Educational Content

Why Degy Showed Up Big at NACDA 2025: A Look Back at the Convention That’s Reshaping College Athletics

June 13, 2025
Our News
Why Degy Showed Up Big at NACDA 2025: A Look Back at the Convention That’s Reshaping College Athletics

Why Degy Showed Up Big at NACDA 2025: A Look Back at the Convention That’s Reshaping College Athletics

📍 World Center Marriott – Orlando, FL | June 8–11, 2025

🔗 About NACDA | Conference Info

The 2025 NACDA Convention was once again the centerpiece event for many of the professionals shaping the business of collegiate athletics. From high-level decision-makers to operational staff and conference affiliates, the annual gathering at the World Center Marriott in Orlando was a concentrated showcase of the people, services, and strategies pushing the industry forward.

For Degy Entertainment, attending NACDA isn’t just about presence—it’s about relevance. As campus leaders look for ways to diversify revenue streams, increase engagement, and better utilize their athletic assets, live entertainment is fast becoming a serious part of the conversation. And Degy is ready to lead the way.

________________________________________

Why We Were There: The Rising Role of Events in College Athletics

Across the country, athletic departments are sitting on some of the most valuable—but underutilized—real estate on campus. Football stadiums, basketball arenas, soccer fields, hockey rinks, and baseball facilities all represent opportunities to create more than just gameday experiences. They’re event venues waiting to be activated.

But here's the key: it’s not enough to simply want to host a concert or festival and hope it succeeds. Everyone would be a promoter if that’s how it worked. Producing a financially successful, logistically sound event requires strategy, forecasting, industry relationships, safety planning, and operational execution. That’s exactly what Degy delivers!

________________________________________

The Monday Sessions: Revenue Generation Takes Center Stage

Before the exhibit hall opened, Monday’s educational panels made it clear: revenue generation is no longer a back-office topic—it's a front-and-center priority.  Two standout sessions, “A New Model for a New Era” and “Unlocking Revenue: Monetizing Strategies Through Rev-Share & Generation” set the tone for the day. But it was the session titled “Beyond the Game Day: Activating Your Venue 365” that struck a chord with us at Degy.  The panel highlighted how athletic departments are reimagining their spaces—not just for sports, but as year-round destinations for events, entertainment, and engagement. The message was clear: event strategy is no longer optional. It’s a core part of the modern athletic department’s financial toolkit.

________________________________________

NACDA’s 2025 Exhibit Hall: A Who’s Who of Industry Players

Beyond Degy’s booth presence, the exhibitor space at NACDA 2025 brought together a curated mix of organizations powering the collegiate athletic engine—from media rights and travel to infrastructure and fan engagement. Among the most notable:

United Airlines: Team and group travel solutions

Coca-Cola: Beverage programs and campus vending strategies

Learfield: Sponsorship and multimedia rights specialists

Teamworks: Athlete communication and management tech

Daktronics: Video boards and scoring systems

Paciolan: Ticketing and donor engagement services

________________________________________

The Degy Edge: Strategy Before Showtime

Degy isn’t just a vendor. We’re a strategic partner who helps colleges think like entertainment pros without expecting them to become experts overnight. From venue analysis and capacity planning to artist booking and contract negotiation, to turnkey production and risk management, we guide our partners through every phase of the process. And based on the volume and quality of conversations at NACDA, it’s clear there’s growing recognition of the need for this type of support.

🎯 Coming Soon: In our next blog, we’ll dive deeper into why colleges need an experienced talent buyer and consultant in their corner, and what the blueprint for a successful on-campus event actually looks like. The partner needs to be one who understands hard ticket show analysis, proper concert execution, and everything in between.

________________________________________

My NACDA 2025 Takeaways

The backdrop of this year’s convention -- the announcement that colleges can now directly pay student-athletes -- made NACDA 2025 feel like more than just an annual meet-up. The stakes are rising, and with them, the need for smarter and more aggressive revenue planning.  Athletic departments are no longer just managing sports; they’re managing brands, facilities, media, and increasingly, events. Degy’s expertise is uniquely aligned with this shift, and our conversations in Orlando reaffirmed the appetite for solutions like ours.

________________________________________

📧 Email: ari@degy.com

📞 Call: 732-818-9600 (Office) | 908-296-2874 (Cell)

🌐 Website: www.degy.com

Let Degy Entertainment Meet You Where You Are