ALUMNI INTERVIEW - MEET OUR (FUTURE) AMOS ALUMNI CORENTIN DIVAIS
We met this week with our AMOS alumni Corentin Divais, who is currently studying Global Sport Business Master, in London. Recently employed as Inside Sales and Customer Service Representative at Callaway Golf Europe. This interview is about Corentin’s insights regarding the importance of learning English for work at a sports high level, how his journey started, advice to our future AMOS professionals, the next generation of industry leaders.
Hi, it is also a pleasure for me to be here with you today, to share my experience! First of all, to introduce myself and my background, I had my baccalaureate in 2016, when I went to the University in Nantes (in France), where I did a bachelor’s degree in Sports Sciences.
In 2019, I joined AMOS Sport Business School in Nantes for my first year of the master’s degree in sport management. I was at school 3 days a week and for the rest of the week, I was working for the Nantes Hockey Club as an Event and Communications Assistant. Prior to this experience, I had experiences in the sports industry with football, but Hockey was very new to me – it was a very good experience.
In March 2020, during the pandemic, I thought about doing my final year abroad, and I applied to join the London Campus for my Master 2. I did an interview with Joanne, and she said to me “yes you can come, you’re welcome here”. I was very happy to be able to go to London, and my first thought was that it would help me to improve my English. Now, a year after, my English has improved a lot.
Since February of this year, I was looking for an internship to validate my degree, and in the end, I found a permanent job in the UK, so I decided to make the jump and I came back in May to start my new life! I came back a month ago to start my job at Canary Wharf.
For me, there are 3 fundamental values to apply skills to the sports industry:
The first one is to open your mind to everything; I know some of my classmates or other students at AMOS just wanted to work for the marketing or event position in the sport business industry, but I think that sales positions are very important because that is what brings in the revenue. Without any money, clubs cannot do events, marketing campaigns etc…
One thing I would like to insist on saying is: do not close the door when they are fully open ...!
During my last year of my Masters, I had some Sales classes with one of Amos London lecturers, Ken Sharp, who is working for the football industry. He taught us a lot about the football industry but also in Sales in general such as managing customer relationships, ... I think that AMOS should push more and more into that direction, because Sales are very important and as a Business School, we need to have Sales – not just Marketing and Events, in London.
The second one is to be curious. If you love sport, I think it is important to have some curiosity. For example, I love football but in my first year of master I was working in a Hockey club, I am now working in a Golf company even though I did not know anything about Golf two months ago. When I had my interview with the managers, I was motivated to learn about Golf and I think that is also why they picked me because I showed my motivation by being curious, by being keen in learning new things.
Finally, the last value I want to share is to have ambition! If you do not have ambition, you will not go anywhere. Look at me, one year ago my English was basic, I learned a lot about the sports industry in the UK whilst studying at AMOS London, but I also improved my English.
I really loved the city and the atmosphere around sports in London, so I worked hard to find a job or an internship, and I found one! Conclusion, if you work hard, if you are ambitious and you have strong will, you will succeed in your objective! But you need to work hard and keep working at it!
I had a first interview with the agency, and they told me on the following Friday that I was going through to the next round. I had only 2 days to prepare for an interview with my 2 managers and I was supposed to be able to speak about golf… that was the biggest challenge as I hardly knew anything about this sport. After researching on golf for the following 48 hours, I was ready, I had learnt a lot about the sport but also about the company itself: its’ history, their products, etc. 2 weeks down the line, they told me to come to London to work with them! And today, I am working at Callaway Golf Europe.
I am working within an international team: Swedish, German, English but also French people. I am working for the French customers, so I had to learn to switch languages between English and French. My role is “Inside Sales and Customer Service Representative” for the French market.
My missions are separated in two parts: the first part is focusing on Sales but at the moment we are in a very busy time of the year and customers come to us on their own. We do not have to go to them to sell our product.
The other part is focused on customer service which is mainly dealing with issues and resolving them while creating great relationships with the customers.
It is great to be able to speak with the customers and create relationships with them and hopefully, in a year or so, I will be able to speak with the English customers for the English market of the company! To be honest, it is a good first position in the sports industry in the UK and I am working for the best brand in the golf industry, so it is even better!
