Volume 3 // Issue 1
THE SOCIAL MEDIA ISSUE 1
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Table of Contents 6
5 Must Do Tasks Prior to Creating Social Media Accounts
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Facility Spotlight - Grand Park Sports Campus
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Phrases of Confident Individuals
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Choosing the Right Social Media Platform
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Is Less More?
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The Top Times to Post on Instagram
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Prioritizing Content Creation
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Industry Confidential 3
s e t o N d l Fie
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I just watched a man I’ve known for 20 years dance on Tik Tok... During our time preparing the Social Media Issue, I’ve been asking myself repeatedly, what is the future of sports tourism content? What will it morph into? What skills will be most valued in the years ahead? As we’ve all witnessed, social media and content channels concentrated on the sports tourism industry have become competitive and are even getting saturated. With the low cost of reaching followers, it’s no surprise. The good news is that as interest in the sports tourism industry grows, the demand for skilled creators is also growing. Cause and effect, right? The driving force of businesses today is content marketing. 85% of consumers will research online before buying a product or service. Content creation has been and will continue to be a needed investment. New job seekers coming into the space with innovation, passion, and efficiency will be indispensable. High-quality, engaging and relevant content attracts clients to a brand, so organizations can boost exposure, awareness, and sales. Individuals looking to build a portfolio and carve a niche have a tremendous opportunity to do so. So, what is the takeaway here? There is an undeniable opportunity for content creators in the sports tourism space. Breaking through the clutter will require a creative mind and a consistently actionable strategy. The path is not easy, but the sky is the limit for those who dare. We hope you enjoy The Social Media Issue!
X Matt Dunn 5
5 Must Do Tasks Prior to Creating Social Media Accounts Don’t leap into social media creation without performing these critical steps.
Social media, when done right, can have a profound effect on an organization’s brand. We’ve all experienced the positives or negatives of a company’s single tweet going viral. We never hear about what specific preparation companies perform before posting on their Instagram account. As with every journey, it all lies in preparation and planning. Before creating your organization’s social media accounts, ask yourself these five basic, preliminary questions:
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1. Can you explain your target audience? This should be easy, but my experience in getting a detailed answers from companies has proven otherwise. Especially in the sports tourism industry, we must often be everything to everyone. Therefore, who are your social media efforts targeting? Within your overall marketing plan, you have defined a target audience. The same goes for your plan’s specific emphasis on social media. Because, of course, how can you leverage social media if you don’t know who you’re speaking to? Are you interested in reaching destinations, rights holders, your membership base, maybe even local stakeholders? Maybe taking geography into account is important to you. Whatever the audience, make sure you have precision from the beginning. 2. Where does your target audience spend their time? Now that you have decided upon who you are planning to target, you must locate where they spend their time on social media. The last thing you want to do is waste resources by placing prominence on the wrong social media platform. If you’re focused on a chief executive officer of a national governing body, most likely, Tumbler is not the platform to concentrate your efforts. Alternatively, if you’re targeting current athletes, you would be wasting your time on LinkedIn.
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3. Do you have compelling content?
erate on your various accounts.
We’ve seen so many in our industry create social media accounts without having concepts for content. Social media as a marketing tool can be effective, but it’s a must in our day in age. Do not create a Facebook Event for your organization without knowing what content you plan to share.
5. What is your metric of success?
Your content should limit organizational promotion, but instead, be aspirational-oriented. To be blunt, give your target audience a compelling reason to become one of your followers. Telling your story is paramount. 4. What are your strategies and goals? You must ask yourself what you are seeking to achieve on social media? Increased acquisition of events? Distribution of RFP? Increase membership? Your strategies and goals will significantly influence the type of content you’ll gen-
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So far, you have crafted your target audience, researched your target audience, located where they spend time on social media, mapped out content to share, and set strategies and goals. So what’s next? Before you begin your social media journey of posting and tweeting, how will you know if you’re having success or need adjustment? Decide if you would like to define success by counting total followers? Is it engagement in the form of shares or replies? Possibly it’s by traffic to your website? Without starting by defining your benchmarks, you’ll never know if you’re on a path to success. Brass tacks, social media can be an inexpensive and effective tool, but you cannot jump in and show impact without proper planning in advance.
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Facility Spotlight Matt Trnian, Grand Park Sports Campus What is your title and how long have you held the position with the Grand Park Sports Complex? Director; since January 2022. I have been involved with the campus since May of 2014 (essentially when the park opened). I began as an intern and progressed through various Operational positions. What is your current organizational structure? The City of Westfield owns and operates the facility. We operate as a for-profit entity that is self-funded through revenues driven from the campus. No tax dollars are used for operating expenses. What led you to sports tourism and facility management?
