UTSB Part 1: The Beginning of the Road

During the December Exam Period of 2011 one of the best things that has ever happened to me….happened to me. I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post from The University of Toronto Sports & Business Association. To be honest (and don’t take this the wrong way), considering that I had been involved on campus heavily for the previous three years, I was sure it wasn't a big deal since I hadn't really heard about it. Turns out, the association had just been created and had just received its club status at U of T.  Two Rotman Commerce students, Avish Sood and Natan Levi had attended several Sports Industry Conferences and realized that there was a market at U of T for something similar. They planned the first ever Sports Industry Conference at U of T for March of 2012 and were having contests on social media to raise awareness.

I immediately was interested in attending the conference. It just so happened that, around this time, I was getting anxious that I didn't have a plan for after my graduation. Granted, I had one and a half years of school left before I was released to the real world but that empty feeling of not really knowing was nagging me every day. I was also becoming more and more certain that this term on SMCSU would be my last and that I wouldn't pursue another position/Presidency/VP for my fifth year – I wanted to focus on this “figuring out my life” thing.  Enter the University of Toronto Sports and Business Association. Best. Thing. Ever.

What started as an innocent email – I remember asking how I could reserve my ticket for the conference – spiraled into one of the best chapters of my life so far. I ended the email offering help marketing the event across campus with the network of student groups/leaders I had met through SMCSU as well as the resources available to me as Double Blue Commissioner. I didn't expect much from that, other than an email back with info on how to buy the ticket. I received an immediate response asking if I was free to meet up and discuss potentially joining the executive team as Marketing Coordinator.

More about UTSB at http://www.sportsandbusiness.ca

I was pretty pumped to be on board with a new movement at U of T. Avish and Natan had a plan but were aware that the interest for their conference reached way further than just Rotman Commerce students. Rotman is fairly secluded from the rest of the University and I thought I could definitely help out with promotions and just general tasks when needed. My experience on SMCSU definitely opened an opportunity for me that otherwise would have probably never been available.  I am not a Marketing major, nor do I claim to be an expert in all that comes with marketing analysis. But I had grassroots experience connecting with students (aka talking to people) for three years through SMCSU and as a Frosh Leader. I knew the basics of promoting (and selling out) events at U of T. This experience would pay off moving forward with UTSB.

I was introduced to the other executives and given the run down on the sponsors and speakers planned for the conference. They had organized a pretty heavy line-up for the inaugural conference with sponsorship from the Toronto Blue Jays and speakers including Bob Nicholson (former Argonauts President), Ian Clarke (MLSE CFO), and panels including executives from the NBA, UFC and other sports entities. The main thing was to ensure that enough hands were on deck to help out with the execution of the event and to also spread word across campus.

So I started second semester as a member on the UTSB council and as a Commissioner on SMCSU. I was in an exciting place and was looking forward to diving into the world of sports business to see if I could make my own mark. I had always aspired to work in sports. Even back in grade 2 (yes I remember this) my teacher Ms. Kernohan would give everyone a nickname – mine was ‘Ref’ because every morning at our daily class story time or whatever it was, I would give everyone a recap of all the sports scores from the night before. People used to joke and say she called me ref because I probably wasn't good enough at actually playing the sport. So true. But I’m really good at volleyball and tennis so take that, people. Anyway, if you know me, you know I’m a huge sports fan so this was huge for me.

TRUE STORY: I actually once answered [stupidly] a job interview question about what my ideal job was by saying that I wanted to be the GM of the Leafs. Safe to say I didn’t get the job but that dream still stands.  I just hope the Leafs win the Cup before then so that the sports fans in this city become a little less dramatic about every move made by the GM. Anyway, that’s a story for another day and the chance at this dream probably won’t come to fruition for a few decades but hopefully it even has a remote chance of coming true.

