Jul 12, 2022 – The Pittsburgh Steelers announced today that the new name of their home stadium will be Acrisure Stadium. Financial terms of the 15-year deal for the stadium were not released.

Acrisure is a Fintech which operates a top 10 global insurance broker. The company provides a broad array of AI-driven solutions across Insurance, Real Estate Services, Cyber Services, Asset Management and more to millions of clients. Notably, Acrisure has grown from $38 million in revenue to more than $3.8 billion in just over eight years and has rapidly expanded its global footprint.

“We are excited to partner with Acrisure for the naming rights to our stadium,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Acrisure provided us with an opportunity to ensure our stadium continues to be a valuable asset for our fans as well as keeping up with the market value of NFL stadiums. We are very appreciative to partner with Greg Williams and his company, and we look forward to a long, beneficial relationship for years to come.”

“The Pittsburgh Steelers are an institution in American sports and a globally recognized brand. Partnering with the Steelers is a tremendous honor,” said Greg Williams, Acrisure Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO.” said Greg Williams, Acrisure Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO. “Through Acrisure Stadium, we will increase awareness of the extraordinary advantage Acrisure brings our clients while conveying our strong sense of community. Relatedly, we are eager to invest in the Pittsburgh community and broader region as we chart our course to an unforgettable first season. This relationship truly embodies and aligns two organizations that have high standards and are determined to achieve great things.”

Acrisure will immediately take over the naming rights to the Steelers’ North Shore stadium, starting with the 2022 season. The stadium had been named Heinz Field since it opened in 2001.

Williams is the Co-Founder of Acrisure and a lifelong Steelers fan. He’s guided Acrisure using a unique business model, a “no-limits culture” and an intense commitment to technology. Under this direction, Acrisure has become the fastest growing insurance broker in history with a strategy centered on combining the best of human and artificial intelligence. Acrisure is a global company, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with operations in 14 countries and over 14,000 employees.

The partnership between the Steelers and Acrisure will enable the franchise to continue to invest in stadium amenities and aesthetics, including new stadium identification for the 2022 season. The partnership also includes community initiatives aimed at providing a deep connection for Acrisure in the Pittsburgh community and brand recognition both locally and nationally to support Acrisure’s growth.

SANTA CLARA, CA – MAY 24, 2021: Elevate Sports Ventures, the best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, has today announced the acquisition of sports, live event and experiential design firm, Infinite Scale. On behalf of its client venues, events, teams and brands, Infinite Scale strategizes, designs and manages the execution of dynamic, visual and experiential signage and branding solutions to amplify, educate and elevate the experience of sports.

Infinite Scale has provided total brand integration services to more than 130 global venues, counting many of the sports and entertainment industry’s marquee events, including the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games, five Super Bowls, all seven College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championships and the NHL Winter Classic; and leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR and more as clients. Infinite Scale’s proficiencies in venue brand strategy, including naming rights and team branding, event branded experiences, dynamic sponsor integration and more, have earned them a front row seat as the sports design consultancy of choice for industry-leading venue projects, including Allegiant Stadium, Levi’s® Stadium, Target Field, Chase Center, Little Caesars Arena and Daytona International Raceway. Many of the world’s most innovative and elite professional sports teams, including the Golden State Warriors, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, Cleveland Cavaliers and more have entrusted Infinite Scale with their global brand design and vision.

Media may CLICK HERE to access Infinite Scale’s Media Microsite.

In 2020, Infinite Scale played a significant role in the creative strategy, design and implementation of several of the sports industry’s most historic events and endeavors; notably staffing event team members inside the NHL Stanley Cup ‘bubble’ in Edmonton and Toronto, Canada, the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe games and the 2021 CFP National Championship Game, hosted at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL.

“At Elevate Sports Ventures, we are hyper-focused on becoming the premier, full-service business strategy, property sales, and branding agency across global sports and entertainment; this new relationship with Infinite Scale, steeped in creative capabilities and solution-oriented deliverables, aligns perfectly with our goals. Additionally, people, culture and our commitment to be great teammates is at the core of who we are,” said Elevate Sports Ventures President Chip Bowers. “The new alignment with Infinite Scale further deepens our commitment to working alongside best-in- brand organizations operated by best-in-class people.”

“Design for brand legacy is at the core of everything we do – both as a business, and also as a sports design consultancy acting on behalf of the global roster of clients who have entrusted their creative brand vision to our team,” said Infinite Scale Founding Partner Molly Mazzolini. “Now it’s Infinite Scale’s time to lock in our studio’s legacy succession plan as a member of the Elevate family to ensure that our collective Clients and Team Members are a part of something bigger than all of us.”

Established in 2002 by Founding Partners Amy Lukas, Molly Mazzolini and Cameron Smith, Infinite Scale has developed a reputation for thoughtful and individualized ideation and innovation for its diverse roster of global clients. Headquartered in Salt Lake City and with remote offices across the country, Infinite Scale has been an Officially certified Women-Owned Business through the WBENC for over a decade. Media may CLICK HERE for bios of Infinite Scale Founding Partners.

