The Sports Info Business

Today I am pleased to offer a guest blog post to Dedan Brozino, the Director of Marketing & Corporate Partnerships for Long Beach State Athletics.

Seeing the Big Picture:

The recession and plight of the economy has hit the sport industry just as hard as Evan Longoria’s maple bat in a slow-pitch home run derby.  Okay, okay… I’m partial to Evan since he’s one of the many proud MLB stars that have proudly worn the Dirtbags uniform.

Now, more than ever, relationships – both professional and personal – have become the do or die component for revenue retention and generation at the mid-major level of college athletics. It’s time to sink or swim and treading water just won’t cut it when you’re competing against the big boys.  Like an athlete that is facing elimination in a playoff series, learned procedures and techniques are typically thrown out the window, while survival instinct and intangibles take control during crunch time.  In our haste to gain visibility and earn revenue through marketing and advertising, we sometimes lose sight of what is arguably our most important marketing resource – the personal relationships we hold with our consumers.

Relationship marketing and management is a technique I’ve firmly believed in since I began in the college sports landscape over six years ago.  This attribute, much like that of networking, is an acquired taste yet has been a lost art, not only in sports, but in life.  This marketing technique recognizes the value of consumer relationships, making it vastly different from traditional forms of marketing and advertising.  Social mediums, like this blog, and other forms of technology have pushed the envelope and forced business professionals to take a more personal approach – talking to friends on Facebook or establishing a professional account on LinkedIn.  This, for some, results in a factor of uncomfortability that many avoid.  Embrace it.  Pick up the phone.  Schedule the face-to-face.  Go outside of your box.

Building stronger relationships with consumers during these tough times – and they’re tough for everyone – may seem like a short-term fix, but will result in long-term gain.  Development of consumer relationships emphasizes the retention and satisfaction, rather than solely focusing on sales and the bottom line.  At the same time, it offers you as a  professional to better tweak your social skills while learning to communicate and speak a more fluent language about your own brand to your consumers.  Your professional morale speaks volumes to your consumers and translates directly to the confidence you have in the strength of your own brand.

The University of Southern California wasted no time in announcing that it will appeal some of the sanctions issed by the NCAA.  The school issued  a press release on Thursday and in it said it will accept some of the penalties imposed by the Committee and it will appeal those penalties it believes are excessive.

The university noted that it is pleased that the NCAA determined that USC’s self-imposed penalties on men’s basketball and women’s tennis were sufficient, and that the NCAA imposed no further sanctions.

“We acknowledge that violations occurred and we take full responsibility for them. However, we sharply disagree with many of the findings in the NCAA Committee on Infractions Report. Further, we feel the penalties imposed are too severe for the violations identified in the report,” Todd Dickey, USC’s senior vice president for administration said in the release.  The school also had Dickey comment via a video stream on the web site.

However, I suggest this note to USC Athletics and their tech folks.  In today’s fast-paced, tech savvy world, you need to make this video available to be reposted to blogs like this one.  While I could copy the photo, (see below), I could not embed the video here for you to see.  You must click on the link above to see it on their site for yourself.

That, in my mind, is a big mistake.  They want to get the word out.  They feel they have something to say which is why they issued a press release.  For anyone working in the sports management space listen up…..  Make the content user friendly so it can be repurposed on Facebook and blogs.  It is in your best interest.  All of that said, here is additional information by the school as it relates to the sanctions.

Dickey added, “We will accept those sanctions we believe to be consistent with penalties imposed upon other NCAA member institutions found guilty of similar rules infractions. We are hopeful that the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee will agree with our position on appeal, and reduce the penalties.”

“There is a systemic problem facing college athletes today: unscrupulous sports agents and sports marketers,” Dickey stated. “The question is how do we identify them and keep them away from our student-athletes? To provide us with recommendations about the best way to protect our student-athletes and their families from those who seek to violate the rules, we have retained the Freeh Group, headed by former federal judge and ex-FBI director Louis Freeh.

“Our success in athletics and the outstanding individuals we recruit make our student-athletes an attractive target for those seeking to take unfair advantage of them,” Dickey stated.  “We cannot and will not tolerate this. Our program must set the highest standards in the country. USC deserves that and our 640 student-athletes deserve that.”