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I had a love of sports that started at a young age. Being a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and baseball) in high school helped me appreciate the personal growth that comes from the organization of sports. Upon entering college at Kent State University, I fell in love with the Sports Administration course work that taught me the business side of sport. My passion for facility management was confirmed upon the completion of my internship at Grand Park and continues today. How are you working with your partners to grow the offerings of the facility (concessions, Wi-Fi, more corporate events, festivals, etc.)? We have proven to be a great facility in hosting events in the diamond sports and field sports segments of our business. We have truly embraced the non-sporting business that has come our way.
We have made several upgrades to our facility to accommodate the new business. What does the facility cater to? What are your “bread and butter” sports? Primarily youth sports, but have grown to include collegiate and professional sports in baseball, softball, soccer, football, lacrosse and ultimate. Three (?) event rights holders have offices at Grand Park. How has their inclusion helped push the overall book of business Grand Park has to offer? We have several stakeholders that have contributed to the continuous success of Grand Park. Bullpen Tournaments, Indiana Soccer and the Indiana Fire Juniors have played a large part in growing the overall event offerings hosted at
Grand Park. Each of these organizations have worked to grow existing events while looking to create new events to be hosted at Grand Park. How many weeks a year is the facility currently scheduled? Do you have blackout dates for one reason or another? We operate the campus year-round. Certain holidays have not been booked for specific reasons, but we operated 359 days of the 2021 calendar year. The facility is really “Mecca” for sports tourism, but are there any expansion plans? We have a vision of continued growth, not only with the addition of new events, but with capital improvements. We are currently doing
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an evaluation of adding stadium seating to two of our fields on campus. We are also looking to add new unique event opportunities to our event portfolio. You began as an intern and worked your way up through the ranks to the facility’s Director, what have been your biggest challenges in tackling the new role? One of the largest hurdles has been navigating some of the challenges that have come from existing agreements. We have some long-term agreements that have been in place since the park opened that were instrumental in getting the park opened, but have provided challenges with the current growth of the campus. In what ways are you and the facility working to better the experience for the Olympic movement? Our goal is to provide world-class playing surfaces for all athletes. We believe by doing this, it creates an environment that is suitable for premier athletes.
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What’s the feeling that you want athletes to take away from visiting and competing at Grand Park? We would like all athletes and their families to walk away with the gratitude that they played at the best sports complex in America. This overall experience is more than time on the field, but extends to the experience within the community. Is there an issue you are pushing for…facility upgrade, new market segment, a grant award, etc. Provide an angle for what you see will benefit your efforts. I’ll formulate the question for the magazine based on your response. One of the projects that I have taken great pride in has been our relationship with the Indianapolis Colts. Working closely with the Colts on their annual Training Camp has proven to be a heavy lift, but a rewarding one. Each year, we have worked to expand the relationship and strive to host the best training camp in the NFL. This continues today as we are evaluating future facility enhancements that would provide a benefit to the Colts during the training camp time-period and all other events/ visitors throughout the bulk of the year.
Where would you most like to live? In a beautiful home that sits on a golf course where I can live comfortably with my family while having the ability to leisurely play a round of golf when time allows. What’s the most prized possession you have in your office? Front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer from June 20, 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Championship. I grew up in Cleveland and the title broke a 52-year Championship drought for the city. Was able to watch Game 7 on Father’s Day with my Dad… A special moment! What do you enjoy doing outside of work, what are your hobbies? I enjoy family time most! I have three kids that I love being a father to. I am especially excited to coach my kids in T-Ball this spring. I also enjoy keeping up with my favorite sports teams and visiting new venues. What is your favorite sporting event annually? Indianapolis Colts Training Camp at Grand Park. Super Bowl.
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Phrases of Confident Individuals When reviewing all the attributes a person can have, confidence helps lead to success
Most people that possess confidence have little to zero anxiety.
Confident people normally don’t worry.
Having confidence also showcases optimism, in that through hard work and attention to detail good things happen.
They hold the belief that if an error occurs, they can manage it.
Simultaneously, their past performance of sound decisions leads to realistic thinking.
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A consistent mindset that no matter what may take place, positive or negative, they will deal with it.
You will witness confident individuals express an opinion on affairs, though have the intelligence to understand when to pick their battles. When appropriate, they will graciously back track if they stand corrected since they are self-assured enough to respect other perspectives.
