The ARENA 246
The Barbados Athletes’ Commission is pleased to announce the launch of The ARENA 246, our 2021 Barbados Athletes’ Commission Forum. Themed around entrepreneurship and business, the acronym ARENA: Accelerating the Rise of Entrepreneurship of National Athletes is an initiative driven by one of our objectives – to support the development of athletes on and off the field of play. This virtual event, organized in partnership with The National Olympic Academy of Barbados, will feature a series of live workshops and presentations focused on self-discovery, building a personal brand, balancing dual careers, and the transition from sport.
Who is it for?
Whether you are an emerging athlete now starting your athletic career, an athlete looking to start a business alongside your training and competition, managing both a business and athletic career, looking to transition from sport to a new career or you have retired from your sporting career and have transitioned into a new career, The ARENA 246 is for you! The Forum presents an opportunity for athletes and other stakeholders to learn from the journeys, experiences, and best practices of fellow athletes and professionals, that can potentially assist others along their journey!
Presentation Areas
We are delivering a series of presentations and discussions led by business professionals, Olympians, current and former national athletes focused on self-discovery, personal brand building, balancing dual careers, and transitioning from a sporting career.
PowerUp Workshops
A series of four digital action-based learning sessions that lead participants through a self-discovery journey to grow and develop an understanding of themselves now and into the future.
Learn More
The Athlete Transition: Career After Sport
Discussions and presentations by former national athletes who have transitioned from a career in sport to a career after sport.
The Athlete Entrepreneur: Balancing Career and Sport
Presentations by current national athletes balancing careers as active athletes and running small businesses.
Athlete Branding & Marketing: Building your personal brand
Presentation on development and activation of athlete branding, securing sponsorships and maximizing financial opportunities.
The Student-Athlete: Balancing Education and Sport
A discussion on managing studies while participating in sports.
Athlete Entrepreneur Highlighter Program
As we aim to Accelerate the Rise of Entrepreneurship of National Athletes, we will highlight an Athlete Entrepreneur. An athlete (current or former) who has his/ her own business, will be featured on our social media pages and will be added to our (upcoming) Athlete Business Directory.
Virtual Agenda
Friday, Oct 8,15, 22, 29, 2021 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
The “Power Up” online workshops are a series of four digital action-based learning sessions about 90 minutes each. They lead participants through a self-discovery journey to grow and develop an understanding of themselves now and into the future. “Power Up” builds a foundation for increased self-knowledge, confidence, self-esteem, and leadership capacity. These sessions will “Power Up” the potential for sporting success, education, career choices, and lifelong excellence. The workshop series is open to current Barbadian National Athletes and is limited to 40 athletes. The workshops are continuous and will run every Friday for 4 weeks from Oct 8 to Oct. 29.
Topics to be covered:
- Self-discovery and goal setting
- Networking
- CV/résumé and Interviewing
- Dual career
- Entrepreneurship
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 10:00 - 11:30 a.m
The official opening of The ARENA will commence with a panel discussion featuring three Barbadian Olympians who will discuss their journey through sport and share their experiences of transitioning from careers as elite athletes to developing a career after sport.
Topics to be covered
- Making the transition from sport to the world of work
- Building a game plan for future success in life
- What it takes to start a business (career), from the initial idea to developing and running a successful business
Sunday, October 10, 2021 5:00 - 6:15 p.m
Akela Jones, 2016 Olympian in Track & Field and the owner of Edged X Echelon, will lead this presentation and discuss her personal journey with balancing her career on the track, starting and developing her creative arts’ business. The goal of the presentation is to provide participants with shared experiences of current athletes who are balancing sport and businesses and inform of best practices. A question and answer session will be moderated by a member of the Barbados Athletes’ Commission at the end of the presentation.
Monday, October 11, 2021 6:30 - 7:45 p.m
Jamil Jones, a former national track and field athlete, will lead this presentation and discuss his personal journey with transitioning from an elite athlete on the track, to creating and running Premium Performance Training, a health and fitness gym. The goal of the presentation is to provide participants with shared experiences from a former national athlete who has transitioned from a career as an athlete to starting and developing his own business in the health and fitness industry. A question and answer session will be moderated by a member of the Barbados Athletes’ Commission at the end of the presentation.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 6:30 - 7:45 p.m
Alex Jordan, a former national squash athlete, will lead this presentation and discuss her personal journey with transitioning from an elite athlete on the court, to developing a successful career as a TV Host and Sports Journalist. The goal of the presentation is to provide participants with shared experiences from a former national athlete who has transitioned from a career as an athlete to developing a career in the media industry. A question and answer session will be moderated by a member of the Barbados Athletes’ Commission at the end of the presentation.
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 6:30 - 7:45 p.m
Chalise Jordan, a former National Badminton Athlete, will lead this presentation and discuss her personal journey with transitioning from an elite athlete on the court, to creating and running Active Care Therapy, an athletic and massage therapy center. The goal of the presentation is to provide participants with shared experiences from a former national athlete who has transitioned from a career as an athlete to starting and developing her own business in the health and wellness industry. A question and answer session will be moderated by a member of the Barbados Athletes’ Commission at the end of the presentation.
Thursday, October 14, 2021 6:30 - 7:30 p.m
This session will be presented by Katarina Bitove, the Founder of XOXO Sport brings over 15 years of experience on the athlete, sponsor, and agency side of the sports business. The goal of this webinar is to provide athletes a time and place to focus on the development and activation of their brand, working towards securing sponsorships that provide the necessary funding in order for them to continue pursuing their athletic goals. Through a presentation with examples and an additional worksheet, athletes will develop the confidence to become their own brand managers while still allowing them to focus on their athletic careers.
Topics to be covered:
- Introduction to personal branding and why it is important for athletes
- Examples of some elite as well as relatable athletes with strong personal brands
- Basic steps to developing a personal brand
- Ways to implement a personal brand strategy and social media tips
- How to use your personal brand to secure sponsors
- Connecting and presenting to potential sponsors
- Negotiations and pricing for sponsorship deals
General goals/ aims of the session:
- Athletes will discover who they are as a brand.
- Learn how to implement and activate their brand platform.
- Learn how to secure sponsorships.
Friday, October 15, 2021 6:30 - 7:30 p.m
This panel discussion will feature Tristan Evelyn, 2020 Olympian and former collegiate Student‐Athlete at the University Houston and Ammuniki Wood, a National Volleyball Player and former Student-Athlete at Culver‐Stockon College. The discussion moderated by Helen Gore-Laird, a former Academic Counselor with the Department of Athletics at the University of Houston, will focus on the challenges and best practices of striking the perfect balance with sports training and school.
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