Infinite Scale is Elevate’s second major acquisition of 2021, following the March integration of Dynamic Pricing Partners, an industry-leading pricing, analytics, and ticket distribution technology company that leverages data and proprietary models to provide solutions to over 75 university athletic departments. Since January 2021, Elevate has announced new client partnerships with EuroLeague Basketball, Bellator MMA, MATCH Hospitality and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM, the Circuit of the Americas, Manchester’s new 23,500-capacity Co-op Live arena, and more. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, Elevate’s corporate partnerships department supported the naming rights for PayPal Park between the MLS San Jose Earthquakes and PayPal, as well the founding partnership and kit sponsorship between St. Louis CITY SC of MLS and Purina.

In less than three years since its founding, Elevate has amassed a client roster of teams, brands and venues from among the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, professional US and international football, international soccer, professional tennis, MMA, motorsports and horse racing, Division I athletics and more. Elevate’s early success recently earned the consultancy’s second nomination to SportsBusiness Journal’s acclaimed Sports Business Journal Awards in the “Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services” category in three years.

ABOUT INFINITE SCALE

Infinite Scale is a sport design consultancy with headquarters in the heart of Salt Lake City. The three partners –
Amy Lukas, Molly Mazzolini and Cameron Smith – met while working at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Nineteen years ago, they formed Infinite Scale independently, and they are a proud nationally certified women-owned business. As creative professionals, the Infinite Scale team provides total brand integration services into 130+ global venues. Infinite Scale designs for brands, venues, events and digital to elevate the experience of sports and entertainment. For more information, visit: infinitescale.com and follow on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

ABOUT ELEVATE SPORTS VENTURES

Elevate Sports Ventures is a best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, providing proven, innovative solutions to organizations across the global sports and entertainment landscape. Elevate taps into the extensive resources, relationships, and expertise of its partners to innovate and execute comprehensive strategies and solutions in Venue Renovations, Sales and Marketing, Stadium Licenses, Premium Ticketing, Corporate Hospitality, Customer Research, Strategy and Analytics, Sales Training, and more. Formed in partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) in 2018, Elevate welcomed Oak View Group (OVG) and Ticketmaster and Live Nation as partners in June 2018. For more information, visit: ElevateSportsVentures.com or follow @ElevateSV on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Click HERE to download a copy of this press release

Women in Sports and Events (WISE), the leading voice and resource for women in the business of sports, today announced the evolution of the brand, which includes a new brand identity and web platform.

Since it was founded in 1993, WISE has grown into an organization that touches all areas of the sports industry with 28 chapters and 5,000+ members in North America. The organization will replace its logo with a new logo that reflects the WISE membership’s passion, energy and connection. Created by Infinite Scale, a Utah-based design studio, with input from the organization’s national and chapter leadership, the new logo and visual identity will be consistent across the organization and all its programs and initiatives at the national and chapter levels.

“As an organization, we are at an exciting and pivotal moment,” said Kathleen Francis, WISE national board chair and president. “Our new brand identity better reflects who we are today and the desires of our members and partners to provide the tools and resources to support the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in the business of sports. Additionally, our new WISEworks.org website will be fully integrated with our chapters, allowing for deeper peer-to-peer engagement and increased virtual learning, delivered both live and on demand.”

The new primary logo features the WISE acronym, like before. Overlapping shapes in the “W” convey a sense of connection — the shared community among members and the networking occurring across the industry — while breaks in the letter hint at Title IX. The new marks and enhanced color palette are among the features members encounter on the revamped WISEworks.org.

“It’s our responsibility to serve those people and organizations that have given so much to us like WISE,” stated Molly Mazzolini, Partner + Director of Brand Integration, Infinite Scale. “This was Infinite Scale’s way of using our specialized skills for good to design an evolving brand identity that has stood strong for over a quarter of a century and continues to unite women and men in the sports industry.”

In the coming year, WISE will enhance its support for members and industry partners. In addition to this new brand identity and online experience, the organization will unveil a suite of leadership training offerings for members at all stages of their career journey.

In 2021, the organization will host its Annual WISE Women of the Year Awards Luncheon, which was postponed because of COVID-19. Susan Cohig of the NHL, Rosalyn Durant of Walt Disney World Resort, Elizabeth Lindsey of Wasserman and JoAnn Neale of MLS were selected as the 2020 honorees by WISE members nationwide. They will be recognized for their accomplishments, contributions and support of their female peers at the 26th annual awards luncheon, which has been rescheduled to March 16, 2021.

About WISE
WISE (Women in Sports and Events) is the leading voice and resource for professional women in the business of sports. Through ongoing meetings, special events, and mentoring and educational programs, WISE aims to offer its members the opportunity to gain valuable industry insights and connections that can provide them with a competitive advantage in their current position and as they advance in their careers. Founded in 1993, WISE is a national membership organization and registered 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in New York City, with chapters in Arizona, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, DFW, Greater Orlando, Greater Raleigh, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Milwaukee, NYC Metro, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, SF Bay Area, South Florida, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Twin Cities, Utah and Washington DC. For more information on WISE, please visit WISEworks.org.

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Courtesy of slchamber.com

Partner + Director of Brand Integration to be honored with prestigious national award in recognition of business leadership and community service

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (September 25, 2020) – The Salt Lake Chamber today announced that Molly Mazzolini, Partner and Director of Brand Integration for Infinite Scale, will receive the 2020 ATHENA Leadership Award on November 10, 2020 at the Grand America Hotel.

The organization’s highest recognition for women in business, the national ATHENA Leadership Award, is presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business. Each recipient must also provide valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and assist women in reaching their full leadership potential.

