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College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

  • Matt Brown moderates a panel consisting of Matt Homan, Jared Rice and Lynn Oliver-Cline.

Program

Thursday Nov. 12, 2026
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

More information coming soon!!! 

Time Function Location
7:45 AM Registration / Continental Breakfast Upstairs 
8:00 – 10:00 AM Case Study Competition 
*This is not open to attendees - only case study teams and judges
Hall of Fame Room
Session #1
9:00 – 9:45 AM  Panel: Venue Visionaries: Executive Perspectivees Beyond the Bowl

Mike deMaine,
Head of Venue and Sport, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games - Valley
Tom Paquette,
Senior Vice President, Oak View Group

Columbia Ballroom BC
9:45 – 10:00 AM BREAK
Session #2
10:00 – 10:45 AM  A Conversation With:
Val Ackerman,
Former Commissioner of the Big East Conference and Founding President of the WNBA

Moderated by: Debbie Antonelli,
Basketball Analyst, ESPN/CBS and Adjunct Professor
Columbia Ballroom BC
11:15 AM – 12:45 PM Awards Luncheon 

A Conversation With:
Jim Brammer, CEO of Concert Stuff Group (CSG)

Moderated by:  Paul Graham, Instructor, University of South Carolina
Columbia Ballroom A
Session #3
12:45 - 1:00 PM BREAK  
1:00 – 2:00 PM Panel: Winning Early: Leadership Lessons from the 40 Under 40

Rob Hilton, Executive VP, Deputy General Counsel, Head of Corporate Legal & Corporate Secretary, TKO and General Counsel at On Location
Will Pitts, CEO, Charlotte Sports Foundation 
Moderated by: Danny Morrison, Professor of Practice, University of South Carolina
Columbia  Ballroom BC
2:00 – 2:15 PM BREAK
Session #4
2:15 – 3:15 PM Panel: Beyond the Resume: What Really Gets Candidates Hired

Haley Rea,
Director of Internal Development, Contemporary Services Corporation
Alex Strathearn, Vice President of Ticket Sales, United Football League
Riley Viener,
Manager, Inside Sales, New York Mets
Moderated by: Matt Dunn, Senior Instructor, University of South Carolina
Columbia Ballroom BC
2:15 – 2:35 PM



2:40 – 3:00 PM
Research Presentations:
Conceptualizing Broadcast Format as a Source of Consumer Value in Sport
Heeyeon Park, Yongjin Hwang

The Rise of the Sports Prediction Market: A Conceptual Investigation of Sport Event-Based Trading and Wagering
Yoon Sik Hong, Stephen Shapiro

Lincoln A

2:15 – 2:35 PM

2:40 – 3:00 PM
Research Presentations:
Two Pathways to Fandom: Motivation, Attachment, and Behavioral Segmentation Among Supporters of an MLS Expansion Club
Kalpesh Ramesh Tandalekar, Stephen Shapiro

When Experience Hurts: Prior Coaching Visibility and Head Coach Dismissal in the NBA
Dylan Khan, Steven Salaga
Lincoln B
2:15 – 2:35 PM


2:40 – 3:00 PM
Research Presentations:
Experiences of Esports Racial Minority Players: An Examination of Access to Entry, Barriers, and Opportunities in Collegiate Esports ProgramsResearch Presentations
Promise Iheanacho, Landy Lu, Bo Yu

Finding Fans vs. Failure: A Comparative Analysis of Successes and Failures in Lower Tier Soccer in the USA
Nicholas Davidson, Tiffany Demiris, Jason Lee, Tim Wilson, Dylan Williams 
Senate A
2:15 – 2:35 PM


2:40 – 3:00 PM
Research Presentations:
Interpreting Military Appreciation Programming as an Event-Management Practice: A Symbolic Interactionist Study of Meaning Among Military-Connected Attendees
Matthew Hagwood, Haylee Mercado, Bradley Sharples

Academic Engagement: Students' and Employers' Perceptions of Workforce Preparation and Professional Competency Development Through Experiential Learning in a Sport Management Curriculum
David Perricone, Neil Malvone
Senate B
3:15 – 3:30 PM BREAK
Session #5
3:30 – 4:30 PM Panel:  Building a Band: Branding, Growth, and Breaking Through: Congress The Band



Columbia Ballroom BC
3:30 - 3:50 PM



3:55 - 4:15 PM
Research Presentations:
On the Front Line of HBCU Rivalry: Campus Police and Event Staff Perspectives on Situational Factors that Shape Violence at Football Classics and Rivalry Games
Kevin Wilson, Silas Pressley

Greater Access is a Game Changer: Applying stadium accessibility principles to campus special events
John Grady, Amber Fallucca, Jake Kali, Marshall Gada
Lincoln A 
3:30 - 3:50 PM



3:55 - 4:15 PM
Research Presentations:
Robotic Broadcast Technology and Sport Consumer Flow: A Bayesian Study of IPL Viewers
Susmit S. Gulavani, Shushan Dai

Safety and Security Challenges Facing Professional and Collegiate Sport Venue Directors
Brandon Allen, Stacey Hall
Lincoln B 
3:30 - 3:50 PM Research Presentations:
Brand Heist: Did FIFA’s clean stadium policy go too far during World Cup 2026?
John Grady, Charley Gless
Senate A
7:00- 9:00pm Opening Networking Reception 
Colonial Life Arena - concourse
801 Lincoln Street, Columbia SC 29201
 
Dickies Arena logo
 Colonial Life Arena - Concourse

Friday, Nov. 13, 2026
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

Time Function Location
8:00 AM Registration Open / Continental Breakfast Upstairs
Session #6
9:00 – 10:00 AM Panel: Your Career Starts Today... Best Presentation Ever III !!!

Murray Cohn,
President, MC Sports Sales Training & Consulting, Executive in Residence, University of South Carolina
Michelle Price,
Vice President of Business Operations, TeamWork Online
Columbia Ballroom C
10:15 – 10:30 AM BREAK
Session #7
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Career & Internship Fair

More Info

CSC logo

Carolina Room AB
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Academic Research Poster Presentations: Pre-function Area

Beyond the Game: Female Athlete Entrepreneurship and Audience Engagement on Instagram
Farzaneh Kosari, Natasha Brison, Wendi Zimmer, Paul J. Batista

The Virtual Ballpark: Examining the Impact of Baseball Video Games on Ballpark Attendance, Viewership, and Fan Engagement
Jinwook Chung, Joon Kwak, Minkyo Lee, Ju Young Lee, Yongjin Hwang

Examining Sport Fan Motivations Across Cultures: A Comparative Study of KBL and NBA Fans
Jinwook Chung, Ian Kim, Minkyo Lee, Ju Young Lee, Yongjin Hwang

The Sport Security Landscape: Threats, Standards, and Emerging Considerations for Sport Venue and Event Managers
Stacey Hall, Brandon Allen, Sabrina Reed

Does More View Guarantee Success?: Comparing YouTube Discourse of Usher, Kendrick Lamar, and Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Shows
Amanda Smith, Anna Biondolillo, Philip Kang

Venue Accessibility Communication in Professional Sport: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of NFL and MLB Approaches
Irina Berry, Anton Schulz, Caiti Dodge, Jeffrey Graham
Pre-Function Area
1:15 – 2:30 PM Closed Session: SPTE 590 OVG Presentations
*only open to students in this class
Senate Room

 


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