Sport Management Students ‘Go for the Gold’ in London

GWSB sport management students at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada

On Jul. 26, Lisa Delpy Neirotti, associate professor of sport management, will lead a group of GWSB students to London for her “International Experience:  Behind the Scenes at the Summer Olympic Games” class.  The 28 students – undergraduates and graduate students (MBA and Master of Tourism Administration candidates) – will spend 11 days at the Games, studying the complex organizational effort that goes into an international event of this size and magnitude.

The students will be meeting with sponsors and organizers, including International Olympic Committee members and staff.  “We’ll be looking at all organizational aspects of the Games,” Delpy Neirotti explained. “We’ll get the perspective of all the stakeholders, plus their sponsors.”

In addition, the students will be collecting data from spectators, conducting surveys to poll people about why they attend the Games, and to gauge consumer behavior, motivation and spending patterns.  Each student will write a term paper on a different aspect of the business of the Games.  Term paper topics include sponsor advertising, television audience research, the ticketing system for the Games and transportation at the venue, Delpy Neirotti said.

Even though she has attended 16 consecutive Olympics (including 11 with students), Delpy Neirotti is very much looking forward to the 2012 Summer Games.  “I think the energy in London is going to be very high.  These are going to be very spirited games,” she said.

NOTE: Delpy Neirotti and her students will be blogging and video blogging from the Games.  The GWSB Newsletter will post links as soon as they are available.

Posted by gwsb on May 31, 2012 | Filed under: GWSB News,Olympics.