Smith gained experience in sports marketing at Moraine Valley when he worked in the Student Life Office.
As a lifelong sports fan, Chris Smith had a long-term goal of getting into sports marketing so he could work in an industry he is passionate about. His position as an Account Executive with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings has lived up to his hopes.
“It feels unreal,” Smith said. “I love it. It’s a job I want to go to every day!
It’s a real team atmosphere. To be in an environment where everybody in the organization is working together in such a team environment—that’s actually rare to find.”
Smith says he experienced the same type of environment when he attended Moraine Valley from 2006-2009. Smith transferred to Eastern Illinois University and graduated in 2013 with a degree in corporate communications.
“The faculty and the staff there were just amazing. The environment was so supportive that I told myself I always wanted to be in an environment like that where everyone wants to help each other.”
Smith is responsible for promoting the Kings organization and selling ticketing packages to the team’s home games. He handles fans who may be interested in purchasing a few games all the way up to corporate clients purchasing a seasonal suite package that carries a price tag of $250,000.
“We want them to have a long-term relationship with the Kings. We have special military nights, school events, college nights—many different ways to bring the community together for basketball and make it exciting,” he said.
Smith gained experience in sports marketing at Moraine Valley when he worked in the Student Life Office and had the opportunity to promote the college’s intramural sports program.
“I told everyone we had intramural football. I made fliers. I showed my passion. And we got a great turn out. Then I promoted intramural basketball, soccer and volleyball. It was a great way to learn about grassroots marketing,” Smith said.
He believes experiences such as this gave him confidence.
“I was actually shy when I started there. But since Moraine Valley is such a diverse community, I got to meet wonderful people from many different backgrounds, and I learned that I can talk to anyone and have a positive, interactive conversation.”