“If Downtown Salt Lake City had a spokesperson, it would be Molly Mazzolini,” said Derek Miller, President and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, in announcing the award. “Since moving here to support the 2002 Winter Olympics, Molly has championed our city and state like no one else, from advocating for our burgeoning nightlife and culture scene to assisting with the Downtown Alliance’s branding campaign. Molly firmly believes that businesses be involved within the community they reside, as such she has always given her time and support to lend a hand. For these reasons and so many more, we are pleased to present her with the ATHENA Leadership Award.”

In addition to the ATHENA Leadership Award, six women will receive Pathfinder Awards at the conference. The Pathfinder Awards are presented annually to community leaders who create new paths promoting the development and recognition of women in business. The six Pathfinder recipients this year include:

Allyson Bell, Chief of Staff, Office of Senator Mike Lee
Silvia Castro, Executive Director, Suazo Business Center
Darla Gill, Co-Founder and Ambassador, Merit Medical Systems
Beth Holbrook, Board of Trustees Member, Utah Transit Authority
Abby Murtagh, General Manager, Hilton Salt Lake City Center
Heidi D. Ruster, Regional CEO, American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region
The ATHENA Leadership Award will officially be presented to Molly Mazzolini at the 44th Annual Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon, November 10, 2020, at the Grand America Hotel. This year’s conference is sponsored by Dominion Energy and WCF Insurance. Wells Fargo is hosting the ATHENA Awards Luncheon. Intermountain Healthcare is an event sponsor, and the corporate sponsors are American Express and Chase.

For more information: click here.

ATHENA Leadership Awardee bio below:

Molly Mazzolini is the Partner and Director of Brand Integration for Infinite Scale. Molly is Infinite Scale’s strategic branding expert, responsible for promoting not only the Infinite Scale brand, but also the multifaceted brands of its clients. Molly’s knowledge of brand development, identity and strategy allows Infinite Scale Design Group to provide comprehensive solutions and services based on client needs. Molly also specializes in sponsor platforms, public relations and sports marketing. Her experience includes: University of Utah Athletics Department (Rice-Eccles Stadium treatments), Brigham Young University Legacy Hall (Hall of Fame), Super Bowl XXXIX – XLIII (look + decor), 2002 Olympic Winter Games (sponsor integration + brand management). Molly graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Loyola University and a Master of Professional Communication from Westminster College.

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ABOUT THE SALT LAKE CHAMBER

The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-standing business association. A statewide chamber of commerce with members in all 29 Utah counties, the Chamber represents the broad interests of the state’s 63,000-plus employers, which employ more than 1.4 million Utahns. This includes thousands of Chamber members and their employees. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champion’s community prosperity.

ABOUT THE ATHENA LEADERSHIP AWARD

The ATHENA Leadership Award is a prestigious national award presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business, provides valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and assists women in reaching their full leadership potential.

Established in 1982 in Lansing, Michigan, the ATHENA Award ®Program is now administered from its Chicago, Illinois headquarters and boasts over 300 active communities in the United States, Canada, China, Russia and the United Kingdom. More than 5,000 individuals representing a wide variety of professions and businesses have received the ATHENA Award. Presented by local host organizations in partnership with ATHENA’s national underwriters, local businesses and individual sponsors the award practically demonstrates the quote from Plato, “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.” The award takes the form of a hand-cast bronze sculpture symbolizing the strength, courage and wisdom of the recipient.

Original Article biz journals.com

American Family Insurance, the new naming rights sponsor of the Milwaukee Brewers home ballpark, revealed Thursday the new logo for the stadium, which will be renamed American Family Field starting Jan. 1, 2021.

The logo, which uses the Brewers team colors, features the ballpark’s roofline along with the American
 Family roofline.

In January 2019, Madison-based American Family Insurance signed a 15-year naming rights deal for the Brewers’ home field. The company’s deal would take effect in 2021, once the current deal with Molson Coors Brewing Co. expires.

MillerCoors inherited the sponsorship in 2008 when the company was created by the 2008 merger of Miller Brewing Co. and Coors Brewing Co. Miller Brewing acquired the naming rights ahead of the stadium’s debut in 2001, agreeing to pay more than $40 million over 20 years for the naming rights.

The value of the naming rights deal between the Brewers and American Family has not been revealed. AmFam also owns the naming rights at the Brewers spring training complex in Arizona called American Family Fields of Phoenix.

At the ballpark, the new logo will be seen above the main fan entrance facing Interstate 94, on the major free-standing sign adjacent to I-94, and on top of the scoreboard. The signs will be illuminated. The timing for installation is still being determined.

AmFam and the Brewers worked with Salt Lake City-based Infinite Scale on the new logo. Infinite Scale also worked with the two parties on the new stadium name. Other sports venue projects worked on by Infinite Scale include Target Field in Minneapolis and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Officials with AmFam said merchandise featuring the new logo will be available soon.

Jack Salzwedel, American Family chair and chief executive officer, said the new logo is part of the company’s overall strategy to become more visible in Milwaukee. That strategy includes opening a new building in downtown Milwaukee, a joint $200,000 donation with the Brewers to Milwaukee Public Schools, and being a main sponsor for the Summerfest music festival. The company also recently joined the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition.

