The Kean Sports Summit was held at the North Avenue Academic Building (NAAB) on Thursday, November 30. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., students were able to hear encouraging messages from alumni and sporting executives and network with reputable companies. The Kean Sports Business Club and the President’s Advisory Council introduced the Kean Sports Summit as an opportunity for students to gain insights into the sports business world. The Career Expo and Sports Summit gave each student a chance to develop personally and professionally. Also, participants enjoyed refreshments and complimentary items such as bags and notebooks. Some companies present at the event were the YMCA, New Jersey Devils, Kean Athletics, USA Sport Group, and the Elizabeth Recreation Department.
CFO of USA Sport Group, Andrew Egginton, expressed his thoughts on the event and what he looks for in potential employees. “I think this is a great networking event for, primarily, students. But it’s a great opportunity for us as employers to come, connect, start to forge relationships, and give the students great opportunities of what employers can offer them. Personality, reliability, and consistency is what we look for in an employee," said Egginton
Sales Manager of the New Jersey Devils, Jake Schreiman, also stated the characteristics the company seeks in college students. “We are looking for young, bright college students who are interested in a career in sales and are interested in joining our Devils inside sales program," said Schreiman.
The panel of speakers shared life experiences and offered great advice to those seeking to be in the sports business field. The speakers encouraged the students to develop relationships and nurture them by communicating with those contacts after the initial interaction in a unique way. In addition, the panel instructed students to be intentional about their goals and emphasized the sacrifices they had to make to reach their position and obtain the success they have today.
Many students like Business Management major and senior, Chris Nudo, from Clark, N.J., enjoyed the networking opportunities at the event. “I think it’s actually a really cool event...as a sports fan myself, I think it’s a great opportunity to network yourself and get yourself out there. And it’s great that all these teams and other businesses and companies came in today...and they’re happy to be here and I think every student here is also happy to be here," said Nudo.
Nudo also stated something valuable that he learned. “I think everything that our motivational speaker said was great about taking the path that you want to take, that it’s going to be important for your life, and never hold anything back," said Nudo.
Kaydence Oakley, Sports Management major and freshman from Wildwood, N.J., shared her thoughts on the event. “I think it’s awesome, especially being a sports management major, it’s right up my alley. There’s a lot of connections here and a lot of great opportunities to further my career and find out options when I finish college," said Oakley.
Overall the Sports Summit was a great opportunity for students to build relationships and connections with professionals in the sports world. Many important figures within this space gave advice and words of encouragement to students. With this being the first annual Sports Summit event, this event will be at Kean for years to come.