When it comes to possessing business sense, having confidence better allows an individual to assume risks and seek opportunities. As assessed with timid individuals, confident people are recognized as having a larger amount of quality relationships. Why is confidence so appealing? First, confidence is not arrogance or a feeling of betterment. Instead, it is a reserved acceptance in your own ability without excessive pride. Here are a few phrases you will witness genuinely confident people state:
Confident individuals tend to listen much more than they speak. They are inherently curious and convey an authentic curiosity in topics and people. On the other hand, those who dominate a discussion or boast are disguising self-doubt.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Self-assured folks have no issue admitting to them and do not be bothered with what others may think if they ask for help. Confident individuals are more focused on performing well and learning new subject matter and skills.
Confident people are proactive, not reactive. So rather than sitting on their hands and waiting, they work to pursue opportunities. Whether it is an effort to build and maintain proper relationships, asking for an increase in responsibility and therefore revenue, or taking business risk, those that are confident are focused on the future and place their destiny in their own hands.
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IS LESS MORE? Here are some sensible ideas for curtailing your intake while networking. We all have our own reasons why. Maybe it is time to modify your alcohol intake and approach drinking while networking with a “quality not quantity” mindset. When done mindfully, you will begin a healthy task that will be worth your while. Let’s face it, you don’t need a drink to become relaxed and have fun, though you also don’t need to give up your favorite cocktail or glass of wine to be healthy and happy. Somewhere in-between we can all find middle ground and finding that zone boils down to thoughtful choices and moderation.
Substitute drinking with another activity. Conferences and trade shows always do a great job of building in time post scheduled meetings and prior to evening activities. This is when a solid number of us unwind by toasting to one another. Instead, selecting an enjoyable opportunity with colleagues allows you to focus on an activity with action (going to a museum, a sporting event, renting scooters, etc.) rather than inaction (becoming sedentary). Choosing a positive activity, or one that you look forward to like sightseeing, will shift your mindset. Determining what you can do instead that you look forward to may have the side effect of not consuming alcohol, or at minimum reducing your intake.
Be aware. Exercising mindfulness while enjoying cocktails helps you enjoy and be grateful for what you are consuming without the impulse to over-indulge. How does mindful drinking work? Begin by being thoughtful about each drink you consume, and do not grab the next glass of bourbon just because you have finished your first. Be aware of this routine, and be mindful to drink slowly and be present. Observe what it smells and tastes like, even how it feels on your tongue. Notice how it makes you feel. Are you tired, relaxed, talkative, maybe even a bit dehydrated? Appreciate the flavor. What type of glass were you served? Who are you with? And on and on. Not a simple task in the moment, but over time you’ll find that the more present you are, the less you will consume.
Take a beat. Habits can completely shift by tweaking the moments in-between drinks and mindful drinking can become your norm. Try this next time you are drinking while in a social setting: Finish your last sip and then pause, reflect whether you truly want another drink, or if you’d like to take a break. This simple thought process can lead to making a choice based on how you feel. Maybe you will tap into a feeling of dehydration and order a glass of water instead. Pausing just might lead to realizing you are ordering another cocktail just because it’s there, not because it is bringing you enjoyment.
Assign yourself a time limit. With any extravagance, awareness can go a long way to minimizing unhealthy consumption. Shoot for making each drink last 30 minutes, or even 45 minutes. When in a good conversation with colleagues and clients, you’ll be amazed at how time flies. As you continue this exercise, drinking slowly will become a reflex, rather than a task tracked by your phone’s alarm.
Plan. For some, deciding on a plan prior to the experience is the best move. This way, you are prepared, know what to expect, and begin your activity with a sense of mindfulness. Often, we hear of the two-drink maximum rule. You may tell a friend going into the bar, “I’m only going to have two drinks.” This tactic can set expectations and a target limit for how much you plan to consume. Even if you slip up (say there’s only a half a glass left in a wine bottle) let yourself enjoy it and note that you are showing awareness.
Eliminate pressure regarding “wasting” drinks. We are not playing drinking games in college anymore. You do not need to feel social pressure to finish every drink you order, especially if you are not enjoying it. This impulse can be so hard to overcome. Separate from social pressure, none of us like to be wasteful by not consuming the entire drink or when spending money. But we are all adults here and life is too short, so if you are not enjoying it, move on.
