The Annual Fall Luncheon is the signature event of the CSULB Graduate Program in Sport Management. It is our opportunity to celebrate different facets of the business of sport. The event was well attended by students (i.e., former, current, and prospective students), faculty, staff, and University administrators, including CSULB President Dr. Robert Maxon and his wife Dr. Sylvia Maxon. Dr. Robert Maxon (who recently announced his retirement from CSULB) has been one of the nation's most inspiring educational leaders and was presented a Sport Management momento as a parting gift.
The theme for the 5 th Annual Sport Management Luncheon was The Emergence of Niche Sports. Niche sport marketing refers to the process of carving out a relatively tiny part of a market that has very special needs that are not currently met by traditional sports and it also includes sports targeted to consumers with unique lifestyles. Niche sports are often referred to as action sports, alternative sports, extreme sports, and other ?non-traditional' sports. The increasing popularity of niche sports has added a whole new dimension to the business of sports.
The Luncheon featured an impressive panel of niche sport professionals : (a) Luke McDonough, President of Studio411 (which is an innovative and creative multimedia technology venture for action sports); (b) Joann Klonowski, an independent sport entrepreneur with a wealth of experience working with various niche sports; (c) Gabby Roe, Vice President for Sponsorship and Activation for Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), and (d) Matt Wikstrom, Vice President for Sales for the Los Angeles Avengers Arena Football Team. The panelist provided a brief overview of their respective experiences in niche sports. Then they discussed the uniqueness of their consumers (in comparison to consumers of traditional sports ? football, basketball, baseball), the benefits they offer sponsors/corporate partners, creative business practices they have devised, and the overall challenges of managing their respective niche sport properties. The panel was moderated by Dr. Armstrong. Following the panel presentation was a brief question and answer session with a very engaged audience.
