OK, so speaking about all of this, what did you concentrate on the setup? Will you return to the venue subsequent yr?

I feel so. There’s an issue with the venues that they’re simply not large enough. We’re at all times at capability. There are at all times extra people who need to come. However there’s simply not lots of decisions in New York Metropolis, however we’ve observed lots of new issues have opened, so I feel we’re gonna do some scouting simply to see if there’s the rest that may play effectively into what we’re attempting to perform as a result of we need to hold the social gathering and the presentation in a single location.

We really feel we lose lots of people if we don’t have a celebration at that location. Folks need to journey, individuals attempting to do dinners, or they’re going everywhere in the metropolis. So we’re attempting to make it handy. We’ll look, but when we don’t, I feel we’ll return to that venue once more.

We knew that individuals would in all probability complain about standing, however we purposely stored the presentation quick in order that they had been at all times engaged.

Marianne Gambelli on the brand new venue and format

You talked about this already, however the leisure expertise wasn’t there due to the writers strike, so how a lot of the presentation was impacted by the strike? Is that why you leaned into information extra?

No, actually, the presentation went as deliberate, nevertheless it allowed, which I really preferred, was we put the salespeople up on stage. We wished to fill the stage. We knew we had lots of sports activities expertise. So [Suzanne Sullivan, evp, ad sales, Fox Entertainment] was in a position to rise up there, [Jeff Collins, evp, ad sales, Fox News Media] was in a position to rise up there. [Mark Evans, evp, ad sales, Fox Sports] was in a position to rise up there.

So we had a pleasant presence, and people are the individuals we neglect that the shoppers really know. So we at all times attempt to put the expertise first and make it a giant present. However I feel it’s good to see somebody that you simply join with. That was the pivot we made. That’s why all of us had pink fits on. I don’t know if you happen to observed.

We didn’t really speak to one another, as a result of all of us didn’t know we had been going to be on. I knew I used to be going to be on stage, however the remaining didn’t know. In order that was our last-minute pivot. And truly, I preferred it. We’ll in all probability proceed that ingredient of it going ahead.

So last-minute pivot—these displays take months to plan, what was it like switching issues up?

We pivoted early final week. It was Monday or Tuesday. We needed to do lots of rewrites. We had lots of people working all weekend. However I feel everyone was glad to drag collectively. All of us knew what we needed to do, and we had been excited to placed on a present, and I feel it exhibits. I really feel prefer it all got here collectively very well.

We did miss our leisure expertise. We had been fortunate we did have Gordon [Ramsay]. It could have been nice in the event that they had been there. However we did the very best we may.

Clearly, Derek Jeter was a giant get. Since Tom Brady is ultimately coming to Fox Sports activities, was there any discuss bringing him in for the presentation?