“Milwaukee is a critical market to us, in particular for talent that we’re looking to hire over the next five to 10 years,” he said. “These investments are our long term (strategy) and we view them that way and we think that long term. The name of the field and the logo will wear very well in Milwaukee, and that’s our hope.
”

Originally posted on marketscale.com

How AR and VR Will Change the Experience of Watching Sports : Listen to the full podcast here.

The sports fan experience has been evolving, with the help of technology, for years. This evolution has launched state of the art venues and novel ways to engage. However, the pandemic brings the fan experience to new territory. Bringing insights to the new fan experience are Amy Lukas, Partner, Director of Events, and Darlene Van Uden, Design Director, of Infinite Scale, a sports design consultancy.

After working with a number of professional sports leagues on permanent design elements and special events, including five Superbowls, the organization has a wealth of knowledge. It helped them bring the NHL back to play. Lukas said, “We’ve been working with the NHL for over 12 years, and the limitations of COVID brought about a new way of playing. Once the NHL decided to host the games in Canada, we had two weeks to design, install, and implement.”

One of the most significant challenges was play without fans, but there was a digital integration to bring them there virtually. Fans were on digital screens, bringing some level of excitement. Lukas shared, “When we get back to full stadiums, I think they’ll be a new appreciation of fans being there in person and a bigger focus on enhancing their experience and taking it to the next level.”

Van Luden added, “The switch to presenting sports rather than a direct experience will probably move forward AR and VR to be in the moment. It’s a way to get closer to the game when no one can be close to it. I think we’ll see more catering to the fan’s personal preferences to keep them connected to their teams and players in a new way.”

Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions helping craft the world’s most intriguing experiences.

Infinite Scale partner Amy Lukas and host Christian Napier look back at the Salt Lake 2002 Games (recorded 16 April 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here.

You can find the original posted article and, all other Salt Lake Retrospective here.

Special thanks to Christian for having us on!

The SEGD Distinguished Member Award recognizes an individual for demonstrating outstanding volunteer efforts while significantly contributing to the direction, growth and excellence of SEGD programs. Recipients of the award have been instrumental in cultivating university programs, advancing accessible and green design and promoting cultural agendas through design. Past winners include Kelly Kolar, Alexandra Wood and Lucy Holmes, Cybelle Jones, David Middleton, Wayne Hunt and Ken Ethridge.

Amy Lukas is the organizational leader and one of three founding Partners at Infinite Scale, an award-winning sport design consultancy based in Salt Lake City, Utah, that specializes in making large and complicated events come to life. As an athlete herself, Lukas’ passion for sport is both personal and professional; she understands what it takes to inspire athletes to perform at their highest level and what it takes to create an engaging fan experience.

Lukas’ has been an involved and supportive SEGD member since 1998. She served the association as a member of the board for 10 years and as SEGD President from 2012–2013.

We recently caught up with Lukas and asked questions about her firm Infinite Scale, SEGD and Lukas herself.

Read the full piece on SEGD’s website

This article can be found in full at Crain’s Cleveland Business

When the Quicken Loans Arena transformation project was initially unveiled in December 2016, the Cavs outlined some of the things they hoped to do as the facility, now 23 years old, was remade.

You’ve probably heard about the glass-enclosed facade, expanded entries, the improved views of the city, neighborhood themes in the concourses and an opened-up Loudville area.

But the mention of a Salt Lake City design firm during the Cavs’ partner summit on Monday could give us some clues as to how the team is hoping to weave all of its new spaces together.

The Cavs are working with Infinite Scale Design Group, which was founded after the work of partners Amy Lukas, Molly Mazzolini and Cameron Smith was so well-received during the 2002 Winter Olympics. The company, according to this 2016 Sports Business Journal feature on Mazzolini, designs “spaces at sports facilities tied to sponsor and team integrations, directional signs, halls of fame, and a variety of other services that fall under how fans experience a venue.”

Basically, Infinite Scale tries to incorporate new spaces in arenas and stadiums that look like a natural fit, not what Len Komoroski, the CEO of the Cavs and The Q, referred to Monday as “an afterthought.”

A corporate partner’s message in a sports facility often can look like an “add-on,” Komoroski said.

“As you look at the building, you have competing messages at times,” the Cavs CEO said of The Q.

It’s Infinite Scale’s job to help the Cavs avoid that, and the group’s more recent work includes splashy new facilities in Detroit and Minnesota.

At US Bank Stadium, the $1.1 billion home of the Vikings, Infinite Scale designed about 15 sponsor integration spaces.

As this Adweek story shows, US Bank, which reportedly paid about $220 million over 20 years for naming rights, has its name on all facades, including the roof, of the Minneapolis stadium. There’s a 3-acre “gateway” plaza with naming rights that were sold to Medtronic, a medical device firm, and there are entrances (the Polaris and Ecolab gates, for example) for which the Vikings sold 10-year marketing deals.

There are clubs with huge windows, high-tech equipment, comfortable seating and, of course, brand names tied to them. The group includes upscale spots, more traditional gathering spaces and large clubs that cater to sections of 1,450 to 2,800 seats.

Selling spaces to partners is a practice that’s almost as old as me, but it’s the job of Infinite Scale to make each location unique, while still fitting an overall theme — which, in the case of the Cavs, seems to mean flashy, high-tech, well-lit and open, with plenty of outside views.

