"Winning Volunteer Program" provides Lynn University students with hands-on experience and skill
LOS ANGELES, CA - April 29, 2008 - Sports travel and event management firm, PrimeSport, facilitated a slam dunk education for twelve eager college students from Lynn University (Boca Raton, Florida) at the 2008 NCAA Men's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, April 5th and 7th, by bringing sports management curriculum to life and giving them real work experience.
As the Official Ticket and Hospitality Package Provider of the 2008 NCAA Men's Final Four, PrimeSport was chosen by the NCAA to manage the School Hospitality Programs for each of the participating schools [the University of Kansas, the University of Memphis, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)], as well as to manage the Fan and Elite Experiences held at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center and the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio.
Under PrimeSport's "Winning Volunteers Program", junior and senior students studying Hospitality Management gained invaluable real-world applications to their education; learning what is takes to produce a large scale national event of this magnitude. Over 10,000 fans gathered for the two-hour pregame Official NCAA Hospitality events each day of the Men's Final Four, conducted by PrimeSport. These events were customized for fans, corporations and other groups to include tickets, hospitality, hotel accommodations, transportation, planning, catering, sales, entertainment, décor and other event management needs.
"PrimeSport helped foster an unparalleled learning environment, where our students were forced to step outside of their comfort zone. Not only did our students grow beyond our expectations, they also established a new affinity for major event planning. These experiences impact their generation much more than any classroom-based course could, and we sincerely appreciate PrimeSports' efforts to help make this a reality, "states Chad Barr of Lynn University's College of Hospitality Management.
The Winning Volunteer Program started with several online planning lectures and Webinars held prior to the event, discussing venue layout, security, operational concerns and more.
"Over the past several years, PrimeSport has partnered with different university-level programs in sports management to offer similar experiences. Lynn University clearly has taken this concept and woven real world experience into their classroom curriculum and it has been a winning relationship for the both of us," states Sharyn Outtrim, Vice President of Special Events, PrimeSport. "Understanding how much planning goes into such a large event is a priceless lesson for our students. These are exactly the type of priceless experiences that we strive to find." comments Professor Theodore Curtis, Esq., Lynn University, Department of Sports Administration.
Lynn University plans to expand the program to include even earlier stages of event planning and integrate with other sports industry events produced by PrimeSport, such as the 2009 Rose BowlTM and Super Bowl XLIII.
About PrimeSportPrimeSport is a leading Sports Travel and Event Management company in sports and entertainment markets worldwide. Official partnerships with professional sports organizations include the NCAA, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and St. Louis Rams. For more information, visit http://www.primesport.com or call 1-800-591-9198.