What I notice from this experience is the difference between the work culture in the UK and in France. In the UK, they are working hard but the atmosphere is more relaxed than in France. Also, the sport industry is amazing in the UK. In France, the sport industry is not doing a lot of work with the government.
As I just said before, Callaway Golf represents the first brand in the golf industry; to be honest, we are the best golf clubs’ dealer, but regarding soft goods such as shoes or even golf balls we are 2nd or 3rd (which is not too bad!). The company wants to stay in the lead, which is obviously evident, but they also want to improve constantly the technology around golf clubs, well I think this is a correct guess! Honestly, I cannot say a lot of things about the company’s ambition, I have only been around for 1 month, but time flies!
Basically, there is no regular day when working in the sports industry, but when you are working in the office, you have some similarities with your 5-days work week, as you have the same schedule, the same workplace… But I also have different missions and issues to fix every day, it is never monotonous, and I learn new things every day about golf! For example, at 8.30am I will order clubs for a customer but at 8.45am I will manage an issue with him and at 9.00am I will be ordering balls and headcovers for his event in July. I have many different missions and I have a lot of interactions with customers! And when you like creating relationships, you discover a lot by meeting new people, especially when you are curious, this is the perfect job for me!
With the COVID crisis and all the restrictions around social distancing, a lot of people started playing golf because it was on the list of the sports allowed to be played during the crisis. So, it is a growing market, and this year Callaway is beating all their records, it has shown the increasing popularity of this sport. So, for Callaway, although last year was a difficult year for the business, this year has been amazing, and we are only in June! I think I arrived in the company not at the best moment because we have some issues to manage, but for the business in general, I think it is the best moment, as golf is becoming more famous in France, and more accessible too, so all this promises to be very encouraging for the next few years.
To be honest, I do not know! For the moment I am in London, it was one of my biggest wishes to come back here, and I would like to stay here for a few more years or more. I like the company where I work, and I really enjoy living in London, I keep improving my English every day, I meet new people every week, so everything is perfect for the moment! But in 10 years, for example, I do not know where I will be, or even if I will still be working abroad and/or in the sports industry! I would like to work in different careers, and in different industries, I don’t know yet when and where, but I would really like to work with 2 industries simultaneously, such as sport and culture for instance?
First, I will say that English is very important. If you want to work in the sport industry and in an international environment, you have to speak English. Even if you are not good at English, you have to try. When you are coming to London, my advice will be to mix with English people – do not stay with just French people – so you can progress in English.
The second one will be: do not be afraid to fail because failure makes you, it helps you grow and become mature. It will drive your career where you want it to go.
Third, is to have a competitive spirit because it’s one of the biggest values in sports because you want to win!
It was a pleasure to share my experience with you! I just want to say DARE, if you don't have the courage to do things you will never get anything, not just during your studies but also when you are working, and in your life in a general way! Enjoy every day of your life, enjoy what you are doing, do what you love, SPORT is fantastic, and we are lucky to work in this industry!
1- It is a pleasure to connect with you today, Corentin. Can you share with us a bit about your academic background?
Hi, it is also a pleasure for me to be here with you today, to share my experience! First of all, to introduce myself and my background, I had my baccalaureate in 2016, when I went to the University in Nantes (in France), where I did a bachelor’s degree in Sports Sciences.
In 2019, I joined AMOS Sport Business School in Nantes for my first year of the master’s degree in sport management. I was at school 3 days a week and for the rest of the week, I was working for the Nantes Hockey Club as an Event and Communications Assistant. Prior to this experience, I had experiences in the sports industry with football, but Hockey was very new to me – it was a very good experience.
In March 2020, during the pandemic, I thought about doing my final year abroad, and I applied to join the London Campus for my Master 2. I did an interview with Joanne, and she said to me “yes you can come, you’re welcome here”. I was very happy to be able to go to London, and my first thought was that it would help me to improve my English. Now, a year after, my English has improved a lot.
Since February of this year, I was looking for an internship to validate my degree, and in the end, I found a permanent job in the UK, so I decided to make the jump and I came back in May to start my new life! I came back a month ago to start my job at Canary Wharf.
2- While studying for your master’s degree at AMOS, what were the fundamental values you learned when applying your skills to the sports industry?
