04/29/08

Moneymakers
Five questions with Philippe Tanguy
His realm is beyond just hard-to-find tickets

By Brad Hem - Houston Chronicle

Philippe Tanguy found his entrepreneurial spirit in 2004 when Houston hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII.

A new owner of a downtown loft at the time, Tanguy thought he could make a few extra bucks subleasing his apartment to out-of-towners visiting for the game.

He passed out his contact information to some sold-out hotels and started getting calls the same day. When the first request was for a bigger space than he had, he scrambled to sublease other apartments and started flipping them for a profit.

By the 2005 Super Bowl, Tanguy and his business partner had created On Point Events and led a group to Jacksonville, Fla. Since then, the Houston company has expanded its offerings, sending clients to the Masters, Final Four, World Cup, Olympics and other events. Most of the customers are companies looking for creative ways to thank clients or reward their sales teams.

He recently talked to Chronicle reporter Brad Hem about his business. What follows are excerpts of that conversation.

Q: What does On Point do beyond just getting hard-to-find tickets?

A: Obviously we'll do the hotel, the transportation, all the tickets to the events, the hospitality and everything else in between.

What separates us is being able to get them into the unique private event, parties, meet-and-greets with celebrities. We've done everything from a meet-and-greet with Jerry Rice back in Jacksonville to just this year we did one with John Travolta at his private event (at the Super Bowl).

Q: How close can you get people? Could you get someone in to see Patriots quarterback Tom Brady before the game?

A: Any player that's playing in the actual game, they're not accessible for obvious reasons. They're getting game ready.

So those are off-limits, but there are plenty of other sports celebrities that will be in attendance. They all come out for that big event. So we can get them to come out and have dinner with you or be part of a hospitality event or motivational speaking.

All of those things are possible. We get all kinds of requests, not just for the big events. We had a guy whose dream was to throw out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game. We've got people who want to do batting practice with their favorite team. They want to go behind the scenes and see the stables at the Kentucky Derby.

Q: Does it always come down to money? It seems like you can get access to anything for the right price.

A: That's right. Money definitely plays a big factor in what we can get access to. No doubt.

And then with other things it's not so much of a money thing as just knowing who the right person is to call. When a client calls with a unique idea, we'll sit down and say "Who do we know that could get us access to that?"

It's interesting. A lot of our ideas come from our clients. Every event is different. The contacts are really different. It could be members of the club. Obviously sports agents provide a lot of support for us. And a lot of it's trading.

Q: Can you share an example of one of the more extravagant trips?

A: The first one that comes to mind is one we just did for the Olympics in Beijing. Two people for seven nights, and they spent $72,000 with us.

That could be an annual salary for a lot of people, and that doesn't include airfare. They have the opening ceremony and several events like basketball and swimming, several different tickets. A sightseeing tour, hospitality access every day.

We have a fairly large hospitality setup there where clients can go and watch all the games on the flat-screen TVs and eat and drink. There's live entertainment. Some of the athletes will circulate through. It's a great experience. Top-notch hotel. Private transportation.

Q: Are you a fan yourself?

A: It's hard not to be when you're in the industry. I never thought of myself as a NASCAR fan, but when you've been to the Daytona 500 and seen it up close and personal, it'll make you a fan.

People always think, "Aw, gosh, your job is so great," but the truth is a lot of the time we don't even go to the games. It's like the Disney model: We work while others play. Before that game finishes, all my staff will be in position with signs making sure people can get back to the buses.

So that means we walk out before the end of the game. Super Bowl is a prime example. None of us ever actually go to the Super Bowl because we're so exhausted by the time we get to game time that we'll all go back, take a nap and then go back and pick up the clients.

In the News 01/21/06 01/26/06 04/30/06 07/05/06 11/20/06 03/01/07 04/29/08 11/01/08 04/06/09 Press Releases Media Contacts Company Fact Sheet First Name: Last Name: Email Address: unsubscribe		View cart Print 04/29/08 Moneymakers Five questions with Philippe Tanguy His realm is beyond just hard-to-find tickets By Brad Hem - Houston Chronicle Philippe Tanguy found his entrepreneurial spirit in 2004 when Houston hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII. A new owner of a downtown loft at the time, Tanguy thought he could make a few extra bucks subleasing his apartment to out-of-towners visiting for the game. He passed out his contact information to some sold-out hotels and started getting calls the same day. When the first request was for a bigger space than he had, he scrambled to sublease other apartments and started flipping them for a profit. By the 2005 Super Bowl, Tanguy and his business partner had created On Point Events and led a group to Jacksonville, Fla. Since then, the Houston company has expanded its offerings, sending clients to the Masters, Final Four, World Cup, Olympics and other events. Most of the customers are companies looking for creative ways to thank clients or reward their sales teams. He recently talked to Chronicle reporter Brad Hem about his business. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. Q: What does On Point do beyond just getting hard-to-find tickets? A: Obviously we'll do the hotel, the transportation, all the tickets to the events, the hospitality and everything else in between. What separates us is being able to get them into the unique private event, parties, meet-and-greets with celebrities. We've done everything from a meet-and-greet with Jerry Rice back in Jacksonville to just this year we did one with John Travolta at his private event (at the Super Bowl). Q: How close can you get people? Could you get someone in to see Patriots quarterback Tom Brady before the game? A: Any player that's playing in the actual game, they're not accessible for obvious reasons. They're getting game ready. So those are off-limits, but there are plenty of other sports celebrities that will be in attendance. They all come out for that big event. So we can get them to come out and have dinner with you or be part of a hospitality event or motivational speaking. All of those things are possible. We get all kinds of requests, not just for the big events. We had a guy whose dream was to throw out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game. We've got people who want to do batting practice with their favorite team. They want to go behind the scenes and see the stables at the Kentucky Derby. Q: Does it always come down to money? It seems like you can get access to anything for the right price. A: That's right. Money definitely plays a big factor in what we can get access to. No doubt. And then with other things it's not so much of a money thing as just knowing who the right person is to call. When a client calls with a unique idea, we'll sit down and say "Who do we know that could get us access to that?" It's interesting. A lot of our ideas come from our clients. Every event is different. The contacts are really different. It could be members of the club. Obviously sports agents provide a lot of support for us. And a lot of it's trading. Q: Can you share an example of one of the more extravagant trips? A: The first one that comes to mind is one we just did for the Olympics in Beijing. Two people for seven nights, and they spent $72,000 with us. That could be an annual salary for a lot of people, and that doesn't include airfare. They have the opening ceremony and several events like basketball and swimming, several different tickets. A sightseeing tour, hospitality access every day. We have a fairly large hospitality setup there where clients can go and watch all the games on the flat-screen TVs and eat and drink. There's live entertainment. Some of the athletes will circulate through. It's a great experience. Top-notch hotel. Private transportation. Q: Are you a fan yourself? A: It's hard not to be when you're in the industry. I never thought of myself as a NASCAR fan, but when you've been to the Daytona 500 and seen it up close and personal, it'll make you a fan. People always think, "Aw, gosh, your job is so great," but the truth is a lot of the time we don't even go to the games. It's like the Disney model: We work while others play. Before that game finishes, all my staff will be in position with signs making sure people can get back to the buses. So that means we walk out before the end of the game. Super Bowl is a prime example. None of us ever actually go to the Super Bowl because we're so exhausted by the time we get to game time that we'll all go back, take a nap and then go back and pick up the clients.