As we move further away from the Coronavirus pandemic, in-person events and conferences have come back to life. For nearly two years, attending events for professional, personal, and spiritual growth was virtually impossible. Now being three years removed from the pandemic's start, the doors to conference halls and convention centers are opening again. But, the question for many young professionals is how important these events are for their growth as future leaders of the sport industry. In this blog, we’ll share the value of attending in-person conferences and events and why you should consider attending.
What Opportunities Are Available?
The first item to note on this subject is that there is a wide variety of in-person event opportunities for sport professionals. Commonly for young professionals, career fairs can be a valuable option. Career fairs offer attendees the opportunity to be face-to-face with multiple teams and organizations at once. This is a great way to network, pass your resume on to potential employers, and learn about organizations' internship opportunities. Other in-person events include conventions and conferences. Predominantly, conventions and conferences are created for a specific discipline within the sport industry.
For example, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) convention is specifically for men’s college basketball coaches. There is a conference for almost every discipline within the college and pro sport industry. Various conferences focus on providing Christians within the sport industry with opportunities to grow in their faith. The Daniel Summit, Passion Conference, and the Christians Working in Sports (CWS) Conference are three examples of conferences with a faith focus. Lastly, there are membership-based organizations exist to bring together people from various sectors within the sport industry as a collective group to learn, develop, and grow. Some examples of these organizations are Rising Coaches, Women in Sports & Events (WISE), Work in Sports, and right here at Uncommon Sports Group. These membership-based organizations are unique in that they offer long-term opportunities for growth, as opposed to a one-time conference or career fair.
What is the Benefit?
The considerable amount of these in-person events that exist begs the question: what is the value? At Uncommon Sports Group, we can attest that there are few things as valuable as a community within the sport industry. In-person events offer a natural way to connect with other like-minded individuals within your sector of the sport industry. Furthermore, as Christians within the sport industry, building relationships and cultivating community with other Christians in the industry is even more important. This is why events like the Daniel Summit and the Christians Working in Sports (CWS) Conference are so vital.
Secondly, in-person events offer tremendous opportunities to network with potential future employers within the industry. The sport industry is great for building community, but it is also a highly competitive industry. For this reason, it is important to give yourself an ‘edge’ over other candidates. A high-impact way to do that is through forming a strong network of leaders in the sport industry. In-person events offer opportunities to develop and grow your network. Lastly, a benefit of in-person events is the opportunity to learn and improve your craft. Often, in-person events will offer sessions led by experienced professionals in your discipline and will improve your skill set.
Conclusion
In our post-COVID world, we are once again seeing the value of in-person events and community. As young professionals within the sport industry, there are few better ways to set yourself apart from the pack than by being diligent in attending in-person career fairs, conferences, and conventions.
At Uncommon Sports Group, we understand that a common barrier to attending these in-person opportunities is the financial burden that comes with the travel and registration costs. This is why we offer our members fully-funded trips to in-person events for both professional and spiritual growth. Learn more about what events we offer and how you can become a member!
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