Wednesday, February 8, 2017
The third “Women in Sports” career seminar, presented by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, will be held on Sat., April 8 in Portland, Ore.
Designed for college and high school females interested in pursuing sports-related careers, the seminar will take place at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum.
The event will feature panelists from a broad cross-section of occupational paths, including coaching, administration, business, marketing, media, media relations, NCAA compliance, sports medicine, ticket sales and officiating. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with — and seek career advice from — a slate of experienced sports professionals in a round-table format.
Attendance is limited to the first 100 registrants. Register Now.
Below is a profile on a panelist who will be featured at this year's event.
MEGAN ROBERTSON, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
Position: Director of Promotions & Game Day Experience
Colleges Attended: University of Oregon
College Major: Sports Marketing
Years In Current Position: 12 years
Primary Job Responsibilities: I am responsible for all promotional elements for University of Oregon varsity sports, including distribution of ticket brochures, posters, schedule cards, game/event promotions and season ticket campaigns. I create and implement plans to increase revenue and attendance for the UO Department of Athletics through sponsorships, advertising and promotional activities. In other words, I get butts in the seats and entertain them once they are there.
Things I Enjoy Most About My Job: I love entertaining the fans. In sports, people come for the game that is being played on the field or court, but I want them to leave having witnessed a great show. I live for creating those moments that people will tell their friends about; the moments that make people wish they were at the game.
Why Dod You Pursue A Professional Career In The Athletics Industry: I grew up around athletics and theater. I was blessed to find an industry that allows me to combine those two loves.
First Job In The Sports Industry: I started as a summer video intern for football in the Stanford Athletic department when I was in high school. My first break in marketing was an undergraduate internship within the University of Oregon athletic marketing office when I was in college.
A Key Mentor Who Helped Me On My Career Path: My mom. She always told me to never settle and to follow my dream. She showed me that I could have a family and a career at the same time. Even when I have reservations, she has been there to support me every step of the way.
Most Influential Person In My Early Professional Development: Angie Sit. She hired me as an undergrad and helped me develop my professional skills. She also saw enough in me to bring me back a couple years after I graduated to be her assistant director of marketing.
Biggest Hurdle I Overcame Breaking Into The Sports Industry: Getting that first full-time position was hard. Even though I thought I was prepared and experienced coming out of college, I was not alone. I applied to many different positions before finally getting a chance. I think that is where my years of networking within the industry helped.
Key Attributes That Have Helped Shape My Career Path: Willingness to be flexible and help out wherever needed. This industry is constantly changing with the immersion of social media and new technology that force us to continue to evolve. Being able to roll with change and be open to creativity every day has been key for me.
Looking Back, What Is One Thing That I Would Do In College Or Early On To Help Me Along My Career Path? I have my dream job here at Oregon, but I would like to have worked for a couple other universities prior to coming here in order to see how other schools operate. Within our industry, it is rare to only have two schools on a resume and I think sometimes that hurts me when looking to advance.
Best Advice I’d Give To A Young Female Wanting To Work In Sports: Network and experience. Get those summer or school-year internships in the industry, because it is an amazingly small world and who you know goes a long way sometimes.
Favorite Sports Team: The Ducks, of course!
Favorite Athlete: I always looked up to Summer Sanders growing up, since I was a swimmer. Now, I admire how she turned her swimming career into a broadcasting career to be able to still give to the sport.
Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: There are so many memorable moments over the years, but I think the monsoon we had during the Oregon vs. California football game in 2013 is right up there. It rained so hard the entire game that players looked like they were playing on a slip-and-slide. I think the memorable part was the fans that stayed the entire game and still put their hands in the air to "Shout" at the end of the third quarter. They didn't care how wet they were, or that Oregon was winning by 30 points, they wanted to share this experience and have that story to tell. A moment like that is what makes this job so much fun.