Sports Business Leader Graham Wall Joins Vancouver Bandits
November 1, 2022 – Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) – Vancouver Bandits News Release
LANGLEY, B.C. – The Vancouver Bandits announced Tuesday that former Vancouver Canadians executive Graham Wall will join its leadership team and serve as its vice president of sales and service ahead of its 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).
A prominent figure in BC’s professional sports business ecosystem, Wall previously spent 14 years as vice president of sales and marketing for the Canadians, a minor league affiliate of the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays. Wall was a key cog in the Vancouver Canadians’ rise as one of Canada’s preeminent sports and entertainment experiences and a popular summertime fixture for families in the Lower Mainland.
Now, the East Vancouver resident joins the fastest growing pro sports brand in BC to accelerate and support the Bandits’ preparations for the biggest season in club history.
A lifelong fan of the game, Wall is an avid supporter of local basketball. A former Magee Lion, he grew up immersed in Metro Vancouver’s hoops scene and was selected to play on Basketball BC’s under-19 team representing the province at nationals before later playing post-secondary basketball at Mount Royal University.
“I am ecstatic to join the Vancouver Bandits front office to help welcome fans of all ages to take in an extremely high level of basketball. A key focus of my tenure with various professional teams has been creating an inclusive game day atmosphere, presenting stories of our tremendous, homegrown athletes through thoughtful marketing and a quality game day entertainment experience that families can enjoy,” Wall said.
“I believe in the power of sport and have experienced firsthand how it inspires youth and unites communities. That is what Bandits basketball is all about and I am grateful to our co-owners and president for the chance to showcase an amazing game day at our beautiful venue of LEC.”
The upcoming 2023 season at LEC will be the Vancouver Bandits’ fifth CEBL campaign, which tips-off in late May and runs until early August. The Bandits’ regular season schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
Adding to the hype of the highly anticipated season is Championship Weekend, a multi-day playoff event and festival, that will be hosted at LEC in August 2023.
As hosts of the postseason event, the Bandits will receive an automatic berth in the semifinals. Tickets to Championship Weekend are included in the price of Bandits season tickets. Deposits on season tickets can be made now. Inquiries can be directed to [email protected]
While with the Canadians, Wall led business operations and was responsible for planning all revenue generating activities; such as the team’s corporate sponsorship programs, marketing and advertising platforms and game day presentation initiatives at Nat Bailey Stadium.
During his tenure between 2006-20, Wall increased the Canadians’ advertising revenue tenfold. Success on and off the diamond led to an increase in sponsorship revenue as the club surpassed its all-time attendance records, enjoyed frequent sellouts and won four Northwest League Championships (2011-13, 2017).
Through his dedication to customer satisfaction, Wall and the Canadians sales team built a loyal fan base through various successful ticketed experiences and sponsored seating areas. Beyond the venue, he helped elevate the Canadians’ brand by co-negotiating and solidifying the ballpark’s naming rights position of then ‘Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium’ and also secured national and local media partnerships, including agreements with Rogers Sportsnet television and Sportsnet 650 radio.
“I am thrilled to welcome a professional sports and entertainment leader of Graham’s calibre to our front office. He brings a proven track record honed with the Canucks and Canadians where he produced sales driven results on some of the biggest stages in Canadian sports,” said Bandits co-owner Kevin Dhaliwal. “One of Graham’s most exciting qualities is the organizational culture and mindset that he has fostered throughout his career – one that is predicated on customer service, an elite fan experience and an enriching front office environment where business leaders can grow and make an impact.”
Some of Wall’s proudest accomplishments are helping grow the Canadians’ community footprint through co-launching its at risk boys and girls youth foundation, a ‘Strike Out Heart Disease’ initiative alongside St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation and ‘Nooners at the Nat,’ a grassroots program designed to support charities in the community.
Resulting from excellence on and off the diamond, the Canadians were recognized as leaders in Minor League Baseball (MiLB), becoming the first non-American club to win the John H. Johnson President’s Award and several John Henry Moss Community Service Awards.
Prior to baseball, Wall sold and managed the Vancouver Canucks and Grizzlies ticketing assets from 1997 to 2004.
“Graham has an impressive resume in the world of pro sports and we are incredibly happy to have him join the Bandits organization. Through his experience with the Canucks and Canadians, he has built an amazing network among sports fans and the business community in B.C. Graham knows and loves basketball. It is a sport he is passionate about and he is ecstatic that Vancouver has professional basketball again,” said Bandits co-owner Bryan Slusarchuk.
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