Dickey said that USC will not comment about specific elements of its position while it is in the appeals process.

It has been a while since I have featured new sports jobs on the blog so today we feature some of the new full-time, part time and internship jobs that have come to my attention.  These positions are in the college sports administration field.  For other jobs that have been previously listed you can check earlier listings from the blog or search via the links on the right hand side of the blog.

This job is geared towards professionals that want to work in the College Sports Information or media relations department for a University.

UNC Pembroke
Assistant Sports Information Director/Public Communications Specialist

Responsibilities
The position involves assisting in all aspects of the sports information/athletic media relations department as well as coordinating efforts in new media techniques/opportunities such as, but not limited to, audio/video streaming, video production and distribution.

The selected candidate will serve as the primary media contact for many of UNC Pembroke’s 16 sports and will assist with duties of other sports while also playing a main role in the hiring and supervision of interns and student assistants. Candidates must have a working knowledge of all TAS/Stat Crew software, with preference given to those with a strong knowledge of TAS/Stat Crew for volleyball and basketball.

Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in communication/journalism field with a minimum of two years working experience in a sports information office, or related field. Working knowledge of Stat Crew in-game statistical program required. Proficiency in desktop publishing software (Adobe Photoshop/InDesign and/or QuarkXPress) is required. Outstanding writing, communication and interpersona skills required. Flexibility to travel and work nights and weekends is required. Ability to work on deadline and manage several tasks simultaneously required. Working knowledge of university, and NCAA rules and regulations preferred

Salary
The minimum salary for this position is $28,306/annually. The successful candidate will also receive a competitive benefits package. The position is a 12-month appointment with an anticipated starting date of June 1, 2010.

How to Apply
The review of letters of application will begin immediately and will continue until the position has been filled. Applications will be accepted ONLY on the UNC Pembroke Online Employment Service website. Applicants should go to www.uncp.edu, go to “Quick Links”, scroll down and click on Human Resources, on the left, click on “Employment Opportunities”, again on the left, click on “Search Postings”, scroll down and click on Public Communication Specialist.

A link to the full listing

George Washington University

Sports Information Intern

Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree and should have good communications skills, a knowledge of college athletics and an interest in entering the athletic publicity field. Candidates who have demonstrated the ability to write effectively, along with previous experience in a collegiate Sports Information office; working knowledge of computers and desktop publishing (QuarkXPress or InDesign) on both Macintosh and PC platforms; experience with sport specific software programs (Statcrew); strong oral and interpersonal skills, will be given strongest consideration.

Demonstrated reliability and ability to perform under deadline pressure and ability to handle multiple projects with conflicting deadlines. Must be willing to travel with assigned teams for competitions as required, including nights, weekends and holidays. Majority of this travel involves non-overnight trips to local opponents.

Responsibilities:
Under the Sports Information Director, the Sports Information intern will be responsible for providing professional writing assistance to the SID in the promotion and publicizing of the following sports: baseball, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s squash.

This includes: write postseason press guides, press releases, game program material. Coordinate media interviews between student-athletes, coaches and staff and local and national media. Report team results and pitch feature story ideas to local, national and international media.

Manage press operations at home events for assigned sports as well as assisting the Director, Associate Director and Assistant Director at home events for men’s and women’s basketball. Other responsibilities include: assist media, fans and alumni in obtaining general information on GW Athletics. Fulfill outside requests for information and maintain mail lists. Assist in maintaining and providing content for www.GWsports.com, the official Internet site for GW Athletics.

GW sponsors 22 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports, 16 of which compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

This is a 12-month appointment beginning in August, 2010 and ending on July 31, 2011. The rate of pay is $17,226 based on a 40-hour work week (at $8.25 an hour). Benefits are not included.

To Apply:
Applicants should forward cover letter, resume, and names and telephone numbers of three references to:
Brad Bower
Smith Center
600 22nd Street NW
Washington, DC, 20052

Full Link to the Listing

Virginia Tech Athletics

Director of Men’s Basketball Operations

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is accepting on-line applications for the position of Director of Men’s Basketball Operations in the Athletics Department (with memberships in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference). This position is a 12-month full-time professional faculty appointment. This position reports directly to the head men’s basketball coach.

