Sports and Entertainment Volunteer in the Field

For the Sports Promotion and Publicity class at Queens University, we were all required to volunteer for ten hours a week. I chose to volunteer with the Queens University Athletic department. I completed my hours on February 26 and March 14, 2014. I was able to complete all ten hours during this time. My responsibilities were the following: 

-Help with half time promotions

-Help set up for games

-handout programs

-help with student check in at games

-clean up after games

-offer ideas on ways to improve attendance at games

Some of my goals and objectives were to see what goes into promoting a good game day experience so people want to come back again. I was able to learn that set up is crucial to making sure the fan experience is good. No fan wants to arrive at a game to see that the bleachers aren't pulled out, or that there is no music playing. 

Another objective was to observer the use of social media to promote the game. My advisor was very admit that the game has to be live tweeted so fans not in attendance know what is going on. 

I was able to complete all of the responsibilities listed above and they were all essential to making a game experience fun, safe, and wanting more. 

With relation to class, I learned was able to see the precautions that an athletic department takes to ensure there are no unnecessary risks. Also they try to make a presence online which was discussed in class. The presence they try to keep is something they are constantly updating. Also they have a brand of "Our House" that they are constantly telling the fans to use on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I learned through this experience that I do not want to be in the field of PR, but I am respectful of all the hard work they do to make sure their image is kept. 

A problem I encountered was, this seem like a lot of work for a few people. They have an efficient system, but it is still a lot going on at once. They have to make sure all the game schedule stuff is taken care of, as well as making sure to beat people to the gate. Also, it seemed like there was not enough publicity to students. They do not have a large budget from what I understood, so they really utilize social media since is it free. There did not seem to be many external agencies that impacted our games, but weather was an issue they they dealt with in the past. People involved, are other students that are in a club called Sports Marketing Association (SMA) and some other staff members that are in charge of thing like the facilities and athlete's. 

Some things that I really enjoyed, were that there is a lot of opportunity in this field to make a program as great as you want. Also, enjoyed learning so much about goes on to make the game day experience what it is. This experience gives a well rounded experience about what all goes into the promotions and publicity of the game. 

Since I am going to be a producer at an affiliate news station, I will be able to see what all is going through the mind of a sports person writing a press release. I will also understand how hard they work to get things in great shape for the game, and how happy they are when the media does show up to cover their game. 

For academic preparation, I was able to see the the advisor create a press release and get sponsors names out. This is important because as we discussed in class, this is how many sports programs are able to survive.