For me, there are 3 fundamental values to apply skills to the sports industry:
The first one is to open your mind to everything; I know some of my classmates or other students at AMOS just wanted to work for the marketing or event position in the sport business industry, but I think that sales positions are very important because that is what brings in the revenue. Without any money, clubs cannot do events, marketing campaigns etc…
One thing I would like to insist on saying is: do not close the door when they are fully open ...!
During my last year of my Masters, I had some Sales classes with one of Amos London lecturers, Ken Sharp, who is working for the football industry. He taught us a lot about the football industry but also in Sales in general such as managing customer relationships, ... I think that AMOS should push more and more into that direction, because Sales are very important and as a Business School, we need to have Sales – not just Marketing and Events, in London.
The second one is to be curious. If you love sport, I think it is important to have some curiosity. For example, I love football but in my first year of master I was working in a Hockey club, I am now working in a Golf company even though I did not know anything about Golf two months ago. When I had my interview with the managers, I was motivated to learn about Golf and I think that is also why they picked me because I showed my motivation by being curious, by being keen in learning new things.
Finally, the last value I want to share is to have ambition! If you do not have ambition, you will not go anywhere. Look at me, one year ago my English was basic, I learned a lot about the sports industry in the UK whilst studying at AMOS London, but I also improved my English.
I really loved the city and the atmosphere around sports in London, so I worked hard to find a job or an internship, and I found one! Conclusion, if you work hard, if you are ambitious and you have strong will, you will succeed in your objective! But you need to work hard and keep working at it!
3- Can you tell us a bit more about your experience at Callaway Golf Europe in Chessington? (How did you find this opportunity? How long have you worked here? What are your missions?)
I had a first interview with the agency, and they told me on the following Friday that I was going through to the next round. I had only 2 days to prepare for an interview with my 2 managers and I was supposed to be able to speak about golf… that was the biggest challenge as I hardly knew anything about this sport. After researching on golf for the following 48 hours, I was ready, I had learnt a lot about the sport but also about the company itself: its’ history, their products, etc. 2 weeks down the line, they told me to come to London to work with them! And today, I am working at Callaway Golf Europe.
I am working within an international team: Swedish, German, English but also French people. I am working for the French customers, so I had to learn to switch languages between English and French. My role is “Inside Sales and Customer Service Representative” for the French market.
My missions are separated in two parts: the first part is focusing on Sales but at the moment we are in a very busy time of the year and customers come to us on their own. We do not have to go to them to sell our product.
The other part is focused on customer service which is mainly dealing with issues and resolving them while creating great relationships with the customers.
It is great to be able to speak with the customers and create relationships with them and hopefully, in a year or so, I will be able to speak with the English customers for the English market of the company! To be honest, it is a good first position in the sports industry in the UK and I am working for the best brand in the golf industry, so it is even better!
What I notice from this experience is the difference between the work culture in the UK and in France. In the UK, they are working hard but the atmosphere is more relaxed than in France. Also, the sport industry is amazing in the UK. In France, the sport industry is not doing a lot of work with the government.
4- What does the organisation of Callaway Golf Europe represent, and what does the future ambition hold for the company? (what are the company's values? ; What does the golf industry represent?...)
As I just said before, Callaway Golf represents the first brand in the golf industry; to be honest, we are the best golf clubs’ dealer, but regarding soft goods such as shoes or even golf balls we are 2nd or 3rd (which is not too bad!). The company wants to stay in the lead, which is obviously evident, but they also want to improve constantly the technology around golf clubs, well I think this is a correct guess! Honestly, I cannot say a lot of things about the company’s ambition, I have only been around for 1 month, but time flies!
5- I appreciate there is no such thing as a regular day working in the sports industry. However, could we hear about what your role looks like on a day-to-day basis as well as telling us about some of the impacts you have made?
Basically, there is no regular day when working in the sports industry, but when you are working in the office, you have some similarities with your 5-days work week, as you have the same schedule, the same workplace… But I also have different missions and issues to fix every day, it is never monotonous, and I learn new things every day about golf! For example, at 8.30am I will order clubs for a customer but at 8.45am I will manage an issue with him and at 9.00am I will be ordering balls and headcovers for his event in July. I have many different missions and I have a lot of interactions with customers! And when you like creating relationships, you discover a lot by meeting new people, especially when you are curious, this is the perfect job for me!
6- Every aspect of the sport has been affected these last few months by the global health crisis. How has the pandemic impacted your business, and is there anything positive that have you taken away from this situation?
