Paciolan Announces John Currie as a Keynote Speaker at PACnet '15 Conference

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 17, 2014) - Paciolan, an industry-leading provider of ticketing, marketing, fundraising and sales automation solutions to more than 500 live entertainment organizations, today announced that John Currie, Director of Athletics at Kansas State University (Kansas State) will deliver the college athletics keynote address at its annual PACnet community conference to be held Feb. 8-11, 2015 at the Newport Beach Marriot Hotel & Spa in Newport Beach, Calif. Paciolan is a subsidiary of the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor.

Currie will deliver his keynote on Monday, Feb. 9, and will be interviewed during the interactive session by renowned sports journalist Bonnie Bernstein, recognized by the American Sportscasters Association as one of the most accomplished female journalists in the industry. The keynote will also be streamed live to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) community for its membership.

"I am honored to be speaking at this year's PACnet conference, which is consistently a leading forum for the college athletics community," said John Currie, Director of Athletics at Kansas State University. "I look forward to sharing some of our successful initiatives at Kansas State and discussing new technologies and trends impacting college athletics."

Currie was introduced as the Director of Athletics in May 2009, and since then the university has experienced a tremendous turnaround, and unprecedented athletic and academic accomplishments. Driving toward the vision of a model intercollegiate athletics program, Currie's rebuilt senior leadership team has turned an inherited deficit into national acclaim as one of the NCAA's most financially solvent programs, while initiating $190 million in comprehensive facility improvements -- $125 million of which have been completed in the last 24 months, including the West Stadium Center, Basketball Training Facility, Intercollegiate Rowing Facility and Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.

With the tag line of "Welcome to K-State" symbolizing the goal of providing The Best Fan Experience in the Big 12, the university's marketing and fundraising efforts have been completely overhauled in Currie's tenure. Responding to a new emphasis on personal interaction and communication, Kansas State supporters have pushed attendance to new heights, while more than $143 million in total gifts have been raised for Athletics in Currie's five years, including fiscal year 2014's cash total exceeding $46 million -- almost quadrupling the annual amount prior to his arrival. Meanwhile, history was made as Currie and his staff worked hand in hand with President Kirk Schulz and the KSU Foundation to secure the largest individual donation in university history, a $60 million gift benefitting various academic and athletic initiatives.

Currie's award-winning Fan Experience staff, which was named the national 2014 NACMA Marketing Team of the Year, has created new ticket initiatives that have led to 28 sellout crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium since 2009, including a current streak of 19 straight, while the 2013 football season set new school records for total and average attendance.

The recipient of the 2013 Bobby Dodd AD Award and a 2013 UnderArmour AD of the Year, Currie served as chair of the Big 12 ADs in 2013-14 and is a member of the NCAA Division I Administrative Cabinet. He was one of only two intercollegiate ADs named to SportsBusiness Journal's 2011 prestigious Forty Under 40 list of national sports leaders.

Currie graduated with a bachelor's degree in History from Wake Forest University (Wake Forest) in 1993, and earned a master's degree in Sports Management from the University of Tennessee (Tennessee) in 2003. Prior to his current role, Currie served as the Executive Associate Athletics Director at the University of Tennessee. Currie also served as Assistant Athletics Director at Wake Forest.

Bernstein spent 17 years covering prestigious sports events on-air for ESPN and CBS, most recently serving in the hosting rotation for ESPN's NFL Live, Outside the Lines, Jim Rome is Burning and First Take, as well as hosting a daily NFL show on ESPN Radio. Bernstein has been the only female fill-in host for the nationally syndicated TV/radio program, The Dan Patrick Show, and was CBS Sports' lead reporter for the NFL and NCAA Men's Basketball Championships.

Bernstein is now the Vice President of Content and Brand Development for Campus Insiders, a digital collaboration between IMG College, America's premier college sports marketing company, and Silver Chalice Ventures. In addition to her hosting duties during the college football and basketball seasons, Bernstein is responsible for helping develop and secure new sponsor opportunities, devising branded content strategy and designing brand extensions that enhance the reach of Campus Insider's digital and social platforms. Bernstein graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Maryland's prestigious Merrill College of Journalism, and currently serves on the College's Board of Visitors as well as the Advisory Board for the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism.

"John Currie brings incredible expertise in impacting success with innovative programs through strategic vision," said Dave Butler, Chief Executive Officer of Paciolan. "Athletic directors bring extensive knowledge and groundbreaking ideas to PACnet and we are thrilled to hear John share his proven philosophies he implemented at Kansas State."

PACnet '15 provides educational sessions covering executive trends, fan engagement, social media, consumer marketing, Customer Relationship Management, ticketing, and fundraising, all aimed at helping teams and venues sell more and maximize revenue streams. 

About Paciolan
Founded in 1980, Paciolan is the leader in venue enablement, powering ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions for leading organizations across North America. Collectively, Paciolan powers over 500 live entertainment organizations that sell over 120 million tickets annually. Primary markets include college athletics, professional sports, performing arts and arenas. Paciolan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor. 

Visit www.paciolan.com for additional company information.