Blog

I love traveling to see all of my friends around the country. I'm getting good at it considering I went to 35 places last year!

I've gotten really good at preparing for these trips, much like Santa fitting all of his presents in that tiny sleigh. On Tuesday, I packed for seven days for two locations, New York and Florida and I was able to fit everything I needed, including my winter coat and my swimsuit in a carry-on bag.

Going to different campuses reminds me of my days of working at Northwestern. It reminds me of how many hours people in the sports industry work in any given week all year long. I got to the Buffalo campus in time for the men's basketball game where they just installed a videoboard this year.  Laura, Paul and Ashley put on a flawless gameday even with this new contraption. I snapped a photo of the logo we create for them for the basketball marketing campaign and was glad I didn't see myself up on the screen when Boone put a camera on me for the Out-of-Town Score updates!

The next day I worked from the Buffalo offices,which are inside the basketball arena. I was part of several meetings to get ready for the 2012 football season. I felt like I was back at Northwestern, including being able to talk with Anucha Browne Sanders. She is one of the best basketball players to play at Northwestern so I first met her when I was working there. She is a truly incredible woman. She sat on the Female Mentoring Panel at the NACMA Convention two years ago and provided some amazing insight that day. We went to lunch on Wednesday and she continues to impress me. I can't really describe the person she is because she has so many sides. If you ever get the chance to talk with her, do it. I guarantee you will be impressed.

That night I went to the women's basketball game where the team put on yet another entertaining show for the fans. The next day, the women's basketball team met up with Laura and her crew for Free Cupcakes in the Student Union to promote the upcoming games where they are raising money for cancer. This really made me feel at home. The one thing I miss not being on campus anymore is being around the student-athletes. They all have interesting stories and plans for the future. The Buffalo student-athletes were no different. They were outgoing and friendly to everyone who passed through the Union. And I always love to see when other student-athletes support each other, which is what happened throughout the entire time they were giving away cupcakes. Student-athletes from all different sports stopped by. Loved that.

Yesterday was my last night in Buffalo, which was another great day of meetings and brainstorming, including a great chat with Duane from the Aspire Group. It's exciting to be around such a great team. I'm really looking forward to what we came up with for Buffalo Athletics this year! Even though Laura and Paul had been working like crazy, including back-to-back-basketball games and a bunch more events this weekend and into next week, they went to dinner with me at the Pearl Street Grill. This place was awesome.  It has five different levels that all have distinct personalities. They are known for their beer, and even though I never drink it, I ordered a glass just so I could say I truly experienced this great place in Buffalo. It was a blueberry beer in a 10 oz glass, but that still counts!

I'm now at the airport where I have packed up my winter coat as I wait to board my plan to Marco Island, Florida. I can't wait to be around some more amazing marketing minds as I'm part of the Board Meetings for the NACMA Officers. I'm so happy that Jamie DiLoreto and Kurt Esser both kept me on with the Board as their advisors even though I left campus two years ago. That was another one of the reasons it was hard for me to leave NU, so I can't thank them enough for keeping me as part of the team.

It's going to be a great weekend as we make plans that will benefit the entire NACMA membership during the day and come up with some awesome ideas that we can implement at their schools as well. In fact, Eric Nichols and Mary Pink are coming back with me to Oklahoma City on Sunday for the National Sports Forum that is being held there starting Monday. I'm hoping there's time to bring them by the Old Hat Headquarters, which is only 25 minutes away! Eric will be joining Zac, Charlie Taylor and I as we present at the Sports Forum on Tuesday about the importance of using digital media to listen to what your fans want and then delivering that to them, even if that means changing some plans you originally set for the season. Definitely looking forward to the conversations that will be starting in Florida today and carrying through to Oklahoma on Monday!