THE NATIONAL BANK OPEN
The National Bank Open is the second-oldest annual professional tennis tournament in the world. The event is owned and operated by Tennis Canada, a non-profit national sports association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis across the nation.
Every August, I have opportunity to learn from my colleagues and hard-working photographers and journalists in the sports media industry. It is always a pleasure to help members of the media during the tournament.
PRIMETIME SPORTS MANAGEMENT
The business behind the game: an in-depth learning experience
I have been passionate about sports for as long as I can remember. Growing up as a Montreal Canadiens fan, Saturday night hockey quickly became a tradition in my household. As I got older, I started watching every game, even when my team was going through a rough couple of years. While hockey remains my favourite sport, anything sports is music to my ears. During my university years, I became interested in the business side of the game: branding strategies, brand partnerships, athlete sponsorships, fan experience, and much more.
The Conference
Creating advertising materials and promotional content for Toronto PrimeTime Sports Management Conference fulfilled my childhood dream to be a part of the media team in the sports industry. This event is the leading sports management conference in Canada and hosts an impressive list of speakers and delegates every year. I coordinated communications with speakers and on-site event teams for the duration of the 4-day conference.
This conference offered me the opportunity to get a behind-the-scene access to the world of professional leagues including the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL), the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
The Highlight
A panel entitled “Empowering Women in Sports” was the highlight of the event. Unfortunately, women are still highly underrepresented in the world of sports. The speakers, which included Olympian Sami Jo Small, are role models for a younger generation of females striving to achieve athletic success. I was inspired and further motivated to get involved in the pursuit of diversity and inclusion within both amateur and professional sports.
HALIFAX CONFERENCE
Project: Francophone media in a minority context
In October 2019, Dr. Stéphane Couture and I had the honor to present the results of our research entitled Financial precariousness, uncertainty of demand and digital transition: three challenges for Francophone media in Ontario. This research was part of a larger conference that took place at the University of Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia as part of the annual conference organized by the Canadian Francophonie Research Network (RRF).
Saint-Anne University is the only francophone post-secondary institution in Nova Scotia, located at the heart of a small town called Pointe-de-l’Eglise. Attending the conference and presenting the research both enriched and deepen my knowledge of the francophone communities in the province. I was also blown away by Nova Scotia beauty and the kindness of its people.