LGO’s often help organize and lead conference across campus in a variety of industries and fields of study. Matt Kilby, LGO MechE ’21, participated in the 14th annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference this past March. Matt and fellow LGO ’21 Nikhil Byanna (ORC) were recently selected as part of the leadership team for next year’s 2021 conference: Content Co-Lead and Research Papers Lead, respectively. We caught up with Matt to learn more about his experience.
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What is the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and what was your role this year?
The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is an event that provides a forum for industry professionals (executives and leading researchers) and students to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the global sports industry as well as other sports and business-related topics. It typically draws around 3,500 attendees and is the largest student-run conference in the world. This past year I was a member of the Content Team, which involved developing new panel ideas and discussions, as well as panelist outreach in order to secure high profile speakers.
Why did you want to participate in this event? How did you first hear about it?
I was fortunate to play college baseball at the United States Naval Academy and I have been a sports fan my entire life, so I’ve always wanted to stay involved and connected to the sports world (I’ve always dreamed of becoming the General Manager of a sports organization). The conference was a great way to connect with other sports enthusiasts at Sloan and around the country and stay plugged in to the sports industry and the current trends. The conference leadership team hosted an information session in the Fall semester and I immediately knew I wanted to apply.
What was your favorite part of the conference?
My favorite part of the conference was seeing the day-of event come to life. I spent hours and hours emailing panelists and brainstorming content for the on-stage discussions, and seeing everything come together was an amazing feeling. Also, as a member of the content team, I was able to talk with some of the biggest names in the industry, and learn how they think about solving problems and what they see as the biggest challenges facing the sports industry today. These conversations were so insightful and provided a different aspect than what you see/read on ESPN, or other media outlets.
What was the most challenging component or obstacle you dealt with?
Being on the content team was very demanding, and I really had to lean on my time management skills. When you’re emailing some of these big names, you want to be very considerate and responsive, so I had to make sure it was always a top priority to either respond to emails, or finish a discussion guide for them to review.
What have your learned about your own leadership style or goals in this process?
I’ve always had a “people first” mentality when it comes to leadership, especially coming from the tight-knit submarine force in the Navy. The process of working within the content team and with other industry professionals proved to me that the sports industry is no different—it is very relationship-based. My goal is to never let anything change this approach; if you take care of your people, they will take care of you.
What have your learned about the MIT and the Sloan community from participating in this event?
The “Sloanies helping Sloanies” mantra really shined throughout this entire process. The conference team was extremely helpful and willing to drop whatever they are doing to help someone else out, whether it was respond to an email if I had a last minute assignment due, or whether I just needed another set of eyes or a new perspective on one of my ideas for a panel topic.
How did LGO impact your approach or your experience of the conference?
The community within LGO was also a great support network, especially those who were in our fantasy football league (which I got last place in and am still upset about). We consistently talk about sports and those informal discussions typically lead to more interesting panel ideas or speaker ideas for the conference.
I’m excited to be a part of the Leadership Team for the 2021 conference and be the Co-Lead for the content team!
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By Matt Kilby, LGO Class of 2021