“This will feel like a new arena,” Komoroski told the organization’s corporate partners on Monday.

In addition to Infinite Scale, the Cavs are relying heavily on Gensler, a San Francisco-based architectural firm whose D.C. office is advising the team on the redesign of The Q’s exterior, as well as six levels of its interior, plus associate architect Rossetti, a Detroit-based architectural design and planning firm.

Once the 2017-18 and ’18-19 Cavs finish their respective seasons, The Q will be closed for events through September each year, and the extensive interior work has meant that 330 people from the organization’s business team have relocated from The Q to the 250 West Huron Building at Tower City Center.

The work is expected to be finished by the 2019-20 NBA season.

By then, you can expect to see plenty of creative, new spots — quite a few of which will have sponsors’ names attached.

Depending on your level of optimism, that season will mark Year 2 of LeBron James’ $200 million contract — or the second year of a painful rebuilding process that has nothing to do with an arena transformation.

(Game 2 against Indiana can’t start soon enough.)

You can follow me on Twitter for sports information and analysis, but hopefully not too many Jeff Green-inspired hot takes on Wednesday night.

The 2017 30 Women to Watch are:

• Vanessa Clayton, Vice President of Legal at Homie
• Ashley Collins, Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations at USANA Health Sciences
• Cristina Coronado, Partner at Ballard Spahr LLP
• Erica Dahl, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs at Vivint Solar
• Heidi Dunfield, Co-owner at Fear Factory
• Alex Eaton, Executive Director at The Community Foundation of Utah
• Natalie El-Deiry, Deputy Director of Development & Strategic Initiatives at International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake
• Elizabeth (Leeza) Evensen, Partner at Snell & Wilmer
• Starr Fowler, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Vivint Smart Home
• Yolanda Francisco-Nez, Director at Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Diversity & Human Rights
• Paula K. Fryland, Executive Vice President at Zions Bank
• Anita Grantham, Chief People Officer at Pluralsight
• Colleen D. Johnson, Senior Vice President at Phillips Edison & Company
• Anne-Marie Wright Lampropoulos, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Merit Medical Systems, Inc.
• Amy Lukas, Partner at Infinite Scale
• Dr. Pam Nichols, Veterinarian at Animal Care Center and Entrepreneur at Utah Dog Park
• Deborah (Dee) O’Donnell, Utah Regional President at Wells Fargo Bank
• Mori Paredes, Chief Executive Officer at Core Chemistry, LLC
• Jennifer Robinson, Associate Director at Kem C. Gardner Institute at the University of Utah
• Aubrey Robison, Vice President at Spherion Staffing and Chief Operating Officer at GroEco
• Mary Street, CCIM, Senior Vice President of Land & Investment Sales at Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors
• Vicky Thomas, Senior Product Manager at Vivint Smart Home
• Beth Thornton, Executive Vice President of Sales at O.C. Tanner
• Vicki Varela, Managing Director at Utah Office of Tourism, Film and Global Branding
• Kasey Webster, General Manager at Larry H. Miller Toyota Murray
• Sarah West, Vice President of Development at Ballet West
• Maile Wilson, Mayor of Cedar City
• Diana Windley, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Goldenwest Credit Union
• Sheila Rappazzo Yorkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Westminster College
• Jennifer Zorko, Director of Business Development at Young Automotive Group

At this year’s awards luncheon we are excited to have Patricia Jones, CEO of the Women’s Leadership Institute share a keynote address before the awards program. At the conclusion of Jones’ keynote, we will recognize and honor thirty of Utah’s most dynamic women. These incredible women will also be featured in a special editorial piece in Utah Business magazine’s May issue.

Published on Utah Business.Com 

Mazzolini is one of Infinite Scale’s three founding partners and its director of brand integration. She co-founded the Salt Lake City company in 2002 with partners Amy Lukas and Cameron Smith, spinning off of their design jobs at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

“It was kind of a no-brainer,” Mazzolini said. “We had incredible resources from the Salt Lake Games and people who wanted to help us out. It all seamlessly started to come together.”

Together, the trio leads a company that has grown to 30 employees, all designing spaces at sports facilities tied to sponsor and team integrations, directional signs, halls of fame, and a variety of other services that fall under how fans experience a venue, Mazzolini said.

Infinite Scale’s current projects include Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, where its responsibilities include designing the naming-rights logo in conjunction with the pizza restaurant sponsor and Olympia Entertainment, parent company of the arena’s prime tenant, the Detroit Red Wings.

The firm recently completed its work at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Minnesota Vikings’ new home. Infinite Scale designed about 15 sponsor integration spaces inside that $1.1 billion facility.

All told, Infinite Scale has done work at 48 venues during the past 14 years. The company also designs branded elements for special events such as the Super Bowl, dating to the 2005 game in Jacksonville.

The firm’s first venue-specific client was BYU in 2004, with Infinite Scale designing the school’s hall of fame, a three-story museum featuring more than 100 years of sports history on campus.

