Ashley Eggert and Kevin Feller know the business side of sports. The two IU Indianapolis sport management seniors in the School of Health & Human Sciences competed on April 1 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse during Indy’s first Sport Business Conference. They brought home first place in the undergraduate student poster competition highlighting their innovative solutions for fans and participants at Lucas Oil Raceway.
Eggert and Feller discovered that during events, race fans were taking hospitality business elsewhere, staying in nearby hotels and pulling money away from the park. The duo conducted a contextual inquiry and used their findings to develop a strategy intended to increase fan satisfaction, loyalty, and raceway revenue.
Simple solutions such as on-site generators, enhanced space design, visual signage, and marketing—ideas provided by Eggert and Feller— will help Lucas Oil Raceway continue its trek to become a top racing fan destination.
“Framing the capstone class with human-centered design allows students like Kevin and Ashley to move beyond traditional academic thinking and bring an innovative and fresh perspectives to contemporary business problems in sports,” said David Pierce, Ph.D., IU Indianapolis' Sport Innovation Institute director and associate professor in the tourism, event, and sport management department.
Beyond taking home the top poster prize, Eggert and Feller took advantage of opportunities to network with industry professionals and connect with prospective employers including professional sports, collegiate athletics, and other related industries. All of this, says Pierce, is the reason why sports management students choose to come to Indianapolis.
“That’s what our program is all about—working with sports organizations and solving problems that present winning opportunities for all,” Pierce said. He noted that students receive real-word, career-building experience while sport organizations gain high-impact insights and ideas at a low cost.
“Indy is where it’s at,” Pierce noted. “Where else in Indiana do you have access to professional sports teams, collegiate athletics headquarters, amateur sports headquarters, and world-class events? This is the advantage our students have—Indy is our classroom.”