hosts a

 Baseball Career Conference

Orlando, Florida
December 8-9, 2013
Below is information about the 2012 conference. Conferences are similar year to year and speakers vary. 2013 information will be posted in Summer of 2013.)

December 2-3, 2012
Winter Meetings - Nashville, Tennessee

What: The 2012 SMWW Baseball Career Conference will be held in Nashville, Tennessee. This conference is to gain valuable insight into a variety of careers from those working at all levels in baseball including MLB and the minor leagues. Today, 20 minor baseball leagues operate with 246 member clubs in large, medium, and small towns, as well as the suburbs of major cities, across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.
This day long career conference offers unique panel discussions and question-answer periods designed to start or advance your career on the business of baseball. The day will be split up into diverse speaker panels; including scouting, marketing, management, media, public relations, digital video editing, athlete representation, broadcasting, and sports career strategies.

Goal: To provide members of the sports industry with an opportunity to work with and learn from leading industry experts regarding the representation of athletes and the challenges of operating professional teams, leagues, facilities and media outlets.

Read an article about the upcoming 2012 Baseball Career Conference!

Read an article "Inside the Baseball Winter Meetings" by Maury Brown, Biz of Baseball

Read an article from an attendee at the 2009 Baseball Career Conference

Read an article from The GM Perspective who attended the 2011 Conference

When:
Sunday, December 2, 2012, 7:30pm-9:30pm Welcome Reception (optional)
Monday, December 3rd, 2012,  9am-5pm Conference Sessions

Where: SMWW Baseball Conference sessions take place at the Radisson Hotel at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. This is across the street from the Winter Meetings Headquarters Hotel, the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.  With baseball executives and representatives from Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, as well as international baseball convening in one setting to discuss the game, network and prepare for the upcoming season, Nashville will become the center of the baseball universe.

Who should attend: Anyone 16 years or older working on the business side of baseball or wanting to work in baseball!

Networking Opportunities: One of the advantages of this conference is the ability to network within the industry with fellow baseball minded indviduals. Some work for a team, others are looking to break into the industry. Following their presentations, most speakers chat one on one with attendees. Most attendees come alone, but make many new friends, and peers within the industry. And they return year after year!

College Credit:  Most attendees are not college students but sports people looking to start or advance their career in professional or collegiate sportsl. However, for those of you who are in college and would like transferable credits (graduate or undergraduate) to your school, one hour of college credit is available. After you register for the conference, one college credit is available here.

PBEO Job Fair: A few of you might be attending the Annual Baseball Winter Meetings Job Fair. If you can stay the week and you are looking for internships this is a good chance to practice your interview skills. If you attend our event and you get selected for an interview during the day on Monday, you would just slip over to do your interview. The staff interviewing you will be impressed you are participating in our event! Lynn University which has one of the top Sports Management Programs in the country, brings 10-30 students each year and they do both! In addition, we have team employees attend our event, and if their team is hiring you will have inside scoop. Attend both and make the best use of your time! 

Conference Fees: (REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE!)
Read all choices below. Refunds will not be issued so please make sure you pick the correct registration fee the first time!

Conference Registration Includes: Registration includes name badge, registration packet, all conference sessions, Monday Lunch and Sunday night Welcome Reception and great networking!

• General Admission click here: $250

• College Students, SMWW Alumni, and Faculty click here: $150
  (Your university will be on your name tag)
  
  
• Team and Agency Employees click here: $150
  (The team or agency you currently work for will be on your name tag)
  
  SMWW Hotel Discount:
  
  
  Radisson Hotel Opryland
  (Free parking, free fitness room, free internet. Airport & downtown shuttle)
  2401 Music Valley Drive | Nashville, TN 37214
  phone 615.889.0800
  (Note: This hotel is sold out, but if you need hotel rooms as of 11/22/2012 this hotel nearby still has rooms available: 
  
  Guest House Int'l Inn & Suites
  2420 Music Valley Drive
  Nashville, TN 37214
  *615-885-4030/615-391-0298
  
  
  Speakers:
  
  2012 Speakers:  (Teams & Executives do not yet know their schedules for the Winter Meetings. We put together a rough draft of the agenda for the day to give you an idea of what to expect. Speakers will changes as teams make meeting schedules and flight arrangements. Here is a tentative list:

• Stan Kasten,  former President of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals and the current president, and part-owner, of the Los Angeles Dodgers
  (Read an article about Stan here)
• Pat Gillick - former GM of four Major League Baseball teams including Toronto Blue Jays (1978–1994), Baltimore Orioles (1996–1998), Seattle Mariners (2000–2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2008) Guided two teams to three World Series championships in his career: 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with the Philadelphia Phillies.
  (Read Pat's Hall of Fame bio here)
• John Manuel, Baseball America Editor in Chief
• Dan Evans, President & CEO of Evans Baseball Consulting, Baseball Prospectus Columnist, Former GM, Scout, Agent. (Cubs, Dodgers, Mariners, White Sox)
• Cory Schwartz, Vice President, Stats, MLB Advanced Media
• Josh Rawitch, Arizona Diamondbacks Sr. Vice President, Communications
• Jayson Stark, ESPN Senior Baseball Writer (Read Jayson's blog here)
• Rob Neyer, SB Nation National Baseball Editor and well known author
• Jay Miller, Texas Rangers Senior Vice President (Read about Jay)
• Mike Birling, Durham Bulls GM (Career advice from Mike here.)
• Bobby Brett, Spokane Indians Owner & Agent of HOF George Brett
• Harold Reynolds - MLB Network Studio Analyst (Invited)
  
