Written by: Autumnsarah Foster-Pagett

My name is Autumnsarah Foster-Pagett and I am from Brooklyn, NY. This summer I had the privilege of being a Premium Events Intern with BSE Global which is based out of my hometown.

BSE Global is a company consisting of several entities including the Brooklyn Nets, Long Island Nets, Barclays Center, and more. I was connected with the Chief Experience Officer of the organization through my mom, who works at Barclays Center. From there, the CEO connected me with the employee engagement director, who reviewed my resume and did a phone interview with me. A few weeks later, I was offered the position.

For the duration of my internship I assisted the premium events/hospitality team, with any and all tasks asked of me. This included updating the team calendar with upcoming events, using the Billboard Lounge to host an event for the NBA Draft, planning the employee birthday lunch on my own, creating the client itinerary for NBA Summer League in Vegas, and much more. While in this position I was able to learn a lot about how to problem solve in a fast-paced environment and how to effectively communicate within an organization of over 291 employees. I was also able to sit in on important meetings with my director, such as the annual Nets Practice in the Park event and conference calls with potential partners. As a result, I have been able to meet some incredible people which included executive officers in the organization and professionals in the sport and entertainment industry who serve on the company advisory board.

My internship as the Premium Events Intern at BSE Global has really allowed me to learn what it is like to work with such an established organization, while balancing the operations for six different entities. I went into the internship knowing that I wanted a career in sport and entertainment, but as a result of my experience, I feel very strongly about my future thanks to the amazing people that I met along the way. I am now looking forward to taking my learning experiences with me into my senior year at UConn as I continue to be a student manager for the women’s basketball team and begin my role as the Sports Promotion Chairwoman for SUBOG.

Written by: Noa Silverstein

My name is Noa Silverstein and I am originally from West Hartford, CT. One of the reasons why I chose to attend UConn was for their incredible athletics program and Sport Management program. The summer after freshman year, I began working for the UConn Men’s Soccer program in Storrs, CT. Having the opportunity to work with a Division I (DI) collegiate program has been a dream come true. Not only have I gotten hands on experience, but I have also started to learn the insides of how a college sports organization works and how a DI sports team operates. 

I first got in touch with the UConn Men's Soccer office through a family friend where we discussed my interest in getting experience in the sport management field before applying to the program.  At the beginning of the spring semester of my freshman year, I scheduled a meeting and interview with UConn's coach, Ray Reid. Coach offered me a job to work in the office and I was thrilled! Since then, I have been working there ever since.

This past summer, I worked for both the Ray Reid Soccer School and the UConn Men’s Soccer program. In each of those positions, I had very different tasks ranging from mailings to spreadsheets to clinics. In the office, I learned how important mailings are. They get the information out to people who may have not been aware of events or things happening that pertain to the program. However during the soccer school, I worked on writing up the schedule for the next day and I served as the contact person who took care of the logistics for the camp in conjunction with the coaching staff at the camp in Avon, CT.

One of the events I worked on this summer was our annual golf tournament. Although I was abroad for most of the planning stages of the event, I was active in the execution of the event and the last minute touches. What was really cool about seeing this event happen was seeing the support the program has. Getting to talk with some of the donors and network was a great opportunity and I really appreciated hearing how much they enjoy UConn soccer. Another major project that I worked on towards the middle of the summer was preparing for pre-season. A lot goes into making sure that the coaches and players are all ready for the upcoming year.

One of the major things I have learned this summer was there are never any shortcuts while getting the job done.  Although each of my projects were different, the overarching theme centered around promoting the UConn Men’s Soccer program. Whether it was through mailings, phone calls, fundraisers or spreadsheets, we were always doing it for the good of the program and to advance the program. This internship gave me the opportunity to learn and be apart of a Division I athletics program and learn how to run a sports camp; everyday I learned something new! I would love to take the skills I have learned here and combine them with my passion for policy and politics and one day be able to work for a professional sports league or team while working on the policy side of sport.

Written by: Christopher Mullen

My name is Christopher Mullen and I am from Cheshire, CT. I worked this past summer as an intern for Husky Sport which is based out of Storrs, CT.  Husky Sport is a community-campus partnership that engages with partners located in Hartford, CT. I had the privilege of working with two community partners, Fred D. Wish School and the Hartford Catholic Worker in addition to my time in the office, on campus.

