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Sixth Annual Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference to be held in April

By Keith Morelli

TAMPA (January 15, 2020) -- For the sixth consecutive year, the USF Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference Powered by Ticketmaster will present cutting-edge trends to its audience of sports marketers, business data analysts and students. With a theme of “What’s Next” and a collective group of industry leaders serving as speakers, the 2020 conference aims to break new ground and raise the standard for excellence in academic conferences.

The aim of the two-day event is to provide executives in the sport and entertainment industries with the latest developments in marketing and sports business analytics to keep those leaders on the crest of the evolving-technology wave.

The conference is set for April 1-2, in the USF Gibbons Alumni Center on the Tampa campus. Speakers will talk about various emerging topics and reveal new and innovative ways analytics are used to get fans engaged and create revenue streams for their respective organizations.

“We are extremely excited to be hosting our sixth annual analytics conference,” said Mike Mondello, Muma College of Business marketing professor.

Additionally, he said, Kevin Kelley will be honored with the 2020 Innovator in Analytics Award. Kelley is the acclaimed high school football coach who guided Pulaski Academy to eight Arkansas state titles including five over the last six years with his innovative coaching philosophy built on analytics and a non-traditional approach that includes no punting. He has previously served as a conference speaker and this year, he will participate in an engaging one-on-one moderated discussion covering a variety of topics.

“That session alone will be worth the conference fee,” Mondello said. Other speakers represent organizations such as the Miami Heat, The Walt Disney Company, Elevate, Venuetize, Ticketmaster, the PGA Tour and HB Sports and Entertainment. The ticket prices range from $46.46 for USF students and faculty and program alumni to $92.90 for professionals and faculty from other universities. To register for the event, click here. (This link will be live in the online story)

“As always, we welcome these industry leading organizations to our campus,” Mondello said, “where they have a chance to meet our tremendous students, who will hopefully be the future talent in their industry.”

The conference, which is one of the signature events staged by the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program, is gaining prestige in the emerging world of analytics and creativity within the sport and entertainment field.

The event is scheduled from 1-6 p.m. on April 1 and from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on April 2.

Among the speakers scheduled are:

Thomas Bernstein, director of Strategy & Analytics for Elevate Sports Ventures, a joint-venture partnership between four leaders in the world of sports and entertainment - the San Francisco 49ers, Harris Blizter, Oak View Group, and Ticketmaster/Live Nation. Bernstein leads research and planning efforts that help clients make fan-centered decisions. He has more than 16 years’ experience designing, building and launching tech applications and tech-enabled services across several industries.

Edson Crevecoeur, an industry veteran who joined the Miami Heat in 2014, bringing more than 15 years’ experience in empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions. He led the Heat’s transition to cloud-based technologies, consolidating data across the organization into a single source and providing critical business performance insights to the right audience, through the right channels, at the right time. This achievement resulted in the recognition of the Miami Heat as an innovation leader at the 2019 Microsoft Build Conference.

Nick Curcuru, senior vice president of Analytics and Customer Engagement for Venuetize, the leading digital technology platform for smart space solutions. His mission is to help clients embrace data-driven insights to drive more personalized, relevant and memorable experiences for their fans. He knows firsthand from his time as a cast member at The Walt Disney Company the importance of using artificial intelligence and machine learning to reinforce a “common purpose” in providing exceptional guest interactions.

Travis Trembath, vice president of fan engagement with the PGA Tour. Trembath began his career as an actuarial consultant before serving in a variety of merchandising and brand marketing positions at Target Corporation and General Mills. He joined the PGA Tour in 2011 and has filled roles covering corporate marketing, partnership strategy and new platform development. He currently oversees fan research and analytics and fan-engagement marketing for the Tour.

Other sport and entertainment data experts confirmed to speak include:

• Gabrielle Dolceamore – director of digital marketing and fan insights for HB Sports & Entertainment;
• Clay Luter – executive vice president and co-head of Sports Ticketmaster;
• Brian Deligero – sports analyst with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN;
• Rich Luker – President and CEO of Luker on Trends

To register for the event, click here.