With the COVID crisis and all the restrictions around social distancing, a lot of people started playing golf because it was on the list of the sports allowed to be played during the crisis. So, it is a growing market, and this year Callaway is beating all their records, it has shown the increasing popularity of this sport. So, for Callaway, although last year was a difficult year for the business, this year has been amazing, and we are only in June! I think I arrived in the company not at the best moment because we have some issues to manage, but for the business in general, I think it is the best moment, as golf is becoming more famous in France, and more accessible too, so all this promises to be very encouraging for the next few years.
7- What does the future hold for you?
To be honest, I do not know! For the moment I am in London, it was one of my biggest wishes to come back here, and I would like to stay here for a few more years or more. I like the company where I work, and I really enjoy living in London, I keep improving my English every day, I meet new people every week, so everything is perfect for the moment! But in 10 years, for example, I do not know where I will be, or even if I will still be working abroad and/or in the sports industry! I would like to work in different careers, and in different industries, I don’t know yet when and where, but I would really like to work with 2 industries simultaneously, such as sport and culture for instance?
8- Reflecting on this interview and on your sports career, what advice would you give our AMOS students looking to break into the sports industry?
First, I will say that English is very important. If you want to work in the sport industry and in an international environment, you have to speak English. Even if you are not good at English, you have to try. When you are coming to London, my advice will be to mix with English people – do not stay with just French people – so you can progress in English.
The second one will be: do not be afraid to fail because failure makes you, it helps you grow and become mature. It will drive your career where you want it to go.
Third, is to have a competitive spirit because it’s one of the biggest values in sports because you want to win!
9- Thanks, Corentin, for taking the time to talk to us today. Do you have the last word you would like to share to conclude this interview?
It was a pleasure to share my experience with you! I just want to say DARE, if you don't have the courage to do things you will never get anything, not just during your studies but also when you are working, and in your life in a general way! Enjoy every day of your life, enjoy what you are doing, do what you love, SPORT is fantastic, and we are lucky to work in this industry!
Written by Katharina Tchernega, Communication and Events Officer AMOS London.
Plus d'actus :
09 Feb 2023
GSBM student interview Maxime, a strong passion for NFL
The Super Bowl is coming...
This 12th of February, 11:30pm, is the kick-off of one of the most anticipated sporting event of the year: the Super Bowl. This mega event which was viewed by over 200 million people last year will oppose the Chiefs to the Eagles, at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Many of our students are fan of American sports, and this is the case for Maxime Jos - a Global Sport Business Master - 1st year student, from the London campus.A strong Passion for NFL
« I discovered American Football when I was a teenager by watching movies such as Maxi Papa and Always America. There is a fighting spirit in this sport that I love. I started to play when I moved to Lille, where I played for 2 years as a line backer, it was a dream. The number of strategies that go into one game has always fascinated me. » Maxime Jos Currently, he does not have the opportunity to play... « I am focusing on martial arts, notably boxing, which I practice a few times a week, but hopefully in the years to come I will get back into it. » Maxime Jos « When I was at PACE University, New York City, I went to watch the homecoming game of my university. It was an interesting experience. As I had been playing this sport for the last 2 years, I understood the several aspects of the games. » Maxime Jos
Thankfully for Maxime, this opportunity presented itself again, in his new city, London. For the past 15 years, the NFL London, has made a lot of efforts to make the « American Games » popular beyond the United States.
In 2017, Roger Goodell, who was the league commissioner at the time, implemented the International Series. Since then, NFL teams have come to play in the UK on a yearly basis (apart from 2020 because of Covid 19).
« Since the UK attracts NFL teams to come and play on their territory, I had the chance to go to Wembley to see an NFL game a few months ago. There was a great atmosphere, a great spirit. » Maxime Jos
Working experience for an NFL agency
During the third year of the Bachelor programme, our students have the occasion to travel overseas and study for a semester in a partner university. Maxime took this option and fulfilled his dream by heading to the US. Maxime went to PACE University (New York City), and, thanks to the J1 Visa, he was able to work for companies on the American soil once his semester was over. An opportunity that he seized, to discover a new market and to develop his NFL passion and knowledge. « I did work for an NFL agency in New-Jersey. It was a great experience, I earned a lot about marketing, branding and prospecting. The job, at the time, was prospecting brands for the players. Players have their own interests, and they want to represent brands they feel comfortable with, so our job was to find these companies and negotiate for them. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would seize the chance again, of course! » Maxime Jos
While pursuing his studies, Maxime keeps an eye on the NFL, and will, obviously, be focusing on the Superbowl on the 12th of February...