I began the summer at the Hartford Catholic Worker House, which is also referred to as the "Green House" where I worked with their after-school program until late June, when school came to an end. I then resumed working as a program leader for their summer camp beginning in early July. During this time I worked on a few small projects like constructing a four-square court and a volleyball court for the children to learn more about and enjoy. Prior to school getting out, I also assisted Wish's Physical Education teacher, Ms. Nelson, with her daily gym classes. I learned a lot on how to structure classes from Ms. Nelson, and by the end of the year, she invited me to share my own ideas for activities and I even got to run my own classes. The Wish School has students from grades pre-kindergarten to eight, which gave me experience working with a wide range of ages.

My favorite part of working at the school was the field day, where students were split up by grade and mixed into groups that combined current Fred D. Wish students and students from another local school, in an effort to meet new friends.  The goal of field day was that each student would make an effort to become friends with someone from the opposite school while playing all the fun field games together.

On the days that I wasn't programming, I spent time in the office on campus. I helped create a project which provides  school teachers a list of games on what's called “activity menus” and is intended to help teachers generate ideas while getting the kids active.  Each menu offered a structured play idea, game suggestions and the rules. Games include both inside and outside space options, as well as a variety of age appropriate modifications to satisfy kindergarten through eighth grade students. I also utilized Adobe In-Design in coordination with program leaders, graduate assistants and other staff members to publish end-of-the-year program reports for each of Husky Sport programs. Finally, I had the opportunity to engage in a number of fundraising efforts to close out this past semester’s Ignite Fundraiser and prepare for next year’s upcoming plans.

I am very fortunate to have had such a unique position created for me with an organization that I have come to love so much. Through this opportunity I learned the importance of communication and how rewarding it can be working with children and with that, the patience that it requires. I am also glad to have had the chance to work behind the scenes in more of an administrative role. The balance was amazing and I would like to find a career where I can utilize a similar engagement style. One of my proudest takeaways is that I was able to learn the Adobe In-Design program when responsible for coordinating the publishing of the Husky Sport program reports. This exposed me to a lot of graphic designing and how visual presentation can impact how media is interpreted. This is something that I hope to explore further in my career in sports marketing. I aspire to pursue a position working with the best and brightest professionals to help build some of the most powerful brands and marketing to consumers. As a young professional, I am eager to learn all there is to know about the sports industry.

Written by: Brian Wolfe

My name is Brian Wolfe and I am from Old Lyme, CT. I recently had a full-time internship with the Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program (CCAP), working as their Events Director. The CCAP is a non-profit organization based out of Middletown, CT, and serves as the youth cycling league of Connecticut. I obtained this position after working seasonally for the CCAP for two years prior to the summer and therefore was able to build upon my connections.

Serving as the events director for the organization provided me with experiences and exposure to most aspects of the sport industry, including marketing, sales, operations, management, and more. I stayed in-state for the entirety of the internship and worked on over 15 events from small school series mountain bike races, to large-scale races and fundraising rides all across the state. I worked with operations in multiple races which consisted of placing cones, setting up course tape, and setting up the tenting area. Additionally, I gained experience in a management role which required me to direct volunteers and staff at events.

The high level of responsibility that came with this position ultimately tested my ability to navigate the sport industry, specifically the cycling industry. In my position, I was often placed in a leadership role which provided me with valuable insight on my leadership style and how to adjust my style to be most effective. I also learned that working in events is fun - I love the reward that comes at the end of an event and having the ability to see the moving parts of production come together. I plan to continue to pursue a career in sport events in any style, from a football game to the x-games; as long as I’m in events, I’m happy.

Written by: Caroline Puma

My name is Caroline Puma and I’m originally from New York City, NY. This summer, I worked as a Group Sales Student Associate for The Madison Square Garden (MSG) Company. My daily commute to 34th Street and Penn Station is only about 20 minutes, which served as just one of the reasons I couldn't pass up this opportunity that I got using my personal networking connections with the company.