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The Top Times to Post on Instagram
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When do you post on Instagram? The best days and time to post on Instagram are Saturdays and Sundays at 6:00 am. The highest engagement occurs on posts that are published on Sundays at 6:00 am. The worst time to publish is Wednesday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Thursday from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Posts on these days and within these hour ranges obtain the lowest engagement rates on average. Therefore, making them the most inefficient days to post on Instagram. So, how does this help? Our team was shocked to see that the best times to post were early mornings. After reviewing data from previous years, we can tell there is a significant change in the data. Traditionally, posting at the times when your followers were most active was always considered the best strategy. Doing so does have its advantages, though it is not the only consideration that influences engagement. Instagram’s algorithm does take timeliness into account, though not to the same standards as before. Also, we are aware that the total number of interactions in the first 30 minutes does not determine a post’s final ranking appearance in an individual Home Feed. Therefore, you can rest at ease, as the stress of live posts when your followers are most active no longer matters. Rather, shifting to a “post early” mindset has become the new strategy moving forward. By posting first thing in the morning, your success will benefit from reduced clutter (internationally, most posts happen between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm every day). Additionally, you will see an increase from traffic by users on their first scroll each morning. This will take place even a few hours after you have posted at 6:00 am. Posting first thing in the morning will provide your content the best chance of being noticed by your followers, no matter when they are most active. The app has gone through many changes over the last year. Therefore, as such we must adapt to new strategies when using Instagram.
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Prioritizing Content Creation
Focus more time on your organization’s efforts with these simple content creation concepts.
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Prior to jumping into content creation concepts, let’s confirm the significance of content creation for your organization’s brand. Here are five reasons to concentrate on it:
1.Content encourages brand recognition. Set up content to display your brand’s personality and precisely what sets you apart from your competition. The opportunity to gain further knowledge of a brand is what attracts customers. Real brand awareness is so much more than recognizing your logo or brand name 2. Content increases SEO. Producing content consistently makes your brand more approachable and accessible. Be sure to include keywords that will enhance your content’s ranking so that your website will become visible in search results to potential clients. 3. Content verifies knowledge. Contributing how-to tips, hacks, and techniques should be a significant portion of your content strategy, so your knowledge and expertise are displayed to your industry’s audience. 4. Content creates repeat visitation. If your platforms remain stagnant, your clientele will have no reason to visit your brand, social media accounts, website, or podcast. Keeping your accounts alive with a relevant, active stream of content will retain and increase your audience. 5. Content equals sales. Expose your brand’s messaging to the masses. Each time you take the opportunity to develop new pieces of content, you raise the chances of gaining followers, beginning new relationships, and getting your offerings in front of prospective clientele.
With a bit more understanding of the importance of content creation, let’s review a few concepts to make the process a bit easier. Concept #1: Decrease distractions Does this sound familiar? A great idea for content creation pops into your mind that would be ideal for your followers. When you pull up an app, you see both messages and notifications that pique your interest. After reviewing them, you begin scrolling up your news feed and completely lose your train of thought. It happens to the best of us! Instead, use a scheduling app or software, and create a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly calendar to schedule content creation to reduce disruptions. Additionally, write it down immediately if a concept pops into your mind or even see an idea visually that you wish to brainstorm on later. For many, the concept is a larger challenge than the creation, so do not allow the idea to get lost and fall by the wayside. Use the notes app on your phone, take a screenshot, or build a Google Doc that you can jot down and record ideas when you think of them. You’ll have a laundry list of concepts to choose from when the time comes. Concept #2: Use the three R’s Reduce content. You’ve heard the phrase, “quality over quantity?” Better to create content that truly engages your audience rather than consistently posting without attracting results. If you feel like your num-
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bers are down or don’t like your insights, hit the pause button. Review your scheduled content, make a shift, and dial things down to a reduced number of quality posts. Reuse content. If you find yourself successful with content that your audience is excited about, repurpose the content on other platforms with a bit of variation to extend its reach. Reuse the content in an email campaign, send it out as a press release, redesign it, and use it on several social media platforms. If you see positive engagement, use it to your advantage. Recycle content. Maybe past content was overlooked, so use older content tactically by rescheduling it. Though, absolutely adjust its design, proof, and refresh the copy to give it another shot. Build in a minimum of 3 or 4 months before reposting
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old content. Record what occurs before and after as there is no specific solution for a recycling strategy. Concept #3: Build evergreen content. Content that continually drives traffic after first published maintains significance and is not timely and can be used as evergreen content. It’s great to reuse, especially when you have used a significant amount of time, energy, and resources to create content. Examples of evergreen content can come from lists, tips, testimonials, reviews, or even how-to videos. Statistics, news articles, styles, and fashions are not evergreen. Using evergreen content in your approach keeps in mind when looking for long-lasting website traffic and audience growth.
