Purpose
My main project for this course is to help put together the 2013 SIAC basketball tournament. The success of SIAC tournament depends on the quality of planning that occurs before the event. I never had the opportunity to host a conference tournament so this was an experience that taught me a lot. There were many steps required to successfully organize the men and women’s basketball tournament at the collegiate level. The SIAC basketball season started in October but my internship did not start until January, so coming into the internship I had a lot of making up to do. I will now take you on my journey.
Growing up in sports, my dream was to find a career in the sports industry. After an injury ended my I career, I became passionate about the business side of sports. After playing college basketball and assisting in the athletic department at Savannah State University, I got sidetracked and slowly walked away from my passion. About a year and a half ago I decided that I wanted to regain my focus and pursue my passion. This program helped me a lot because it gave me the opportunity to meet Ruben Perez. I have been blessed to work with Mr. Perez and the SIAC and this opportunity allowed me to network with many people who have helped me restore my passion.
Growing up in sports, my dream was to find a career in the sports industry. After an injury ended my I career, I became passionate about the business side of sports. After playing college basketball and assisting in the athletic department at Savannah State University, I got sidetracked and slowly walked away from my passion. About a year and a half ago I decided that I wanted to regain my focus and pursue my passion. This program helped me a lot because it gave me the opportunity to meet Ruben Perez. I have been blessed to work with Mr. Perez and the SIAC and this opportunity allowed me to network with many people who have helped me restore my passion.
Week 1 : The Intoduction
1/13/13
Every year the SIAC puts on the SIAC conference championships. When it comes to event management for this tournament Rueben handles this job all by himself. Getting in touch with Rueben was kind of hectic, but once we finally sat down and came up with a strategy, we were finally on the same page. The SIAC office is in the heart of Atlanta and in the same location my previous internship with the Atlanta Dream WNBA franchise is. Metropolitan Atlanta is the 8th largest metropolitan area in the country, 2nd in the Southeastern United States, with nearly 5 million people.
Because I was still taking classes and working fulltime, I had to come up with a schedule that would allow me to meet Ruben three times a week and then once online to discuss ideas that I may have developed on my off day. After talking to my boss, I decided that my weekly schedule would be Monday,Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 pm to 8:30.
Because my previous internship was in the same building, I was aware of the location. Walking into the building, Ruben met me in the lobby and then walked me upstairs to meet the staff. After meeting the staff, I spent my first week organizing the office and sending emails to all of the coaches in the conference about the upcoming tournament. These emails consisted of forwarding the rules and regulations of the upcoming tournament.
When I arrived on Wednesday, the team had a staff meeting. I was nervous about attending the meeting because this was my first meeting with team but once I walked in the room with Ruben, everyone was friendly and I felt welcomed. During this meeting, the entire staff sat down with all of the interns and brainstormed ideas of how to increase attendance for the event. In the past, attendance was not a strong area so this was the main focus of this meeting. Working with the Atlanta Dream, I had gained experience when it came to marketing events, so I suggested that the conference set up a promotional tour to increase awareness of the tournament .The team loved my idea, so me and the interns had to develop a promotional tour for the two Atlanta based schools, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta.
Because I was still taking classes and working fulltime, I had to come up with a schedule that would allow me to meet Ruben three times a week and then once online to discuss ideas that I may have developed on my off day. After talking to my boss, I decided that my weekly schedule would be Monday,Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 pm to 8:30.
Because my previous internship was in the same building, I was aware of the location. Walking into the building, Ruben met me in the lobby and then walked me upstairs to meet the staff. After meeting the staff, I spent my first week organizing the office and sending emails to all of the coaches in the conference about the upcoming tournament. These emails consisted of forwarding the rules and regulations of the upcoming tournament.
When I arrived on Wednesday, the team had a staff meeting. I was nervous about attending the meeting because this was my first meeting with team but once I walked in the room with Ruben, everyone was friendly and I felt welcomed. During this meeting, the entire staff sat down with all of the interns and brainstormed ideas of how to increase attendance for the event. In the past, attendance was not a strong area so this was the main focus of this meeting. Working with the Atlanta Dream, I had gained experience when it came to marketing events, so I suggested that the conference set up a promotional tour to increase awareness of the tournament .The team loved my idea, so me and the interns had to develop a promotional tour for the two Atlanta based schools, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta.
Week 2 : Social Media
1/20/13
My first week of my internship was interesting. Week 2 was spent on the promotional side of the event. I joined three other interns and we spent time assisting with the planning and operation of the event. My first task was to promote the SIAC via social media. I used their Facebook and Twitter page to promote the upcoming tournament amongst the schools that will be playing in this annual tournament. This was very interesting to me because, I did not realize how big of a following the conference has. The social networking page was important because we worked with every school to promote the page and this allowed us to reach our target market easily.
