The world of collegiate and professional sports combines some of the most important facets of business, including financing, marketing and media. An upcoming panel at Washington University in St. Louis, organized by Olin Business School, will take attendees off the sideline and into the action.
The inaugural Olin Sports Business Summit takes place Friday, Sept. 25. The free daylong event, held at Emerson Auditorium on the Danforth Campus, features an all-star group of speakers from across the sports business industry, locally and nationally.
Among the top local figures are:
- Kevin Demoff, chief operating officer, St. Louis Rams;
- Bill DeWitt III, president, St. Louis Cardinals; and
- Tom Stillman, owner of the St. Louis Blues.
Among the national executives are:
- John Abbamondi, vice president, team marketing & business operations for the National Basketball League; and
- Dan Flynn, chief executive officer, U.S. Soccer.
The event is designed to give Washington University students a chance to network with sports insiders on local, regional and national levels.
“Given that one of our primary goals is to help our students find internships and develop relationships with industry practitioners, planning a Sports Business Summit was absolutely necessary,” said Patrick Rishe, PhD, director of the Sports Business Program at Olin.
Panelists will touch upon topics including facility financing, athlete endorsements, corporate sponsorships, ticketing and business strategies, leadership and player personnel decision-making, and recent business developments in collegiate athletics.
“In one day, our students will hear from over two dozen sports business professionals whose combined expertise eclipses 100 years of experience in the industry,” Rishe said.
“By conducting the event so early in the fall, this allows time for the students and our leadership to cultivate relationships ahead of the 2016 internship and job placement cycle. We are most grateful to all those who have contributed to the program to date, and most notably to Joe Lacob for his generous financial support which has enabled us to produce events of this stature for our students.”
For more information on the summit, click here.