« I’ll be in front of my TV, same as every year, watching it with a lot of frenzy! » Maxime Jos
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London09 Feb 2023
GSBM student interview Maxime, a strong passion for NFL
The Super Bowl is coming...
This 12th of February, 11:30pm, is the kick-off of one of the most anticipated sporting event of the year: the Super Bowl. This mega event which was viewed by over 200 million people last year will oppose the Chiefs to the Eagles, at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Many of our students are fan of American sports, and this is the case for Maxime Jos - a Global Sport Business Master - 1st year student, from the London campus.A strong Passion for NFL
« I discovered American Football when I was a teenager by watching movies such as Maxi Papa and Always America. There is a fighting spirit in this sport that I love. I started to play when I moved to Lille, where I played for 2 years as a line backer, it was a dream. The number of strategies that go into one game has always fascinated me. » Maxime Jos Currently, he does not have the opportunity to play... « I am focusing on martial arts, notably boxing, which I practice a few times a week, but hopefully in the years to come I will get back into it. » Maxime Jos « When I was at PACE University, New York City, I went to watch the homecoming game of my university. It was an interesting experience. As I had been playing this sport for the last 2 years, I understood the several aspects of the games. » Maxime Jos
Thankfully for Maxime, this opportunity presented itself again, in his new city, London. For the past 15 years, the NFL London, has made a lot of efforts to make the « American Games » popular beyond the United States.
In 2017, Roger Goodell, who was the league commissioner at the time, implemented the International Series. Since then, NFL teams have come to play in the UK on a yearly basis (apart from 2020 because of Covid 19).
« Since the UK attracts NFL teams to come and play on their territory, I had the chance to go to Wembley to see an NFL game a few months ago. There was a great atmosphere, a great spirit. » Maxime Jos
Working experience for an NFL agency
During the third year of the Bachelor programme, our students have the occasion to travel overseas and study for a semester in a partner university. Maxime took this option and fulfilled his dream by heading to the US. Maxime went to PACE University (New York City), and, thanks to the J1 Visa, he was able to work for companies on the American soil once his semester was over. An opportunity that he seized, to discover a new market and to develop his NFL passion and knowledge. « I did work for an NFL agency in New-Jersey. It was a great experience, I earned a lot about marketing, branding and prospecting. The job, at the time, was prospecting brands for the players. Players have their own interests, and they want to represent brands they feel comfortable with, so our job was to find these companies and negotiate for them. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would seize the chance again, of course! » Maxime Jos
While pursuing his studies, Maxime keeps an eye on the NFL, and will, obviously, be focusing on the Superbowl on the 12th of February...
« I’ll be in front of my TV, same as every year, watching it with a lot of frenzy! » Maxime Jos
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London26 Jan 2023
GSBM alumni interview Nathalie, FIFA 2022 World Cup
The view of an insider on how things went in Doha
On the 18th of December 2022, at the Lusail Stadium, the 22nd Men Football World Cup ended on a dramatic final, which saw Lionel Messi and his teammates winning the most desired trophy. Never in history, the attribution and the preparation of a World Cup had provoked this many reactions from governments, organisations, newspapers, and people all around the world. It was, within this tense climate, a little over a month ago, that our alumni Nathalie Deutsch, Workforce Operations Manager at TMS, was getting ready to live the biggest experience of her young career. A month later, we are reaching back to her, to have the view of an insider on how things went in Doha - Capital of the Qatari Peninsula. For our former Global Sport Business Master student, the general mood around the World Cup changed when the competition started. « A lot of people have criticized the competition, wanted to boycott, and they had their reasons for it. As a member of the staff, we did not agree with everything that happened here, however, at our level, we made sure to deliver everything ethically, and in a way, it was successful ».
The competition was a success, as soon as Daniele Orsato (referee who officiated the first game of the tournament) blew the start of the first match, fans were once again enthusiastic. Focusing on the performances of their team, people were cheering all around the world and the polemics were put aside, leaving us with what a World Cup is meant to be: a moment in which the whole world comes together to share vivid emotions.