The goal of the social media campaign was to increase the followers with hopes that each school would bring their fans out to the games to support their team. In my attempt to increase the followers I offered weekly incentives such t-shirts and water bottles to fans from the school that had added the most followers each week. Because we are a Division 2 conference, we had a tight budget and could not market the way most major Division 1 school do. Even with a tight budget we were still able to reach thousands of people without spending a dime. I believe social media is very important for small companies and will be the key to success for the SIAC tournament.
The goal of the social media campaign was to increase the followers with hopes that each school would bring their fans out to the games to support their team. In my attempt to increase the followers I offered weekly incentives such t-shirts and water bottles to fans from the school that had added the most followers each week. Because we are a Division 2 conference, we had a tight budget and could not market the way most major Division 1 school do. Even with a tight budget we were still able to reach thousands of people without spending a dime. I believe social media is very important for small companies and will be the key to success for the SIAC tournament.
Week 3: Promotional Tour
Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College are located in the Atlanta University Center and are three miles from downtown Atlanta — the educational, cultural, and economic and entertainment capital of the Southeast and a city that is growing in international stature. For the promotional tour I focused on two schools that were in the SIAC conference. Morehouse and Clark Atlanta were my focus schools and because they were both located in Atlanta, this made it easier for me to promote with such limited time. During this tour we took the SIAC to the two schools to promote the SIAC tournament to the students and faculty members. This was a fun experience because it allowed us to market and interact with the community at the same time. During this tour we did a lot of radio advertising on the campuses and V-1033, which is the leading R&B station in Atlanta. The student area for Clark Atlanta and Morehouse College is the AUC and in this area, we had a DJ move the crowd. While other interns were passing out t-shirts and programs, I spent time collecting the emails of students to help build our e-marketing list. Creating brand awareness through the SIAC promotional tour allowed us to communicate face to face with people and build better relationships.
During this tour, I met Dominique Cooper, a worker for Positive American Youth, Inc. Positive American Youth, Inc. is a youth program designed to reach youth through positive and productive events and activities and build lasting relationships that will strengthen America. Later on in the week, I spent time creating an email list and then sent emails about the upcoming tournament to the contacts. I also reached out to Mr. Cooper and that conversation really helped me find my passion. During this conversation, we talked about the youth and my goals to start a non- profit organization centered on the youth. Mr. Cooper shared with me great ideas and after our conversation, he purchased an ad to go in our program.
During this tour, I met Dominique Cooper, a worker for Positive American Youth, Inc. Positive American Youth, Inc. is a youth program designed to reach youth through positive and productive events and activities and build lasting relationships that will strengthen America. Later on in the week, I spent time creating an email list and then sent emails about the upcoming tournament to the contacts. I also reached out to Mr. Cooper and that conversation really helped me find my passion. During this conversation, we talked about the youth and my goals to start a non- profit organization centered on the youth. Mr. Cooper shared with me great ideas and after our conversation, he purchased an ad to go in our program.
Week 4: Communication is Key
During this week, I could start to see the tournament coming to life. This week, I was required to set up a mandatory tournament conference call regarding the tournament policies and procedures. This conference called was held between Mr.Perez and the designated coaches and administrators. During this process, I had to inform the Head Basketball Coaches, Director of Athletics and Sports information Director of each school that they were required to be on this call. This was a fun experience because again it allowed me to network with key individuals and practice my communication skills. I am patiently waiting to meet everybody that I have came in contact with.
During this internship my course work has helped me a lot. Classes such as Talent Management has helped me gain an understanding of what managers expect and also has taught me how to motivate workers and communicate with my supervisors. Communication has played a major role in this internship and it was a must that I know how to communicate effectively. My least favorite part so far is the commute to the office. Having to leave work and rush to the office has been very stressful. Other than that issue, I have enjoyed every part of this internship because I am doing what I am passionate about.
During this internship my course work has helped me a lot. Classes such as Talent Management has helped me gain an understanding of what managers expect and also has taught me how to motivate workers and communicate with my supervisors. Communication has played a major role in this internship and it was a must that I know how to communicate effectively. My least favorite part so far is the commute to the office. Having to leave work and rush to the office has been very stressful. Other than that issue, I have enjoyed every part of this internship because I am doing what I am passionate about.
Week 5: Preparation is Key
My focus was strictly on the 2013 SIAC tournament. The office was hectic because everyone had deadlines that they had to meet. My first task this week was to organize and label the credentials and parking passes to be handed out at the tournament next week. This was a very simple but time consuming task. I had to package 12 all-access credentials to the University President, Director of Athletics, Senior Administrator, Faculty Athletic Representative, Sports Information Director, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Head .Men’s Basketball Coach, and five institutional “wildcard” credentials to be utilized at the discretion of the Director of Athletics. I spent a lot of time contacting the schools, making sure that I had the correct information. I had to make sure that I organized the packages correctly because the credentials and parking passes will have to be available for pickup by the Director of Athletics upon check-in at the hotel.