My experience with MSG was amazing. I have grown both personally and professionally while being exposed to so many great people within the company. When I first started the internship, I thought that as a Group Sales Student Associate, I had to make outbound calls to clients all day, however, I was completely wrong. Over the course of the summer I assisted the coordinator with daily tasks and administrative duties, put together sales reports for the different properties, worked with the ticketing database (Archtics), managed and maintained inventory, shadowed in on meetings and phone calls, presented a group presentation in front of management teams and departments, prospected and found new leads to contact, met with VP’s and EVP’s of departments, and much more. This internship kept me busy since day one and I enjoyed every minute of it!

The best thing about the student associate program was the exposure to a variety of departments within the company.  Although I was in Group Sales, I met other interns that worked in Finance, IT, Marketing Partnerships, and HR. Furthermore, I learned about different departments and even met some of their departmental employees by networking among my fellow interns.

I am proud to have worked with The Madison Square Garden Company and will miss my time there. My internship as the Group Sales Student Associate helped me learn more about what a Group Sales department does, how the popular systems CRM and Archtics work, and MSC functions as a whole. Going into the internship, I had zero experience with sales and was unsure if I’d like it, however, after three months with the company, I can confidently say that I would consider sales as one of my future career paths.

Written by: Nadeige Bailey

My name is Nadeige Bailey and I am from the small town of Cromwell, CT. This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with USA Track & Field in Indianapolis, IN, as one of three chosen Event Interns. I obtained this internship by searching TeamWorkOnline throughout the beginning of the second semester of my senior year. Once my application was submitted, I participated in a phone interview and two days later was offered the position.

I've been fortunate to travel this summer to Bloomington, IN, for the 2018 Junior Outdoor Championships; Des Moines, IA, for the 2018 Outdoor Championships; and Greensboro, NC, for the 2018 Junior Olympics. While on the road, my main responsibilities consisted of assisting my supervisors in “dressing” the track with signage prior to the start of the competition. This is generally when we were able to see the signage plans that were created back in the office, come to life!  When I wasn't traveling, I spent time in the national office in 'Indy' where my tasks varied day to day, but included composing several staff and athlete manuals, assisting with signage plans, and making phone calls to individual athletes. Through this experience, I was able to network with other departments within the office such as Entertainment Properties, Communications, and International Teams, to name a few. Networking with individuals from other departments as well as my own, helped me to grasp a more complete picture on the ins-and-outs of working for a national governing body. The connections I have made while at USATF have proven to be very valuable. I’m grateful to have gained several mentors within the organization who helped me develop as a young professional and contributed to my personal success.

The best advice I can give is plan, plan, plan! This is by far is my biggest takeaway that I have learned working within Events. Accompanied with my time spent in Event Operations for UConn Athletics, my internship as an Events intern at USATF reaffirmed that 90% of events consists of planning ahead. It is critical to make sure that all your bases are covered when putting on a high-profile sporting event. 

Customer service is another important aspect when working within Events. It was our job to ensure that the athletes, coaches, fans, and staff had the most successful and enjoyable experience possible. When working an event, it is good to have the mindset that every individual you cross paths with should be treated as if they were the CEO. This type of customer service will leave a lasting impression and enhance the overall credibility and rapport of both the organization and the sport.

Working for USATF was an incredible experience. I strengthen my skill set, as well as learned new concepts that I will be able to take with me as I continue my journey throughout the events avenue of the sport industry. To be able to successfully execute a first-class event and witness the next generation of Olympians compete has been a great joy from working in sport this summer!

Written by: Sydney Gibbs

My name is Sydney Gibbs and I am from Seattle, Washington. This summer I participated in a Match Day Internship with the Seattle Reign, which is a women’s professional soccer team based out of Seattle. The team plays at Memorial Stadium, right next to the Seattle Center in the middle of downtown. I was extremely excited to get the opportunity to work with a professional team and found this internship through TeamWorksOnline, an online internship/job recruiter.

Because this internship was a Match Day position, shifts were not very frequent, but were long, often times lasting ten to eleven hours on game days.  I had a variety of tasks related to setup on these days, which included hanging signs and banners around the concourse, setting up tables and roping off lines at different gates, refilling water stations, wrapping the concourse poles with sponsor banners, and setting up various games for fans to play while inside the stadium. I also assisted with field set up by moving benches, prepared for rain, and set up pitch-side tables for food and drinks. Aside from set up, I also helped with the pre-game presentations, practice walk throughs and the halftime activities. After the game concluded, I assisted with getting the stadium back to its original state: all of the ropes, tables, and signs had to be put away, the trash and recycling was collected, and the goals were taken off the field.