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Industry Confidential Check in every issue for the unfiltered thoughts of our guest writers and contributors as they discuss the hottest topics in sports tourism. Join the conversation by tweeting us: @pushsports In this issue, our guest writer discusses the subject of the Great Resignation. “I Did Not Resign Because of the Money” The Great Resignation has been on the minds of business leaders since the Spring of 2021, when nearly four million workers quit their jobs. This continued into the Fall as vaccination eased the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the unemployment rate decreased, and job openings increased. By the end of November, the number climbed to 4.5 million. Most economists will tell you that resigning from a post is usually an expression of optimism. The Great Resignation trend had its tentacles reach across all industries, and tourism and sports tourism were no different. Resignations will continue in 2022, but the expected turnover will not spike as high as last year. Sports tourism comes with immeasurable perks. But even the perks were not enough to keep one sports tourism professional from continuing a career. Recently we reached out to a former mid-level sports tourism industry professional. We learned of the mental and physical sacrifice that ultimately led to this individual (we’ll refer to this person as “X”) walking away from the industry altogether. X had the following to say concerning their mindset at the time. “Even though I’m completely passionate about sports tourism, I, and others, are leaving the profession with enthusiasm. It is easier for people to believe that I left due to the crummy pay. It was easier for the HR director to believe it was because I found something more passionate about.” Here are the five main reasons X left the job and the industry. None of which had to do with the salary.
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A lack of ownership and responsibility “The old excuse ‘the industry has changed.’ No. No, that’s not the case. Sports tourism is sports tourism. Our world and society have changed. It’s new business practices and technology that have changed. Sports tourism has blended and adhered to these developments. We’re all working crazy hours, consumed by terrible media influences, rhetoric, and devices. And we’re going to give the excuse that the industry has changed?” X mentioned frustration with colleagues and client accountability. “It’s OK to drop the ball now and again; I don’t judge, especially during the tough times we all faced over the last two years. I’m the first to stand up and own a mistake when I have. But seeing people work hard to reassign blame when clearly, they were at fault is altogether different.” Forfeiting relationships for technology In some cases, technology can be a blessing or a curse. Destination marketing organizations and sports commissions face challenges each year of, in essence, “keeping up with the Jones.” Means that they see a competitor investing in new technology and therefore using the “use it or lose it” budget mindset clicks in, and they do the same. What works for one doesn’t mean it will work for another.
ing waste each year. Instead, these resources could have been used to make more substantiated upgrades or better spent on retaining talent. Sports tourism professionals are at the mercy of elected officials Success comes from a partnership with the administration and elected officials on the destination side. Though this partnership is no longer a given as often, our colleagues are justifying “tooth and nail” for funding or catering to elected officials’ requests. “To a certain extent, we’ve adopted a customer service mindset.” X meant that politics requires a “give a little to get a little” mindset from time to time. Occasionally an elected official has the power to drive decision-making and action, even if it’s not the right thing to do for the tourism or sports tourism effort. Separate from our conversation with X, we learned of a newly elected official whose child competes in a specific sport. Within the first month of being elected, this official successfully maneuvered funding to build a new facility that caters to this particular sport, even though the neighboring community has had a successful book of business for that sport for decades. Rather than working together in the right direction, politics can lead to an all-out war that can cost even seasoned veterans to lose their dream job.
The basics of relationship building and handson learning can also go by the wayside. X stated that relationships can be put on the back burner and no longer depended upon. Instead of managing and mentoring skills, a higher value for directors is placed on the ability to use technology.
Physical and mental health
Wasted resources
“I became an emotional eater, a couch potato to zone out, and short-fused. My family suffered.” Eventually, these stressors led X to walk away for now. “I didn’t leave for better pay,” they wrote. “I decided to go after an idea I had been carrying around in my head for years. So far so good. This break has been refreshing.” X’s passion and honesty are undoubtedly shared by others who might be stuck in a similar rut. “There are others who feel that way but have felt alone and guilty for thinking so,” X told us. “I am happy to help open the curtains on these and other issues and give those who feel unable to say it a voice.”
Many destination marketing organizations and sports commissions make annual investments in facilities, or technology, without a plan for using it to their advantage. Kind of like the old examples of spending a ton of money on a new 3-to-5-year strategic plan and then having it sit on a shelf in the office not being followed, just because you feel as though it needs to be done. These useless expenditures, therefore, render no return on investment. X was passionate when speaking of watching and became increasingly agitated over the spend-
A buildup of stress can place your physical and mental health in jeopardy. Placing job demands above your well-being can sometimes lead to a long, dark path of bad habits and grief.
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