In early March 2023, the San Diego Gulls hosted the SDSU Sports MBA program current cohort and prospective students at their home of Pechanga Arena for an immersive game night experience. The entire SMBA ‘23 class was present, along with a number of applicants and interested students for future years, and they were all treated to an exclusive information and Q & A session at the Stella Lounge in the arena with SDSU SMBA staff, alumni, faculty and of course many of the directors from the San Diego Gulls.
The evening was made possible thanks to the SDSU Sports MBA Class of 2022 valedictorian, Bill Foltz (SMBA ‘22), the Gulls Manager of Group/Inside Sales, who organized the evening and addressed the crowd. Foltz arranged to have a number of colleagues meet with the group and offer insight. Amongst the hosts were President of Business Operations Matt Savant, Senior Director of Marketing Ryan Johnson, Controller Mike Pomares, Senior Director ofTicket Sales & Operations Nate Beasley, Director of Community Relations Haley Meyer, and Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships Greg Zweig (SMBA ‘12). All guests of the program were able to meet with a number of the Gulls employees to discuss various aspects of running the business, from operations to tickets, from partnerships to marketing and community relations.
As the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, the San Diego Gulls are going through a transition phase of their team as they look to develop younger players in their pipeline. As a business, this presents unique challenges, but the Gulls are known in the AHL for having one of the strongest community engagement pieces and maximizing the product both on and off the ice so that the experience for fans in the arena and beyond is world class. Current class members Alexis Ross (SMBA ‘23) and Joshua Himbury (SMBA ‘23) are employed by the Gulls in the game operations and marketing teams, where they have had exposure and impact on the product for the fans throughout the season and beyond.
After the information session, the class and guests enjoyed an exciting, high-scoring contest that saw the Gulls come up short in a 6-5 loss. The students did, however, get to meet Gulliver, the Gulls mascot, and take home promotional Gulls blankets. Sadly, a member of SMBA ‘23 (who shall remain nameless) was unable to answer the night’s trivia question on the big screen for a prize. Needless to say, the SMBA ‘23 cohort will not be forgetting the number of Ducks 2011 NHL draftees who made it to the NHL anytime soon!
Thank you to the San Diego Gulls for hosting us for what was an immersive and exclusive look at one of the most successful AHL team businesses in the country!
