Event Development Is The Hub Of The Wheel For The UFC: Olivia Judkowitz

I was promoted to my current position at the beginning of 2019. When I was the Event Marketing Manager, which is under the Event Development umbrella, I focused more on how to increase ticket revenue and market awareness. This also included in-depth market research and analysis of data to help us choose the markets we bring live events to.

I would also advance the markets with our Director of Event Marketing, where we would go into the market a few months in advance to meet with the arena, partners, and local media outlets (radio, TV, publications), to help us put together a go-to-market campaign for the ticket on-sale. All of this experience helped me build a strong understanding of what goes into the planning of our events and really prepared me for the role I am in today.

We’re always looking to be innovative and cutting edge.

Our social media presence is a key factor in embracing millennial fans; we put fan engagement at the forefront of our social strategy. In recent years, we’ve really leaned into creating more unique and memorable onsite experiences.

At our events, we create innovative and accessible activations to attract a younger, digital-savvy audience.

For example, fans can experience what it’s like to be a fighter by creating a GIF of their own walkouts to the UFC Octagon, or an “instagrammable” moment with the replica UFC championship belt.

1. Taking on a leadership role for International Fight Week, growing from assisting with the inaugural event into the operational lead for the past three years.
2. Developing the Go-To Market plan for our first event in NYC after the sport was finally legalized in the state of New York in 2016. We created a 360-degree marketing campaign called “Can’t Wait” to announce our arrival. It was one of our most successful live events to date!
3. Creating a group ticket sales program from the ground up, generating a new revenue stream for the company.
4. UFC signing a seven-year TV deal with the worldwide leaders in sports, ESPN. It was a monumental moment for our organization, and I got to assist with the planning for the launch of the partnership surrounding our first event ever on the network.

What sets the UFC apart from the other sports organizations I’ve worked for is the exponential growth we’ve experienced. In just a short few years, we’ve really blown up. I think the reason for that is the company’s desire to be innovative. We have a very collaborative, non-corporate environment. The mentality of the organization is very forward-thinking, and there’s a willingness to try new things.

Before I started at UFC, I was just a casual fan of the sport. I would only watch the big PPV events with a group of friends at a sports bar, and only knew a handful of the star athletes like Georges St-Pierre and Chuck Liddell. It wasn’t until I started working for UFC where I became more educated on the sport and grew a newfound respect for the level of talent that competes inside the Octagon.

I was one of those rare college students who knew exactly what I wanted to do for a living, which was to work in the sports and live events industry.

When I was researching degree programs, I found that Tourism Development and Management included coursework in sports management, special events planning, convention sales & management, and communications. I also found it beneficial to learn about the tourism industry, as it complements the work I do today. I knew it was a perfect fit.

Volunteer work was highly encouraged in my degree program; so much so, they made a certain amount of hours mandatory to earn a degree. I was eager to start, so I applied to every program that sparked my interest. Luckily, my school was located in Downtown Phoenix, so I lived in walking distance to the Phoenix Suns arena and Diamondbacks stadium.

I got my first volunteer position with the Phoenix Suns by cold calling and asking them if there was any way I could help. It happened to be the year Phoenix hosted the NBA All-Star Game (2009), so the arena was in need of volunteers to assist with promotions. They brought me on as a member of their Volunteer Committee, and the rest is history!

Having a clear vision of what I wanted to do has had a strong impact on my career. I’ve never been afraid to reach out, network, and volunteer wherever I could in order to gain experience and build strong relationships in the field of work I am passionate about.