Graceland Sport Marketing Class Works with Iowa Wolves Basketball for Experiential Learning

For the second year and with the guidance of Associate Professor of Business Administration Jeff McElroy, MBA, Graceland’s Sport Marketing class is working with the Iowa Wolves basketball team and Group Sales Manager, Jazmine Constantino, on both a marketing and a sales project. Earlier this semester, the class traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to meet the team and attend a sales training session before enjoying a game to experience all that goes into a successful event.

The sales project will involve ticket sales as representatives for the Iowa Wolves and will include personalized sales training for each student provided by Constantino. Graceland will compete with Grand View University and the University of Iowa in this project. Prizes will be provided by the Wolves for the top team and individuals, and students who sell more than 30 tickets will receive a personal job interview with the Minnesota Timberwolves (owners of the Iowa Wolves).

The marketing project will involve the development of a game-day marketing plan, which is to be different than any current promotion. The Wolves professional marketing team will review the marketing plans and provide feedback to the students. If selected, the marketing plan will be implemented for the Wolves’ next season.

“My goal is to provide students with as much information and experiential learning as possible,” shared McElroy. “I want them to be better prepared than their peers from other institutions and be more successful in their chosen careers. Companies today want more than just a college degree; they want students with actual real-world experience, and these type of connections and experiences provide them with that.”

Graceland encourages the inclusion of experiential learning – defined by hands-on learning and complimented by in-class reflection – as part of students’ educational experience, and many professors, internship sponsors, student worker supervisors and club advisors have jumped on board.