NY Liberty - Merchandise Manager


		Snowglobe

One of the busiest places at the arena before and after a game is the souvenir stand, which is packed with fun-filled keepsakes for new and long-time fans. The Merchandise Manager for a sports arena or ball club is responsible for all of the non-apparel merchandise sold on behalf of that team before, during and after the game. The job includes finding new products such as toys, mugs, banners and other fun or collectible items and having them produced with the team logo or name, then making sure they are available in the arena stores.

Judy Liebman is the Merchandise Manager for Madison Square Garden. She handles products for the Liberty as well as the Knicks, Rangers and Radio City Music Hall. Unlike many other arenas, at the Garden, Liebman has a unique situation where the majority of the products are designed and developed specifically for sale at MSG and at Radio City. She is always introducing new products such as the recent pet sweatshirts, team journals and snow globes.

Liebman sends artwork to overseas factories and they create products to meet the specifications and instructions. A former English and Communications major at Rutgers University, Liebman spends a lot of time communicating with manufacturers. "On a typical day I communicate with my overseas factories and depending on which stage of development we are in, we discuss numerous things and clarify how the product should look."

Each product takes time to create and often goes through many stages until it is finished. Meanwhile Liebman is busy determining the cost of creating an item and how soon it will be ready, keeping in mind the start of each season as new products are created. "Once the product arrives I must determine where it will go in the store as well as what kind of sales and/or promotion we will run. The more press we give an item, the more fans know about it and want buy it."

Other responsibilities include working with the licensing departments of the various leagues, buying league created products, checking inventory and charting sales to know which items are selling better than others. During games, Liebman is often found in the stores, answering customers' questions and getting a first-hand idea of which items are selling and which ones aren't.

The love of sports coupled with a knack for creative ideas and strong communications and marketing skills are the ideal assets to work in the merchandising area of professional sports. Creating a keepsake that a fan can leave the game with is very rewarding.