Duties will include team logistics and travel (handles all aspects of team travel, including traveling with the team to all away games and tournaments and overseeing logistics; assists with workout organization and talent assessment; coordinates special events; liaisons with facilities, marketing and promotions, game operations, and sports information staffs); student athlete advising (academic and personal growth of the student-athletes; monitors class attendance, study halls, and study sessions; serves as academic liaison with Academic Advising to ensure student success; personal improvement liaison with Student Life; and coordinate community service projects through Student Life); athletic recruitment (assembles and coordinates academic information on prospective student-athletes; coordinates student-athlete official and unofficial visits within NCAA recruit guidelines; liaisons with Senior Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and staff on admission inquiries; processes scholarships and letters of intent paperwork for student-athletes); and administrative areas including video programs, both exchange and Virginia Tech team; fund raising and promotion of basketball program; presentations and speeches to Hokie Clubs and other venues; and other duties assigned by the head coach.

Will demonstrate appropriate knowledge and understanding of NCAA, conference, and university rules and regulations.

All interested candidates must apply on-line at www.jobs.vt.edu, posting #0100228 to be considered for the position. Attach a cover letter, resume, and listing of three professional references to the faculty application. If you have questions about the application process, contact Pam Linkous, Human Resources Manager for Athletics, 540/231-3142 or pamela@vt.edu. Deadline for applying is May 11, 2010. Salary is commensurate with experience.  Link to Job Posting

Assistant Athletics Director — Compliance

University of Arkansas — Fort Smith

QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum requirements include a master’s degree in higher education, sports management, business administration, or a related field and five (5) years experience in a NCAA Division II compliance related position. Demands of the position require effective interpersonal skills; excellent communication and organizational skills; the ability to compile data and prepare, write, and review reports; and ability to understand and train others on complex rules and regulations. Other job related education and/or experience may be substituted for part of these requirements.

DEADLINE: May 12, 2010

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Submit letter of application, resume, and unofficial college transcripts with employment application form to: Search Committee, c/o Human Resources, UA Fort Smith, 5210 Grand Avenue, Fullerton Administration Building, Room 239 or P.O. Box 3649, Fort Smith, AR 72913-3649. Incomplete applications may be eliminated without consideration.

Visit our website at www.uafortsmith.edu for a listing of all current job opportunities and employment application form.

UA Fort Smith does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment.

Link to post

I have been an adjunct professor at the Long Beach State Sport Management Program for a few years now.  I originally started teaching the marketing class to different learning teams and that has grown into me overseeing the internship experiences for all students within the program.  Although it is part-time, I love the opportunity to give back and mentor students who wish to make sports management a career of choice.

I also teach one of the three classes.  Recently, I tried an experiment with a learning team.  I offered each of the 26 students an opportunity to speak in front of the camera for 30 seconds.  They could sat whatever they wanted to about themselves and to market themselves to future employers.  The only restriction was that the message needed to be held to a maximum of 30 seconds.

I also told them I would post the videos on this blog.  That was it.  Now, I knew that all 26 students would not jump at the opportunity.  However, I was rather surprised that only four chose to sit down and deliver their personal message.  I taped their raw messages and only added their names into the video itself.  Unscripted, here is how they chose to present themselves.

Every time I speak to a college class, be it a general marketing class or a sports management learning team, I offer the opportunity to serve as a guest blogger in this space.  May speeches and few takers.  One that chose to send me a word document for consideration is Mike Skogmo, a graduate student with the Long Beach State Sport Management Program.  Here is his take on the NBA and a possible missed sponsorship opportunity.

By Guest Blogger:  Mike Skogmo

Something occurred to me during the Lakers game the other night…

If you stuck around to see the end of Thursday night’s Lakers-Nuggets game (which you probably didn’t because Kobe didn’t suit up), you would have seen the refs take a long look at the replay monitor to watch a play where Chauncey Billups and Derek Fisher batted the ball out of bounds and no one could tell who touched it last.

Billups hit the ball one way, Fisher hit it the other way – they ended up giving it to Denver, but the play itself was inconsequential. What’s important is the replay protocol, and what occurred to me during this particular replay.

