Earlier this week, students from the Guelph Sports Management Association (GSMA) hosted their annual networking night aimed at providing University of Guelph students the opportunity to meet and network with sport industry representatives.
With the current restrictions, this year’s event took place in a virtual format but maintained an interactive environment that allowed students to connect directly with industry representatives from NFL Canada, NBA Canada, Golf Canada, MLSE, Guelph Nighthawks, PepsiCo, and Reuter Benefits. Several U of G staff and Lang faculty members were also in attendance.
“Despite the event being online, it still felt like a community-building event and was a great way for us to connect with industry leaders and students in the new sport and event management major,” said Lauren Fulton, a marketing management student and director of events for GSMA. “Students had the opportunity to hear from numerous professionals in the field about how to break into the industry, the impacts of COVID-19 on their jobs, and a little bit about what things might look like going forward.”
At the event, attendees heard from three keynote speakers followed by an open panel discussion. The keynote speakers featured Dan Pino, the senior director of communications at Golf Canada, Scott McRoberts, the director of athletics at U of G, and Stu Lang, benefactor of the Lang School and former Gryphon Football coach.
The event wrapped up with several breakout sessions dedicated to networking with guests, which included:
- Dan Pino, Senior Director of Communications at Golf Canada
- Dustin Smith, Senior Manager, Quick Service: BMO Field & Coca-Cola Coliseum - Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE)
- Simon Gordon, Marketing Partnerships, NBA Canada
- Rachel Farrell, Associate Manager, Marketing at NFL Canada
- Cameron Kusch, President, Guelph Nighthawks
- Dave Moncur, Pepsico
- Andrew Masters, Player Agent, Gryphon Sport Management
- Rick Skehan, President, Reuter Benefits
- Norm O'Reilly, Director of the International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership
- Ann Pegoraro, Professor and Lang Chair in Sport Management
- Lianne Foti, Professor and Assistant Director, International Institute for Sport Business & Leadership
- Statia Elliot, Interim Associate Dean, External Relations, Dean's Office
- Stu Lang, benefactor of the Lang School and former Gryphon Football coach
- Scott McRoberts, Director of Athletics at the University of Guelph
Congratulations to the GSMA team for organizing and hosting a successful virtual event and thank you to the industry representatives, U of G staff, and Lang faculty for their support.
With the launch of Lang’s Sport and Event Management Major [1], GSMA is now a recognized accredited student organization that represents the students of the new major. Their networking night is one of many events hosted throughout the year by the student organization. More information about GSMA can be found on their Facebook Page [2].