Fan experience
Over the past 4 months, I had the chance to write a couple of articles on her adventures, which taught us a lot about the organisation of such an event, notably the fact that changes are made up to the very last minute, and the result is never guaranteed. However, the hard work and dedication of the teams paid off as the fan experience received great feedback. « I had the opportunity to see a few games, especially the semi-finals and the final, and I have to say, apart from a few things that you will always have in this kind of competition (queueing to get into the stadium, customer service that could be improved...), the services were great. Overall, it was super easy to get around and there was a great atmosphere ». Regarding the games she attended, one obviously stuck to her: the final! « 80% of the stadium was filled with Argentinian fans, they were good fun! Every time Messi touched the ball, the whole stadium was like… wow! It was special moment ».
Collaboration between multiple stakeholders
Organising a Global Sporting Event is about finding a way to successfully collaborate with multiple stakeholders. And we have known from previous interviews and the international press that it is not an easy process. Multiple newspapers relayed the difficult relations between FIFA and the Qatari Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy during the build-up of the competition. However, according to Nathalie, once the competition started, the momentum took over and everyone found a way to work together. « When the operations come live, the collaboration between stakeholders gets better. We have meetings, and every time there is a problem, a representative of each entity is present to discuss it and find a solution. Everyone came together and worked closely to get things done. The approaches are sometimes different from a stakeholder to another, but the end goal is the same, having a wonderful competition. I think that the World Cup brought the best out of Qatar, and that is what everyone saw, whether they were there or in front of their television ».
The World Cup Legacy
According to the Qatari’s ambassador in Russia, the total cost of the world cup is around $200bn, which is according to Sky Sports, « many times higher than any budget spent on similar events in history ». Qatar has built 8 stadia, over 100 hotels to host the teams and the fans, as well as a brand-new underground for the crowd to navigate easily. With all these news infrastructures, the question that is yet to be answered is the one about the legacy. For Nathalie, everything was planned. « In terms of transport, the metro is something that was needed, whether international competitions are happening or not, it will still be of great use for the locals and tourists ». « Regarding the stadia, from what we know, they will have a capacity reduction and will be used for local or international events » (as mentioned in the previous articles, Qatar will host the upcoming international Asian Games as well as the Asian Football Cup AFC). The Education City stadium will become part of the wider Qatar Foundation facilities for university students.
« The stadium made up of ship containers (Stadium 974) will be dismantled and repurposed. Obviously, Qatar is not going to be as busy as some other countries, which have an all year long sporting calendars, but they will still use the vast majority of the infrastructures that were built for the World Cup ».
« All in all, Qatar proved that they were able to create and manage a mega event, and it will probably bring many opportunities for this country in the years to come ».
Post World Cup Duty
In the mind of most spectators, once the final is over everything ends and their lives go back to normal, and the only things remaining are memories. But for the managers on the field, it is another story. The work there isn’t quite finished, it is even the beginning of a new adventure. The first two weeks after the competition consisted of sending her staff home, and since the new year Nathalie has been focusing on a legacy job. « I am currently busy compiling information and data from the competition, then writing action reports, preparing handovers for whoever wants to know about the event, because there are other events coming up, and even if my team will not be there, someone will need to use what we built to deliver the future events ».
Nathalie will be staying in Qatar until the end of March, ensuring that all reporting is done, before heading back to London where she will have some well-deserved holidays! After that she will be looking for a new job, whether in Workforce or any other part of the sporting event industry!
There is no doubt that the future of this promising young lady will be bright as well as for the companies who will have the chance to have her on their team. And we will, of course, keep following her in her next adventures!
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London26 Jan 2023
GSBM alumni interview Nathalie, FIFA 2022 World Cup
The view of an insider on how things went in Doha
On the 18th of December 2022, at the Lusail Stadium, the 22nd Men Football World Cup ended on a dramatic final, which saw Lionel Messi and his teammates winning the most desired trophy. Never in history, the attribution and the preparation of a World Cup had provoked this many reactions from governments, organisations, newspapers, and people all around the world. It was, within this tense climate, a little over a month ago, that our alumni Nathalie Deutsch, Workforce Operations Manager at TMS, was getting ready to live the biggest experience of her young career. A month later, we are reaching back to her, to have the view of an insider on how things went in Doha - Capital of the Qatari Peninsula. For our former Global Sport Business Master student, the general mood around the World Cup changed when the competition started. « A lot of people have criticized the competition, wanted to boycott, and they had their reasons for it. As a member of the staff, we did not agree with everything that happened here, however, at our level, we made sure to deliver everything ethically, and in a way, it was successful ».
