University of North Carolina Athletics
Sports & Entertainment Summit A Success
November 14, 2018 | General, Student-Athlete Development
CHAPEL HILL—More than 20 Carolina alumni returned to Chapel Hill on October 12th and 13th for the inaugural UNC Sports and Entertainment Summit: Innovation Made Fundamental. The partnership between the UNC Department of Athletics, Wasserman, the Carolina Sports Business Club and the MBA Sports and Entertainment club brought home Carolina alumni working in the world of sports in order for students and staff to connect with and learn from the leading minds in the industry.Â
"The impact that so many Carolina alums have on sports and entertainment is astounding," said Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "Having these innovators return to campus to share their knowledge and connect with the future of the industry was extremely valuable and speaks to the strength of the Carolina network."
COO of Wasserman and '97 graduate of Carolina, Will Pleasants worked closely with Cunningham on the summit with the goal of creating a can't-miss event to bring back as many of the 100-plus Carolina alumni currently working in the sports and entertainment industry around the world.
"I asked a few close people in that group," Pleasants said, "and everyone responded the same way – 'Sign me up and what I can do to help?' From there, we worked closely with the student leaders and the athletic department to help bring to life this first year."
Pleasants wanted to create an event that was student-run and student-managed, so that those students learned from the panelists and the execution of the event.Â
Keynote speaker Jim Delany, a two-time UNC graduate and commissioner of the Big Ten conference, touched on innovation in sports to a crowd of roughly 150 at the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium on Friday afternoon. After the keynote, the event broke out into panel discussions that featured UNC graduates, who are now top-tier executives for notable sports properties such as the Atlanta Falcons, ESPN, Fox Sports,NASCAR, NBA, USGA, Wasserman and more.Â
The Saturday session featured a "Think Tank" breakfast that was followed by more panel discussions at the Sonja Hayes Stone Center.Â
"The 'Think Tank' breakfast was one of my favorite sessions," said Cunningham. "It allowed the alums and panelists to share their ideas and insights about the Carolina brand and how we can continue to make an impact and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future."Â
More information for the second annual UNC Sports and Entertainment Summit will be released in the summer of 2019.Â
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"The impact that so many Carolina alums have on sports and entertainment is astounding," said Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "Having these innovators return to campus to share their knowledge and connect with the future of the industry was extremely valuable and speaks to the strength of the Carolina network."
COO of Wasserman and '97 graduate of Carolina, Will Pleasants worked closely with Cunningham on the summit with the goal of creating a can't-miss event to bring back as many of the 100-plus Carolina alumni currently working in the sports and entertainment industry around the world.
"I asked a few close people in that group," Pleasants said, "and everyone responded the same way – 'Sign me up and what I can do to help?' From there, we worked closely with the student leaders and the athletic department to help bring to life this first year."
Pleasants wanted to create an event that was student-run and student-managed, so that those students learned from the panelists and the execution of the event.Â
Keynote speaker Jim Delany, a two-time UNC graduate and commissioner of the Big Ten conference, touched on innovation in sports to a crowd of roughly 150 at the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium on Friday afternoon. After the keynote, the event broke out into panel discussions that featured UNC graduates, who are now top-tier executives for notable sports properties such as the Atlanta Falcons, ESPN, Fox Sports,NASCAR, NBA, USGA, Wasserman and more.Â
The Saturday session featured a "Think Tank" breakfast that was followed by more panel discussions at the Sonja Hayes Stone Center.Â
"The 'Think Tank' breakfast was one of my favorite sessions," said Cunningham. "It allowed the alums and panelists to share their ideas and insights about the Carolina brand and how we can continue to make an impact and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future."Â
More information for the second annual UNC Sports and Entertainment Summit will be released in the summer of 2019.Â
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