Doug Ulman is not one to let adversity slow him down. It takes a lot to sideline the CEO of the Livestrong Foundation, a three-time cancer survivor and ultramarathon runner, who’s competed in 100-mile races in exotic locations like the Himalayan mountains.
But little could prepare him for Lance Armstrong’s much hyped appearance on Oprah’s cable network in January where the cyclist publicly admitted for the first time to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his sports career.
Armstrong was the public face of Livestrong, a hugely popular charity dedicated to funding cancer research. In better times, Livestrong had raised over $500 million and scored an innovative naming rights deal with Sporting K.C., a Major League Soccer team in Kansas City, Kan. But allegations of Armstrong’s doping dogged the organization, leading to Armstrong’s eventual departure and concerns about the longevity of the foundation.
“It was a very difficult time, something I wouldn’t want to experience again, but Livestrong is more than one person and our staff is ready to continue with our mission,” said Ulman, who will serve as the keynote speaker for this year’s Event and Arena Marketing Conference in Austin, Texas, June 12-15.
Ulman will discuss his own dive into crisis management and credibility PR, sharing how he helped navigate the organization through its darkest days.
“It was important for us to acknowledge who we were,” said Ulman. “We are an organization for survivors and those struggling with cancer. One of our greatest tools is our ability to speak directly with those who most need us.”
Instead of focusing on Armstrong, Ulman pushed forward with its plans to grow the foundation's free emotional support program to anyone affected by cancer and strengthen its insurance and financial assistance program, coordinating fertility service discounts to help survivors still have families after cancer.
“And we reiterated that 82 cents for every dollar raised by Livestrong goes to supporting our programs,” Ulman said, which includes bilingual outreach and resources to help cancer vicitims and survivors identify resources and government funded programs.
To shake itself of the Armstrong legacy, Livestrong has updated its name, adding the word 'Foundation' to its logo and moved its “call-to-action" day—which had been celebrated on the anniversary of Armstrong's cancer diagnosis—to May 17, the day its highly popular yellow wristband was introduced. And rather than hide from media and refuse to deal with the Armstrong controversy, Ulman hasn’t shied from public speaking.
“We never stopped communicating — in fact we over communicate,” he said. “We used to have meetings with our entire staff about once a month. We've had 40 in the last four months. This affects everyone and it's important we give our team a chance to talk, ask questions and voice their feelings. We’ve got to communicate with each other if we want to have an effective voice outside of our organization.”
Ulman’s appearance anchors an EAMC with a packed agenda that includes an opening session with Louis Messina, the legendary concert promoter who currently promotes tours for Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and George Strait. Also planned for the conference is a general session discussion with John Males from Fathom Training on working with different generations in the work place. Evening activities include visits to Buffalo Billiards and the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas, Austin. On Thursday, Venues Today will host the third annual Generation Next Awards at Maggie Maes, 323 E 6th St., sponsored by Comcast-Spectacor and Redbox.
Contact: Doug Ulman, (877) 236-8820