flash-in-the-pan companies with big dreams and small checkbooks. Given how extensively IceArizona plastered Mix1 all over GRA - put them in the goddamned ice girls' team name, for Pete's sake - I can't imagine how they could possibly have underdelivered, because naming rights/signage deals like these are usually not contingent on attendance or ratings numbers.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Next thread title: Phoenix CXI: A Delusion Not Shared

I prefer a CSI pun, personally - can't waste the opportunity while it's there!

 

[Killion]

Tough crowd in here.

Ya.... and good luck to mix1.... Im not suggesting nor inferring that its a pump n' dump public offering or any such thing. Not questioning their integrity but what I did question when this deal was announced was their financial ability to cover the cost of what should be a fairly substantial high six figure (annually) if not into the millions sponsorship package. I mean, its not like their backed & part of Kraft-General Foods or a Pepsi brand or whatever. Its essentially a boutique start-up, a product that appeals to a limited audience. All kinds of issues & hurdles to overcome before their in a position to be dropping a lot of money on static brand promotion at an NHL arena. I could see low-end, product sampling in-building, that sort of thing but beyond that? They dont have that kind of $$$. Not based on everything Ive seen, share price etc. Curious that they'd sign with IA as its precisely this kind of news that does give OTC & junior stocks a temporary bump in value thats usually fleeting when such deals do little to increase things like profile & distribution. Hard sales. Its a Red Herring. Salt the market. Creates false hope, riches... buy in now & buy cheap, stock on the up.

Next thread title: Phoenix CXI: A Delusion Not Shared

Sidebar - Yahoo article on company's 'issues' with short sellers of its stock : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ceo-president-mix1-life-addresses-120000125.html

^^^ Ya, as expected, thats pretty much what he has to say & the tack he'd take. Bottom-line as far as Im concerned is that IA shouldnt be conceiving of nor entertaining let alone writing up deals like this one (amongst others) with juniors in any vertical or category (product or service). All it is is window dressing. Ive seen this sort of thing go down innumerable times over the past 3 decades pursuant to various sports & entertainment properties. Never ends well. This is yet another case of Rookie Mistake being made by LeBlanc & IA. Lack of critical thought, a luxury they cant even afford resulting in desperation & obfuscations. You see it at the League level as well as in various NHL markets. Idiotic sponsorship deals. The marriage of even wealthy sponsors to buildings, clubs, be it presentation rights or whatever, even more mind numbing is that right up-front some of these companies of questionable integrity (Amway for eg in Detroit or the quick-consumer-loan dealeo in Anaheim etc).... Most civil suits of this type are settled out of court, dropping the paper as IA has hopefully forcing a settlement however in this case I think your looking at very short pocketed entity & it just may get to court and if it does, not going to reflect well on IceArizona either; who, how, what & why, the details, dollar amounts etc all revealed.

 

[Llama19]

I prefer a CSI pun, personally - can't waste the opportunity while it's there!

How about this one: Phoenix CXI: Random Acts of Finance

-or-

If you prefer puns: Phoenix CXI: Random Axes of Finance

 

[Killion]

I am 99% sure that it was the former. I have notebooks full of documentation from similar flash-in-the-pan companies with big dreams and small checkbooks. Given how extensively IceArizona plastered Mix1 all over GRA - put them in the goddamned ice girls' team name, for Pete's sake - I can't imagine how they could possibly have underdelivered, because naming rights/signage deals like these are usually not contingent on attendance or ratings numbers.

.... right. and if your dealing with a junior like mix1 and they desperately need you in order to gain credibility through associative sponsorship (and its an excellent fit) then you as the building manager & provider of that venue & platform are in the drivers seat.... so.... this is a junior TFP.... your going to have questions about their ability to pay. as such, youd be a fool if you didnt set-up terms that negated the risk in giving up that choice category, terms of 50% down when the deal is signed, the balance amortized over the course of the NHL regular season. Year X Year Deal. Clearly, that did not happen. Had they hired someone like you with experience in the industry & street smarts in that regard such a scenario would likely have never played out.... Again, Rookie Mistakes. This franchise, the last thing in the World they needed or need are short pocketed neophytes. Youve seen this kinda "stuff" going on throughout your career in the industry. As common as dirt. Happens all the time. Its obvious whats gone on here. LeBlanc's a salesman. No one loves to be sold something more than a salesman. I think this is pretty funny actually. He got "sold". Shopped. Shoes on the other foot now.... Karma's a real ***** huh?.

 

[TheLegend]

.... My question being "who zoomed who" then? Did mix1 try to write checks with their mouths that their Fanny's couldnt cash or did IA "over-promise & under-deliver"?...

I would say the former.

But then I would be letting my biased revisionism into the argument.

 

[HerculePoirot]

This whole ordeal reeks of high-risk from both parties, especially from IA's perspective one would think they would've chosen a bigger and a higher profile partner to its "prestigious" Club-level, thus making it seem as they couldn't attract better suitors? Grab what you can -option.

 

[Killion]

I would say the former.

But then I would be letting my biased revisionism into the argument.

.... my best guess is a combination of both parties... takes two to Tango TL... and so.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=64HLXWjbJxE ...dance turning out badly, tragic really.... oh, they were all high & giddy the night before... both parties having far too many Brown Cows'... White Russians... mix1 with vodka, Baileys... lying to one another... woke up together the next morning.... uh.... ohhhh.... Im sure youve experienced similar... yes?

 

[GuelphStormer]

.... my best guess is a combination of both parties... takes two to Tango TL... dance turning out badly.... oh, they were all high & giddy the night before... both parties having far too many Brown Cows'... White Russians... mix1 with vodka, Baileys... lying to one another... woke up together the next morning.... uh.... ohhhh.... Im sure youve experienced similar... yes?

i admire your tenacity, K, but ... gasp ... Im gonna agree with TL here. based on everything offered up here, this one is likely on mix1. IA should sue the pants off them!