Later on in the week, I was back in touch with the coaches and athletic directors. I had to send the coaches the hotel information plus practice and game schedules. The Marriott Marquis served as the headquarters hotel for the 2013 SIAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament, so on Saturday I had to make sure the hotel was set up properly to welcome all of the teams participating in the tournament, This was a very fun experience because I got the chance to meet numerous coaches and athletic directors as I supplied them with their tournament packets.
Working with the SIAC, I noticed that there are a lot of areas that need improvement. I believe that because the funds are so low, the teams in the SIAC are not able to recruit the tops players. I believe that this conference needs to work on the area of sponsorship. The SIAC will need to hire someone who can build relationships with alumni with the intensions to gain sponsorship deals. I feel that the area of sponsorship is an important area in sports and this is badly needed in this small conference.
During my internship I was able to get in contact with Ruben Pérez everyday. Having such good communication and overall interaction with my supervisor allowed me complete my task effectively. Because Ruben was so busy, I was not always able to have face-to-face communication, but when I was not able to meet Ruben, he created a To-Do list for me to follow. I believe organization is key during this internship with the SIAC because of the face that because the conference is so small, employees still deal with a lot of paperwork.
Week 6: The Tournament
I did everything there is to do while hosting the tournament. My job this week was to basically cater to everyone at the tournament. My first responsibility was to ensure that the players had the necessary items for the games. I created signs for each locker room at L.S. Epps Gymnasium and Forbes Arena and I supplied each locker room and bench with the ice, sports drinks, soft drinks, towels, coolers and cups.
I also was in charge with making sure that the players and official travel party members had seats reserved in sections for use during those sessions in which the team was participating, but not presently competing. The sections were staffed with SIAC personnel and admittance to these seats required a valid participant pass that I supplied.
Rueben served as the Bands/Cheerleaders Coordinator prior to the bands arrival in Atlanta. Once the bands arrived, I was in charge of making sure the band received 25 credentials and that they were assigned to an area in the north end of L.S. Epps Gymnasium and Forbes Arena.
Day one and two of the tournament were kind of slow but throughout the week attendance rapidly picked up. It was easy to see that our promotional tours had a huge impact on our attendance because of the large turnout from students. It was nice seeing the results of my labor and that made me smile
I also was in charge with making sure that the players and official travel party members had seats reserved in sections for use during those sessions in which the team was participating, but not presently competing. The sections were staffed with SIAC personnel and admittance to these seats required a valid participant pass that I supplied.
Rueben served as the Bands/Cheerleaders Coordinator prior to the bands arrival in Atlanta. Once the bands arrived, I was in charge of making sure the band received 25 credentials and that they were assigned to an area in the north end of L.S. Epps Gymnasium and Forbes Arena.
Day one and two of the tournament were kind of slow but throughout the week attendance rapidly picked up. It was easy to see that our promotional tours had a huge impact on our attendance because of the large turnout from students. It was nice seeing the results of my labor and that made me smile
Week 7: The Aftermath
This week has been one of the longest weeks I ever had. This week I spent most of my time running back and forth between Morehouse College and the SIAC office. The tournament was complete and it was now time for the clean up and for me to begin reaching out to the athletic departments of the schools.
This week reminded me of moving, and I hate moving. Everything that we brought into the gym, had to be taking back to the office. These items included banners, t-shirt, coolers, awards PowerAde supplies etc. The beautiful thing about moving everything and cleaning up was that I had a chance to take home numerous items.
Even though it took the crew days to get the gym cleaned from the event, I had to make sure I spent time in the office so that I could reach out to the athletic departments in the SIAC. During this call, I had to congratulate the teams and thank them for bringing out their fans to the games. It may seem boring spending all day on the phone, but in business, we have to understand that relationships are critical when you are trying to build.
This has been an experience I will never forget because it gave me opportunities to create my path. I am now connected in the sports industry thanks to Ruben Perez and the SIAC. With the contacts that I have received, I plan on continuing to network with numerous athletic departments. In the future I believe I can use the skills that I learned from this internship to help me get a start in the field of sports marketing.
This week reminded me of moving, and I hate moving. Everything that we brought into the gym, had to be taking back to the office. These items included banners, t-shirt, coolers, awards PowerAde supplies etc. The beautiful thing about moving everything and cleaning up was that I had a chance to take home numerous items.
Even though it took the crew days to get the gym cleaned from the event, I had to make sure I spent time in the office so that I could reach out to the athletic departments in the SIAC. During this call, I had to congratulate the teams and thank them for bringing out their fans to the games. It may seem boring spending all day on the phone, but in business, we have to understand that relationships are critical when you are trying to build.
