Doha, Qatar – March 3, 2019 – Communication professionals interested in learning more about how to use their marketing skills to take full advantage of media mega-events like the World Cup have the opportunity to do so through an executive education masterclass being offered at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) in March.
Students who enroll in the Sport Communication, Marketing, and Governance masterclass at NU-Q will study successful sport organizations that have generated new audiences and revenues through their engagement with sport and examine how that is used in emerging markets such as China, India, and the Middle East.
“We at Northwestern want to connect human and material assets in communication in a way that is useful to people in Qatar as we offer this timely and relevant course in the run-up to the World Cup. Through programs like these, NU-Q is working with local Qatari organizations and individuals in planning how to best market Qatari based organizations and individuals during major international sporting events,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO of NU-Q.
“It is our aim to craft executive education courses that are especially useful for people engaged in work in and around the World Cup activities—and to people who are simply interested in being better informed,” said Jairo Lugo-Ocando, director of NU-Q’s Executive and Graduate Education Program.
The Sport Communication, Marketing, and Governance masterclass featuring leading experts will take place over the course of three consecutive weeks:
• Sport Marketing and Sport Branding
Candy Lee, a professor at Northwestern’s Medill School who also has worked in corporate communication, will discuss the concepts and methods of marketing brands within the sport environment from event execution and retention of fans to sponsorship opportunities and ticket pricing. Students will participate in interactive sessions as they explore how the world of sport and products are of mutual interest to audiences interested in sport.
• Sport Law, Governance, and Ethics: The International Sport Governing System
and the Need for Change
Mark Conrad, a professor of law and ethics at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and author of “The Business of Sports – Off the Field, In the Office, On the News,” which has been cited in leading journals as one of the most comprehensive texts on the subject, will focus on the ethical breakdowns in governance rules and legal questions found in the operations of international sport federations. Case studies, which may include the successful FIFA bribery prosecutions and Olympic host city bidding, will also be discussed.
• Embracing Change in Sport Communication and Media Technologies
Craig L. LaMay, an associate professor at NU-Q and a faculty associate at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research, will examine important issues for the news media involved in sports as well as issues for executives and officials from a variety of organizations that use sports as a platform for promotion, branding, and diplomacy. LaMay has also worked as a newspaper reporter; his work has appeared in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Newsweek, among other publications and law journals.
“The MENA region doesn't rate among the top 10 sport media markets in the world, but it is the fastest growing,” LaMay said. “Not only are new sport competitions coming to the region, but sport media have also proliferated over the last decade, including in the last few years – new direct-to-consumer media with new sports offerings.”
He added, “The sport and media businesses have been interdependent for more than a century, and today, their real business is generating, collecting, and monetizing data. Sport and sport media are being transformed by communication technology. So, too, are the lives of athletes and the experiences of fans, both of whom are primary sources of and users of sports data.”
The Executive Education in Communication and Media program will take place in NU-Q’s state-of-the-art building in Education City on March 17th, 24th, and 31st, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
