More than 500 people attended the inaugural Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference (SEICon) in Las Vegas this summer.
The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, in collaboration with the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Sports Innovation Institute and the Las Vegas-based guest experience agency Circle, spent more than a year planning the event, which was held July 15-17 at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
From left, Rick Harrow of Harrow Sports Ventures, Falk College benefactor David Falk ’72 and UNLV Sports Innovation Chief Operating Officer Jay Vickers are shown at the opening keynote address for the Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference (SEICon).
The event featured exhibitor pods, innovation labs, daily keynotes, seminars/sessions, alumni gatherings, networking events, roundtables and daily wrap parties with music entertainment.
“SEICon was a great success,” says Sport Analytics Professor Rodney Paul, who helped organize the event. “The panelists were terrific, the Innovation Hub showed off incredible technology and the keynotes were incredibly informative. We are extremely proud of our partnership with UNLV and Circle and greatly look forward to future joint endeavors.”
Attendees met with industry executives while exploring the latest innovations in sports and entertainment, esports and gaming, sports sociology and diversity, broadcast brands and media, research and development, and more.
Syracuse University Sport Analytics students Danny Baris ’26, Jessica Fackler ’26, Daniel Griffiths ’26, Marcus Mann ’26, Piper Moskow ’26, and Jonah Soos ’25 presented their research at SEICon’s Innovation Hub.
Among the Syracuse University alumni serving as panelists were Jesse Abrams ’13, Julie Nemeroff Friedman ’08, Jasmine Jordan ’14, Lori Robinson ’09, Chris Sotiropulos ’10 and Alyssa Wood ’15. Also, SEICon’s Innovation Lab featured alums Casey Miller ’08, Nick Twomey ’17 and Simon Weiss ’17.
Circle chief executive officer and Sport Management Advisory Council member Shawn Garrity ’86 serves as SEICon Director. The next SEICon event is scheduled for Nov. 19 in New York City.