LEXINGTON, Ky. (September 30, 2022) — University of Kentucky students Neima Moaven and Drew Rodriguez saw the need for a student organization to promote UK curriculum efforts aimed at helping students enter the sports industry. That organization, the Kentucky Sports Industry Conference, will hold its first conference on Friday, October 7, with a full lineup of the industry’s biggest names.
“If you think of Harvard, NYU and Columbia as targets for investment banks, we are working to turn the University of Kentucky into a target school for the sports industry,” said Rodriguez. “Not just placing students in the industry, but shaping it, right here in Lexington, Kentucky.”
The conference will feature panels and breakout sessions featuring more than 15 recruiters and 20 guest speakers from the sports industry. These recruiters and speakers travel from across the country to Lexington to represent their organizations, including EPSN, NFL, Keeneland and others.
UK Men’s Basketball President John Calipari and NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young are among the speakers who will discuss their journeys in the sports industry.
Panels include Women Leaders in Sports, The New Era of Sports Media (presented by the UK College of Communication and Information), Bluegrass Culture (presented by Keeneland), Esports 101 (presented by Gen.G Esports) , Audience of Interest: Marketing Sports (presented by Coca-Cola) and Pursuing Your Sports Dreams.
“The College of Communication and Information has signed on as a sponsor of this inaugural event to enhance our curricular efforts in sports communication, journalism, production and development,” said Jennifer Greer, dean of the college. “UK is a leader in preparing students to enter the sports industry through CI programs and faculties of Education, Business and Economics, Health Sciences, and more. We are proud to support a student body that connects these disciplines as we starting sports careers with a UK qualification”.
The meeting will take place from 9 am to 4:30 pm. Friday, Oct. 7, at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington. Tickets for the Kentucky Sports Industry Conference can be purchased here.
Participants should dress in business casual attire and bring their resume.
About the Kentucky Sports Industry Conference
The Kentucky Sports Industry Conference is a student-founded and led 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission of helping students find careers in the sports industry, and the mission of connecting diverse professionals to top teams and sports companies. As a founding member of the University of Kentucky as a sports industry target school, KSIC has placed several students on internships and established relationships with sports industry organizations across the country.
To learn more about KSIC and its upcoming conference, visit www.kentuckysic.com
The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and professional goals. For the past two years, Forbes has named the UK one of the best employers for diversity, and COUNTRYVIEW Diversity has recognized us as a Diversity Champion for four years running. The UK is among the top 30 national centers for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been ranked as a “Great College to Work For” for three years in a row, and UK is among 22 universities in the country on Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Employers.” Research funding – a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on life- and society-changing discoveries. But they are more important than what they represent: the idea of creating a community of ownership and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.