The process is slow, and all replay situations play out the same way.

As a TV viewer, you see the refs walk up to the scorer’s table where some guy pulls out a stunning, flat screen, 30” high-definition monitor[1] for the officials to review the play.

After they show the replay ten thousand times from 20 different angles, and every single at-home viewer and their mother can see the correct call, the cameras continue to show the refs wearing perplexed expressions and still watching the replay monitor.

Nobody knows what on God’s green earth is taking them so long to figure it out. It’s all pretty boring and it disrupts the flow of the game.  But as I was watching this happen on Thursday night, a light bulb went off.  It occurred to me that the NBA is missing out on an incredible sponsorship opportunity for Sony or Samsung or whoever to become the Official TV of the NBA.

There’s a break in the action, and there’s a product to be shown. We at home are forced to watch the officials, while they watch another TV screen, which is set up for them on the spot.

What if that TV screen that the referees watch is the newest and coolest Sony or Samsung TV? And what if the announcers plug that TV during this whole process?

Let me paint the picture:

The Lakers are down three. Eight tenths of a second left on the clock. Ball goes in to Kobe who jacks up a rainbow that spirals around the rim a few times before falling through the net to tie the game and send it into overtime!!!!!!…But wait a second… His toes were dangerously close to that three point line… Maybe it’s only a two…

Cue Marv Albert:

“The Referees will go to the Sony Real-Vision[2] Instant Replay to determine if it’s a two- or three-point basket. They’ll get the call right because they’re using the newest top-of-the-line, high-def, liquid crystal, real-motion, LCD, 1080p, turbocharged, Sony television for the clearest most vivid picture in the universe.”

I know what you’re thinking. Making the announcers go through that whole spiel every time there’s a replay would be too lame for words. But seriously, is it any worse than hearing Al Michaels reluctantly utter, “EA Sports – If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,”[3] on Monday Night Football all the time?

The fact of the matter is that even though such promotional efforts are a bit irritating, they don’t really take anything away from the action. They do, however, get a ton of eyes and ears because even the TiVO audience is still watching during those replays.

And as we all know, eyes and ears could equal much needed dollar signs for the cash-strapped NBA.

The end result of this hypothetical TV replay sponsorship deal? The NBA is happy with their newly found sponsorship money. Sony is happy with their increased sales. And the guy watching from home is happy with his new idiot box.

Now if we could get the NBA to spend some of that new sponsorship revenue on better officiating, then hoops fans everywhere would be happy too.

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[1] Hmmm. That was an awfully detailed description of the TV screen. Weird.

[2] Or Sharp Cutting-Edge; Or Samsung  Clear-Vision; Or Vizio Sweet-Picture; Or LG Awesome-View

[3] I don’t know if it’s EA Sports or some other annoying slogan, but he’s always made to say something like that.

Last night I wrapped up another Roundtable for the Long Beach State Sports Management program.  This program is certainly unique in that it brings 10 sports related-businesses from Southern California into one venue to meet, greet and interview with the newsest learning team of graduate students.  Each master’s candidate is required to work in an sports management internship in addition to traditional classes.  New students have a minimum of 100 hours per semester and more advanced students work 200 hours or more per semester.

Here is a list of the companies that participated last night.

1. AEG

2. Disneyland Report

3. ESPN/ X Games

4. Krav Maga

5. LA Galaxy

6. Long Beach State Athletics

7. Newport Sports Museum

8. Roy Englebrecht Promotions

9. Special Olympics of Southern California

10. USA Volleyball

We generally try and rotate the businesses that attend and provide new opportunities each semester.  Some of the other business that have joined in the roundtable include the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Clippers, UC Irvine, Fox Sports, the Big West Conference, The Rose Bowl and many other groups.

I thought it would be good to see as much as read.  Here is a brief video I put together with a few additional photos from the event for you to see.

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The folks at ESPN also have these two sites to visit

www.espncareers.com –

www.workxevents.com -

It has been a few days here on the West Coast since USC football coach Pete Carroll announced he is leaving the Southern California college coaching scene and heading to Seattle to coach the Seattle Seahawks.

