MS in Sport Business program sponsors Sports Industry Networking Conference
By: Courtney Kubitza
First Published: April 16, 2014
Topics: In the News, STHM School
The School of Tourism Hospitality Management’s (STHM) Master of Science in Sport Business program sponsored the 2014 Sports Industry Networking and Career Conference (SINC), continuing STHM’s longtime support and involvement with the event.
The two-day conference brought together faculty, staff and students who were able to listen to and spark discussion with top executives from the sport industry, on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1, in Washington, D.C.
Sport and recreation management Assistant Professor Joseph E. Mahan attended SINC for the first time and was excited to see the level of engagement from the approximately 300 undergraduate and graduate students in attendance.
“This is an event where students have a profound interest,” Mahan said. “Some conferences, you see a big wave of people in the beginning, and people begin to drop off at the end, but at this, students attended all of the sessions throughout the entire day.”
STHM developed and led a panel discussion on sport data and analytics. Mahan moderated the panel, leading conversations among officials from Comcast-Spectacor, Front Row Marketing Services and the Washington Nationals. STHM also sponsored SINC’s Networking Reception.
STHM’s MS in Sport Business was an appropriate sponsor of the data and analytics panel, as the program is one of the first in the country to feature a concentration in sport analytics, a rapidly growing discipline.
The SINC conference also featured two keynote presentations from industry leaders from Twitter and the Chicago Bulls, as well as panel discussions with leaders from the Washington Redskins, Major Baseball League, Coca-Cola, and other firms and organizations.
“There was such a great depth and breadth from industry that was beneficial to students,” Mahan said of SINC. “This was an opportunity for them to see what they’re learning in class playing out in the real world.”
