USF conference to bring sport, entertainment leaders to Tampa

The University of South Florida will welcome key decision makers and business leaders in the sports and entertainment industries to Tampa on February 18-19.

The conference is expected to bring industry professionals, students and university faculty together to network and learn about the latest innovations in analytics from experienced speakers and leaders in the sport and entertainment industry.

Speakers at USF’s Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference will offer insights on an array of topics from the latest trends to data-driven business decisions and the growing importance of analytics in the sport and entertainment industries.

“The conference is an unbelievable value in terms of cost and opportunity to network,” says Professor and Associate Program Director Mike Mondello, who teaches Sport Business Analytics and Sport & Entertainment Finance at USF.

USF’s Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference will bring a number of established industry professionals to Tampa, including:
  • Kevin Kelley, head coach of the Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Ark.
  • Anthony Perez, VP of business strategy for the Orlando Magic
  • Jay Riola, assistant director of business intelligence & CRM for the Orlando Magic
  • David DeMontmollin, VP of marketing for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa
  • Rick Johnson, senior director of Pricemaster product & strategy at Ticketmaster and Live Nation
  • David Smrek, VP of Live Analytics, a Ticketmaster company
  • Rich Luker, a social psychologist who created the ESPN Sports Poll
  • Chris Watson, senior director of relationship marketing and analytics for Feld Entertainment
  • Michael Farris, director of strategic consulting & research at the Aspire Group, a global sport and entertainment marketing firm
  • Bill Bailey, VP of SSB Consulting Group, a business intelligence and accounting firm
While the primary goal of the conference is to “allow industry practitioners to share their best practices and current trends of analytics in the sport entertainment industry,” Mondello says, “A secondary goal is to allow students the opportunity to network with other industry professionals to gain additional insight into further career options.” 

The two-day Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference, hosted at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel, 700 South Florida Avenue, will take place from noon- 6 p.m. on Feb 18 and 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Feb. 19

“Anyone interested in a potential or existing career in analytics” should consider attending the conference, says Mondello, who earned a PhD and master's degrees from the University of Florida and a BS from USF.

The cost to attend the conference is $99 for the general public, with a discounted rate of $50 available to USF students and faculty and a discounted rate of $75 for students enrolled at other universities. 
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Justine Benstead is a feature writer for 83 Degrees Media in the Tampa Bay region of Florida.