“There was no place to bring it all together,” Mazzolini said. “There was memorabilia stored in janitors’ closets and under bleachers, even in [former BYU quarterback] Steve Young’s storage unit in Provo. I told [former BYU Athletic Director] Val Hale we were forever grateful for giving us a shot.”
— Don Muret

• An attribute I look for when hiring: Personal yet professional style. Style is definitely intangible yet can be found in ways candidates present themselves and their work experience. Smart moves like advance research, a well-designed résumé and handwritten thank-you notes go a long way.
• A networking tip I’ve learned: Building the relationship first to see if working together is going to result in the right capability and personality fit.
• Biggest challenge I face working in sports: Not having enough time to watch as a fan and to play as a participant.
• Best advice I’ve received for career development: Carefully consider the long-term effects of a short-term decision.
• Woman in sports business I’d most like to meet: Anita DeFrantz — the perfect example of an athlete who performs exquisitely on and off the field of play.
• Most memorable sporting event attended: Watching the 2002 Olympic Winter Games closing ceremony. I surprised my mother with tickets a few hours before the event. It was stellar to see the flame extinguish and the entire Rice-Eccles Stadium party. Salt Lake was a newly recharged city with the energy of so many people who came for the Games.
• Groups supported: Home base is Salt Lake City, and my husband and I support the local arts culture such as the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and the Natural History Museum of Utah. I also sit on the Downtown Alliance and Salt Lake Chamber executive boards in an effort to stay close to our business community and preserve our amazing downtown culture.

By: Don Muret
Published: September 12, 2016
Article link: Sports Business Journal, Molly Mazzolini 

This article originally appeared on sportsvideo.org

There will be a lot to see on the behind-the-scenes tour of the new U.S. Bank Stadium at the SVG Sports Venue Production Summit on March 13, but make sure you also get a good look at the “feel” of the place. It’s not always easy to pinpoint the specifics of what makes an experience design work, but, thanks to the specialized integration work of experience-design firm Infinite Scale, this venue has more than a few fine points that were carefully implemented to bring the “Skol!” to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority venue.

Infinite Scale’s work can be found in a wide array of sports venues and across an almost endless array of major sports events. The firm sets the foundation for fan experience through brand integration, signage, environmental graphics, and partner integration.

U.S. Bank Stadium will host SVG Sports Venue Production Summit.
For U.S. Bank Stadium, Infinite Scale created a Partner Integration Master Plan that ensured that the spirit and values of its main tenant, the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, as well as those of the region and the community, were woven throughout the structure. That means that the partners’ vision can be found throughout the venue’s signage and graphics, both seasonal and permanent Vikings branding, as well as in the thoughtful connection between the stadium’s 14 founding partners in brand activations throughout gate, club, and concourse areas.

“Anywhere visitors see a corporate partner, all the way from the plaza to the concourses to the interior bowl, that is something that Infinite Scale was a part of,” explains Molly Mazzolini, partner/brand integration director, Infinite Scale. “We helped map out the inventory of all those corporate partners and how they’re designed and implemented into the space.” A founding partner of the firm, Mazzolini implemented the multifaceted collaborative design-team approach (known as the Creative Council) that Infinite Scale brings to each project.

Carrying out the experience design, “Open the Gates” complements the stadium’s gigantic folding doors.
Over 18 months leading up to Opening Day, the Creative Council worked on brand integration, determining where Viking-specific pieces were placed and how corporate-partner integrations worked in and around those elements. These are realized across many layers, including video displays and digital signage, as well as in the permanent layer of imagery and event-specific graphics.

Walking through the stadium, make sure to take note of the special treatment designed for the rear of the scoreboards, and the Ring of Honor capping the stadium. Further, the “Open the Gates” look and feel complementing the stadium’s gigantic folding doors, was designed by Infinite Scale. The firm also consulted on placement of the American flag, and on the extensive artwork curated by Sports & the Arts throughout the venue.

On the scoreboards, the four static logos in each corner, along with all the static signage on the interior bowl, with corporate-partner placements around the rings, were all part of the Infinite Scale plan. “On the videoboard, the four corners with permanent logos were strategically done between the corporate partnership team and the Vikings to give them permanent brand presence in the bowl,” Mazzolini explains.

Artwork greets fans at the entrance and elsewhere around U.S. Bank Stadium.
Additionally, all corporate partners were entitled to brand activation somewhere in the facility, and that’s where some next-level creativity happened. Check out the video-projection mapping on the Ecolab activation and the digital signage around Polaris.

In terms of video production, Infinite Scale gets involved in a number of ways with the partners’ agencies and the team to “ensure a visual connection between what they’re doing in terms of brand activation and the digital side as well,” Mazzolini notes.

Having witnessed the evolution of brand integration and venue and events graphics since Infinite Scale was established in 2002, Mazzolini sees teams and partners working ever more closely on enhancing fan experience with a cohesive environmental design. “It’s not just trending, it’s the new standard,” she observes. “The last thing you’d want is a lot of segmented partner activation areas in a venue and there’s no association with a team.”

Walking through U.S. Bank Stadium, make sure to take a look at how all this visual integration worked out. Ultimately, throughout the collaborative design process, the goal of the various partners, team representatives, and technology providers is unified by one goal, and that is to deliver the best possible experience for the fans.

Partner and director of brand integration, Infinite Scale

Stories/trends …

I am eagerly anticipating the IOC announcement of the 2024 Games host city in September. The United States last hosted the Games in 2002 and the Olympic movement brings so many people together and inspires pride for the host city and country. We could all certainly use stories featuring the warmth, ethos and sportsmanship the Olympics and the many test events leading up to the possible 2024 Games would bring to our country and the world.

