UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A variety of representatives from high-profile sports business organizations and former professional athletes will be featured speakers at the inaugural Penn State Sports Business Conference on March 15-16.
Organized by the Penn State Smeal College of Business' Sports Business Club, the conference is designed to provide students and community members access to insights on a host of sports business topics.
“Our club members have done a wonderful job of attracting some of the leading voices in sports business,” said John Powell, director of the Sports Business Program and faculty adviser for the Sports Business Club.
“This is a unique opportunity for Penn State students who want to pursue a sports business career to network with industry leaders from a cross section of sports business entities. Faculty or community members can gain valuable insights as well.”
Kim Pegula, co-owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres with her husband, Terry Pegula, will deliver a keynote address. The Pegulas donated $102 million to build Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena, start men’s and women’s NCAA Division I hockey programs, and endow scholarships supporting Penn State men’s hockey players.
Pegula’s talk, and several others, will be moderated by Abe Madkour, executive editor of Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal, the preeminent publication covering the intersection of sports and business.
The two-day conference starts in Beaver Stadium on March 15, with a networking reception from 6:30 to 9 p.m. That will include stadium tours, food and drinks in the President’s Suite, networking with professionals, and a Life After Sports Conversation featuring:
- Lavar Arrington, former NFL and Penn State linebacker
- John Gilmore, former NFL and Penn State tight end
- Etan Thomas, former NBA and Syracuse basketball player
- Stefanie Crosby, former Olympic-level athlete in freestyle skiing
The conference shifts to the Lewis Katz Building on March 16 for a series of moderated panel discussions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Among the topics to be discussed are:
- 6 Degrees of Success with Wayne Kimmel
- So You Want to be a Sports Agent?
- Behind the Scenes of the College Football Playoff
- Marketing Through Sports
- Women in the World of Sports
The price to attend the conference, which includes food and drinks in the President’s Suite on March 15 and breakfast and lunch on March 16, is $20 for students and $50 for faculty or other professionals.
Those interested in registering online can use this link — https://php.smeal.psu.edu/corp/career-pay/ — and select either the "03/16/18 - Sports Business Conference - $50 ($50.00)" option for professionals or the "03/16/18 - Sports Business Conference - STUDENT REG - $20 ($20.00)" option for students.
For more information, questions about purchasing tickets, or to pay by cash, email alexsheinman23@gmail.com or call 201-280-0238.
AT&T is the presenting sponsor of the conference. Other sponsors include Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Center for the Study of Sports in Society.