The competition was a success, as soon as Daniele Orsato (referee who officiated the first game of the tournament) blew the start of the first match, fans were once again enthusiastic. Focusing on the performances of their team, people were cheering all around the world and the polemics were put aside, leaving us with what a World Cup is meant to be: a moment in which the whole world comes together to share vivid emotions.
Fan experience
Over the past 4 months, I had the chance to write a couple of articles on her adventures, which taught us a lot about the organisation of such an event, notably the fact that changes are made up to the very last minute, and the result is never guaranteed. However, the hard work and dedication of the teams paid off as the fan experience received great feedback. « I had the opportunity to see a few games, especially the semi-finals and the final, and I have to say, apart from a few things that you will always have in this kind of competition (queueing to get into the stadium, customer service that could be improved...), the services were great. Overall, it was super easy to get around and there was a great atmosphere ». Regarding the games she attended, one obviously stuck to her: the final! « 80% of the stadium was filled with Argentinian fans, they were good fun! Every time Messi touched the ball, the whole stadium was like… wow! It was special moment ».
Collaboration between multiple stakeholders
Organising a Global Sporting Event is about finding a way to successfully collaborate with multiple stakeholders. And we have known from previous interviews and the international press that it is not an easy process. Multiple newspapers relayed the difficult relations between FIFA and the Qatari Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy during the build-up of the competition. However, according to Nathalie, once the competition started, the momentum took over and everyone found a way to work together. « When the operations come live, the collaboration between stakeholders gets better. We have meetings, and every time there is a problem, a representative of each entity is present to discuss it and find a solution. Everyone came together and worked closely to get things done. The approaches are sometimes different from a stakeholder to another, but the end goal is the same, having a wonderful competition. I think that the World Cup brought the best out of Qatar, and that is what everyone saw, whether they were there or in front of their television ».
The World Cup Legacy
According to the Qatari’s ambassador in Russia, the total cost of the world cup is around $200bn, which is according to Sky Sports, « many times higher than any budget spent on similar events in history ». Qatar has built 8 stadia, over 100 hotels to host the teams and the fans, as well as a brand-new underground for the crowd to navigate easily. With all these news infrastructures, the question that is yet to be answered is the one about the legacy. For Nathalie, everything was planned. « In terms of transport, the metro is something that was needed, whether international competitions are happening or not, it will still be of great use for the locals and tourists ». « Regarding the stadia, from what we know, they will have a capacity reduction and will be used for local or international events » (as mentioned in the previous articles, Qatar will host the upcoming international Asian Games as well as the Asian Football Cup AFC). The Education City stadium will become part of the wider Qatar Foundation facilities for university students.
« The stadium made up of ship containers (Stadium 974) will be dismantled and repurposed. Obviously, Qatar is not going to be as busy as some other countries, which have an all year long sporting calendars, but they will still use the vast majority of the infrastructures that were built for the World Cup ».
« All in all, Qatar proved that they were able to create and manage a mega event, and it will probably bring many opportunities for this country in the years to come ».
Post World Cup Duty
In the mind of most spectators, once the final is over everything ends and their lives go back to normal, and the only things remaining are memories. But for the managers on the field, it is another story. The work there isn’t quite finished, it is even the beginning of a new adventure. The first two weeks after the competition consisted of sending her staff home, and since the new year Nathalie has been focusing on a legacy job. « I am currently busy compiling information and data from the competition, then writing action reports, preparing handovers for whoever wants to know about the event, because there are other events coming up, and even if my team will not be there, someone will need to use what we built to deliver the future events ».
Nathalie will be staying in Qatar until the end of March, ensuring that all reporting is done, before heading back to London where she will have some well-deserved holidays! After that she will be looking for a new job, whether in Workforce or any other part of the sporting event industry!
There is no doubt that the future of this promising young lady will be bright as well as for the companies who will have the chance to have her on their team. And we will, of course, keep following her in her next adventures!