• Don Welke - Texas Rangers Senior Special Assistant
  to the GM & Scouting (Read an interview with Don here.)
• Toney Howell, LA Dodgers, Special Assistant to the General Manager
• Larry D'Amato, former scout for Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, NY Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds
• Maury Brown, Baseball Prospectus and Forbes & SMWW Faculty
• Tony Ciccolella, MLBPA Agent
• Tracy Ringolsby – Baseball America and FoxSports.com. Hall of Fame baseball writer in his 37th year covering MLB is a co-founder of Baseball America, and is in his fourth year as analyst for Colorado Rockies games on Root Sports.
• Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, SMWW President
• many, many, more!
• Note: Speakers are not guaranteed and will change. The closer we get to the date, the more accurate the schedule becomes.
  

More about the Baseball Meetings: For those of you who have never experienced the Winter Baseball Meetings, it is fascinating!  Executives from all 30 Major League Baseball organizations attend, as well as more than 160 Minor League Baseball teams. This event is the major baseball event of the year. GMs, player agents, executives, managers, and yes, a few players all attend. It’s an event worth attending if you are looking to network, report on the signings and trades that go down, or for fans to feel the energy and excitement. Where else can you have Tommy Lasorda, Bill James, Frank Robinson, Scott Boras, Bob DuPuy, Billy Beane, and Bobby Cox all within 20 feet of each other? (As reported by Maury Brown) There’s also trainers, scouts, media, reps from the leagues, ESPN, Baseball America, MLB Network, MLB.com...it is a plethora of baseball who’s who. Attending the SMWW Baseball Conference and walking around will be enough for most of you, but for those who want more, read here.
Simply put, if you are looking to work in baseball, it is a must attend event.

 STILL curious? We have videos available about our past Basketball and Hockey conferences. We get rave reviews, and conference attendees keep coming back!

2012 Baseball Career Conference Agenda:

Speakers will change and are constantly added. 

We have videos available about our past Basketball and Hockey conferences. 

Sunday 5pm	Mark Warkentien, Currently New York Knicks Director of Player Personnel, 2009 NBA Executive of the Year, and former Denver Nuggets GM shares the Sabermetrics of a Career in Sports
7:30-9:30pm	Networking Welcome Reception (Attendance is optional.) Packet and badge pick up with be available

Monday 8:00am	Conference Packet and Name Badge pickup desk opens. (For those who did not pick up Sunday evening.)
8:30am	Welcome & Introductions - Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, SMWW President
8:35am	Coffee with Tracy Ringolsby - Baseball America and FoxSports.com. Hall of Fame baseball writer in his 37th year covering MLB is a co-founder of Baseball America, and is in his fourth year as analyst for Colorado Rockies games on Root Sports.
9:00am	Behind the Scenes of the MLB and the Winter Meetings: Dan Evans - Former LA Dodgers' GM Dan Evans, now CEO/Evans Baseball Consulting & also a Baseball Prospectus columnist. Maury  Brown - President, Business of Sports Network: analyst, columnist, freelancer, Baseball Prospectus & Forbes
10:00am	MLB Agent & Player Relationship Recruiting, relationships, contract negotiation, ethics in the industry Tony Ciccolella, MLB Agent  Oscar Suarez, MLB Agent
10:45am	Baseball Scouting: Learn what it takes to evaluate talent like the pros and discover the next big star athlete! Tyrone Brooks, Pittsburgh Pirates Director of Player Personnel Larry D’Amato – former scout for the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, NY Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds  Cory Schwartz, Vice President, Stats, MLB Advanced Media
11:30am	Stan Kasten - former President of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals and the current president, and part-owner, of the Los Angeles Dodgers
12noon	Networking Lunch (provided)
1:30pm	Marketing & Sales in the minors and majors Breaking into the industry and moving up. Tricks to the trade. Jay Miller –Senior VP of Texas Rangers &  former Round Rock Express President
2:15pm	Starting in the Minors to get to the Majors Bobby Brett - Spokane Indians Owner & fomrer Agent Mike Birling - Durham Bulls GM
3:00pm	Pat Gillick - former GM of four Major League Baseball teams including Toronto Blue Jays (1978–1994), Baltimore Orioles (1996–1998), Seattle Mariners (2000–2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2008) Guided two teams to three World Series championships in his career: 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with the Philadelphia Phillies. Don Welke - Texas Rangers, Senior Special Assistant to the GM
4:00pm	Jayson Stark - ESPN Senior Baseball Writer
4:30pm	Rob Neyer - SB Nation National Baseball Editor and well known author John Manuel - Baseball America Editor in Chief
5:15pm	Closing Remarks - Dr. Lynn Lashbrook