Sport Innovation/International Management Group
International Management Group
editIMG is the world's premier and most diversified sports, entertainment and Media Company. Partner with the world's leading marketers and media networks to help them grow their businesses through our event properties, media production and distribution, talent brands, sponsorship consulting, brand licensing, sponsorship sales and other services.
IMG is a privately owned company founded by Mark McCormack, an American lawyer who spotted the potential for athletes to make large incomes from endorsement in the television age. Founded in 1960 with a handshake between Mark McCormack and golf legend Arnold Palmer, IMG has grown into a global operation. In 2003 McCormack died. His obituary can be found here. Since 2004, renowned entrepreneurial pioneer Ted Forstmann has acquired the company and infused it with renewed energy, creativity, and strategic direction.
From emerging leadership in areas like digital media, licensing and entertainment programming, to our long-standing strength in sports, fashion and traditional media, IMG is committed to providing business-building solutions. Their partners include many of the world's most famous brands, media outlets, sports governing bodies, national and local governments, athletes, entertainers, models and fashion designers.
For the past 50 years IMG Clients has been the global leader in talent representation, including over 1,000 elite athletes, coaches, industry executives and prestigious sports organizations across the sports, entertainment, and fashion and media industries.
Originally known as the International Management Group, the company is a global sports and media business management organisation with headquarters in New York City. The company now employs nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG's areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging as suggested by several sources: IMG College is the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights. IMG's Joint Ventures, IMG Reliance and IMG CCTV, in the emerging markets of India and China, offer the company significant long-term growth opportunities. IMG Media is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events and includes long standing associations with the world's most important sports organizations, leagues, and federations. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models represents the world's top models, leading designers and the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists [1].
IMG Academies is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational facility delivering sports training experiences to more than 12,000 dedicated athletes from approximately 80 countries every year. IMG Consulting connects many of the world's leading brands with consumers through access to unique sports and entertainment properties. IMG Licensing is considered one of the premier independent licensing companies in the sports, entertainment and media world [2].
IMG is also commercially involved in an average of 11 major sports and cultural events around the world every day; represents the interests of major corporations; is the world's largest non-character licensing firm, and is a literary agency and book packager.
In late 2007, IMG acquired Host Communications and the Collegiate Licensing Company to form IMG College. All together, IMG College holds the licensing rights to over 150 colleges and universities, 9 collegiate conferences, 15 bowl games and 7 other athletic institutions in the United States. Additionally, they hold the multimedia marketing rights in some large US schools and institutions. The IMG College also publishes a magazine dedicated to covering all levels of football in Texas and runs its related event, the Toyota Tundra Texas Football Classic.
IMG Sports Technology Group provides a powerful web-based platform for easier management of events, member information, online auctions and online shops. Their website states:
“We have got to where we are today because of our long history of working with sports organisations - we know how they operate, and what is needed to manage member information, events and communications to stakeholders. IMG Sports Technology Group has used this knowledge combined with leading technology to develop easy-to-use, online tools that simplify the process of running a sporting and recreation group” [1].
IMG maintains a career management focus with clients which is a major factor in our success. It also owns and operates Florida-based sports and fitness academies under the name IMG Academies.[3]
Next: IMG Academies