The second day in Miami was spent going to the Hard Rock Stadium. This multi-purpose facility is iconic in the US and has even made a name for itself in Europe due to international tournaments like the Miami Open and the Miami Grand Prix taking place here. The stadium technically belongs to the Miami Dolphins and is their home, however similar to the Bernabéu Stadium in madrid, there is an intrinsically operations system to rent out and use the space as much as possible without any affiliation to the team.
We got to hear many of the staff members share their journey working in sports and how they made it to the position that they are in now. As young people inspiring to follow in their footsteps this was fascinating, although most of them didn’t share anything that was completely revolutionary. This stop on our itinerary was clearly focused on networking and less about actually explaining the jobs and tasks that fill their daily lives.
After the presentation we went on a Stadium tour and then headed over to the Amerant Bank Arena, where the Florida Panthers play. Here we got to listen to three women speak about their job in the trade and they were more helpful in explaining their exact job description. This was very insightful as they showcased positions that I had never heard of or knew existed as a position on its own. It was fascinating to see how certain roles exist in the US sports field compared to Europe, seeing as sports is run very differently. It was also so inspiring and empowering to see three women speak and shine light on the women’s push into sports positions.
After the panel talk we got yet another stadium tour which was very interesting as for ice hockey the arena needs to facilitate different things than for a football or basketball stadium. It was also really cool to learn some more facts about the NHL and how being a fan works here.
After the tour we took a quick trip to an outlet mall across the road to grab some food and do some shopping before we all headed back to the arena to watch the Panthers play the Boston Bruins. This was such a fun experience and probably the highlight for me personally on this trip.
