Michigan Sport Business Conference Students Talk Strategy Ahead of MSBC 10
A Look Back at MSBC 2020 Provides a Blueprint for Hybrid MSBC 10
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What’s in a name? FUTRSPRT is constantly trying to think about what’s next. It’s evident that young students at the University of Michigan are the future trailblazers in the sports and entertainment industry. U of M’s Michigan Sport Business Conference(MSBC) is proof that these students can shine on the big stage.
In an effort to provide MSBC an avenue to further flourish, MSBC 10 x FUTRSPRT will have a recurring series discussing every angle of sports, business, and technology. In the early stages of MSBC 10, students Ally Kobakof, Kate Plassman, and Josh Abramowitz look back at the many curveballs that MSBC 2020 provided and how the experience shaped things to come.
These students are nothing less than extraordinary. The fact that the conference is in its tenth year is proof that the University of Michigan is a breeding ground for sports and entertainment excellence. Enjoy.
Each student was asked the following series of questions:
1. When it was decided that the conference would go virtual, what was the first step by the group to ensure that could even happen?
2. How did the roster of guest speakers and topics change when the conference went virtual?
3. How will those lessons translate to this year’s conference and your upcoming professional careers?
4. Because of last year’s transition, what will now be a mainstay of the conference that was once never imagined?
5. Name one sports business headline that’s blown you away in the past month.
Ally Kobakof
Class of 2022
Vice President of Event Planning for MSBC 2020 Planning Committee
Chief Operating Officer for MSBC 2021 Planning Committee
When it was decided that the conference would go virtual, what was the first step by the group to ensure that could even happen?
When we first decided that virtual would be the only viable option, we were
excited, but also nervous since we had never tried to transfer the MSBC
experience to a fully online capacity. Finding a platform that allowed us to
provide the most engaging and elevated experience for our attendees was the first step to make sure we could go virtual in a way that provided the value people had come to expect of MSBC. We needed a virtual home that allowed us to not only share content that inspired our attendees but one that emboldened students and industry leaders to have conversations and form genuine connections. This was definitely one of the more daunting steps since we wanted it to be perfect, but also the most rewarding once we saw people responding so positively the day of.
How did the roster of guest speakers and topics change when the conference went virtual?
On this front, nothing truly changed regarding the conversations and voices we knew we wanted to highlight at MSBC 9. As with every year, the industry
continuously changes, and new conversations are sparked each and every day, but we were very passionate about the topics we wanted to discuss and were
determined not to let our content fall short in the craziness of the virtual
transition. One really exciting positive that actually came out of our virtual status was that we were able to be much more flexible with speakers’ schedules as they no longer had to be in Ann Arbor, rather they could call in for a short period of time wherever they were. We were very fortunate that we had such amazing speakers who also saw this as a positive and a sign to get involved where they otherwise would have had to pass. For example, Joe Tsai was our first keynote speaker, and he agreed to call into his panel from a hotel room in Hong Kong at midnight and proceeded to open the conference with one of our most inspiring conversations. Insanely cool.
3. How will those lessons translate to this year’s conference and your upcoming professional careers?
The biggest lesson I took from this past year is that there is always space
to reinvent, to raise our game, and challenge ourselves to dream bigger.
MSBC was created with the intention of being at the forefront of what’s
next and bringing these topics and individuals together in one place to
inspire the next generation. I think while every year the team challenges
itself to be better than the year before, it is easy to get comfortable with
what works. This past year reminded us that being uncomfortable or
unsure is the best way to create something worthwhile. It’s how we were
founded, and it’s what keeps us coming back excited each year to do it
again.
As VP of Event Planning, my year looked very different than what I
anticipated. I think the most important lessons I can take from it are that
flexibility is invaluable and just because it’s your plan B doesn’t mean you
don’t treat it like a plan A. The entire year was definitely a drawn-out
exercise in rolling with the punches. I was extremely thankful for my team
and our executive board because we realized from the start how we framed
the situation was how we would attack it, and I think that made all the
difference. Once we made the call, it was never we have to be virtual, it
was we get to be virtual. By putting it into perspective this way and having
an amazing team that got on board and bought into this new version of
MSBC, we were able to build something that we were proud of. We
learned a lot and capitalized on opportunities that we would never have
been able to have it been an in-person event. I will definitely take these
lessons along with this mentality into my professional career.
4. Because of last year’s transition, what will now be a mainstay of the conference that was once never imagined?
100% a virtual component. While we live in a virtual world and MSBC has an
established virtual presence through social channels, this was a huge nudge that showed us we can create a virtual experience beyond these accounts that
complements and stays true to the standard we hold ourselves to in an in-person conference. While I think it was always a fear that we wouldn’t be able to translate in-person components effectively to a virtual space, having no choice but to do so this past year made us face and overcome that hurdle. It most importantly allowed us to gain an entirely new audience of amazing attendees that we couldn’t reach before who can now contribute and create with us each year moving forward.
