Strategic Alliances

This strategic consulting alliance provides in-depth and comprehensive consulting resources for examining both the hotel and public assembly facility components of convention and conference center projects.

Conventions, Sports & Leisure International ("CS&L") is a leading advisory and planning firm specializing in providing consulting services to the sports, entertainment and leisure industries. CS&L was established for the specific purpose of providing a source of focused research and expertise in these industries.

We assist our clients from the earliest stages of project planning, ensuring that all decisions are informed ones. Our consultants provide in-depth information, creative solutions to underlying issues, a thorough analysis of financial implications, and various measurements of risk and return surrounding alternative courses of action.

Our firm is able to provide these services by drawing upon the years of experience of its professional staff. Being consistently involved in many major transactions allows our professionals to obtain knowledge of both tangible and intangible components of completed transactions, the reasons for failed efforts, and changes in the marketplace affecting revenue streams of a variety of types of sports and event facilities and teams/clubs.

John Katz

John Kaatz is director of Convention, Sports & Leisure, International.  Mr. Kaatz's experience includes in-depth analyses for over 300 convention, conference, meeting and other public assembly facilities.  The results of these studies have been used to assist public and private sector entities in determining project market and financial feasibility, economic impacts, appropriate marketing focus and management structure, and in pursuing and securing project financing.  Prior to joining CS&L, John was the director of Coopers & Lybrand's sports, entertainment and leisure consulting group.  John has been asked to speak at various national and international industry forums regarding the market and financial impacts associated with the convention and public assembly industry.  He has also testified before local and statewide public bodies related to implications of convention/conference center development and expansion projects.  John has been quoted in periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Meeting News and numerous local publications on topics related to the public assembly industry.  John is a 15-year member of the International Association of Assembly Managers, and holds a B.S. in economics from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.