I think the biggest takeaway I got from this internship was that there is truly so much that goes on behind the scenes during sporting events that many people do not even think about or realize. Without all the behind the scenes help, the games simply would not be possible. After taking Danielle DeRosa’s Facility and Event Management course, I was very interested in the operations side of sports, and thought it would be very valuable to experience it first-hand. Going forward, I am still unsure about which direction I want to pursue, however I am definitely interested in facility management more so than the events themselves. I look forward to developing valuable skills this year and expand my sport management knowledge as I approach my senior year.

Written by: Kasperi Ojantakanen

My name is Kasperi Ojantakanen and I am originally from Helsinki, Finland. This summer my internship was with the Finnish Triathlon Association which is located right in Helsinki. I was very fortunate to obtain this internship, thanks to a pre-existing connection with the executive director of the association. Because of our connection I was able to solidify a meeting and as a result she offered me the position.  

Throughout the summer I had the opportunity to work on various tasks. I started my internship remotely because my athletic demands at UConn prevented me from being on-site for the first month. However, during this time I completed a range of tasks which included translating doping rules and the International Triathlon Union’s competition rules from English to Finnish.

During the month of June, I worked in the office and even traveled to different national and international triathlon events throughout Finland where I was responsible for various tasks that related to event preparation.  These tasks included building stations and bike racks, fencing the area, putting up event sponsor banners, and selling triathlon licenses. On competition days I had different responsibilities such as working as a bike inspector, working at supply stations, and working as a guide. In the office, my responsibilities required me to manage participation lists for different competitions, update information in the database, and keep track of individual triathlon standings.

During my internship, I was able to further develop my skills and put them into practice as well as learn about everything that goes into event management and event-day operations. I met and worked with different groups of people who all have their own, unique way of preparing for events. I believe this experience helped me to gain insight on different styles of event management. For my future career path, I could see myself working in some aspect of event management, and I believe that my internship gave me more tools to be successful in my future career.

Written by: Kim Urbanek

My name is Kim Urbanek and I am from Nürnberg, Germany, the second largest city in the state of Bavaria. This past summer, my internship was with an organization called SportService Nürnberg, the official Department of Sports of the municipality of Nürnberg.

The SportService Nürnberg is a non-profit organization consisting of five departments and 16 employees. Due to the relatively small number of employees, I was able to get a brief insight into every department. The departments are structured into sport development, sport facility management, public relations, controlling/budget management and sport promotion which is then further divided into development of club sport, promotion of club sport, subsidy management, and integration. Apart from getting to know usual work tasks and general procedures in the different departments, the main project I was involved in during my internship was the organization and realization of a soccer tournament called Metropolcup. Throughout the tournament, 23 teams united to offer a comprehensive program of activities and entertainment for both participants and visitors. During the organizational process of Metropolcup, I was able to follow and contribute to the many steps that were necessary to make the event run smoothly. Some of the various tasks I was assigned to were creating a match schedule, comparing and ordering trophies for the winning teams, providing food services, arranging an appealing entertainment program, or informing teams, referees, the sport venue operator, and other constituents with necessary details about the tournament. Since the tournament represented the Europäische Metropolregion Nürnberg (European Metropolitan Region Nuremberg), various high-profile companies sponsored the event, including Adidas, Puma, and Nürnberger Versicherung (a well-known insurance company in Germany). It was a great experience to meet and be in direct contact with representatives of these companies while simultaneously get a glimpse of what the environment and atmosphere in the sport industry is like.

The SportService Nürnberg was a great first experience in the sport industry and showed me the diverse field of activities and the multiple sectors and possible directions in sport business. Some key takeaways that I gained from this internship were taking initiative, not hesitating to reach out to both familiar or foreign people alike, being open to new tasks that are out of my comfort zone, and most importantly being adaptable and flexible. Furthermore, I learned that when interacting with people it is particularly important to be patient while concurrently being persistent.

Being an intern at the organization SportService Nürnberg really helped me to gain more insight  about the Sport Industry as a whole and made me realize that I like a diverse work life, preferably in a well-recognized and international company. Even though I am still uncertain about what exactly I want to pursue as a primary focus, I am more convinced than ever before to be a part of the sport industry.