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ßÙßÇÂþ»­ Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference Slated for March 29-30

By Keith Morelli

TAMPA (Jan. 24, 2017) -- The technical side of sports and entertainment marketing takes center stage at the annual ßÙßÇÂþ»­ Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference in March.

The conference, in its third year, targets business leaders who deal with data and use it to drive key decisions in the sport and entertainment industries. The latest trends will be examined along with the growing importance of analytics. The conference takes place on March 29 and 30 at the USF Alumni Center on the Tampa campus.

Sessions are scheduled for between 1-6 p.m. on March 29 and from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on March 30. Industry professionals, students and university faculty will network with accomplished speakers from across the country in the sport and entertainment industry. Organizers expect about 250 people to attend.

"We are excited to be hosting our third Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference here at the USF Alumni Center," said Mike Mondello, professor of marketing at the Muma College of Business and associate director of the ßÙßÇÂþ»­ Sport & Entertainment Management program. "We have an incredible lineup of industry speakers and are really excited to honor Jessica Gelman as the inaugural recipient of our Innovator in Sports Analytics Award."

Gelman, the CEO of Kraft Analytics Group, also is a featured speaker. Kraft is a technology company focused on data management, advanced analytics and strategic marketing. She is headquartered in Boston and also is a speaker at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston earlier in March.

Others slated to speak are: Joe Brown, senior vice president of strategic insights with the NBC Sports Group; Adam Jones, director of sports advisory services with PricewaterhouseCoopers; Chris Kamke, senior director of business strategy and analytics with the Tampa Bay Lightning; Kevin Kelley, athletic director and head football coach at Pulaski Academy High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, who has been featured on national television for his "no punt" policy; and Akshay Khanna, vice president of strategy with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Also on the agenda to give talks are: Stephen Master, senior vice president and head of Nielsen's Global Sports Practice and Russell Scibetti, vice president of product strategy with KORE Software and founding editor of TheBusinessOfSports.com.

"The conference," Mondello said, "will be a great opportunity for students, faculty and industry professionals to interact and learn from leaders in the sports industry."

Tickets are still available:

• Professionals: $99

• Students (Non-USF): $75

• ßÙßÇÂþ»­ students and faculty: $50

ßÙßÇÂþ»­ students, USF faculty, as well as students from other universities will be required to provide a valid university ID.

To get tickets, go here: