The third annual Olin Sports Business Summit at Washington University in St. Louis will take place Friday, Sept. 29. The daylong seminar is split into four quarters, the better to discuss the multinational industry that professional sports such as football, soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, motorsports and mixed martial arts have become.
While a time element and a distinct structure are each sport’s hallmark, each also has grown into a big business built on the foundations of management, marketing, innovation and strategy — in essence the dividing lines for the summit.
The kickoff to the 2017-18 Joseph S. Lacob Sports Speaker Series, the event plays out from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium on the Danforth Campus.
The four quarters include:
- sports tech, analytics and management, which includes sports performance, sponsorship analytics and business strategy;
- brand building on the championship franchise, athlete and collegiate levels;
- innovation and disruption, from e-sports to stadium design to ticketing technologies; and
- franchise and facility developments, including Scottrade Center renovations and birthing a new Major League Soccer franchise in Los Angeles.
Representatives of the St. Louis Blues, the Los Angeles Football Club, the architecture firm Populous, Ticketmaster, the Wasserman agency and more are scheduled to present. The summit also gives students an opportunity to network with sports insiders across the industry spectrum.
Kirk and Kent Lacob, sons of NBA Golden State Warriors co-owner Joseph S. Lacob and part of the team’s front office, are scheduled to appear.
“Thanks to the Lacobs’ generosity and our program’s aggressive efforts to network with industry leaders, we are excited to host a diverse and accomplished group of industry leaders for the 2017 Summit, including several Olin alums,” said Patrick Rishe, director of the Sports Business Program and summit organizer. “This year’s event will feature more presentations than panels, which will provide audience members greater insights into how varied and dynamic the sports industry is in the 21st century.”
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and registration is required to ensure a seat. The event also will be simulcast to the adjacent Frick Forum overflow space. For more information, visit the event’s homepage.