As a business graduate and former varsity basketball player, Andrew Fraser felt like he’d hit the jackpot when he landed a job at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) — a career path that reflects his education and personal interests.
Downtown campus location made a big difference
Fraser, a Business Administration and Sport and Event Marketing graduate, started with the organization in 2019 and is an assistant manager with MLSE's membership team focusing on the Raptors and Raptors 905.
While his education and experience at George Brown helped him land the job, Fraser said the college's downtown location put him in the professional mindset.
"Seeing the buildings, getting off the subway at King Station and seeing individuals with briefcases and business attire, and then walking the same path as them — we would both get a coffee at Tim Hortons and then I'm going to school, and they're going to work. Mentally, I think that prepared me for the nine-to-five atmosphere," he said.
Fraser said landing a job with Toronto's sports empire felt like he’d made it to the “big leagues," but it was also a moment to reflect on the work he'd done to get there.
"Now is the time to turn it up, and that's what I think GBC prepared me for," he said. "Being exposed to six teams, Live Nation and MLSE Launch Pad? It's a blessing."
Engaging and retaining basketball season ticket holders
Fraser manages a team of six to lead engagement, retention and client services initiatives for all MLSE basketball season ticket holders — there are over 15,000 between the Raptors and Raptors 905 teams. The engagement includes games, events, celebrating all-star players, and "anything that happens in the building."
"I can't control anything that happens on the court, but the experience, from the moment you walk in to when you leave as a season ticket holder, I'm responsible for," Fraser said.
Engagement efforts start with the delivery of tickets and include Know Before You Go pre-game email communications with updates, discounts and directions for games at Scotiabank Arena (Raptors) and Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga (Raptors 905). Colleagues from other MLSE teams support engagement on-site, including dance packs and cheer squads, food and beverage and pre-and post-game events.
Once the season comes to a close, the renewal cycle starts, and retention efforts ramp up.
The power of sport
Fraser says attending games and seeing and hearing excited crowds are definite perks of the job, but for him, it's about sharing a common experience.
"I enjoy the people. I enjoy having a conversation with someone, knowing about their child, knowing about their dog, knowing about their parents, knowing about their background, knowing about who they are as a person, and how the power of sport, and basketball brings us all together from different walks of life, different ways, ethnicities, cultures, genders, you name it," Fraser said.
"But we're all in one place watching one sporting event, and I think that's what excites me."
George Brown becoming the official college partner of the Toronto Raptors is also an exciting development for Fraser.
"To see two entities come into a partnership means that the alignment of the vision is we want to be the best of the best that Toronto has to offer, much less Canada has to offer."
Learn more about George Brown College’s partnership with the Toronto Raptors at georgebrown.ca/toronto-raptors-partnership.
George Brown College is proud to offer a range of business programming, including six degree programs and a specialized postgraduate program in Sport & Event Marketing.