This has been an experience I will never forget because it gave me opportunities to create my path. I am now connected in the sports industry thanks to Ruben Perez and the SIAC. With the contacts that I have received, I plan on continuing to network with numerous athletic departments. In the future I believe I can use the skills that I learned from this internship to help me get a start in the field of sports marketing.
Week 8
42 Annual Morehouse Relays
After the SIAC basketball tournament, the conference was took a brief break before they prepared for track season. This break gave me the opportunity to look back at my experience and be thankful for my opportunities. During this time I stayed in contact with Ruben and I also reached out to a couple of the contacts I received during the tournament. Networking with individuals such as Paula Jackson gave me the opportunity to volunteer with the NCAA for the NCAA Final Four this week.
Well back to my experience with Ruben, basketball season is over and now the conference must focus on track. Ruben reached out to me about helping out with the Morehouse relays, so I made sure I was the first to be there to help. My duties for this event included operations of the event and the initial set up. I am a big fan of track and field so it was good experience to help put this event together .With this event I handled everything from credentials to having to make sure the Gatorade inventory was stocked for the athletes.
This was the 42st Annual Morehouse Relay and it was held at the Edwin Moses track at B.T. Harvey Stadium. Before arriving to the event, I did not expect it to be as big as it ended up being but when I arrived, I was surprised at the successful turn-out. At the relay there were track athletes from more than 40 high schools and colleges that competed in the first major track and field event of the season.
I loved the concept of this event because it gave fans such as myself and opportunity to watch athletes from different experience levels. The Relays attract Atlanta’s best high school track and field athletes, along with top college and “open” runners, jumpers and throwers from throughout the South. After the initial set up, there wasn’t much to handle because the event was free to public, so I spent most of my time on call and enjoying the event.
This event gave me the experience I will need for the SIAC Track and Field championship in late April. In comparison to the basketball tournament, the track and field tournament seems like it will be an easier process, but we will see
Well back to my experience with Ruben, basketball season is over and now the conference must focus on track. Ruben reached out to me about helping out with the Morehouse relays, so I made sure I was the first to be there to help. My duties for this event included operations of the event and the initial set up. I am a big fan of track and field so it was good experience to help put this event together .With this event I handled everything from credentials to having to make sure the Gatorade inventory was stocked for the athletes.
This was the 42st Annual Morehouse Relay and it was held at the Edwin Moses track at B.T. Harvey Stadium. Before arriving to the event, I did not expect it to be as big as it ended up being but when I arrived, I was surprised at the successful turn-out. At the relay there were track athletes from more than 40 high schools and colleges that competed in the first major track and field event of the season.
I loved the concept of this event because it gave fans such as myself and opportunity to watch athletes from different experience levels. The Relays attract Atlanta’s best high school track and field athletes, along with top college and “open” runners, jumpers and throwers from throughout the South. After the initial set up, there wasn’t much to handle because the event was free to public, so I spent most of my time on call and enjoying the event.
This event gave me the experience I will need for the SIAC Track and Field championship in late April. In comparison to the basketball tournament, the track and field tournament seems like it will be an easier process, but we will see
The Final Four Experience
I had the opportunity to work with the NCAA during Final Four weekend in Atlanta Ga. This was a very fun experience and I enjoyed all of the networking opportunities. In the past I have volunteered many times but for some reason, dedicating my time and energy to ensure a successful championship weekend was a chance I thought I would never experience. Throughout Final Four week, I had the opportunity to work three events and demonstrate Atlanta’s true charm and hospitality. Working as an volunteer it was my duty to display a high level of customer service at all times.
I was excited about this opportunity not only because I was presented with the chance to meet NCAA alumni but the volunteer team was also supplied with nice uniforms. Upon the completion of the orientation session, we received a NCAA Final Four white polo shirt, hat, and windbreaker. During my experience I had a chance to work the PowerAde NCAA Youth Clinic and the NCAA Final Four Dribble, providing the youth with hands-on skills and drills designed to have a lasting impact.
Another positive about the NCAA events was that I was given the opportunity to meet many coaches and listen to them as they gave valuable information on topics such as recruiting, eligibility and youth sports issues.
I was excited about this opportunity not only because I was presented with the chance to meet NCAA alumni but the volunteer team was also supplied with nice uniforms. Upon the completion of the orientation session, we received a NCAA Final Four white polo shirt, hat, and windbreaker. During my experience I had a chance to work the PowerAde NCAA Youth Clinic and the NCAA Final Four Dribble, providing the youth with hands-on skills and drills designed to have a lasting impact.
Another positive about the NCAA events was that I was given the opportunity to meet many coaches and listen to them as they gave valuable information on topics such as recruiting, eligibility and youth sports issues.