Managing and allocating more than 400 tournament badges by six-digit serial number for the 2014 PGA Masters may sound like a daunting task, but it is “par for the course” in event management for SPM alum Stacie Gerstel ’10, who is a marketing manager for InsideSEG, a CAA Sports Company.
“When our staff on-site at the Masters yells out the six-digit serial numbers to ensure they are allocated to the proper guests, who start arriving at 6 a.m., we call it ‘Badge Bingo,’ ” Gerstel said. “When working 18-hour days, I’ve learned you have to make some of the more mundane tasks a little more fun.”
Pairing her SPM major with a marketing minor, Gerstel completed her Senior Capstone at Inside Sports & Entertainment Group in the Spring of 2010, where she spent much of her time under the tutelage of InsideSEG partner Jim Zissler ’01, ultimately parlaying her Capstone experience into a full-time role upon graduation.
InsideSEG creates and sells customized experience packages to the most in-demand sports and entertainment events worldwide. Gerstel’s day-to-day tasks are dependent on which major sports and entertainment events are taking place at the time, largely focusing on inventory management, building and managing client programs, and shipping logistics.
“My favorite part of working for InsideSEG is traveling to the major events and managing it from start to finish,” she said. “It allows me to see every aspect of what goes into producing these client programs and gives me the responsibility to meet and exceed clients’ expectations. I experienced my first trip to the Masters during my Capstone, and it taught me so much in a short amount of time. This on-site exposure gave me the confidence to manage these events.”
Gerstel credits her education at SU, specifically the guidance of the SPM faculty, for helping her accomplish so much in her career. Traveling to different countries through the Olympic Odyssey program gave her a window into being on-site for events, which she has continued at InsideSEG with the management of events at Wimbledon, the Super Bowl (in Indianapolis, New Orleans, and New York), multiple awards shows in Hollywood, and corporate events.
In February of 2014, Inside Sports & Entertainment Group was acquired by the largest sports and entertainment agency in the world, CAA Sports. She was given the opportunity to train SPM Class of 2014 graduate Meg Mankowski, who finished her Capstone with InsideSEG in May 2014, and is now a full-time InsideSEG team member.
Gerstel’s advice to current SPM students and graduates is, “If you believe in something, stick with it. There are going to be many bumps in the road, but if you manage your time and work toward a goal, your hard work will be worth it.”