Carroll, ressurected the USC football program and in nine years took it from oblivon to center stage.

National Champions, Heisman Trophy winners some of the best recruits in the nation, the Trojans had it all.

What I didn’t know until reading Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke’s story this morning on Carroll was that he was USC’s fourth choice to coach the football team.

The first three had turned down the position and luckily for Carroll, the others didn’t see what Pete did.  He didn’t exactly start off in the best of times at USC.  Plaschke, who was the Dodgers beat writer while I was with the team in the ’90′s and one of the best sports writers today, pointed out “But none of it mattered because USC was in relative tatters, without a bowl win in five years, without a 10-win season in more than a decade, without a national title in 22 years.”

Nine years later, the story has changed and someone will inherit a program in much better shape, NCAA investigation and all.

Carroll arrived at USC after a less than stellar NFL coaching career where he was booted from the NY Jets after a 6-10 record and a three year mark at New England (27-22).

Four is certainly the new number one.  He is not alone, however.

I tend to stay away from tell all sports books.  After having been around the business for so long, my reading interests have become pretty diverse.  These days, I am more likely to read Devil in the White City or The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind than read the latest tell-all sports book.

That said, I did pick up Joe Torre’s book, published last year and called The Yankee Years yesterday and plowed through the first 100 pages late into the night. I mention it only because of the way the first chapter and the first page began.

“Joe Torre was the fourth choice.”

Not a bad fourth choice if you are a New York Yankees fan — Or a USC fan.

It is an important life lesson where we can all learn.  In accepting a job or a challenge, it is not important how you receive an opportunity, the important part of any journey is that YOU RECEIVE the opportunity.  What you do with that opportunity is what defines you.

It reminds me of a short story that I used to hear during my time with the Dodgers.  Tommy Lasorda, the Hall of Fame Manager and official bleeder of Dodger Blue was asked how it felt to be replacing a legend like Walter Alston.  Alston had coached the Dodgers from 1954 to 1976.  Lasorda was filling pretty big shoes in Alston.  Lasorda, reportedly answered, “I want you to ask the next guy how it will feel to be replacing Tommy Lasorda.”

I have had the privilege of meeting both Peter Carroll and Joe Torre.  I am picture with Carroll in the photo above (not my best side) and have heard him speak at other fundraising events.  Torre, I met while he was a broadcaster with the Angels.  Both are amazing men.  Four is indeed the new number one.

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Scroll down and watch Pete Carroll addressing media at USC about his departure to Seattle to coach the Seattle Seahawks

A new year.  January 2010 marks one year that I have been writing this blog.

The expereince has been an adventure for me in many different ways.  It has given me the opportunity to share information on the sports business.  I have shared some of my personal stories from my experiences of working with the Dodgers, Angels, UC Irvine, The Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks and more…..

I have showcased leading sports executives, talked about sports management programs, covered technology in sports as well as breaking news.

According to WordPress, which is the platform I use to publish the blog, this is officially the 219th blog posted on the web with 24 more listed in various draft forms.  Some of the ideas will come to light and several more will be deleted and never be read by a single person.

I started the blog with the premise that I could create a brand and to drive traffic from a starting point of zero, nada, nothing — clume.  During this process I have learned quite a few things.

* I learned that people from all over the world are interested in sports management and sports management issues.

*I learned that Blog posts related to breaking news stories often draws the most attention from visitors to the web site.

* I now know that Saturday’s are usually the slowest for you folks coming here since I rarely post on that day and Mondays are usually the busiest.

* After doing this for a year, I can appreciate the journalist even more.  One that writes on a regular basis needs topics and news to speak about.  It is easy to write about Peter Caroll possibly leaving USC for the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL playoffs or even Allen Iverson’s return to Philadelphia.

What is not so easy is to turn out thought provoking content when it is a slow news day and you have writers block.

Last night, I returned to my alma mater, UC Irvine, to watch the Anteaters take on the Pepperdine Waves in a non-conference basketball game at the Bren Center.

It was as if I had never left.

Nearly 20 years ago, I left the University for a position with the Los Angeles Dodgers.   I left with a heavy heart since I loved my student days at UCI and always enjoyed working there after graduation.