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London16 Jan 2023
Student Interview Joseph, Global Sport Business Master in Paris
21 years, 3 countries, 1 journey
H. Jackson Brown Jr. once said, « Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do », and if there was a student that embodied this mindset, it would be our Global Sport Business Master student Joseph Vincent De Perez, currently based in Paris. Born in Auxerre (France) from a Spanish dad and an English mother, Joseph grew up in London (where his mum was transferred to work) until he was 7 years old then moved to Spain where he did his primary and secondary school in an international campus. Perfectly fluent in 3 languages (French, English and Spanish) by the time he turned 18, Joseph decided to pursue his undergraduate studies in an international environment. Although tempted by the high standards and reputation of economic studies, Joseph followed his heart and went to Kent (England) to study a 3-year Sport Management Programme. With 300 hours of work placement and some solid knowledge about sports business, Joseph graduated from the British University, and decided to look for a Masters in which he could develop his international network as well as gain experience from high-end sports professionals.
« Whilst in my last year as an undergraduate in Kent, I was actively looking for the best Masters degree in Europe, which is when I found AMOS Paris. The location was perfect as I never had the opportunity to live in the French Capital before. Learning from sports professionals, traveling the world to study diverse global markets was the perfect occasion to do so, and I almost thought that it was a scam. But no, so far AMOS delivered on what it has promised. On the first week of class, we had to do a presentation in front of the ex-directors of Nike France and Gucci, this is exactly what I had signed up for! »
His relationship with sports
Our polyglot student has always been a sports aficionado, « I started playing football in England when I was 4 years old and continued in every country I lived in. When I was in Spain, I was scouted to play for the Valencia Academy, which I did for a few years, but I was realistic, and I knew that a career as football player would be extremely difficult ». However, last year, while living in the UK, our AMOScian was scouted again, this time, to play 5-a-side in the first English division. « I was playing semi-professionally on BT Sport and travelling across the UK. Playing on a regular basis against the best players like the captain of Northern Ireland». A fantastic experience that he wishes to live again, in Paris this time, maybe?
Starting his international career
Although many students are attracted to sports clubs or event management, Joseph is targeting a career in management within worldwide organisations such as Nike, Puma, or Red Bull. But for now, his next challenge is to work for the Atlético Madrid Club as part of a summer job, and we wish him the very best in this fantastic opportunity. Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London16 Jan 2023
Student Interview Joseph, Global Sport Business Master in Paris
21 years, 3 countries, 1 journey
H. Jackson Brown Jr. once said, « Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do », and if there was a student that embodied this mindset, it would be our Global Sport Business Master student Joseph Vincent De Perez, currently based in Paris. Born in Auxerre (France) from a Spanish dad and an English mother, Joseph grew up in London (where his mum was transferred to work) until he was 7 years old then moved to Spain where he did his primary and secondary school in an international campus. Perfectly fluent in 3 languages (French, English and Spanish) by the time he turned 18, Joseph decided to pursue his undergraduate studies in an international environment. Although tempted by the high standards and reputation of economic studies, Joseph followed his heart and went to Kent (England) to study a 3-year Sport Management Programme. With 300 hours of work placement and some solid knowledge about sports business, Joseph graduated from the British University, and decided to look for a Masters in which he could develop his international network as well as gain experience from high-end sports professionals.
« Whilst in my last year as an undergraduate in Kent, I was actively looking for the best Masters degree in Europe, which is when I found AMOS Paris. The location was perfect as I never had the opportunity to live in the French Capital before. Learning from sports professionals, traveling the world to study diverse global markets was the perfect occasion to do so, and I almost thought that it was a scam. But no, so far AMOS delivered on what it has promised. On the first week of class, we had to do a presentation in front of the ex-directors of Nike France and Gucci, this is exactly what I had signed up for! »
His relationship with sports
Our polyglot student has always been a sports aficionado, « I started playing football in England when I was 4 years old and continued in every country I lived in. When I was in Spain, I was scouted to play for the Valencia Academy, which I did for a few years, but I was realistic, and I knew that a career as football player would be extremely difficult ». However, last year, while living in the UK, our AMOScian was scouted again, this time, to play 5-a-side in the first English division. « I was playing semi-professionally on BT Sport and travelling across the UK. Playing on a regular basis against the best players like the captain of Northern Ireland». A fantastic experience that he wishes to live again, in Paris this time, maybe?
