The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announced the launch of the SFIA Future Industry Leaders Scholarship Program. The program will provide five industry professionals under the age of 40 with a complimentary registration to attend the inaugural SFIA Industry Leaders Summit (http://www.sfia.org/ils) to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore on September 25-26.
Scholarship awardees will attend the SFIA Industry Leaders Summit which will feature sessions ranging from forecasting and understanding domestic and global economic trends, emerging market analysis and the future of sourcing to forecasting the merger and acquisition environment and the convergence of technology in sports.
The Future Industry Leaders Scholarship Program is a great opportunity for the emerging leaders in our industry to network and learn from the most respected and influential leaders of the sports and fitness industry. This has the potential to significantly impact the careers of industry professionals who aspire to become executives in our business, said Jim Pisani, VF Licensed Sports Group President and Thought Leadership Chairman for the SFIA Board of Directors.
SFIA will award a total of five scholarships to current sports and fitness industry professionals under the age of 40 who are employed by SFIA member companies. In order to apply, applicants must answer two important questions in essay form: What will the future of the sports and fitness industry look like in five years? and What will you do to help contribute to that vision? Applicants also have the opportunity to submit a letter of recommendation from a supervisor.
Submissions are being accepted at www.sfia.org/ilsscholarshipprogram between April 16 – May 22, 2013. SFIA will feature the top ten submissions in our May 29 and June 5 editions of SFIA Weekly. Members will then be able to vote for their top submissions and the three highest vote getters will be awarded scholarships. SFIA staff will select the remaining two scholarship recipients. A full list of scholarship winners will be announced in mid-to-late June.
A key element of our mission statement is to promote industry vitality, said SFIA President and CEO Tom Cove. The Summit helps ensure that current industry executives are prepared to lead their organizations into the next decade and the scholarship program provides our future leaders with a forum to develop the skills and relationships necessary to advance the profession. Both the event and the SFIA Future Industry Leaders Scholarship Program help position our industry to remain strong and vibrant for many years to come.
