Rowan University’s Sports Communication and Media Program (Sports CaM) made the cross-country journey to the positioning of Super Bowl LX final week for a hands-on event planning expertise. Accompanied by professors Alex Yoh and Lindsey Masciangelo, six students from the Sports and Entertainment Event Planning cohort traveled to San Francisco to execute three pre-Super Bowl LX occasions for nonprofit companions Gridiron Greats and the NFL Alumni.
During the autumn, students participated in semester-long planning tasks based mostly on displays from the 2 organizations that assist retired NFL gamers navigate life after the league. Students labored on discovering venues, sponsorships and making a social media content material technique. During the times main as much as Super Bowl weekend, six students acquired to assist for the occasions’ on-site operations.
A seasoned sports activities and leisure govt, Masciangelo mentioned the expertise is reflective of an expert event planner’s duties in the skilled sports activities trade.
“The experience was the perfect way to allow students the opportunity to see large-scale events and some of the details that go into planning and execution,” Masciangelo mentioned. “The students witnessed their hard work come to life.”
The first on-site event was the Gridiron Greats’ “Cigars with the Stars” social gathering. Led by Chicago Bears legends Mike Ditka and Brian Urlacher, Gridiron Greats offers monetary grants and professional bono medical help to retired NFL gamers in monetary want. The students helped arrange decorations, distribute tickets and make sure the silent public sale and merchandise gross sales ran easily whereas capturing social media content material.
The subsequent day, the group assisted in establishing the event house for the NFL Alumni’s welcome event for members and their households. The NFL Alumni assists former gamers, coaches and staff employees by group service, well being initiatives and varied monetary and academic sources. Students additionally created content material for the group’s “Super Bowl Bowling Classic.”
During their three days on the West Coast, the group had the prospect to go to the NFL Experience, showcasing sponsor and fan engagement, and Media Row, demonstrating the ability of public relations and media at an event of this scale.
“The biggest takeaway [for me] was how much goes into putting on events like this,” mentioned junior Sports CaM main Xander Johnson, who made the journey. “Things you don’t event think about take time and planning and seeing it in action is something that taught me so much.” Johnson discovered implementing the social media content material plan all through the journey essentially the most rewarding and enjoyable.
This is the second yr this system has been capable of take students to Super Bowl week by established relationships with companion organizations. Read concerning the 2025 group here.