ORLANDO, Fla. (January 13, 2017) - For the second consecutive year, Orlando City SC took home several of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) 2016 Year-End Executive Awards, the league announced today.
The Club was awarded Social Media Activation of the Year for its #OrlandoUnited campaign. Led by VP of Marketing Teresa Tatlonghari, VP of Content Decio Lopes, current Sr. Director of Content Ed Cahill and then Social Media Manager Stuart Drew, the Club rallied the Orlando community behind the #OrlandoUnited movement in the wake of the tragic events of June 12 at Pulse Nightclub. Club graphic designer Eric Allsopp’s rainbow heart logo was printed on #OrlandoUnited t-shirts, which raised over $250,000 for the OneOrlando fund.
Rob Parker, VP of Corporate Partnerships, was awarded Corporate Partnerships Executive of the Year. Under his leadership, the Club continued to rank among the league leaders in corporate partnership revenue, which included its jersey sponsorship deal with Orlando Health, as well as the expanded partnerships with The Walt Disney Company, Publix Super Markets, among others. The Club was also able to sell nearly all inventory for the new stadium and secure a successful television deal with WFTV.
In January 2016, Orlando City tied for the most executive awards in MLS. Chris Gallagher was awarded Ticket Sales Executive of the Year; Tatlonghari was awarded Marketing Executive of the Year; Erik Ustruck was awarded Team Administrator of the Year presented by Sportscorp Travel; and the Club was awarded Partnership Marketing Activation of the Year for its Publix Tailgate partnership during the Club’s inaugural 2015 MLS season.