5. Name one sports business headline that’s blown you away in the past month
I am sincerely amazed every time I see Naomi Osaka’s name in a headline. She is transcending her sport and creating an empire for herself that feels authentic and cool. I find it so insanely fascinating following someone so close to my age as they build a brand simultaneously in the sport and business world. She is continuously shattering ceilings. Ventures such as Osaka being named as the youngest investor, as well as first national athlete ambassador of Sweetgreen, and co-chair of the Met Gala, makes me so excited to continue to follow her on and off the court.
Kate Plassman
Class of 2021
Co-President of MSBC 2020 Planning Committee
1. When it was decided that the conference would go virtual, what was the first step by the group to ensure that could even happen?
As leaders of the 2020 MSBC, the decision to go virtual was a significant one, but it was also inevitable. If there was going to be an MSBC 2020, it needed to be virtual, but it would also need to meet the high standard that has been set by nine previous student planning teams. Our first step was to energize ourselves as the leadership team to move forward and take on this new challenge and understand the opportunity we were given to impact this organization.
2. How did the roster of guest speakers and topics change when the conference went virtual?
A virtual experience can make it easier for speakers with very busy schedules to give their time to students, and we took advantage of this opportunity to bring some of the biggest names we’ve ever had to MSBC. The pandemic brought to light many social issues that our nation is facing, and we wanted our speaker lineup to represent how we see the future of the sports industry.
3. How will those lessons translate to this year’s conference and your upcoming professional careers?
Some of the most valuable lessons I learned from this experience are the importance of resilience and making the best out of the resources you have. In stressful situations similar to what we faced last year, teamwork becomes much more difficult, but also much more necessary in order to solve problems and reach higher levels of achievement.
4. Because of last year’s transition, what will now be a mainstay of the conference that was once never imagined?
Implementing a virtual conference helped us to expand our digital partnerships. The MSBC had previously entered the digital partnerships space, but forcing all partnerships to the digital space in 2020 helped our team to further realize the possibilities of what the MSBC can provide to its partner organizations and how it can meet the needs of our speakers and attendees.
5. Name one sports business headline that’s blown you away in the past month.
Front Office Sports recently published that Naomi Osaka has 18+ sponsorship brands. It is crazy to me how much she has accomplished as both an athlete and a businesswoman since she is only one year older than me.
Josh Abramowitz
Class of 2021
Co-President of MSBC 2020 Planning Committee
1. When it was decided that the conference would go virtual, what was the first step by the group to ensure that could even happen?
The decision to take the conference virtual was made at the beginning of the summer. Given that the planning process began way back in December and we already had space reserved at the University, we had to ensure that the decision considered all parties involved: the University, our alumni board and directors, our speakers and audiences, and most importantly, our team members. After all, students did not sign up to organize and operate a virtual event, nor was anyone necessarily in the best spirits to take on something so daring amidst such gloomy times.
Still, we knew that the virtual format was the only way to make the conference a reality, and we wanted to use our amazing platform to bring a sense of joy, normalcy, and education to those that were seeking it during this time.
The first step was to decide the number of days that the event would run, where we would house the information and content virtually, and what experience we were targeting for our viewers to create the best experience possible for all included.
2. How did the roster of guest speakers and topics change when the conference went virtual?
Many of our initial topics and speakers remained the same for our planning following the decision to go virtual. In fact, we felt that we had an even better chance at attracting some phenomenal speakers due to the convenience of calling in from home.
Additionally, as the tragic George Floyd story continued to unravel and protests swept the nation, we made it a priority to create a diverse speaker lineup and content list. We welcomed and embraced important conversations in every discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we wanted this to be reflected in both our speaker breakdown and the entire virtual event.
3. How will those lessons translate to this year’s conference and your upcoming professional careers?
The aspect of MSBC 2020 that I am most proud of is the level of devotion and motivation that our team had in creating such a sensational virtual event. Finding the balance between peoples’ personal lives and struggles, while also working hard together as a unified student body was one of the most incredible experiences that I could have ever asked for. It prepared me to roll with the punches as I enter my first job, and showed me the importance of finding a work-life balance. As one of the leaders of the organization, it was a great learning opportunity to work with the students to find this balance, and it will benefit me moving forward as I hope to lead teams in the future and succeed in any environment.
4. Because of last year’s transition, what will now be a mainstay of the conference that was once never imagined?
In my mind, there is no place today for traditional all-day, in-person conferences. As attention spans continue to drop and virtual engagement opportunities continue to grow, a hybrid conference model provides a number of benefits that were not initially possible, or at the very least, not acted upon prior to COVID. The chance to expand the reach of our event, grow our audience, and provide the most convenient and beneficial conference experience for our attendees can be far greater with integrating virtual opportunities.
I expect online events to continue, and I look forward to watching MSBC and others use technology to their advantage moving forward.
5. Name one sports business headline that’s blown you away in the past month.
I’m all in on NFTs. It’s definitely all of the buzz right now, so I apologize for belaboring the point, but the excitement and opportunities for NFTs right now are endless. Especially in the sports world where the collectibles industry is already vast, the new revenue generation and technological benefits that come with NFTs are extensive. I truly don’t believe we’ve scratched the surface.
The Michigan Sport Business Conference will be hosting a hybrid conference in 2021. Stay tuned for more details.
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