For all of those years, first as an intern, then assistant sports information director and finally as the school’s first Director of Sports Marketing and Promotions, I tried to create an atmosphere where people wanted to be.

College basketball has always showed the most potential.  Make no mistake, UCI has blossomed in sports over the years.  In 2008-09, the school had two number one ranked teams in the country,  at the same time no less in  Baseball and Volleyball.  Volleyball has won a national championship and baseball has come close.

Basketball is still looking for its first trip to the NCAA tournament.  That is a long wait since the school started playing basketball in the 1960′s.  Oh, they have come close, three times if my memory serves me correctly and I was there for two of the three times.

In 1988, a Bill Mulligan coached team reached the conference finals, after shocking UNLV in the conference tournament , but came up short against Utah State.

In 1994, right after I moved to Israel, the Anteaters again reached the finals even though they were seeded last in the tournament but New Mexico State would not cooperate and the team was shutout again.

Finally, in 2008, against Cal State Fullerton, the total local teams battled for an automatic NCAA bid and as I sat watching, I went home disappointed yet again.

I was hoping to see more fans in the house, for last night’s game vs. Pepperdine but my return to college basketball felt as I had never left.  Maybe 1,200 people dotted the Bren center for this game played so close to Christmas.

The students were missing, the fans sat on their hands for the most part and you could clearly hear the coaches yelling at their places.

Still, it was good to be home.  And, get a win.

December is here and the holiday rush to buy presents is on.  In a related move, I recently posted a one question poll and asked, would you consider purchasing a comprehensive 2010 event schedule with a focus on sports?  The overwhelming majority, 66% said, yes, there is an interest in this solution.

Since then, I have been hard at work creating something that would fit everyone’s need.  You can visit it here at SportsCalendarPro.com

First, I created a master sports calendar.  It has every major sports event in the United States.  What did I include?  In no particular order, here is a listing of just SOME of the events.  The Super Bowl, The 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2010 World Cup, College Bowl Games, The Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, the men’s and women’s college basketball NCAA tournament and Final Four, sports conferences for sports related events like the IEG Sponsorship Summit and the 2010 World Sports Congress.  There are about 100 sports events in all.

As a sports executive and dedicated sports fan, I want and need to know what is happening and when it is happening.  It would be nice to find everything in one place for the enter year.  I am tired of searching for the Next event.  It is also great for planning events.  Not a sports fan, but you may be involved in major life events like getting married or you are just planning major events like fundraising dinners?  Then this is ideal for you as well.  I cannot remember how many times a major golf event or fundraising dinner collided with a major sports event and either a TV was wheeled in an event or continuous updates were given to keep people informed.

Belowis a snap shot of the calendar for two weeks in April.  If you click on the image you can see it in a full screen view.

If you want additional details of the event itself, you can click on say The NCAA Frozen Four dates and you will see this

At SportsCalendarPro.com, I created the site where you can view it online via a gmail account and from there, you can easily download this or sync it with Outlook and iphone.  I did it and it now runs as event dates on my master calendar.

The second option is to purchase the 2010 Master Calendar.  This includes not only al of the sporting events, but also includes the 2010 Entertainment Calendar, the 2010 Technology Calendar and major U.S. holidays.  For example, want to know when the 2010 Academy Awards take place or the ESPYs?  Maybe you want to visit the Sundance Film Festival, CES in Las Vegas or Macworld?  Then, this option is for you.

Last, which you won’t find on the home page but you will find on the ordering page, is the 2010 Custom Calendar.  It includes all of the above and allows you to add four (total) sports team schedules to the mix. For example, say you live in New York or the Boston area.  You can add the 2010 schedule for the Yankees, Mets, Nicks and Islanders in one place.  Hate NY teams but love Boston sports?  Then you can choose the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics schedules.

You write a sports related blog?  This allows you to preview the event since you know what is coming up.

Okay, it is the first time I have blatently plugged a product in the year I have been writing this sports business blog, but it is my product and I really believe in it.

Please, visit the site, Re-Tweet and Post this onto facebook or Digg for others to see.

Consider purchasing this unique holiday gift for the sports fan or event planner in your life.