Back to UTSB. Leading up to the conference, I still didn't have any idea what to expect from a sports industry conference. To be honest, I pictured hundreds of kids with resumes trying to hand them to speakers in pure chaos. I was invited by Natan to attend the Queen’s Sports Industry Conference (QSIC) in Kingston for a weekend with him and another UTSB executive. Having not spent more than a few hours getting to know them over the previous few weeks, I was curious to see how a weekend with two people …… in Kingston of all places ….. might turn out. Well if anybody knows Natan like I now know him, you know that it’s really hard to have a boring time with him.  We had an amazing time at the conference and used the experience to promote our upcoming event to students who would be interested. We also almost won the conference case competition run by the CFL as they looked for ways to enhance attendance at Toronto Argo’s games. Most importantly, I was exposed to what this sports industry (and the business world, for that matter) was all about. The whole conference is about networking – networking with students, people from the industry and sponsors. I really think networking is one of the toughest things to learn – it’s a fine line between awkward elevator conversations to genuine and engaging conversation. It looks harder than you think: some people approach a certain executive with a resume in hand or immediately asking if they’re hiring. And its definitely something that I’m still working on.

Anyhow, the experience was awesome. Natan and I have become best friends in a very short time. (definitely the closest Persian-Jewish friendship that I’ve ever heard of! Maybe we can change the world) And it all began in Kingston, weirdly enough….Don’t think many people can say that.

*Also: I only chirp Kingston because my car broke down there once after I visited John A. MacDonald’s grave-site with James and Deryn a few years ago. Otherwise it’s a beautiful area for Kingston Penitentiary*

An interview that Natan and I had about the 1st
Sports Industry Conference (February 2012)

The two of us had amazing chemistry when networking at QSIC. Natan and I both realized that being able to connect with a person and get along with them was way more important than schmoozing them or showing them how much we knew about the company they worked at. Even when speaking to other students, we were able to convince at least 40 students to attend the U of T event just by chatting with them over the weekend. I was in a new found comfort zone and was enjoying every minute of what I was doing; QSIC was a sign of good things to come.

After Kingston, we went back to work at finalizing particulars for the U of T event.  In March, the 1^st ever Sports Industry Conference was held at U of T. The conference was an absolute success with a sell-out of 150 students and over a dozen sports industry executives.

I have a funny little story about the first ever conference and this might serve as a lesson for some people who are just getting involved with an organization/group.  I was determined to help out wherever possible and even offered to take the not so desirable jobs that needed to be filled during event day. I ended up manning the Raffle Table (we had some sick prizes). Sounds fine and dandy right? Except that the table was upstairs and away from the actual goings-on of the conference.  And considering the value of some of the prizes, it couldn’t be left unattended. It looked as if I was going to miss majority of the actual speakers – remember I had intended to sign up just to attend the conference in order to gain insight. I took the spot graciously and it would help me in the future, as you are about to find out. I didn’t whine, complain or make a fuss. Funny enough, another person who didn’ t whine, complain or make a fuss was Malcolm Mo. Malcolm had to work coat check for the conference which meant he was seated in the dark, right behind a door – missing the whole conference (except I think he could at least hear some of it, unlike me). Malcolm is now the President of UTSB for 2013-14. I guess what I’m saying is – think big picture and show your worth. Most of the time it takes sacrifices to get rewarded. 

The Inaugural University of Toronto Sports and Business Association Council (2011-2012)

Towards the end the school year, things were looking up. I was determined to take on a bigger role at UTSB for the upcoming year. My time at SMCSU was winding down and I was ready for the jump. UTSB introduced a new executive format consisting of President and Vice-President who would choose  the other executive positions after they were elected. Natan, who was the VP of Corporate Relations for the first year, approached me and asked if I would be interested in running for election as Vice-President. Natan was running unopposed as President so I was pretty happy that he asked me to run with him. In hindsight, Natan asking me was probably the best decision of his life. I attended the voting meeting and gave a speech to the outgoing executives on why I was qualified as VP. Safe to say, my experiences from SMCSU took up the majority of my speech and definitely gave me the advantage over the other candidates. I had so many ideas for expanding UTSB and building off the momentum of the first year

I was voted as the Vice-President for UTSB for the 2012-2013 year – I had finally created a mini-blueprint. I was confident that I now had an idea of what the next year of my life would consist of. I had done well in classes in my 4^th year. I planned to devote the summer to planning UTSB’s upcoming year with Natan and to study for the LSAT while preparing my law school applications.

The next year was a ride and it was by far the most enjoyable of my university career.

Up Next: UTSB Part 2 - My experience as VP of the University of Toronto Sports and Business Association (while writing the LSAT/applying to schools/and taking a full course load to graduate!)

The 2012-2013 UTSB Council.... Stay Tuned.