THE BIG INTERVIEW: Maheta Molango, CEO, Real Mallorca

Sports Venue Business recently had the honour of interviewing the inimitable Maheta Molango, CEO for Real Club Deportivo Mallorca (RCD Mallorca) or simply ‘Real Mallorca’, at the recently promoted Spanish LaLiga side’s home venue, Estadi de Son Moix.

Despite having quite literally just stepped off an aeroplane after spending 48hrs in Madrid securing Japanese player Kubo, Maheta, as the consummate professional that he is, provided us with in-depth insights into how the club has quite literally risen like a Phoenix from the ashes to reach the dizzying heights of Spain’s premier league, LaLiga, and shared their aspirations for the future, leveraging both the know-how of its North American ownership group and LaLiga.

Maheta was appointed CEO in January 2016, after Real Mallorca was bought by a group of US investors led by Robert Sarver and Andy Kohlberg (owners of the Phoenix Suns) and Steve Nash (2-time NBA MVP). At that stage, it was a club very much in distress, suffering relegation to the third division. Maheta was quick to highlight that one of the core reasons for the subsequent transformation in the club’s fortunes, was the stability and vision that the North American ownership group provided. They understood it takes time and that their huge investment could not be expected to be recouped in the short-term.

Maheta and the team realised that in addition to the native market, Mallorca is one of the major tourist destinations, welcoming no less than fifteen-million visitors to its shores every year, including a significant number of VIPs. The focus therefore became on offering an ‘experience’ at the stadium, which came to fruition following a visit to Phoenix, where Maheta saw the impact of the Court-side Seats and realised that something like this could be translated for the Spanish VIP market. This is where the VIP Corner was borne, where VIP’s can enjoy next-level, pitch-side hospitality, in the company of soccer greats such as Messi.

With the North American ownership and professionalism of LaLiga over the last decade, in addition to the new facilities, including a conference/meeting room, Maheta is confident the club can leverage all of this know-how and best practices to attract tourists, VIPs and home fans alike to Estadi de Son Moix 365 days a year, and after spending just a matter of hours with this powerhouse, we have no doubt these aspirations will be achieved.

About Maheta Molango

Prior to joining Real Mallorca, Maheta was a lawyer at Baker McKenzie in Madrid, Spain, specialising in labour/employment law, as well as sports law; he is qualified to to practice in Spain and New York (USA).

Despite his busy schedule, he still teaches several courses on a part-time basis at Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Centro de Estudios Garrigues and other universities, and is also a guest speaker at New York University’s Madrid campus.

Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, Maheta played soccer at professional level for several European clubs, including Atletico Madrid, Wacker Burghausen and Brighton & Hove Albion. Once his playing career came to an end, he remained linked to the soccer world, working as a scout for Charlton Athletic for the Spanish market and was a guest commentator on Real Madrid TV’s international channel.

A stellar speaker lineup of some 50+ experts, including Real Mallorca CEO, Maheta Molango, will be providing insights on how to increase revenues through new builds, renovations and service expansions, as well as via the latest F&B and technology offerings at ALSD International – Europe’s one and only event dedicated to the Premium Seat & Hospitality sector – taking place at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin this October. 

#ALSDInternational – Europe’s leading event dedicated to the Premium/VIP Seat & Hospitality sector

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