By Jess Lazo
All college students hear from their teachers and peers nowadays is to network. Well, they are not wrong! On Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to attend DePaul University’s Careers in Sports networking event held at Wintrust Arena. Although I went into the event not knowing what to expect, I left feeling satisfied and glad that I attended. Not only did I gain an abundance of knowledge through the different sports organizations and people that were present, but I also gained contacts that will be helpful for me for my future career endeavors within the sports industry.
Because it was my first networking event, I was feeling a little anxious. Even though I was prepared with questions to ask the different representatives, I was worried that I wouldn’t get the opportunity to show them my true self and why I would be a perfect candidate to represent their organization. Clearly, I was overthinking. Every single person I had the chance to interact with made me feel comfortable and free to ask a variety of questions regarding their specific position. By the end of the event, I had a better understanding of the different career routes that interested me.
DePaul University/Kathy Hillegonds
I began my night speaking to Chicago Bulls Ticket Sales Senior Manager, Anthony Horton. After going into depth about the different responsibilities that are required in the ticket sales industry, I developed a better appreciation of the position. I also got a different outlook on sales from Nick Fetchik, the Manager of Inside Sales at the Chicago White Sox Organization. Through the competitive drive required to succeed in this type of field, to the overall fast paced environment that they are engaged in every day, I was very intrigued by the sales positions that both Mr. Horton and Mr. Fetchik described.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to take a look at what it is like to be a part of the sponsorship/marketing side of sports. Alex Teodosi (BUS ’16), Senior Director of Sponsorships for the Chicago Sky was very helpful in explaining what he does and how he got to where he is today. It was very interesting to hear his take on sponsorship activation at the WNBA team along with the marketing efforts they do to represent their partners and the Chicago Sky to the best of their abilities. I also explored the marketing side of sports through the agency, 4FRONT. Graeme Jones (MBA ’19), Manager of Corporate Partnerships provided me with great insight on the different routes you can take within the 4FRONT organization and how they all work together to succeed with the different projects that are thrown at them. Overall, it was very interesting to get perspectives on both the in-house and agency side of sports marketing.
When I reflect on my experience at the Careers in Sports networking event, the one thing that resonated with me the most is that these people were in our shoes at one point in their lives and are willing to come out and help us reach our career goals as well. And the fact that a lot of the representatives that attended were DePaul Alumni made it even more significant. I am overjoyed with the amount of support we have from the DePaul Sports Business Program, the Career Center, and the DePaul community as a whole.
Originally published on the Go Lazooo blog.