PHILADELPHIA – JMI Sports has named Nino Vanin the Vice President, Sponsorship Sales for Penn Sports Properties, the official multimedia rights holder for Penn Athletics and The Penn Relays. Vanin has nearly twenty years of industry experience, including more than a decade in the Philadelphia market.
Vanin returns to University City after spending two years at Spectra where he was most recently Vice President of Business Development. He led new business efforts in the college athletics space for Spectra's Venue Management and Food Services and Hospitality divisions.
"We are excited to have Nino join our team at Penn," Director of Athletics Dr. M. Grace Calhoun said. "He comes to us highly-recommended with successful experience in the Philadelphia and intercollegiate markets. We know that he will aim big to develop creative strategies to match corporate partners with the Penn Athletics and Penn Relays brands."
Prior to his time at Spectra, Vanin spent four years as the Director of Corporate Partnerships for Drexel Athletics. Under the umbrella of Front Row Marketing Services, he increased sponsorship by nearly 700% and added more than 70 sponsors. During his final two years, he also served as the regional director for Front Row, overseeing a staff that led sales for Fordham Athletics, Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall and Convention Center, CURE Insurance Arena and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.
"Nino is an outstanding addition to the JMI Sports team and the ideal fit for Penn Sports Properties," said Erik Judson, CEO of JMI Sports. "His experience and deep industry relationships will be invaluable as we continue to establish meaningful relationships with top local and national brands."
Vanin arrived at Drexel from Saint Joseph's Athletics, where he spent four years as the Director of Sales and Marketing. While with the Hawks, he implemented the first-ever seat donation/priority points program for men's basketball and was also an adjunct professor at SJU's Haub School of Business where he taught sports marketing.
"I am very excited to join Penn Sports Properties during this historic time for both Penn Athletics and the Penn Relays," said Vanin. "I couldn't be more thrilled to join the team and contribute to our efforts in bringing on new partners to support and enhance the profile of these world-class properties."
Vanin's prior experience also includes full-time stints in the athletic departments at the U.S. Naval Academy Athletic Association as Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing, and at the University of Connecticut as Assistant Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations.
The Amherst, Mass. native is a 2001 graduate of Johns Hopkins, where he was a four-year member of the men's basketball team. He earned a master's degree in sport management from University of Massachusetts in 2007.