In terms of trends, the exploration and popularization of more lifestyle-oriented venue usage outside of the main tenant events. Large-scaled facilities are inviting their communities to hang out and interact when they are in non-event mode; it’s a year-round place that doesn’t require a ticket to experience it. And it provides an opportunity for small businesses like restaurants, coffee shops and food trucks to layer in local flavors. Developing new ways of using what these spaces can be is now part of the initial design process and strategic thinking that goes into creating the many layers of how fans interact with sports venues.

Personality most intriguing …

The spotlight has been on millennials and the younger generations, but to me, the most intriguing people in 2017 and beyond are the wise veterans with sage sports experience. I hope that these gems of the industry pass on their experiences and stories down like family members. Their personal innovations and once-in-a-lifetime experience have built an incredible foundation for those who have the passion and want to make a difference in the sports world to expand upon. We can all benefit from the knowledge and stories they have to share with and to learn from.

Published January 9, 2017

Sports Business Journal 

Infinite Scale is one firm that dominates this vertical of experiential graphic design (XGD), breaking new ground with each project. This year, two of their comprehensive concepts thrilled loyal hockey fans and also enticed new fans to the sport. In Nashville their installations for NHL All Stars covered the town from the airport to the arena, and in Denver they repurposed the largest of the major league baseball stadiums into a winter wonderland of an NHL hockey scene—despite an absence of real snow − and drew fans toward Coors Field with festive lightpole banners in the narrow surrounding streets of the ballpark neighborhood. Not so very long ago, preparing a venue for a special sports event was fairly formulaic; logos were changed, a new field wall banner was placed. It was a simple approach. If sports generally have a particular look and feel, sports events offer an opportunity to break the mold. Now, event by event, the more strategic and thematic work of sports events designers is impacting the world—and the business—of sports.

A-a-a-and, they love it!

Loving sports is not a requirement in this business, but it doesn’t hurt. Infinite Scale was born out of work for the 2002 Olympic games, and partners Cameron Smith, Amy Lukas and Molly Mazzolini are all passionate about sports, the athletes and the fans. “When there are 50,000 people at an event,” says Smith, “and I can see and hear and feel that our designs are part of their having a great experience, that’s very interesting to me. I get an emotional reward out of that.” The smiling faces on their website are an indication that this work makes others in the studio happy, too.

“For me,” says Design Director Dan Phillips, “and for many at Infinite Scale,experiential graphic design in sports events is the ultimate combination of the things we love most:  design and sports. It’s truly an exciting experience for fans to be at these events, and we feel great that they are living it, feeling it, interacting in an environment we helped create.” When people waited in line to take their picture alongside their favorite NHL All Star’s giant hockey puck, Phillips saw it as evidence of experiential graphic design success. An Infinite Scale sports event has what Cameron Smith calls “conceptual depth and thinking. An entire environment is created and the fans, even the people walking on nearby streets, can become part of the experience.”

Infinite Scale strives to create a complete fan experience, worthy of the ticket price. Each Infinite Scale sports event is unique to its purpose, place, teams and vibe. Their aim is to tell a story, building depth with atmospheric perspectives, pushing the envelope of design and the spaces it occupies. The story might not be only about sport; in Nashville and in Denver they were challenged with creating a system that felt like a sporting event, but also incorporated the history and feel of each city. “Our assets speak to how well we were able to do both,” Smith says, “and how fresh the system feels in comparison to other similar events.” A design council and design principles guide the work: Work collaboratively and engage the whole team early on, tell a story to engage the fans, be consistent in message and application, be flexible and adapt as needed, and maximize design impact for results.

Of course, there are challenges to the business of experiential graphic design for sports events. Infinite Scale staff are always multi-tasking, always part of a complex multidisciplinary team, always dealing with tight turnaround schedules. Integrating the rightful priorities and expectations of events management, sponsors, leagues, teams and others to be represented is an act of stewardship that also presents basic design considerations, not least of which is possible logos/colors clashes.

It’s a live event, after all…

These events draw tens of thousands, but there is no doubt that broadcast influences the experiential graphic design, too. Every event is televised. “Broadcast becomes a big component of the experiential graphic design and it does affect some of Infinite Scale’s decision making and strategy for placing elements to get best camera coverage,” says Smith. “We work across a larger group, from the league, to the venue, to the city or convention bureau. We develop plans—and then contingency plans—for a wide range of services:  master planning, concept design, design development, design integration across all platforms, as well as production and installation management.

Says Smith, “We’re about to do the experiential graphic design for U.S. Soccer’s 2016 COPA America Centenario across ten cities, eight NFL stadiums, for more than 80,000 people per game—as many as two million people over the course of the event. Anything can happen and Infinite Scale is prepared to deal with it.”

NHL All-Star Weekend, Bridgestone Arena, 2016

For the fifth year in a row Infinite Scale, in partnership with the NHL creative service department, designed the look and feel of the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. This marked the first time Nashville hosted the NHL All-Star weekend, which took place at Bridgestone Arena. With a new 3v3 game format adding to the excitement, Infinite Scale brought a unique look that differed from any other NHL event.

Since Nashville is a mecca for country music, Infinite Scale focused on bringing the vibe of Music City to the look and décor of this event. Inspiration for the graphics came from old school country music posters and letterpress techniques that create half tone patterns. The design system started at the airport, spread throughout the streets of downtown Nashville, greeted fans outside of Bridgestone Arena and continued throughout the venue. Fans, the NHL and partners alike were also welcomed by extensions of the system in five hotels, as well as at Fan Fair in Music City Center.

