NEW YORK -- Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment (VWSE) and Samford University Athletics today announced a long-term partnership naming VWSE as the Athletic Department's exclusive multimedia rights partner and sales agent for the department's corporate sponsorship program.
 
As part of the agreement, the VWSE Collegiate Services division will oversee the locally based operation, "Samford Athletics Sponsorships," which will work with University leadership to enhance the overall game-day experience and create unique and meaningful opportunities for the program's sponsors, business partners and a growing and dedicated Bulldogs fan base.
 
 "We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment," Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton said.  "As we continue to look for ways to grow our athletics department in alignment with the university's mission, Mike Palisi and his team at VWSE made perfect sense.  They have years of experience in multimedia rights, are of the highest character, and will allow us to look for new and creative ways to increase revenue and engage our campus and community."
 
"The opportunity to partner with Director of Athletics Martin Newton, his staff and the outstanding leadership at Samford University is one in which our team takes great pride. With its commitment to excellence both on and off the field, and a community that fosters the growth of the complete student while encouraging social and civic responsibility and service, an association with Samford University delivers tremendous value," said Mike Palisi, Executive Vice President of VWSE. "We look forward to a tremendous relationship for many years to come."
 
The VWSE team, in collaboration with the Samford athletics department, will handle management, sales and integration of corporate sponsorship on all levels within multimedia resources, including the Bulldogs' digital assets, venue signage, marketing, promotional rights to athletic marks and hospitality.
 
The Samford Bulldogs compete in 17 NCAA Division I sports as members of the tradition-rich Southern Conference. The Bulldogs have won 32 conference championships since joining the Southern Conference in 2008. Samford University is the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United State and is Alabama's top nationally ranked private university.
 
Since 2014, VWSE Collegiate Services has become a leader in college sports marketing and developed to represent the sponsorship or multimedia rights for multiple schools and athletic conferences, including the America East Conference, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Colonial Athletic Association and the West Coast Conference, as well as Florida International University, Georgia State University, Liberty University, Loyola Marymount University, Niagara University, Pepperdine University, University of San Francisco, Siena College, Saint Joseph's University, Santa Clara University, Stony Brook University, among others.
 
About Samford Athletics
Samford University Athletics is an NCAA Division I athletics department, competing in the prestigious Southern Conference in 17 sports. Since joining the SoCon in the summer of 2008, the Bulldogs have claimed 32 team conference championships, while over 1,300 Samford student-athletes have been named to the SoCon's Academic Honor Roll. Samford claimed its first NCAA Division I National Championship when Karisa Nelson won the title in the indoor mile last spring. As a whole, Samford Athletics leads the Southern Conference with a 98 percent score in the NCAA's latest Graduation Success Rate rankings.
 
About Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment
Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment LLC (VWSE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Van Wagner Group LLC, is one of the preeminent sports marketing and media sales organizations in the world. It is an acknowledged innovator in property consulting and branding solutions and a global leader in naming rights, team and venue services, high-impact visible TV signage throughout the MLB, NBA, NCAA, MLS, and internationally in soccer, advertising and sponsorships sales, premium ticketing, technology design and integration, and in-venue content production. VWSE works with more than 300 professional and college teams worldwide. VWSE assists teams, organizations and properties in creating and selling advertising; sponsorships; and media that maximize revenue potential, and helps clients develop effective and powerful customized brand campaigns.