Southern Miss Hosting Sport Marketing Association Conference in New Orleans

More than 300 participants from across the globe are expected to attend the 8^th Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference hosted by The University of Southern Mississippi Oct. 26-30 in New Orleans.

The international conference attracts attendees from many different countries outside the United State including, Canada, Australia, Russia, Japan and Iran. There will be more than 120 research presentations given as well as a student case study competition involving 15 teams.

“We look forward to a fantastic conference. This is one of the top three sport management conferences in the world and we are honored to serve as host,” said Dr. Dan Drane, conference director and associate professor of sport management at Southern Miss. Drane also serves as vice president of the Sport Marketing Association.

Keynote speakers for the event include Dan Mannix, president and CEO of LeadDog Marketing (the marketing agency for NASCAR); Bill Bailey, executive vice president of the New Orleans Hornets and Scott Ratcliff, executive director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Sports Commission.

According to its mission statement, the Sport Marketing Association endeavors to develop beneficial relationships between sport marketing professionals and academicians through expansion of the field's body of knowledge and multiple forums for professional interaction.

For more information about the association visit www.sportmarketingassociation.com/