Unveiled for the first time at the NHL All-Star Weekend were 34 steel-framed dimensional hockey pucks that lined the streets of downtown Nashville. The pucks, designed by Infinite Scale, were six feet tall with machined edges to match the texture of official NHL game pucks. For this event, players voted in by the fans were represented on the pucks with All-Star game branding, the player’s name and the player’s team. Each night internal lights center-illuminated the graphics creating an additional experience and interaction opportunity for fans.

From the 92’ marquee banner on the exterior of Music City Center, to the bowl at Bridgestone Arena, to the pucks lining the streets of Music City, the 2016 NHL All-Star Game debuted a unique look that’s representative of Nashville’s culture while uniting hockey fans in a new and exciting environment.

Client: National Hockey League

Location: Tennessee Bridgestone Arena, Nashville

Open Date: January 30-31, 2016

Design: Infinite Scale

Design Team: Cameron Smith (creative director); Tyler Rice (senior designer); Kyle Skunta, Alex Gennett, Brian Murphy (designers); Michael Gallagher (assistant project manager); Amy Lukas (partner in charge)

Fabrication and Installation: AAA Flag & Banner

Photography: Jannah Din

NHL All NHL Stadium Series, Coors Field, 2016

The Colorado Avalanche played host to their former division rival, Detroit Red Wings, at Coors Field as part of the 2016 Coors Light NHL® Stadium Series. The two teams rekindled their old rivalry in an epic Alumni Game Friday night followed by a competitive Stadium Series game Saturday night, with the Detroit Red Wings taking the lead with only a minute left.

This series needed a design package that would bring the beauty of Colorado and energy of hockey to life, providing an electric atmosphere for the fans. Infinite Scale created a graphic system inspired by the mountain peaks and Colorado nature that consisted of graphic elements emulating rock, shards of ice and rays of sunlight. These graphics decorated the interior of the stadium, covering dugouts, the Rockies scoreboard and field wall. Infinite Scale capitalized on the need for seat kills to introduce a team match up between dugouts. Through player pictograms and team identities, the energy of the game was represented in each graphic. In addition, Infinite Scale designed an ice graphic for the center of the auxiliary rink and two dimensional team logos that were displayed on two risers in the outfield.

Flags representing the NHL® Stadium Series and both the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche teams lined the streets around the stadium and throughout the interior. Massive vinyl banners and tall vertical banners hung on the exterior and welcomed fans into the baseball-turned-hockey stadium.

Client: National Hockey League

Location: Colorado Coors Field, Denver

Open Date: February 26-27, 2016

Design: Infinite Scale

Design Team: Cameron Smith (creative director); Dan Philips (senior designer), Erin Stearns, Garret Corcoran (designers); Brian Murphy (senior project manager); Michael Gallagher (assistant project manager); Amy Lukas (partner in charge)

Fabrication: AAA Flag & Banner

Installation: AAA Flag & Banner, Sign Language XL

Photography: Lisa Marie Miller

Infinite Scale (Salt Lake City) created the branding and wayfinding system for Texas A&M’s newly redeveloped football stadium complex, opening to the public September 12.

Long known as one of the most intimidating stadiums in college football, Kyle Field will soon be one of the largest stadiums in the game. As part of a multi-year redevelopment project, Infinite Scale was tasked with the creation of a brand and wayfinding system that would equal the scale of the “Home of the 12th Man” and the intensity of the legendary Aggies fan base.

Infinite Scale developed a clean, timeless approach to wayfinding that complements large-scale graphics that honor Aggieland’s fans, players, program, and traditions. This combination of branding and imagery, both contemporary and historic, creates a look that is uniquely Texas A&M.

The west side of the stadium is home to the Hall of Champions, a 30,000-sq.-ft. space designed to house and honor the athletic achievements and storied history of A&M’s athletic programs. Stretching the length of the football field, the soaring space features 10 interactive displays designed and developed by Infinite Scale to bring this history to life and provide Aggies and fans with a unique way to connect through great moments, stories, stats, and images.

The project, whose scale is unprecedented in college athletics, will be unveiled to the public when Texas A&M hosts Ball State on September 12, 2015.

Infinite Scale (Salt Lake City) created environmental graphics for the January 12 College Football Playoff game between Oregon and Ohio State. The project included graphics for the exterior of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as well as graphics at four hotels where the players stayed during the event. Working with CFP’s look and logo–the gold outline of a football on a black background (created by Pentagram)–the Infinite Scale team created a system that extended across multiple venues and touch points, including streetscapes, the entire stadium site, and the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and other locations around Dallas and Arlington. The team created Intricate player graphics and unique team-based patterns that show up on glass at the four hotels and at different locations throughout the stadium.

Infinite Scale was a natural choice to create graphics for the first-ever College Football Playoff. It was founded by three creative directors who worked on the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. The firm has worked on Super Bowls, Pac-12 championships, Orange Bowls, Olympics, and other major sporting events as well as environmental graphics, wayfinding, and signage for civic and corporate clients. For the College Football Playoff, Infinite Scale worked with AAA Flag & Banner on project fabrication and installation.

(Originally published on SEGD’s website)