When the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs face off this weekend in Super Bowl LIV, it will be history-in-the-making—regardless of the outcome of the game. This year, Katie Sowers, assistant coach for the 49ers, is blazing the trail as the first female to coach in a Super Bowl in the history of the National Football League. Sowers is also the first openly gay coach in the NFL.

College football is a hugely profitable business with a surprising share of the total revenue generated during bowl season. This valuable niche is only growing in popularity, with record viewership and fan participation prompting the regular addition of new games. The 2019-2020 bowl schedule includes an astounding forty games—a bowl “season” that culminates in a national championship in New Orleans on January 13.

Here is a hospitality career you may not have ever considered: venue management. When you attend a sporting event, concert, conference, or convention, you are stepping into a world that mixes operations with facility management, food and beverage management, event management, and more.

What really excites me about the sports industry is not only the continual evolution we see through emerging industries like eSports and the integration of augmented reality and virtual reality into the consumer experience, but the continued development and investment of equity in women.  As an educator, I find myself consistently communicating to my students that “sports are a reflection of society.”  This could not be truer today. 

Let’s take a look at the current state of the industry:  

There's more to esports than Twitch streams and energy drink sponsorships — this legitimate industry is full of promise. Experts at Newzoo claim that the global esports audience will exceed 453 million this year, as individual events regularly draw huge crowds. For example, top esports company ESL recently reported record attendance of 174,000 fans at IEM Katowice, which boasted an impressive viewership of 230 million.

Meeting, convention, and event planner occupations are predicted to grow by 11 percent in the next seven years, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the need for sports and entertainment professionals will continute to rise 10 percent. This unique realm of the hospitality industry gives creative and organized professionals the opportunity to combine a passion for sports, entertainment, or events with the desire to provide guests with an exceptional experience.

As the Official Education Partner of the Boston Bruins and TD Garden, Johnson & Wales University can offer its students even more educational opportunities rooted in realistic industry experiences.

I spent over 25 years in the NHL and was with the LA Kings when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim received their franchise in 1993. The buy-in for a new franchise has changed dramatically since then.

What is the most important skill a candidate needs to succeed in a career in sports, entertainment, or event management? According to Sarah Jane Wyman ’11, senior meetings and special events manager at Marriott International, the answer is passion.

“You need to have eagerness and drive for your position,” she said. “I can teach you the skills but I can’t teach you to have a good personality.”